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"People are looking for an engaging experience with great aesthetics and lighting, awesome sound, with motivational coaches and if they can’t find that in their gym they'll find it elsewhere,” said Tiffany Hamlin, National Director of group fitness for World Gym. This is one of the main motivations behind the new boutique concept presented by World Gym.
From multiple studios to an all-in-one studio solution
Another difference in this new group training concept is the use of the space as it requires only one studio. As Jarrod Sarraco, World Gym COO, said “We’re seeing a giant shift in consumer behaviour. Not too long ago, we built gyms with multiple studios — a main group X studio for Les Mills and sculpting and cardio classes, a cycle studio, a mind/body studio — and now you see more and more adding HIIT or speciality workout studios”. With Studio X, World Gym is transitioning back to an all-in-one studio solution that does everything that multiple studios do while driving participation and secondary revenue, he said.
Technology to deliver a unique experience
Technology plays a key role in World Gym’s new concept ensuring the best experience is for the participants. According to Tiffany “the Bootiq system is the Brain of the whole room. The system controls the lighting, the music, and the timing for us. This means that the coaches have more personal and meaningful interactions with the participants in the class. The whole system makes things very easy and that’s what we were looking for.”
Integration with Myzone
World Gym has also paid special attention to participants’ motivation and engagement during Studio X sessions. Participants can see their heart rates displayed in real time. According to Ron Sobiek, sales director at Myzone, “the integration with Bootiq creates that community effect where if everyone hits the same heart rate zone, the lights go on to that zone colour along with audible notifications”.Tiffany sees the integration as “a perfect marriage to take that experience up to the next level for the participants”. “The two systems MyZone and Bootiq really do come together in the perfect way to change the experience in the room based on what happens in the room.”The 2022 annual ACSM Fitness publication put wearable technology as n.1- That could be the reason why we see wearable devices being so popular in most of the boutique concepts that are being launched in the market.
Control and consistency
For international operators, ensuring the same level of quality in all sessions and locations is vital. That is why they have a certification process for Studio X trainers. In addition to this, Tiffany explains, “people like that consistency and reliability so they know what to expect. So having that consistency across the world is really important in meeting your members’ expectations and Bootiq makes it extremely easy because it streamlines that for us.”
Supporting the creation of boutique concepts
Bootiq software has been developed by Pavigym, by a committed team of 15 engineers and fitness experts. According to Pavigym CEO, Marcos Requena, “Bootiq responds to a growing market need” and explains that the creation of boutique concepts is something that we are already seeing in other leading operators around the world. It is proven to be a successful way to improve the member experience. “When operators try to deliver that great experience through a boutique-style concept they realize that technology is key, and we are committed to delivering that to our customers.”