Top 10 Do's and Don'ts to Avoid Costly Mistakes

We are proud to partner with IHRSA on their upcoming “The A to Z Guide on Best Practices for Fitness Facility Operators.” Here is my take on the top 10?do's and don'ts to avoid costly mistakes for the?Facility Layout & Design section.

These are the basic guidelines I use when developing projects. I would love to hear your experience in club development and what you would do differently next time.

1. Consider Your Business Model First

Your facility should be designed with an understanding of what your market will be. Will your club be a high volume / low price, a mid-priced family club, or a high-end boutique facility? Design the facility with the people and market you are trying to capture in mind.?

Consider the trends and experiences that will differentiate you in your marketplace; or be an innovator and create new trends, as some of the most successful operators have done. The decisions that you make about your programming, aesthetics, and spaces will affect your success. Consider how many members you will need, and how much space you will need to accommodate those members. Typically, the higher the membership cost, the more space per SQ/FT will be expected. The type of club you build will be affected by the materials selected, and that in turn will affect the buildout investment required - all will affect your club’s ability to satisfy your prospects and your business so plan wisely.?

2. Develop Your Program?

Before you start sketching plans, the numbers must add up. Make a list of the services you will be offering, and what spaces and sizes will be needed to execute those programming functionally well. There are many resources available to help you understand sizes. Your square footage is an asset that should be wisely used. Prioritize what should be on “main-street", and what can be "back-of-the-house." Make sure what you will offer fits well within your business model, or you will be wasting space.

3. Legitimize Your Spaces?

As simple as this sounds, it is important that the activities that are going to occur within the space, are properly accommodated by the design. Use materials, lighting, and technology to create a legitimate experience for the user. As an example, a group studio should embrace all the technical requirements of a Dance Studio or Performance Space; such as proper flooring, theatrical lighting, good sound system, meticulously designed acoustical properties, ease of storage for users, etc. Focus on the stuff that makes experiencing the room unique to its use. Another example is the locker room. The location of the showers should not be accessed through the toilet area, but rather separately, closer towards the back of the locker rooms. A center is made up of diverse spaces, each should be individualized.??

4. Develop and Encourage Social Spaces

In the words of the first IHRSA executive director, the great John McCarthy, “If you just think exercise, then we sell people something they can do outside for free.” Understand that people enjoy being in a shared environment. Whether you have a boutique fitness center or a large all-purpose family center, creating social opportunities motivates people to come to the club. Studies have shown that clubs with the most social integration have the highest retention rate.?

“If you just think exercise, then we sell people something they can do outside for free.”

John McCarthy

People stay when they make friends, they like being part of a larger group. Consider social nodes in various points throughout the club to give people the opportunity to socialize, meet and get to know each other. The sociability we provide for our members is part of what they are buying from us.??

5. Choreograph the Experience

The experience you want your members to have should be carefully thought out from the moment they walk into the club, to the time they leave. I call it "choreographing the experience" because it is like a set of preset dance moves.?

What they see when they first walk in, how they move through the club, and what problem points they had to overcome, all influence how they feel being there. This is especially true in creating the tour for prospective members. First impressions are critical, but equally important is how they feel leaving the club. Lasting impressions will be filled with the images and memories of the club they just experiences, so make sure the club is well designed from the front of the club to the back.?

6. Discover the Natural Resources in Your Prospective Spaces

Construction is expensive, especially if you work against the nature of the space or land you are building on. Taking time to carefully consider what are the positives of the space can help save resources. Whether it is the height of the building, interesting material, orientation on the property, possible views, and/or natural light that can be utilized. Working with “natural” resources can help you create unique design elements for a lot less. Sometimes there are simply no redeeming qualities to a space, however, the effort to find these elements may save you construction dollars while creating something wonderfully different.?

7. Break the Box—Connect Remotely and to the Outdoors

There are two main takeaways from the pandemic that are sure to affect our clubs; one is that most people can be remote and will continue to be for convenience, and two, people have rediscovered the joys of exercising outside. Consider how you can possibly expand your space beyond the boundaries of your clubs’ walls. During the pandemic, clubs' creative use of parking lots, yard space, and roof space was revolutionary. Members, for the most part, enjoyed this and owners had access to the free real state. Consider your outdoor opportunities as well as utilizing technology to help members connect to your club remotely, if they cannot participate in classes live. This convenience will be expected and can provide a competitive edge.

Consider how you can possibly expand your space beyond the boundaries of your clubs’ walls.

8. Get it Right—Inclusivity, ADA Accommodations, Codes, Safety, and Environmental Considerations?

When a space is built, there are multiple jurisdictions that will govern the minimum requirements for a safe and healthy building. Federal, state, county, and local laws all need to be navigated to allow people to occupy the space. This includes the minimum number of plumbing fixtures, sprinkler requirements, accessibility for all, inclusivity spaces, and life safety rules. There are also standards that should be met, such as non-slip flooring in showers, minimum light levels, and environmental air quality. This can be daunting to figure out, but hire professionals to prepare your plans and push for a creative way to resolve these issues so they do not dominate the design but are elegantly accommodated. Understanding and working with codes will save you a lot of time, headaches, and resources as you go through the development process.?

9. Support the Brand—Colors and Materials

When considering the colors and decor of the facility, it is easy to target your brand colors as the main colors to be used in the spaces. However, I would caution that may stale over time. It may be more appropriate to pick colors and material that reflect the mood and feeling you want members to experience, while at the same time supporting your brand logo and identity. Materials and colors provide cues to prospects to who you are. Typically, high-volume low-price clubs use paint to relay the experience, while expensive clubs use materials to reinforce the brand. Reinforce your brand through your logo, marketing, and culture—let the backdrop provide the right ambiance for your brand.?

10. Dream Big?

Lastly, this industry is built by innovators on the club side as well as the equipment side. They have all been well rewarded. It is exciting building a new design, but before you start building, take time to think big. What do you want this club to be in ten years? What do you want your community, the press, and the public to think and say about your business? If this is your first club, think about the design of the first of 20 clubs. If this is your 20th club, do not rest on your success but keep fine-tuning your product and evolving. Everyone understands that fitness and well-being are an important part of society. As you engage your members and community, consider what will be your club’s legacy.

Check out our work here www.fabianodesigns.com or view our brochure.