By Penny Evans, Chief Marketing Officer
I have had the great pleasure of speaking at two very different conferences in the last few months on behalf of Belgravia Leisure, the first of which was at the Belgravia Leisure Get Connected conference, speaking to my comrades on our future focus and digital transformation.
I then addressed the audience at the Aus Active conference in Sydney to reflect on how we deliver fitness outcomes that Bring Leisure to Life – our brand promise. As I prepared for them, I realised that – as with most things – ultimately both came down to how we build a community, and the importance of never losing sight that once that community is built, it needs to continue to be at the heart of everything we do.
At Belgravia Leisure, ‘community’ isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the connection that transforms our venues from transactional spaces into places of belonging. My following reflections on how Belgravia Leisure keeps the community heart beating across hundreds of venues across Australia and New Zealand tells a tale of hard work, resilience and innovation. Our approach is both strategic and deeply practical, blending inclusion, technology and human touch to create environments where everyone feels they matter.
1. Defining community in fitness
For us, community means relationships, rituals and a shared identity – on site and online – and across a variety of activities. It’s about fostering connections that extend beyond the treadmill or the campsite.
Our Guest Charter (Our Places, Our Actions, Our Connections) and Community Network Forums (CNFs) are the backbone, ensuring that inclusion isn’t an afterthought, but a daily practice. From coffee nooks to post-class rituals, we design spaces and moments that encourage members to linger, connect and return. Whether it’s a pilot program that we scale like Chatty Cafes or a local initiative such as Caboolture Pool community rallies to support locals doing it tough, we are more than just venues. Even our award-winning marketing campaigns begin and end with community at their heart.
2. Personalisation meets socialisation
We believe the member journey should be both personal and social. Our BActive strategy starts with BEGIN onboarding and VIP_GO frameworks tailor the first 8–12 weeks (the critical period when habits are formed) without adding friction. Technology like Active World and Dynamics automates reminders and nudges, freeing staff to focus on hosting, not chasing.
Social on-ramps, such as pairing welcome appointments with small-group experiences, ensures every member has a chance to find their tribe early on. While community can appear a nebulous concept, we work hard to measure it: all printed and digital marketing materials are created with our communities at heart, photoshoots are regularly updated to ensure all imagery is representative and therefore welcoming of and to the communities we serve. We A/B test all artwork to see what resonates in real time through our BSocial Hub, a social media aggregator, and track individual successful campaigns across all our venues to encourage quality replication at scale.
Since introducing BSocial we have had a 30% improvement in engagement and 17% increase in audience growth – we are growing our communities online as well in real life.
3. Empowering people at every level
Instructors set the micro-culture, greeting members by name and celebrating small wins. Front-of-house teams operationalise our Charter and close the feedback loop with visible “you said, we did” boards. Members themselves become community captains, welcoming newcomers and organising post-class coffees. Our Access & Inclusion Coordinators and targeted staff training (First Nations & disability awareness) make these behaviours repeatable across venues. Ultimately community is a dialogue and we work hard to ensure we listen to those we serve through our Community Network Forums, member and non-member surveys and guest reviews.
4. Measuring impact: From inclusion to retention
Our omnichannel approach ensures we meet our community where they are. With our Contact Centre set to handle a million interactions this year alone, we have had to find innovative solutions to deliver high impact engagement.
By introducing chatbots and an IVR system, we have reduced calls to the front desk by between 50-60% – sounds great, but do we care? The answer is yes, we really do – those venues who operate the IVR have more present front desks who more thoroughly help their members – new and old. And the proof is in the pudding; venues with IVR are selling 37% more memberships in sales periods and they increase their NPS scores by a whopping 8.4 points.
5. Community beyond four walls
Active World acts as our digital clubhouse, while our omnichannel Contact Centre and BSocial Hub extend the community experience online. Guest Voice feedback is everywhere including QR codes in venues and links online, so members see their voices acknowledged and acted upon, building trust and loyalty.
With external reviews now responded to within 48 hours and escalated as required, we have seen a significant rise in Google ratings. We serve community members whether or not they enter our venues. Initiatives like our GOswim Active Pathways teach children important road and swim safety whilst kicking safety, engagement, skill development and physical activity goals.
6. Touch points that matter
From the first group session within seven days of joining to proactive check-ins during “danger dips” (months 2 and 8), we design every touchpoint to keep members connected. Our member surveys tell us that something as simple as a greeting can significantly increase retention. Complaints are acknowledged within two hours and resolved within 24, always with public feedback.
7. Scaling the boutique feel
Big clubs can feel intimate too. We carve large spaces into small communities – Reformer pods, women-only windows, quiet hours for older adults and the neurodiverse. Local champions are empowered with central resources and co-design new activations each quarter, ensuring the boutique feel is a behaviour, not just a footprint.
At Belgravia Leisure, community is cultivated, not left to chance. It’s a blend of intentional design, empowered people and digital innovation, all underpinned by a relentless focus on inclusion. The result? Clubs, campgrounds, golf courses and spas where everyone belongs, and where belonging drives business outcomes.
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