Beckerman Recreation Center Market Research Report U N H S M G T 4 4 7 4 S p o r t M a r k e t i n g a n d P u b l i c R e l a t i o n s 5 / 1 4 / 2 0 1 5 Beckerman Recreation Center Market Research Project Executive Summary: A survey research and a qualitative research based on one-­‐on-­‐one interviews were conducted to understand why students do not use the Beckerman Recreation Center and how the recreation center can improve participation. A total of 165 UNH students took part in this study. Survey research targeted non-­‐users and infrequent users of the recreation center while interview process focused on group x sessions and rec sports program as the recreation center manager identified rec sports program and group X sessions as two ways to attract non-­‐frequent and non-­‐user students. General results of the market research are as follows: x
x
x
x
Students did not exercise regularly, yet they cared about healthy lifestyle and believed in the importance of exercise to a degree. Having fun, spending time with friends and socializing, and healthy lifestyle were the reasons for using services of the Beckerman Recreation Center. Lack of free time was the main reason for limited participation or lack thereof. In addition, inconvenient session times and crowdedness of the facilities, and quality of officiating were identified as other, frequently mentioned, reasons for not returning to participate in offerings of the recreation center. Most of the participants identified cardio, playing sports and outdoor pursuits as the ideal type of exercise. Our recommendations based on the results are: x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Create activities that are spread throughout the day, not only during busy hours Connect students with outside community events (i.e. Cancer Walks around the New Haven area) Plan hiking trips or beach walks or similar activities for people who are interested in outdoor pursuits Plan outdoor yoga/pilates sessions outdoors Organize residential hall competitions/leagues to engage infrequent users at least to bring them through the doors Organize a recreation center festival within the first month of education year targeting incoming freshman at Kayo Field or other areas depending on availability and scheduling Use the rec center for other activities, study halls, music sessions and incorporate healthy lifestyle educations Survey Research Results A survey research was conducted with 145 students and data were collected at Westside Hall dining area & convenience store, Sandella's Flatbread Café at Botwinik Hall, Bartels dining area and Jazzman Café, WĂŶĚŝŶŝ͛ƐZĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚĂŶĚƚŚĞ'ƌŝůůϭϱϱĂƚ
Bergami Hall, and the Library during lunch time on March 4th, 2015. 25 participants were eliminated from the analyses due to frequent use of the Beckerman Recreation Center. Demographics and Lifestyle Information of Participants (n=120) Gender Age Female
18-­‐20
45.00% Male
61.70% 21-­‐22
23-­‐24
25-­‐26
27 and Older
43% 38.30% 7.50% 2.50% 2.50% Race Class Standing African American
Caucasion
66.70% Multiracial
Asian/Pacific Islander
Hispanic/Latino
Other
Freshman
Sophomore Junior
5% 15% Graduate
15% 30% 9.20% 2.50% Senior
18% 32% 4.20% 2.40% Residence On Campus
Employment Off Campus
Works
36% Does Not Work
44.2% 52.5% 64% 17.5% lives within 1-­‐5miles & 18.5% lives more than 5miles away 17.5% works 1-­‐9hrs/week, 18.3% works 10-­‐19hrs/week 17.5% works over 20hrs/week Use of Beckerman Rec Center Importance of Healthy Lifestyle Never Used Before
Slightly Important
Have Used Before
13.3% Moderately Important
36% 46% Of the 82.5% who used the Rec Center: 20.8% uses 1-­‐2times/semester, 24.2% uses 1-­‐2times/month 35% uses 1-­‐2times/week 27.5% slightly important, 44.2% moderately important 16.7% very important Ideal Exercise 54.20% Other
Outdoor
Outdoor
^ǁŝŵŵŝ͙
34.10% Group X
Reading
Importance of Exercise: Hobbies Video Games
Very Important
18% 82.5% Art/Music/Theater
29.20% Weights
Sports
44.20% Cardio
5.80% 29.20% 25% 23.30% 30% 47.50% 65% Results The survey study targeted understanding non-­‐users and light users (once a semester, once a month, 1-­‐2 times a week) of the Beckerman Recreation Center. Responds were asked about the offerings at the recreation center that they are aware of, and they, most frequently, stated weight room, cardio equipment, rec sports program and group x classes. More than half of the survey takers were not aware of wellness programs, racquet ball courts, premium fitness program, or team challenge program. Responses of survey takers showed that cardio and weight lifting were the two most frequently used services at the recreation center with 55% and 37%, respectively. Rec sports leagues and group x classes were close third and fourth in rank with 32% and 31%, respectively. Awareness of Offerings at Beckerman Rec Center (Rank Order) 1. Rec Sports Program 92% 6. Personal Training 58% 2. Weight Room 80% 7. Wellness Program 41% 3. Cardio Equipment 80% 8. Racquetball Courts 38% 4. Club Sports 75% 9. Premium Fitness 35% 5. Group X Classes 67% 10. Team Challenge 18% Used Offerings at Beckerman Rec Center (Rank Order) 1. Cardio Equipment 55% 2. Weight Room 37% 3. Rec Sports Program 32% 4. Group X Classes 31% 5. Open gym 30% When asked about their information source, survey takers identified word-­‐of-­‐mouth as their first information source, and website (40%) and direct email (25%) were the second and third most frequently utilized information source for the participants. Social media outlets of the rec center including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were not identified as effective information source by the survey takers. Lastly, reasons for not using the Beckerman Recreation Center were asked, and the results are as follows: 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lack of time 71% Too crowded 32% Do not like exercising 25% Difficulty of parking 23% Inconvenient course times 21% 6. Use of off-­‐campus facilities 16% (21% use local gym, 13% outdoor, 