We jumped into the launching process of Les Mills BORN TO MOVE® classes at Wellness Studio Åhus during the summer and here are the highlights.
Why did you choose to start group fitness classes for youth and children?
“We had classes for kids 7 years ago and they were very popular at the time. People here in Åhus really prioritize health and fitness and want to push the youth to do so as well. Sadly, we had to cancel them as the instructor who oversaw the classes left and we did not have anyone who was really specialized in children’s classes. I think it is very important that kids have movement throughout the day that they really enjoy. At the same time in a fitness club setting, we should have an instructor who is well educated and specialized in youth and children.”
“We wanted to start the kids and youth moving at Wellness Studio again and we wanted a strong concept and an educated instructor to do that safely, so we decided to start with the BORN TO MOVE® concept. We started with classes for 5–7 and 8–12-year-olds. This suited our concept for many reasons. We have many parents of children in these age groups and the parents can go to the gym while the children have their classes. The youth can also have a bit more choreography and challenge in the classes and after they pass the age of 12, they can start going to other classes as well as the gym, of course, supervised until they turn 14.”
On finding the right instructor and getting started
Magdalena told us that they found the perfect fit for an instructor from their own members.
“Saga has been a member for many years, and she is also working in a preschool as a teacher, so she fits perfectly. She loves working with kids and she is very positive. Saga enjoys the fact that the kids in the groups are a bit older and she can really start to introduce choreography to them.”
Wellness Studio began the marketing 4 weeks before the launch of the programs. The main marketing tools they use are social media, direct marketing to members, and word-of-mouth. Goals and targets were set in advance to define the offer.
“We started during the summer with 2 classes each Sunday. Our plan was to build the number of classes up in the autumn, as well as educate more instructors. We wanted to keep the group sizes relatively small, 8-10 kids per class. Just before we launched, we thought it would be fun to organize a kid’s day at the club. We handed out flyers at the club and sent an invitation to all the members with kids for the event. Kids Day was filled with fun & games and of course promo classes of BORN TO MOVE®. We launched the classes in early June and are doing well. The parents train for free at the gym meanwhile and they really appreciate it. Over time we aim to grow; have more classes and launch another age group. We are actively in contact with our local schools and events. It would be fun to have a BORN TO MOVE® warmup at an event and bring awareness of it out more that way.”