How to Protect Your Members and Your Fitness Business During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Many industries are feeling the effects of the coronavirus, especially the fitness industry, whose businesses revolve around sweat and tight-knit communities. The good news about the virus—despite its new pandemic label—is that it can be suppressed and controlled unlike any disease before it, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a March 11 statement. To do so only requires a marriage of resources and resolve, he said—which, for health club operators, can come in many forms.

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Augie's Quest Cancels 15th Annual ALS-Fundraising Bash, Holds Online Auction

The 15th annual Bash for Augie's Quest to Cure ALS, originally scheduled to be held March 20 in conjunction with IHRSA 2020, has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. However, the Bash's staple auction is still being held virtually. Bidding is now live and will remain open until 5 p.m. PST on March 23.

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SoulCycle Unveils New $2,500 At-Home Bike and Content Subscription Service

SoulCycle's new bike will be available for pre-sale on March 13 to customers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Austin, with additional cities being added at later dates, according to SoulCycle's website. Its subscription-based content platform, Variis, will allow customers to access classes from sister brands Equinox, Pure Yoga and Precision Run at a cost of $40 per month.

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How to Create a More Diverse Staff and Executive Team

Diversity in your staffing is key to your brand’s success in the future. Learn how the team at In-Shape Health Clubs set about creating a more diverse team and how you can do the same. Attend this free Master Class webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern on March 26. The webinar, “How to Create More Diversity in Your Staffing,” is presented by Tina Basoco, vice president of talent acquisition, development and organizational effectiveness at In-Shape.  Register here.

Achieve Greater Retention by Digitizing Your Gym Floor

In the latest episode of the Club Industry Podcast, Garrett Borunda, vice president of platforms and partnerships at eGym, discusses how club and studio operators can digitize their gym floors—leading to greater retention, revenue and cost savings. Borunda also shares tips for how to better engage members outside a club's four walls.  Click here to stream the free episode.

Understanding 2020’s Most Important Fitness Trends

The fitness industry is always evolving, so smart business operators must keep abreast of trends and their far-reaching effects. To this end, Club Industry has compiled its latest report,  Fitness Trends: Spotlight on 2020   , to share what 30 of today's industry leaders think are the trends to watch in 2020, how they are affecting the industry and what you can do to respond to them. Download the free report by  clicking here.

Healthcare and Fitness Integration Podcasts Explain the Opportunities for Health Clubs

Find out the opportunities that are opening for the health club industry with the changing healthcare landscape as well as how to better motivate your clients by listening to a special two-part Club Industry Podcast: The ABC Financial Services Edition on Healthcare and Fitness Integration.  The first podcast features insights from Doug Ribley of Cleveland Clinic Akron General about how the medical industry is changing, which is creating new revenue streams for health club operators. He shares some steps you can take to be a part of this opportunity. Also included are insights from Paul Schaller and Bill Davis of ABC Financial, which sponsored this two-part podcast.  The second podcast in this series offers practical applications from clinical psychologist Dr. Andrea Busby on how to motivate your clients to exercise, what you are saying that may be hurting them and how to interact with them to improve their results. You can find both on the  Club Industry Soundcloud page. And then register for the Healthcare & Fitness Integration Summit at this year’s  Club Industry Show Oct. 14-16 in St. Louis, Missouri.