For episode 044 we're excited to bring you one of the most sought after leaders in our space for an important discussion around data collection accuracy and its relationship to the growing demand for AI and machine learning in the fitness industry.
We're talking with our returning guest, Dave Wright, the CEO of MYZONE for his second appearance on the show to explore the impact of collecting fitness data for practical use, the difference between incidental versus concerted activity when we look at fitness consumer activity, where the gaps are in adoption and how our industry can rise to the demand for true omnipresence.
We're also uncovering how MYZONE is proactively educating fitness professionals and leaders on how to take in the right data set, understand it, and use technology to support executing a sustainable health and fitness experience for the new era of our consumers.
With more data sets being delivered than ever before, what are the most important ones and what do fitness leaders, trainers, and operators really get to pay attention to not only for ROI, but to deliver an enhanced customer experience?
The answer to that question and many more takeaways for club operators, owners, and fitness professionals in this episode with Dave Wright.
About Dave Wright
Dave Wright is the CEO & owner of Creative Fitness Marketing, a global company with offices in the UK, Australia and North America that has served the international fitness community since 1990, specifically helping people be more and stay more physically active.
He is also the CEO and creator of MYZONE® - a cloud based and wearable technology "Physical Activity Heart Rate Monitor & Fitness Tracker," used to monitor and increase exercise adherence. As a health club operator with 10 health clubs, and a board director of the UK’s Fitness Industry Association, an international presenter, Dave is featured regularly in international trade magazines.
Listen To Episode 044 As Dave Uncovers
Why Dave believes that the wearable accuracy still has room to improve in order to achieve comprehensive functionality through "trustable" accuracy
Incidental vs. concerted activity: Exploring the different segments of fitness consumer's movement activity
Understanding the 8 aspects of MYZONE's success for club owners and operators:
Products
User communication
Group display
Intuitive reporting
Effort points (MEPs)
Operator resources
Best practices
User interface
Why time sedentary vs. active is one of the top three activity metrics any club owner or operator should be tracking
The true standards of what really measures physical activity via World Health Organization
Why Dave believes that the future of fitness technology will align with health insurance industry
Exercise adherence: what tech-based programs will deliver in 2018
Artificial Intelligence + Machine Learning: how MYZONE is taking a deeper look into utilizing these technologies to serve the fitness industry
New developments around wearable tech in our industry
Education for fitness professionals: MYZONE's educational curriculum in fitness and technology
Virtual coaching & biometrics remotely monitored by a coaches: how dave sees biometric data being used specifically around coaching
How MYZONE has integrated Facebook to the customer journey
Identifying the gaps for improvement and opportunity in regards to fitness data collection
What data collection methods will be of most service to both the end-user and the coach or fitness professional
Commonality of technology requests in regards to functionality they are looking for
What is the deeper technology functionality that will benefit club owners and fitness pros in 2018
Top 3 Takeaways From The Show
As operators and owners begin to use wearables and data sets more and more via incidental and concerted activity from their fitness consumers, Dave believes the most important thing is attaining trustable data. Your database in order for artificial intelligence or machine learning to be leveraged powerfully must be cleaned and trustable. Once these data sets are verified as being "clean" then you can start plugging in long-term behavior change strategies for the customer's journey.
For savvy club owners and operators, as well as tech-minded fitness professionals, gathering all the right information about fitness and technology can be challenging at times. In addition to the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Dave suggests partitioning time for dedicated research around fitness tech trends by simply going to the Kickstarter website where you will see the intentions and possibilities around fitness tech in our space. Now is the time to set aside calendar blocks for this research, as staying on top of tech trends will help drive fitness facility and career success as AI and machine learning useage exponentially grow.
With the rise of demand from all customer segments who want that seamless omnipresence from clubs both at home and inside the 4 walls, Dave sees that we are extremely behind the curve as an industry. He spoke to us about the "frictionless experience," otherwise known as the use of automatic triggers combined with machine learning and AI technology that will deliver seamless interactions required between the customer's exercise, activity, and lifestyle data sets that will change the way we do fitness, forever.
Power Quotes From Dave
"Meeting the customer where they are is the most important thing in the age of technology. As an industry, currently one defendable position we have is not our bricks and mortar, it's our knowledge and our motivational skills including the ability for the trainer to spot, help, and support their customers personally." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast
"If the data is not accurate then it's very hard to apply any form of machine learning. As operators and owners you might have various records on your database, but if that database is not cleaned and checked to make sure you can run credible data off the backend (with the same applying for any data from biometrics) then you can't yet start looking at behavior trends. Yet, that's the most exciting part of it, where we can start to spark really powerful change with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast
"What are the limitations and why is it, as an industry, that for the best part of 50 years that 50% of all the people that join clubs now in January actually leave by November, or even stop exercising for April and May? It fascinates me as a business that it costs seven times more money to get a new member to your club then to keep an existing one, yet so much of the membership campaigns in health clubs around the world are just focused on filling the top end of the bucket, rather than asking how can we stop the flow of members out the back door." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast #015
Resources Mentioned From Dave
MYZONE website
MYZONE on Facebook
MYZONE on Twitter
MYZONE on Instagram
Fitness + Technology Podcast #11 - Tom Cortese, CEO, Peloton
Press about MYZONE
Stuff Magazine features MYZONE
At Midtown Athletic Clubs, MYZONE Engages Members
HILTON Hotels: Integrating Fitness As A PIllar of the Customer Journey
MYZONE Signs on as ClubConnect Education Partner
ROCK health digital health funding in Q1 2016
Fitbit accuracy questioned in May 2016 (lawsuit)
How wearable tech will be the heartbeat of the modern gym
Wearable Technology Awards MYZONE 2016
Fitness + Technology Podcast #015 - Dave Wright The Current State of Wearables
Fitness + Technology podcast #001 Bryan O'Rourke: A New Era of Exponential Technology
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