How Are You Incorporating 2019 Wellness Megatrends Into Your Club?
Health and Wellness continues to be the #1 trend in private clubs. It is often the topic of most relevance for prospective members and is a driver for member retention.
Last week we discussed integrating 2019’s wellness trends into your club. This week we are taking a look at fitness innovation; how this will shape the wellness landscape in the upcoming year, and some key takeaways for the club industry. Keep reading to the end to learn about our upcoming webinar on using Adventure Wellness Programming at your club.
According to the intelligence platform, Skift, there are 10 Megatrends that will define the wellness industry in 2019. Since prospective members choose clubs that best fit their lifestyle, the trends may permeate our industry. Let’s take a closer look at these Megatrends.
Locking in Loyalists
Athleisure wear has dominated retail sales for years and new companies enter the market all the time. Several high-end athleisure brands, such as Lululemon, Nike and Tracksmith have launched membership programs for their most loyal fans. These programs often include exclusive access to apparel, classes and events. Have you tapped in to this trend yet through trunk shows, fashion show luncheons, fitness classes or retail spaces?
Wearable Fitness Without the Distraction
The most buzzed about wearable fitness equipment for 2019 may not be the newly-launched Apple Watch. With all the technological connectivity and ‘work / life blend’ rather than balance, many of us have realized that the constant buzzing, pinging and notifications coming from our devices create distraction, anxiety and reduced productivity. However, wellness enthusiasts continue the desire to track their steps, sleep and heart rate without the screen disruptors. Enter discreet wearable technology. This technology can be worn on your finger, on your clothes, or as stylish jewelry.
If you are on social media, you may notice people posting their workouts or steps for their friends to see. Tapping into this social connection and ‘healthy competition’ provides great opportunities with club programming to keep members engaged and active, which serves their wellness goals. And the new wearable technology can prove a unique tee gift for a member/guest event or winning prize for a 30-day fitness challenge.
Photo Credit: IDYourself
Wellness at Work
For clubs adding coworking spaces to their clubs, be sure to keep an eye on how companies like The Assemblage, LifeTimeWork and We Work are incorporating healthy food & beverage into their offerings, as well as meditation, yoga classes, etc.
Wellness at work is also important to your employee retention and attraction. A bland employee break room with no pictures, blank walls and generally ‘thrown together’ is no longer acceptable. Take some time to get to know your staff and find out how you can incorporate health and wellness into your employee program – consider hiking clubs, ‘steps’ competitions for them, stretch classes, etc. Chef Mary Howley recently wrote about this topic, see more here .
On-Demand Fitness Will Dominate
Just when you thought you had a handle on these fitness trends, along comes companies like Peloton, offering on-demand, in home fitness. This is slated to be the the largest growing segment in the fitness industry. Do you have Peloton bikes in your fitness facility yet? Or, have you found a way to run contests on Peloton users to remain part of this growing trend? Clever managers will use this trend to think out of the box; having fitness equipment, group classes and on-demand fitness co-exist to build an even greater fitness program….and when you do, let us hear how you did it!
Find Your Connection
Women-only wellness retreats are popping up all over the globe, promising the ultimate luxury of leaving your cares at home and focusing on your health and well-being.
Clubs can incorporate this trend beyond book clubs and card games. A lecture series on topics of interest, women’s spa retreats if your club has a beautiful spa and lodging capabilities, or women’s trips to museums, going antiquing, live shows or a multi-day retreat at the club with golf, tennis, yoga, barre classes and healthy meals may be the ticket to increase your women’s groups.
While we’re talking about women, with the LPGA’s #inviteher movement, why not take some time to do an internal audit of how welcoming your club is to women overall. Club trends also tell us that women have more and more influence in spending decisions. Companies like Women On Course can help you #welcomeher.
Health, Medicine and Beauty
With news about society distractions, anxiety and stress, rising medical costs and increased social awareness, there are changes in the health, medical and beauty world. More people are getting involved with their health using technology and food (cryotherapy, virtual float tanks, oxygen bars, Bulletproof Coffee anyone?). Bringing in experts on these topics for lectures or incorporating some of these ‘biohacks’ and ‘nutritional technology’ into your wellness programming could prove popular with today’s modern member.
In the beauty world, more and more people are into “Clean Beauty Products”, with natural, ‘clean’, ingredients. This is something clubs can use in their spas, sunscreens and lip balms to incorporate health and wellness trends into their club.
Milk that Isn’t Milk
With more concern about dairy intolerances and the nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet, 2019 should be the year that clubs take a good hard look at their menus (if they haven’t already). I’ll be sharing more about these Food and Beverage Trends at the Golf Business Conference (link). If you can’t wait for February, contact us (Link to ) to do a menu audit and help you develop something unique for your club.
Go Outside Your Comfort Zone
According to a new CDC report, meditation is the fastest growing wellness trend. Big meditation brands looking to grow their customers and keep the momentum going, are thinking outside their traditional bubble in order to grow by selling not only their apps (think Headspace, Calm and Inscape), but also creating products such as clothing and books as an extension of their brands. Are you offering guided meditation in your fitness program yet? What about encouraging meditation with managers and staff?
Take it Slow, Grow Gracefully
CBD (cannabidiol) was one of the most talked about wellness products in 2018, and 2019; it is incorporated into everything from food and beverages to beauty and spa treatments. Luxury hotels are finding ways to incorporate the benefits of CBD into their spa treatments and major companies like Coca-Cola are investigating ways to incorporate CBD products into their lineup as well.
Since many clubs are still debating denim and cell phones at their club, use of CBD may be a slow moving trend in the industry.
Is 2019 the year that you integrate more wellness trends into your club or update your existing program? Let us know what you are doing already. Join us for our free webinar, “Bringing the Excitement to Your Customers: How to Integrate Adventure Wellness into your Resort or Club” featuring Thad Calciolari of Calciolari Concepts and Solutions. Thad will explain the benefits of Adventure Wellness programming and discuss the steps necessary to identify, initiate, integrate, and operate the particular opportunities available for your property.
Whitney Reid Pennell, president of the RCS Hospitality Group (formerly Reid Consulting Services) is a celebrated management consultant, educator and speaker. RCS, the creators of the Food and Beverage Boot Camp™, specialize in operations consulting, strategic planning, food and beverage management, and training programs.
For more information, phone (623) 322-0773; or visit the RCS website at www.consultingrcs.com.
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