Should you be located in the Central / CBD district?
Open gyms and boutique studios may commonly choose to centrally locate their business in the heart of the CBD to target the office crowd and make commuting to their spaces more convenient. Studios that have chosen to operate in the heart of the CBD are usually located around 2-5 meters away from public transportation hubs thus easing their clients’ daily commute. The advantages of centralizing may include prestige, awareness and increased activity from clients due to the influx of customers in the CBD area. Disadvantages may include high rental costs, increased competitiveness and customer resistance due to factors such as brand loyalty. Many chain gyms choose to position in CBD, as a result drowning out surrounding boutique fitness competitors.
On the flip side, many freelance trainers and personal trainers may choose to decentralize, bringing their services to customers or locating in areas that provide a sense of peace away from the concrete jungle. This means opening your studio in residential neighbourhood areas, city fringes or public spaces away from the city allowing for a change of scenery, letting the sounds of nature take control by practicing at designated parks and beaches. Decentralization allows for community building and enhanced interaction due to the minimal surrounding disturbances although customers may find commuting difficult.
Healthtinity runs a yoga studio located at Ang Mo Kio, which provides a homely relaxed environment that clients crave, providing special attention to customer needs. The owners are excited for the completion of the upcoming Thomson-East Coast line, which will bring convenience to it’s customers. If you’re lucky enough, a similar approach could help you secure a lower rental lease, which would have increased in value after the completion of major transportation offerings.
What about open spaces in the Public?
It is important to have safe management practices in place therefore many have pivoted from enclosed studios to outdoor spaces. This can be a useful operating model to ensure that all clients are socially distanced while creating an environment to improve participation through outdoor no-equipment training. Studios have normalized non-equipment circuit training which seems to be a hit with clients. Some open spaces in Singapore may include Botanic Gardens, East Coast Park, giving your fitness tribe a sense of connection breaking away from those concrete walls.
Yoga in the Park was founded by fitness instructor Sheila Chapman who aims to bring the peaceful sounds of nature to you while you immerse yourself in healing and wellness. Yoga in the Park’s aim is to bring stillness to the mind through guided meditation and yoga practice. Yoga in the Park is located at Botanic Gardens and is made accessible to anyone upon booking.
LIV Outdoor
LIV Outdoor is a bootcamp fitness movement specializing in strength, HIIT and bootcamp offerings located at Tanjong Rhu, under Benjamin Sheares bridge. LIV outdoors goes above and beyond offering equipment-based training by leveraging the comfort of the great outdoors. This community-based initiative helps members from all walks of life reach their fitness goals together.
Co-Fitness spaces growing in popularity
Terra
Terra’s main goal is to bring together fitnesspreneurs, giving them the opportunity to be their own boss. Terra has been successfully established as a co-fitness space allowing trainers to have their dedicated workout stations. Terra offers Yoga, Pilates, Dance, HIIT and more, alongside health and wellness services which can be accessed directly by clients.
Core Collective aims to bring wellness under a single roof, with over 100 of the best fitness, wellness and lifestyle professionals providing their services under one roof. The services include personal training, group training, wellness and lifestyle offerings leaving clients spoilt for choice.
One of Core Collective’s clients is Fitfoo, which focuses on creating feel good Pilates classes with a range of services offered such as Dynamic Reformer, Pilates Mat Flex and Beginner Reformer. Their services are open to people from all walks of life, and are available for purchase on vibefam. Talk about a diverse offering!
Going Virtual
With the ongoing restrictions imposed by Singapore’s Ministry of Health, many have pivoted to hybrid and virtual offerings. This is aimed at reducing transmissions due to close contact activity found within the fitness industry. Following this trend, many studios have taken to platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Due to the volatile condition of the fitness industry, virtual platforms have become a stable source of income generation after many gyms were forced to close their doors.
Union Yoga Ayurveda has joined the trend, completely pivoting towards virtual offerings. Clients are able to engage in mindful and healthy yoga practices from the comfort of their home. They have chosen to integrate their operations with zoom to ensure the smooth running of their classes during this rocky period. To establish this, they are now offering virtual class packs which can be purchased through the vibefam app.
Haus Athletics, a boutique fitness provider has a modern club feel to their HIIT sessions allowing you to sweat your troubles away. Due to the fluctuating situation due to COVID-19, they have also decided to join the virtual fitness train offering some of their session-based sweat packages online.
No matter the location, vibefam has you covered, with a future centric mindset. vibefam is equipped to help you manage your scheduling needs. Understanding the pivot towards the virtual world, vibefam helps you deliver your offerings effectively to your fitness tribe. Find out more here and schedule a personalised demo with us when you are ready!