Successful Studio Planning Tuesday 20 th April Laura Robinson, Dance and Exercise Manager Surrey Sports Park

Successful Studio Programming Maximise your timetable Building around your users Create a scorecard system Marketing Instructors Studios and Equipment

Surrey Sports Park 120 station fitness suite 50 metre swimming pool with traversable boom 3 indoor sports arenas 3 Dance and Exercise studios Spinning studio 12 metre climbing wall and bouldering facility 6 glass backed squash courts Starbucks

Group Fitness, Dance and Well-being 3 main stake holder groups Students and staff – University of Surrey Public – Guildford and Surrey Elite Sport - Worldwide 7000 memberships 9000 memberships in 3 years –6000 students and staff –3000 external 113 group fitness, dance and well-being classes and courses 60% public usage and 40% student/staff usage

What are the issues surrounding studio planning? % Attendance Space Studio ‘dead’ time Cover Size of studios Variety of programme Equipment Marketing Competitors

Maximise Your Timetable The success of group fitness lies in the fact that 90% of all exercisers report that they would rather work in a group The average member visits 1.75 times a week The more choice they have, the harder it will be The programme needs to make an impact! Build your timetable around your users What do users want from a programme? Lose weight Tone up Motivation Social aspect

Programme Breakdown Core Programme (70%-80%) Pump Combat Aerobics Circuits Aqua Attack Spin Speciality (10%-20%) Dance Step Sports Specific Mind and Body Tai Chi Service (0%-10%) Technique Class Monthly Specials and events

Create a scorecard system Calculate the total square metres/square feet taken up by your studios Divide this number by 4 or 40 if using feet to calculate your maximum class capacity (MCC) How many classes are more than 75%? How many classes are between 30% and 75%? How many classes are less than 30%? Red Amber Green

Marketing How are you packaging your programme? Names Timetables Quarterly Launches (Les Mills and Freestyle)

Instructors People leave facilities but they don’t leave friends Good quality, qualified instructors are the key to class retention Communication Financial and non-financial incentive schemes Instructor ranking Assessment Cover lists

Studios and Equipment Develop the best studio you can afford Creative decoration to create an ambience Temperature and ventilation Cleanliness Mirrors

Break out groups What are my strongest classes? What are the biggest challenges I face in my facility? Where is there room for improvement? What could I do to increase class sizes?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME