2024 has left us feeling excited and optimistic for the future! It was a year of continued growth and diversification within the sector with some trends reflecting changes in consumer preferences, advancements in technology, and a focus on wellness, trends which we expect to continue.
This year, Places Leisure will be putting an even bigger focus on Customer experience and will be using data and insights to ensure we continue to put our Customers at the heart of everything we do to elevate the overall experience whilst also supporting retention and loyalty.
With the increasing trends of tailored personalised experiences and rising demand for technology to support People on their fitness journeys, we must create the environments to help individuals achieve their goals. The industry needs to continue to monitor the wants and needs of its Customers and adapt appropriately to deliver for them. For us this led to the creation of new partnerships, including with EGYM and Speedflex. I imagine a time in the future when wearable technology will seamlessly interface with medical applications to support the management of overall physical and mental health.
In addition to individuals looking for personalised experiences and the integration of technology, I expect the demand for personal connections to grow too. We are seeing this increase across the board and especially with young People viewing exercise as a way to socialise. We are responsible for making our gyms and centres real Community hubs which create an environment of support and personal connection!
We cannot ignore the continuing demands and pressures on the NHS. As an industry, we have a responsibility to support the improvement of national health and well-being through access to physical activity. A big focus for Places Leisure this year will be to build our Community outreach programmes across the country. We will continue to run programmes within our centres aimed at tackling health inequalities, such as the Big Sister Project which we proudly run in partnership with Women in Sport at all of our centres. However, we must also reach those who are unable to attend our centres for whatever reason. We have a dedicated team who are working to build new programmes and work in partnership with different organisations to deliver a variety of initiatives!