REDCAR LEISURE CENTRE SEES HIGH OCCUPANCY IN VIRTUAL AQUA FITNESS DURING OFF-PEAK
With a huge 100 station gym, modern pool facilities and a Flowrider surf simulator, as well as an incredibly engaged team of fitness class instructors, Redcarin vapaa-ajan keskus is one of the premium leisure centers in the North of England. Located in Redcar, North Yorkshire, Redcar Leisure Centre was one of the first sites in the United Kingdom to launch Hydrohex Fitness Classes for its members. The site was one of three sites to take part in a trial of the service with Everyone Active, one of the largest and fastest growing leisure operators in the UK.
“It’s become a really good offering for us, and attendance has really been trending up.” Says Christina Langner, Fitness Manager for Redcar Leisure Centre. Christina and her team offer 11 Hydrohex Fitness Classes per week alongside their instructed aqua classes. Since the launch of the new class types, Hydrohex CARDIO, Hydrohex POWER, Hydrohex MOVE and Hydrohex BEAT, the members have taken to all class types except for Hydrohex MOVE.
“Our aqua attendees are very active and like to train hard, so Hydrohex MOVE was a little bit too easy for them. However, the varied class types are good because they allow us to target different groups and I can absolutely see Hydrohex MOVE working for a different demographic in other facilities.”
Christina Langner, Fitness Manager
In fact, the class types seem to have had a marked impact in Redcar, with attendance rising quickly after the launch of the new class types in December. According to Christina, the overall virtual fitness class occupancy rates have gone “from the single digits well into the tens”, including both Hydrohex and the dry land virtual offering. Hydrohex has also become a valuable tool for covering staff absences and holidays.
“In the beginning when I had to be away for some of my aqua classes, my regulars were a little bit skeptical about the new offering, but once they tried Hydrohex BEAT they quickly came to and didn’t mind my absences as much. Quite a few of our regulars have added extra sessions to their weekly mix and we’ve had new people coming in too. It’s great because it challenges my instructors and I to mix it up and keep it interesting whilst also giving us plenty of ideas and inspiration!”
Christina Langner, Fitness Manager
ATTENDANCE HAS GONE FROM 40% INITIALLY TO AN AVERAGE OF 75%
Redcar Leisure Centre have done a fantastic job of adding a large number of Aqua classes to their weekly schedule and substituting their exceptionally engaging and energetic live Aqua offering, allowing more people to experience the benefits of exercising in the water. The benefit of a virtual service is that classes can also be run during off-peak times when there is less pressure to have full occupancy but value to be gained from getting people in the pool.
However, even counting classes run during off-peak hours, the attendance figures for Hydrohex at Redcar Leisure Centre have grown from around 40% in the early stages of the trial to an average of 75 % in May, with the trendline pointing firmly upwards.
“THE SERVICE IS A GREAT OPTION FOR THOSE LOOKING TO BUILD WATER CONFIDENCE AT THEIR OWN PACE, BEFORE ATTEMPTING LIVE INSTRUCTOR CLASSES.”
Another benefit is that the virtual service is suitable for different aquatic experience levels. The classes provide a fun challenge for more experienced aqua fitness goers, but according to Christina it has been popular among newcomers as well; “the service is a great option for those looking to build water confidence at their own pace, before attempting live instructor classes.” This is in line with many customers experience of Hydrohex Fitness Classes attracting people into other aquatic activities and even just exercise in general as well.
Since launching Hydrohex Fitness Classes, Redcar Leisure Centre has gained a valuable tool to increase pool occupancy in a predictable way during off-peak hours and to spread out aqua fitness demand, and therefore pool usage, more evenly across the day.
Most importantly, the flexibility of the virtual offering has allowed the unmet demand for aqua fitness to be served even more efficiently, allowing members of the public more opportunities to exercise in a structured, safe, and low impact setting.
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