Innovations - IHRSA

| letters |
Of Utmost Importance
> I just wanted to thank IHRSA for including me as one of the 30
industry leaders who contributed to the e-book, What’s Important
in the Fitness Industry in 2010? (See www.ihrsa.org/2010.) the
publication is a true reflection of our industry, with very diverse
thoughts, suggestions, and philosophies. What becomes quite
obvious is that, across the board and on a global level, there’s
a common thread: that we all see the future of the industry as
positive, and, with the continued hard work of a lot of passionate
people, we see it as an industry full of hope and opportunity.
2010 is poised to be a great year! —|
Fred Hoffman, M.Ed. | Director of International Services |
The Club Synergy Group | Paris, France
Prismatic Effects
> At Leisure Sports, we greatly appreciate and value the
reports and publications that IHRSA’s research team produces.
the new Health Club Consumer Report is full of interesting and
useful information and statistics that can be incorporated into
strategic planning for existing clubs (marketing, programming,
equipment selection, space allocation, etc.) and for new club
growth (market/site selection, facility design, etc.). the section
on the PRIZM profiles is insightful. As a high-end company
with average monthly dues rates over three times the national
average, we know the value of using the PRIZM system to
identify areas with high concentrations of the consumer
segments mostly likely to join our type of club. —|
laurie J. Smith | Senior Vice President | Leisure Sports, Inc. | Pleasanton, CA
Staunch Defenders
> I just wanted to take a moment to extend a special thank
you to IHRSA’s Public Policy Council for all that it does for
our industry. We are truly under siege. I intend to increase
my donation to the Public Policy Council’s Industry Defense
12 Club Business International | APRIL 2010 | www.ihrsa.org
Thrill of Victory
I would like to commend IHRSA for achieving
an impressive undefeated 21-0 win record
during the 2009 legislative session. As someone
who knows all too well the seemingly
unlimited ways that government can affect
the health club industry, it’s reassuring to
know that IHRSA is vigilantly fighting on our
behalf. I encourage all club owners to support
IHRSA’s Industry Defense Fund, to ensure
the continued protection of our industry. —|
Art Curtis | CEO | Millennium Partners Sports Club Management, LLC |
Boston, MA
Fund because I recognize the hard work its staff does and,
more importantly, where we would be if the council was
not doing this work. —|
Jim Thompson | President | Oakland Hills Tennis Club, Inc. | Oakland, CA
Keynotes to Success
> IHRSA 2010 keynoter Malcolm Gladwell’s books are fabulous,
and his interview in the February issue of CBI (see “CBI Interview,”
pg. 33) is a great reminder of one key reality: it takes hard work to
succeed in anything. I love his finding that you don’t have to have
some super IQ to succeed. I also enjoyed his insight into the timing
of society’s interest in something as it relates to our own success.
It’s true: you need to be at the right place on the opportunity curve
to catch the wave—not too soon, not too late. However, I’m still a
firm believer that the true definition of success is: “When hard
work meets opportunity.” —|
Casey Conrad | President | Communication Consultants, WBS, Inc. |
Wakefield, RI
Secret Santa Sensation
> I gave the book Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, to one of
my colleagues as a Secret Santa gift this year. He came back
after Christmas and stuck the following quote from the book
on his office wall: “once a musician has enough ability to
get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one
performer from another is how hard he or she works. that’s
it. And what’s more, the people at the very top don’t work just
harder or even much harder than everyone else. they work
much, much harder.” the book has given him a new sense
of direction in the way he leads his sales team, and, by all
accounts, they’re responding positively, and we should see
“a cataclysmic rise” in sales this quarter! —|
James Shillaker | Owner Incorpore - The Health Club Company |
Redhill, U.K.