The ClubReady team had a wonderful time at the IHRSA 2023 Show! Chris Gallo, Vice President of Sales, shared his thoughts and experiences from this year.
“The IHRSA 2023 trade show was ironically reminiscent of the pre-Covid days, filled with energy and packed with customers, while also being unique in that it became the most interactive and consultative two days at any booth, at any show, in our company’s history. IHRSA 2023 was focused on 'sharing your knowledge and giving us advice for our brand to help drive more revenue and retention’. Also, this year there was an emphasis on how to tie a business’ CRM playbook to their social media marketing platforms and how to turn that into actionable, automated playbooks as done by many of the brands we support and work with. Much advice was being sought and answers being shared to existing customers looking to get more out of an all-in-one platform.
Furthermore, branded mobile app conversations hit a high level of interest. No longer were the conversations based on ‘how to book, how to buy, how to check-in?’ using a branded Member Mobile App. Instead, this year the questions revolved around how to turn the customers’ mobile experience into a fully engaging experience. It is almost as if, in some ways, a custom mobile app has replaced a brands’ website as the nucleus of its conceptual fitness and wellness beliefs, marketing content, & information broadcasting; even promotional communications such as member referral tools. These conversations were fascinating, and the present-day tools have evolved so much in mobile for our customers it is wild.
Lastly, it was refreshing to have so many conversations about ‘how can we start to scale and what are some of the tips on starting a successful franchise’. What a great sign for the industry. The buzz was back. Not sure I have had so many conversations about Franchise FDD documents as it relates to setting up management software to align with the goals and legal needs of a franchisors launch and evolution. Yes, it felt like 2019 again, only better!”
Interested in hearing what ClubReady can do to help you scale your business? Access our Fitness Owner’s Success Kit, a guide to help you run your sales, marketing, retention, and billing.