How to inspire your members with an epic new program launch

What’s the secret to epic program launches at West Wood?

Tine Boles (TB), Group Training Development Manager: I won't lie, it’s hard work and takes a lot of people working together behind the scenes to make it a success! We're really intentional because we want everything we do to be impactful for our members. And that means coming together to work towards a goal, especially around program launches and events – it's not a one or two-person job. It's six clubs pulling together. Whether the event is in their space or not, they're still around to help.

Why is it important to allocate ample time for launch events?

TB: The main focus is member engagement, bringing that vibe and fueling positivity and love for their club. For younger members especially, events are where it's at. If you're trying to capture a new audience that you don't see in your studios, classes or gyms, events are the way to go. Modern members don't just come to work out or lift a weight, they come for an experience. And that's so important these days to really keep in mind.

What’s the secret to a great program launch event?

TB: Planning, planning and then some more planning! We keep everyone accountable by assigning leads. Whether it’s social media, food, influencers or entertainment – someone will coordinate each one. I’ll oversee the whole process and we’ll have weekly check-ins leading up to launch to keep everyone accountable. We have a launch event booking system to manage capacity and demand, because we don’t want to disappoint anyone on the day. It is so worth it when you see the results. It's a mix of excitement, exhaustion, engagement, and everything in between, but launches need to be planned and you need to know why you're doing them.

And how do you ensure the new program lands well on your timetable?

Maja Ban (MB), Operations Manager: We start by identifying the team members best-placed to bring the program to life, choosing the Instructors and getting them qualified. Then it’s about ensuring that you have a good lead time to feel fully prepared to launch. We typically allow two months, and every two to three days in the run-up we’ll seek colleague feedback in the studio to check on how things are going.

A key part of any launch is identifying the right slot on your timetable. When we launched LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT™, we trialed several slots, including early morning and lunchtime. One benefit of scheduling at that time was that it attracted the interest of members who wouldn’t have considered ‘lifting’ to be their thing. They came to STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT and had the confidence to realize they could train with weights on the gym floor, too.

How do you approach testing other slots post-launch?

MB: After two or three months, we review the attendance of our classes and decide whether to keep the slot or swap it out for a new program to see if that changes anything. Our peak times are from 9am to 12pm in the morning and then evenings from 5pm to 8pm, so we’re mindful to offer classes that will attract members during those times to help reduce crowding on the gym floor.

Luke Heapes (LH), Member Experience Manager: And testing is exactly that, you're not testing to define failure or success, you're seeing what works to identify the best possible solution. For example, if we run a class at 4pm on a Wednesday and it's not working, it's okay. We can keep the class and change the duration. Let's support it with a team teach. Does that increase the number of participants? It’s crucial to maintain a testing atmosphere.

What should a club look for when choosing a new program to launch?

LH: My role encompasses member experience, so a key part of what I’m looking for is something that makes our members feel good about themselves and part of a community. We’ve been working on rolling out LES MILLS CEREMONY across all six clubs - and as someone who’s always thinking about members, it’s exciting how different this program is. It offers functional training, weight training, cardio training – touching on that HYROX and CrossFit style, which I think will hit a different demographic. It’s going to bring people in off the gym floor, because it looks cool and feels fresh.

MB: It’s also about listening to what members are actually asking for. Last year we launched three other programs and a member came up to me outside the studio and said: “Why don’t you offer boxing?”. And it got me thinking about how we can further service our BODYCOMBAT™ audience and others, so we looked into LES MILLS CONQUER.

LH: We’re the first club in Ireland to launch CONQUER. We’ve spent a lot of time kitting the studios out to elevate the experience and they look fantastic, which will add to the appeal. We’re really focused on hitting as many different demographics as possible. People who want fitness, but not how it's conventionally done. With the treadmills, punchbags and conditioning exercises, CONQUER taps into the new age of fitness and offers members a boutique-style class. Les Mills services that brilliantly with CEREMONY and CONQUER, so I'm really excited for our members.

Karen Pooley, Managing Director: As Maja said, staying close to what members are asking for is key. I walk the gym floors, make sure I know the clubs, connect with members and staff to hear what they can share and where we can improve. Neither I nor our management team can see everything, so it’s essential we check in with staff because they're the ones who know our members best. I travel a lot to industry events – that’s where I saw CEREMONY first – and knew I had to bring it here for our members. It’s staying close to what’s happening next, so we’re ready to react when that trickles down to our members.

How do you keep Instructors motivated to bring their A-game to launches?

TB: We work very hard to reward our Instructors with educational experiences to fuel their motivation. Last year, we had Marlon Woods, a Les Mills Ambassador, visit. The intention was to reward some of our high-profile Instructors who have done great work and expose some of our wider team players to a team-teach with someone of Marlon's caliber. We wanted them to experience what it feels like to teach with a world-renowned Masterclass presenter. That's pressure. But what happens when we put people under that type of pressure is they generally grow, and our members feel the benefit. The main thing for Instructors is to remind them of what they love and their value. Even when we do launch events without a big name, our Instructors love the hype of getting together. They love working out, training together.

Chris Kelleher, West Wood PT and Les Mills UK Trainer: Speaking as an Instructor, I really benefit from the culture at West Wood. We never stagnate here – we’re always getting the chance to further our skills or education. I actively teach 12 workouts currently. It requires a lot of attention to detail, day in, day out, but the feeling of success when you deliver these amazing workouts to our members goes hand in hand with the support we get.

Les Mills presenter Khiran Huston flew in to help West Wood launch CONQUER AND CEREMONY – she shares her top 3 tips for helping your club prepare to launch a new program.

1. First and foremost, the team who are bringing the product to life need to experience it themselves – not just your Instructors. There’s no better way to sell a product than to experience the magic of it, so that you can be relatable to the people who are trying it.
   
2. As a presenter, it's always nice to have fellow presenters with you. So plan a team-teach for launch to create even more electricity and energy, and really enhance the experience for the members.
   
   
3. Throw open the doors to your club and encourage members to bring a friend! If you're creating excitement within your club, it’s the perfect opportunity for members to invite their friends to experience everything it has to offer. With new workouts there can be a bit of apprehension around the unknown. Bringing a supportive friend to take on the challenge together removes that.