This is a guest blog by Charlotte Mann, EMD UK marketing executive and owner of CLM Fitness. In this blog, Charlotte recounts how holding events outside of classes builds community and brings your class members together.
Our first ever Christmas party 2023 was an absolute success! If you’re thinking about doing one, my advice would be to just do it.
I have been running my fitness business for three and a half years now and for the first time, I decided to organise a Christmas party for all my members. For me, my fitness classes aren’t just about fitness… it’s about the community that forms from them, so being able to get everyone together and celebrate Christmas was just amazing.
I qualified as a fitness instructor and started my business in June 2020, where everything was online. Like so many others, my fitness classes massively helped me throughout the uncertain times, not only physically but mentally too. I loved the community I had made online; however, I couldn’t wait to expand this!! My little community then turned into a fitness family when I started in person classes in 2021 and the rest is history.
I organised the party back in August, which may seem super early, however the previous year I had left it too late, meaning places were either fully booked or people couldn’t attend certain dates. So, I got on top of it and found the perfect place. A local venue had a Christmas party night, which meant all I had to do was book places and meal choices. It took the pressure out of organising everything! A 2-course meal followed by coffee and mince pies and a disco till midnight – not bad at all!
In the lead up towards the evening, I found the party was the topic of conversation with all my members – What are you going to wear? Have you got your outfit sorted yet? Of course, something sparkly was one of the main answers! It was so lovely to see the excitement build the closer we got to the evening.
The Christmas party was not only a great way to celebrate Christmas, but a wonderful way to celebrate participants achievements throughout the year. Sharing stories, laughter and more importantly dance moves on the dance floor. It was a great way for members to chat with one another, have conversations outside of the class environment, and meet new people that they may not have spoken to before. There was not a piece of gym clothing in sight!
As soon as the disco started at 10pm, we were all straight onto the dancefloor. Even though we shared the room with other businesses, we felt like we were the only ones there. It was so lovely to see everyone dancing together and we even got our song requests accepted too! Six (from the musical Six) is one of our favourite tracks to dance to, it’s our Broadway Boogie anthem and as soon as this was played, I got a little emotional. To see everyone, dancing the night away like no one was there, was just a dream come true. From the very start, my vision has always been that at a CLM Fitness class, everyone feels welcomed, not judged and to be who they want to be. I love that everyone felt comfortable and for me that’s everything and more.
The only thing I would criticise was the fact that the evening went too quickly! The feedback afterwards was amazing. Everyone was buzzing and I’m already planning future events for 2024. I feel like since the party, classes have been even better than before. The community spirit has grown, and I hope to continue this on for years to come.
So yes, if you’re ever thinking about planning a Christmas party, or any event for that matter, then don’t delay- get planning it today. You won’t regret it!
Looking for more ways to keep your clients happy? Download our new resource on 5 Things You Need to Know About Participants (and what to do with the information) here.
