Fitness professionals and studio owners often only plan as far ahead as the next retreat they are currently marketing. After all, the time and effort needed to plan, program, and promote an international fitness retreat can be immense. Additionally, the risks involved are many, and can be tough to mitigate. Notwithstanding, retreats can be an extremely valuable addition to one’s bottom line. So what is the most common solution? Fitness professionals REPEAT THE SAME RETREAT. Today, we will look at why it is so important to vary your international fitness retreat locations if your goal is to sustainably grow your retreat business.
A Scenario Far Too Common
On the surface, repeating a trip year-over-year makes perfect sense. You’ve just spent six to nine months putting this retreat together. You’ve answered all the FAQs. You have a thought out itinerary. The food is familiar. You can talk specifics about the bedrooms, for goodness’ sake. What’s more, the lovely staff have helped you iron out a few hiccups, and now they are politely asking you to reserve your week for the following year… they might even cut you a “deal” on your deposit. Plus you can think of a handful of students who expressed regret for “missing out” on this retreat. What more could you ask for? You commit to the retreat center for the following year.
A Tale of Diminishing Returns
So you are wrapping up your retreat. Everyone is glowing, they’ve all had an incredible time. Stories are being shared, and “let’s all come back next year” is heard more than once within the joyful din of dinner conversation. Six months later, your early bird pricing is over, and only a couple of the past year’s participants have signed up for the 2nd Annual. So you extend a discount to “Past Retreaters”, in essence extending the early bird pricing for them indefinitely. Maybe one more signs up. But it’s OK. You have a broader community, and you’re passionate and eloquent about the retreat having run it already. You’re able to fill it, albeit with a little more sales work. The sales work is offset by the reduction in planning work. Year two is a success.
Fast forward a year, and the above scenario is playing out again, but now your community of people who haven’t been on this retreat is getting tapped out. The 3rd Annual fills to about 80%. The sales work is starting to feel tedious. There may or may not be a 4th Annual.
The Silver Lining
In order to have a sustainable international fitness retreat business, you have to provide your community a service they find interesting and valuable. Don’t despair because your numbers are dwindling. At the end of the day, most people who attend international fitness retreats also like to add to their collection of different passport stamps. After three or four retreats to the location that is convenient for you, you’ve amassed a group of 45 to 80 travelers that know and trust you. All you need to do now, is offer them a location that they want to visit.
A Brave New Destination
Repeating a trip you’ve already run is best for you; new and exciting locations are what will keep your people coming back. The best strategy is to grow your international fitness retreat destinations offering from the start. If you wait until the location you are visiting has run its course, you will find yourself two or three years removed from your original retreat participants, making it harder to get them onto your new itinerary. What’s more, if your community comes to expect you to visit a destination repeatedly, they don’t feel the same urgency to attend. Rather than make time to be there, they have an excuse not to be.
Simply by adding one additional destination, you can double the length of the life-cycle of that destination, capture more of your community, and sure up the foundation of a sustainable retreat business. Add a third, and now you’re looking at a six year cycle of sell outs, and a significantly broader community of past retreaters! What’s the catch? Well, the work and risk involved with planning, improving, and searching for the next great spot, of course.
A Solution for Success
SolSeed is here to help. We exist because this pain is felt by every international fitness retreat leader. They have a limited community, the desire to have a meaningful retreat business, and the need to maintain the retreat business as well as their other fitness related revenue streams.
The most expensive, time consuming, and risky thing we do, is develop new locations and itineraries. We’ve been at it since 2013. The only way we can do it, is by collaborating with dozens of fitness professionals in each location. The secret sauce is to offer them the same level of service, and a trusted set of boots on the ground, in each and every location.
SolSeed is a service which allows fitness professionals to start with three, or more, destinations on day one. We are the tool for growing and maintaining your retreat business, always with a discerning eye on the future.
So before you fall into the trap of choosing personal convenience over offering the quality services your community desires, get in touch with one of our professional retreat planners and concierges.
For further helpful information regarding international fitness retreats, read on:
The Business of Retreats
Retreat Planning Tips