When you consider an estimated 50 percent of health club members quit exercising after six months, one has to admit, B&R Full Health and Fitness Club must be doing something right. Not only has the club managed to stay in business for 18 years, it has kept a remarkable 348 members active for 10 years or longer.
And in an industry where staff turnover is also high, B&R has also managed to retain two key staff members — its general manager and maintenance director — for more than a decade. So what’s the club’s secret for longevity? You might say a little humility and a great deal of concern for members. “I’m not sure why we’re so good at keeping people here, but we do listen to our members,” says general manager Jody Bender, who herself boasts 10 and a half years with the facility. “We are not only blessed with wonderful members, but after 18 years of being in business, we are fortunate to be in the position to do something about it.”
In this case, that something was an all-out, fully-catered, one-heck-of-a-shindig celebration. Fittingly, the idea for the 10-Year Member Appreciation Party came in response to a member inquiry. Club owner Dave Spadaccino was approached by a long-term member who, through the club’s computer tracking system, figured she had burned more than 80,000 Calories over the years at B&R. “She said to Dave, ‘What are you going to give me?’” recounts Bender. “That got us thinking.”
Initially unaware that hundreds of 10-year-plus memberships existed, B&R wanted to create an evening its loyal customers would remember for years to come. To do so, it decided to go first-class in its preparations. Staff altered their schedules to decorate for the event and after hours of hard work, transformed the facility’s aerobics room into a virtual winter wonderland. Elegant touches included dim lighting with candles, white pin lights and flood lights, tables garnished with white linen cloth, servers dressed in tuxedos and gloves, and an 8-foot-tall silver “10″ trimmed in lights.
In addition to a host of other gourmet items, the menu included caviar, mushrooms stuffed with crab, tempura veggies and baked brie with almonds and apples. The 254 members who attended also received a commemorative “10-year” embroidered T-shirt.
To keep costs down, the club bartered four memberships in exchange for the catering and T-shirts, and received a donation from one 10-year member who owns a beverage distribution company. Out-of-pocket expenses totalled about $1,600 for decorations, postage and miscellaneous items.
As Bender says, the cash outlay was minimal compared to what the long-term members have contributed to B&R. “A rough estimate of the dues collected from these members over a 10-year period is close to $1 million,” she says. “The amount it cost us to honor each individual was only $6.46 — an unbelievably insignificant amount to give back compared to what we’ve received and will continue to receive.”
In addition to providing a feel-good evening, Bender says the party also afforded members an opportunity to get re-acquainted. Name tags were distributed at the door, and to help promote interaction among the honorees, it was a night for members only. “I think the nicest part about the whole event was that there were so many members who hadn’t seen each other for five years or more because of different schedules,” Bender says. “They would walk up to each other and say with amazement, ‘Wow, you’re still here?’”
In fact, according to Spadaccino, a number of members have been at the club for much longer than 10 years. “Some signed on as charter members before the club even opened, 18 years ago,” he says.
In a “salute to longevity” in its newsletter, B&R quoted a few members about why they’ve stayed at the facility so long. Member Thelma Ulrich may have put it best when she said, simply, “I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do if I didn’t go to B&R first. It’s saved me many trips to the doctor.” If Ulrich keeps going back to B&R, it’s no doubt she’ll be on hand to enjoy the 20-year party. It’s already in the works.
Tags: distribution, fitness club, party