Club Nova Provides North Wales with a New and Unforgettable Member Experience with Technogym

Following Wales’ lockdown, Denbighshire Leisure Ltd will reopen Nova, its beachfront leisure attraction, with an impressive new gym set up, including the new Technogym Excite Live cardio range. Nova, located in Prestatyn, has undergone major regeneration in recent times and now offers, local residents and visitors a new leisure complex with a pool, dance studio, function suite, restaurants, Costa coffee shop, and “Club Nova” gym.

Alongside their commitment to providing members with a high-quality experience, Denbighshire Leisure Ltd have always been innovative in their approach. As Wales headed into a long lockdown, the team considered how they could create a unique offer for members to come back to. Jamie Groves, Managing Director of Denbighshire Leisure Ltd, tells us why the partnership between Denbighshire Leisure, Alliance Leisure, and Technogym works so well.

“We knew people would want something different after being in lockdown for so long,” said Jamie. “Club Nova has an exclusive club atmosphere and our choice of fitness equipment had to underpin this premium customer experience”. Prestatyn is a varied locality, and Club Nova is a big space, the membership runs from juniors to 90+. The Excite Live range helps the center give everyone a memorable experience with so much added value, whatever their training background or goal.

Denbighshire Leisure Ltd enjoys an established relationship with Technogym, and the partnership has developed leisure sites together for over 15 years. When Denbighshire Leisure appointed Alliance Leisure in 2017 to manage the UK Leisure Framework, Technogym were named on its procurement portal as a recommended supplier. At Club Nova, Technogym were involved from the start, helping to develop the offer, create the design, and decide on a range of products that would service the market and increase return.

Every stage of the customer experience is crucial at Club Nova, from equipment and class programming to fitness professional training, and the ability to upsell the offer. “Equipment connects our customer journey, and we have Technogym equipment in all seven of our leisure centres,” says Jamie, “For Club Nova, we were sure the Technogym portfolio would deliver”.

With the remit of creating a premium fitness experience at Club Nova, Jamie and his team chose a full range of equipment including Excite Live, Selection 900, Skill Line, and the Mywellness app. “Excite Live is truly cutting-edge,” he explains. “We have always been early adopters, and the product allows us to fully utilise Technogym’s astounding functionality and software, adding immense value to our customer experience. Technogym have managed to produce advanced equipment with a reduced footprint, which helps us make better use of space in the gym.”

Keeping customers connected

Whilst Denbighshire Leisure Ltd’s members have been unable to access the sites, Jamie and his team have made use of Mywellness digital platform to keep people engaged and active. “The Mywellness Live and On-Demand offering has been very popular, and we have made full use of the many features available in the Mywellness app, with plenty of support from Technogym,” says Jamie. “It helps us manage the onboarding journey and enables us to give lots of regular personal support.”

Denbighshire Leisure now use Mywellness as a single point of contact for member events, news, training plans, online workouts, and extra content. Mywellness is integrated with front of house to track member trends and helps them manage touchpoints to see where interventions need to be.

Denbighshire Leisure have continued to invest in facilities and digital solutions during the Pandemic as they believe in there offering and want to grow in the future, seeing digital being woven into the long-term strategy. “Mywellness has definitely helped with retention during lockdown,” says Jamie. “We are well ahead of the curve, retaining around 75% of members. It has been beneficial to have a hybrid offer, and we feel the members will have more confidence in the digital side of things when they come back to the gym.”

The theme of raising the bar continues at two of Denbighshire’s other sites, Rhyl and X20 St Asaph, where the new Technogym Group Cycle format has been installed. “This area is a cycling centre of excellence, so it made sense to focus our innovation on cycling,” explains Jamie. “Plenty of places offer indoor cycling but we wanted to do much more. Technogym Group Cycle is a fully connected experience with a virtual option to maximise the cycling experience.”

Denbighshire Leisure have created two dedicated group cycle spaces at Rhyl and X20 St Asaph Leisure Centres, with an immersive experience of lighting, sound, AV, all part of the Group Cycle experience. “Adding the two new Group Cycle studios offers a boutique membership which has helped us increase our class programme during lockdown,” says Jamie. “Group Cycle is a fantastic option for groups, cycling clubs, or families as it allows us to provide virtual classes and exclusive sessions without an instructor.” Jamie is confident about the future of leisure activities across Denbighshire Leisure’s sites.

The center decided to invest in equipment, environment, staff training and the entire customer experience because they believe there will be a big uptake in fitness after lockdown. “Technogym are invaluable in helping us shape a quality experience, with a strong sense of connection and added value. When the customers come back, they will want to enjoy fitness. We are confident we have what’s needed to offer that to every member.”