When COVID-19 hit, the fitness world was turned upside down. Facilities were closed, staff were sent home, and LIV North adjusted to the challenge and dove head first into the virtual world!
As we celebrate 1 year of being in the virtual market, here is a quick reflection on how we adjusted and what was born from our efforts.
Prior to COVID
While the pandemic threw the world for a loop, LIV North was already actively making plans to offer more virtual programming and services. There were already increasing levels of people working from home (growth of 10% 2015 to 18% of population by 2019) and there were fewer people going into the office on a regular basis.
Noticing this trend, we introduced our cloud based LIVx club management software in early 2018 and began offering on demand fitness classes to our club members that were accessible 24/7 through their member portal and app. In late 2019, some of our projects had also begun to offer live streaming fitness classes to meet the changing needs of our clients.
Friday, March 13, 2020
This day stands out in all of our minds. It was the day that Canada declared COVID-19 a pandemic and we all held our breath waiting to find out what it meant for the fitness industry.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
In response to the pandemic announcement and not wanting to waste anytime, we immediately pivoted and launched our first series of live streamed classes on Instagram live and Facebook live. Shortly thereafter, we transitioned to delivering most of our online services through our LIVx member portal.
As we continued through the early pandemic months, we developed a framework of planning that broke down into two primary phases:
Phase 1
Phase 1 focused heavily on virtual program expansion and enhancement. This included:
- Small group training and PT services
- Expanded group exercise classes
- Lunch n’ learn series
- Family fitness & wellness activities
- Corporate challenges
- Nutrition & wellness information
Phase 2
As we entered into June and with our virtual offerings running well at our projects, our efforts shifted to reopening plans. To preparing re-opening a post-COVID operating plans we worked very closely with our clients to prepare robust reopening plans that included:
- Space reallocation
- Member communication plans
- Onsite signage
- Health and safety protocols
- Welcome back videos
We also continued to refine and define virtual programming during this time.
LIV North Virtual Services
Our virtual services were developed and designed to provide organizations, corporations and multi-tenant residential properties a comprehensive fitness and wellness virtual program. These services are:
- Branded to organizations or property
- Follow a High Tech – High Touch approach
- Include a full program plan created to support a person’s physical and mental well-being
- Programs to help build community and social connection
- Designed to incorporate the realities of the current agile work environment
LIV North’s quick response to the pandemic set us apart. We were the first fitness management company in Canada to offer a virtual fitness solution to corporations. In fact, we are happy to say that because of this action, 95% of our clients moved to our virtual program plan and are still with us today. We continue to develop our virtual offerings based on client and member input.
Thus, Optimal – Your Corporate Gym Online – was created. Today, Optimal delivers a very wide range of services to over 150 000 people across the country, including:
- Live Streamed Classes
- On Demand Classes
- Employee Challenges
- Personal Training
- Small Group Personal Training
- Corporate Meeting Stretch Breaks and more!
Exploring the Future Post-COVID
While we navigated the challenges and rose to the opportunities presented of the past year, we continued to keep our ear to the ground and to watch the trends emerging across the country. For example, our 30% of Canadians will continue to work from home Post-Pandemic
Experience the LIV North Difference
If your organization has become more agile and traditional employee wellness programs will not work for you, let’s chat! We are happy to offer any organization a 2 week trial of our Optimal platform and prepare a proposal as to how LIV North can compliment your organization’s vision and goals. You can reach us at Virtual@livnorth.com and we will be in touch shortly.