The creation of the World Fitness Project has been driven by a passion to give athletes, everyday gym-goers, and fans a new way to come together as a community, support one another, compete in, and enjoy fitness.
- Twenty men and 20 women on the elite level have signed with the WFP, and the first tour event will kick off in May in Indianapolis.
Now, to add its competitive sports events, the World Fitness Project is also launching the Fitness Project Initiative, the initial phase of its gym outreach program.
This initiative is aimed at enhancing the gym and community experience for every member in the gym.
The World Fitness Project will work closely with the “Founding Fifty,” an initial group of 50 gyms that affiliate with the WFP, to help them enhance member retention, engagement, community, and additional revenue streams.
- It’s important to note at the outset that the Fitness Project Initiative is non-exclusive, meaning gyms are welcomed and encouraged to affiliate with multiple brands and training modalities or methodologies.
The WFP founders and leadership team are former gym owners who understand the challenges of running a successful gym. They want to work with owners to bring value to the business and aid a diverse community with diverse fitness paths.
What WFP Is Saying
“This small starting group will be the ones that really have a voice in what we continue to build out,” Maggie Husband, Director of Community Development for WFP, told us during a video call with members of the WFP leadership team. “We want to collaborate with them and have them share their voice and experience so we can continue to make something impactful for the people we are trying to serve.”
Through the initiative, starting with the Founding Fifty, the WFP wants to unite the fitness space and remove barriers to entry.
- Husband continued: “We want the fitness project gyms to be somewhere anyone can train. And that gym is going to encourage them to pursue fitness as a sport and in multiple different avenues. It may be something that the gym offers, like normal group training classes, but it could also be a run club two days a week or a weightlifting class one night a week. We want these kinds of gyms under our umbrella, ones that care about people training in tons of different ways.”
What Will Members Get From WFP?
Gyms will pay a fee to participate in the Founding Fifty, but they will gain a lot from it, as they will experience a symbiotic relationship with the WFP.
Among other perks and benefits, the Fitness Project Initiative plans to develop in-house gym events through “the Rec League.” This quarterly competition, accessible to all levels of fitness, is designed to promote engagement and interaction within the gym and help drive new people into the facility.
Saxon Panchik, Head of Community Initiatives for WFP, added, “It is a way to get members more engaged in their communities and keep them consistent – having that goal that they’re looking forward to training for. A big part of it is giving them the tools and the resources to get people excited and keep them connected within the community.”
- He continued, “The most organic way to get members to the gym is through word of mouth. We want to create an experience where your members feel they are part of a Fitness Project. Through the Rec League, we are setting short-term goals within the community that everyone can strive for and improve together.”
Isabella Terry, Executive Director of WFP, explained the Founding Fifty as a genuine symbiotic relationship.
The Fitness Project Initiative offers a product to help the community and seeks feedback from that community to continually improve that product.
- Terry elaborated: “From the Founding Fifty, we want to hear their opinion of what’s valuable for them, what do they want to see in the space, how can we engage their members better, and how can we support them.”
- “It comes down to the relationships we’re building,” says Panchik. “We want it to be an all-around win for everybody – the athletes, the gym owners, and the members inside their gym. Their members should be able to feel that they are a fitness project, and if we can do that, we’re doing something right.”
If you think your gym would be an excellent fit for the Fitness Project Initiative and you want to learn more, head to the WFP website to fill out a contact form.
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Featured Image: @worldfitnessproject / Instagram
