MAKE GROUP EX
FOR YOUR CLUB
By hosting group ex-focused ‘mass member’
events you can create an amazing atmosphere and
make Group Ex a real drawcard for your facility
WORDS: LEISL KLAEBE
f you can make members and prospective members
want to be a part of what you are doing, and if you can
make them feel like they will be missing out if they don’t
participate in your group fitness events, then you have successfully
made group fitness a drawcard for your members.
So, how can you create that feeling?
Macquarie University Sport has established a hearty tradition
of mass member participation events four times a year to coincide
with Les Mills Quarterly releases, and in addition to this we also
run one other mass member event each year.
The quarterly events take place over one day. At each event we
raise money for our nominated charity, Special Olympics, and we
invite Special Olympic Athletes to attend the classes.
Quarterly event statistics
• 10-18 classes on offer that day
• 20-36 Group Fitness Instructors deliver the classes
• 350-630 members and friends attend
• up to 15 membership sales directly related to the event.
Our mass member events also feature one huge class, attended
by between 150 and 180 members and friends. Recent events
have included BODYATTACK® Gold with Les Mills Trainer Chris
Hutton (at which every attendee was given a free event t-shirt);
the Biggest BODYPUMP® Class Ever with Master Trainer Jako
Misic; and the Zumba Do it in a Dress session, at which everyone
attending wore school uniform.
As long as you deliver the event as professionally and
passionately as you have promoted it, you’re on track to making
group exercise a major drawcard for your members. It becomes
a tribe of like-minded people all coming together. If the event you
host is memorable, energising, powerful and, importantly, fun,
why wouldn’t members want to attend the next one? Drawing
the members back becomes easy. Group exercise becomes a
I
18 | NETWORK WINTER 2015
BODYATTACK Gold mass member participation event
The Chillout Zone – Super Summertime Saturday