8% residential gym/ home equipment/video) 7. Lack of equipment knowledge 14% Recommendations: The people surveyed either do not exercise or are infrequent users of the Beckerman Recreation Center; yet a healthy lifestyle is important to most of them (64%). Brining in different crowds to the Rec Center by engaging in their interests is a necessary task to turn non-­‐users and infrequent users to frequent users. Our recommendations are as follows: x Create activities that are spread throughout the day, not only during busy hours x Connect students with outside community events (i.e. Cancer Walks around the New Haven area) x Plan hiking trips or beach walks or similar activities for people who are interested in outdoor pursuits x Plan outdoor yoga/pilates sessions outdoors x Organize residential hall competitions/leagues to engage infrequent users at least to bring them through the doors x Organize a recreation center festival within the first month of education year targeting incoming freshman at Kayo Field or other areas depending on availability and scheduling x Use the rec center for other activities, study halls, music sessions and incorporate healthy lifestyle educations Qualitative Research Results Structured interviews were conducted between April 2nd and April 8th to understand why students do not use the Beckerman Recreation Center and how the recreation center can improve participation in rec sports leagues and group exercise sessions. Twenty UNH students, who are non-­‐users or infrequent users of the recreation center, participated in the study. Interviews took place at on-­‐campus residential halls, Bartels Hall patio, Maxcy Hall, and off-­‐campus residences. Please see appendix for interview questions. Demographics and Lifestyle Information of Participants (n = 20) Gender Male
Female
Age Wish Not to Respond
18-­‐20
60% 21-­‐22
55% 35% 30% 5% 29 and older
50% 10% Race Caucasian
25-­‐26
Class Standing Hispanic/Latino
5% 10% African-­‐American
15% 15% 15% 25% 30% 85% Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Other
Residence On Campus
Employment Off Campus
Works
55% 55% Does not work
45% 45% 40% lives within 1-­‐5miles & 60% lives more than 5miles away 10% works 1-­‐9hrs/week, 25% works 10-­‐19hrs/week 10% works over 20hrs/week Use of Beckerman Rec Center Have Used Before
Importance of Healthy Lifestyle Never Used Before
Slightly
Moderately
Very
15% 17% 33% 85% 50% Of the 85% who used the Rec Center: 44% uses 1-­‐2times/semester, 44% uses 1-­‐2times/month 13%uses 1-­‐2times/week 50% slightly important, 30% moderately important 15% very important Hobbies Ideal Exercise Video Games
Reading
35% KƵƚĚŽŽƌ͙
65% Outdoor Activities
Art/Theatre/Music
Importance of Exercise: 25% Swimming
30% Group-­‐X
40% Weights
Sports
50% Cardio
10% 20% 40% 50% Results Interviewees were asked about which services at the recreation center they were aware of, and the results are very similar to the findings of the surveys. Almost all of the interviewees were aware of rec sports program, weight room, cardio equipment and group x classes. More than half of the interviewees were not aware of wellness programs, racquet ball courts, premium fitness program, or team challenge program. They also reported cardio and rec sports program as the most frequently used services of the recreation center. Awareness of Offerings at Beckerman Rec Center (Rank Order) 1. Rec Sports Program 100% 6. Personal Training 60% 2. Weight Room 95% 7. Racquetball Courts 50% 3. Cardio Equipment 95% 8. Wellness Program 35% 4. Club Sports 85% 9. Premium Fitness 35% 5. Group X Classes 80% 10. Team Challenge 25% Used Offerings at Beckerman Rec Center (Rank Order) 1. Cardio Equipment 50% 2. Rec Sports Program 40% 3. Group X Classes 30% 4. Weight Room 20% 5. Open gym 20% The main information source for interviewees was word-­‐of-­‐mouth. Direct email (40%) and website (30%) were the other two sources where they got information. Similar to survey participants, social media outlets of the rec center including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were not identified as effective information source by the interview participants either. In the next section, more detailed information is presented on how rec sports program and group X sessions were evaluated. Rec Sports Program: The main reasons people participated in rec sports are simple; either to have fun with friends or to continue a sport they have a passion for but cannot play at a collegiate level. A couple statements from the interview process are provided below to support the finding: x ͞do have fun and exercise in the process. And to play a sport that I used to play and that I am not able to play at the EůĞǀĞů͘͟ʹ Jack x ͞/ŐĞƚƚŽƉůĂLJƐƉŽƌƚƐ/ĚŝĚŶ͛ƚŐĞƚƚŚĞŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJƚŽƉůĂLJŝŶŚŝŐŚƐĐŚŽŽů͟ʹ Mark Infrequent users of Rec Sports program were asked about their experience with the rec sports leagues and they were dissatisfied for a variety of reasons: x
The main issue was the officiating: Favoritism among referees: o ͞ZĞĨĞƌĞĞƐǁĞƌĞĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJĂŶĚƉŽůŝƚĞǁŚŝĐŚŵĂĚĞŝƚĂŐŽŽĚexperience. Minus the fact that there were a select few referees who would play favorites if their friends were playing on the opposing ƚĞĂŵƐ͘͟ʹ Susan o ͞dhere was a team made up of all Rec Sports referees and supervisors so if there was a call that needed to be made, it was usually in their favor.͟ʹ Mario Inconsistent officiating due to lack of training and potential for unfair gameplay o The rules were sometimes not very clearly stated. ͞^upposed to be a pre-­‐game meeting, this usually only happened during the first game of the season͘͟ ʹ Rob o ͞Referee training seems poor; sometimes the referees do not know or understand all of the rules͘͟ ʹ John x
Timing was another issue brought up by many students: o ͞There is not much the rec can do about it but scheduling is a major issue for most participants (and nonparticipants) whether it is class or other commitments͘͟ ʹ Jack o Commuters also have a difficulty: ