Trends

What’s Hot and What’s Trending in Wellness

There are multiple associations, organizations and think-tanks that research and write about the latest trends and the impact they have on the population at large. Unfortunately there are very few organizations have focused their research specifically on the private club industry.

With limited access to industry data, we as leaders need to look at the data that is readily available, so as stewards of the club’s assets, we can make better more informed and intelligent decisions as to the direction the club should take when it comes to creating a culture of mindful living i.e. health, wellness, fitness and nutrition.

Unfortunately, “wellness” is such a nebulous and general term and it doesn’t really describe the variety of topics that address the relationship between mind, body and soul/spirit. That said, we have compiled a list of white papers written by industry experts across multiple disciplines including Spas, Fitness, Food, Technology and Medical, to help club leaders stay ahead of the curve.

Join now and have easy access to dozens of relevant white papers, case-studies, trend-reports and other pertinent insights that may impact your club. Combine the trends with unlimited access to over 350 best-practices and you can then create programming and amenities that will attract and retain loyal members.

Looking to expand your farm-to-table program? Read what the National Restaurant Association says about it in the annual Culinary Forecast report. Hyper-Local sourcing tops the list on the 2017 Culinary Forecast.

Trends that affect the private club industry.

Since 2012, we have personally visited hundreds of clubs, interviewed thousands of general managers, department heads and members and have concluded, health, wellness and fitness are here to stay. Clubs that embrace wellness and invest in resources and amenities will adapt well to the changing demographics and other factors that influence the long-term sustainability of the club’s future.

The following is a summary of our insights across multiple disciplines within the private club.

FINANCE

Operating costs that include labor, maintenance, equipment, food costs and health care all going up and collectively have consistently increased at 3-4% per year for decades. Club members seem to accept these inflationary increases whereas capital improvements are a different matter, as they tend to increase dues significantly, unless of course the club has adequate reserves to offset the capital improvements.

A significant number of private clubs across the country are updating, remodeling and enhancing the amenities and they do it for a host of reasons. According to a recent study 42% of Florida clubs were planning significant projects in 2017. 74% of Florida clubs have third-party debt with an average club debt per Full Member Equivalents (FME) of $6,550.

CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS

One of the largest generations in history is about to move into its prime spending years. 92 million millennials are poised to reshape the economy; their unique experiences will change the ways we buy and sell, forcing companies to examine how they do business for decades to come. Further, millennials are dedicated to wellness, devoting time and money to exercising and eating right. Their active lifestyle influences trends in everything from food and drink to fashion.

FITNESS

According to a national fitness association, membership in the fitness industry has increased 23% the last five years with 55.3 million Americans belonging to at least one of the 36,180 health clubs nationwide. Health clubs report a 72.4 percent average rate of member retention which means there are nearly 15 million people that resign each year, many of which may be interested in joining a private club as a sports or social member. In comparison, there are less than three million private club members nationwide.

According to a fitness survey conducted in 2015, the top activity in the USA is walking for fitness, with about 110 million participants. Treadmills and running/jogging came in at 50 and 48 million participants respectively.

Conclusion: every private club should develop programming that caters to this population by using every inch of the club’s amenities.

Join now and have immediate access to the trend reports that will make you look like the smartest person in the room.

FOOD TRENDS

According to the National Restaurant Association, Hyper-Local sourcing tops the list at number one of the top 10 food concepts for 2017. People want to know where their food comes from and they want healthy, local and fresh ingredients. Just look around and you will see a surge in “fresh’ format restaurants.  Americans are turning to food to fill needs beyond hunger or cravings. They want to be educated on the impact of each ingredient on one’s body, and how to optimize their diet in order to look and feel their best. People are getting smarter and they don’t want to eat pesticides, herbicides, hormones and other nasty chemicals that plants are subjected to. A

HEALTH CARE

2017-18 will be a year of equilibrium for medical costs. The forces that increase health costs are being tempered by a demand for value in the New Health Economy. An industry leading consulting firm projects the 2017 medical cost trend to be the same as the current year – a 6.5% growth rate. There are signs that the decade’s slowing medical cost growth rate could tick back up as new healthcare access points increase utilization.

Join now and get the details and have immediate access to the trend reports including GOLF, TENNIS, AQUATICS and SPA resources.