24 Hour Fitness Sees Membership Increase from Olympic Exposure

24 Hour Fitness President and CEO Carl Liebert (far right) was on hand Thursday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Team USA’s High Performance Training Center at the University of East London Docklands. Joining Liebert were (from left) USA Basketball women’s national team head coach Geno Auriemma, 24 Hour Fitness CMO Bill Quinn, USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo, Team USA water polo member Tony Azevedo, Team USA beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh and USA Basketball men’s national team head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Photo courtesy of 24 Hour Fitness.

Prior to the start of the Summer Olympics in London last month, executives and team members from 24 Hour Fitness had lots of duties, so much so that the company pondered the notion of using a helicopter in England to get from venue to venue.

The helicopter idea might have been a pipe dream, but 24 Hour’s excitement has remained sky high for the Olympic Games, which kicked off on July 27 and run through Aug. 12. The San Ramon, CA-based company is the official sponsor of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), is the official fitness center sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams and has a partnership with USA Basketball. The day before the opening ceremonies, 24 Hour announced it had extended its sponsorship of the USOC and the Olympic and Paralympic teams through 2016.

The exposure that the Olympics provide 24 Hour through its sponsorships provides a boost to the company, says President and CEO Carl Liebert. Although he did not give specific figures, Liebert says membership numbers at his clubs ramp up in the 100 days leading up to the Olympics and also during the 100 days after the Games.

“What’s really exciting for us is that it happens both in the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics, so we get a really good cycle every two years,” Liebert tells Club Industry. “If you’re considering joining the gym, we have some really good hard statistics that our affiliation with Team USA, if anything, is a tiebreaker between us and another gym. We like that tiebreaker.”

Not only is Liebert representing 24 Hour in London, but the company also sent 27 fitness ambassadors to the Games from 24 Hour clubs all over the country. (See sidebar.) The company selected the ambassadors based on merit and performance, as well as their ability to help people reach their fitness goals. This year, the company expanded its ambassadorship to include district managers, fitness managers and club managers, many of whom are certified personal trainers.

The ambassadors are staffing the USOC’s High Performance Training Center (HPTC) at the University of East London Docklands. In 2008, 24 Hour Fitness sponsored and staffed the USOC’s HPTC at Beijing Normal University for the Beijing Olympic Games. Like the facility at Beijing Normal University, the new HPTC in East London will remain after the Games to serve the university’s students and faculty.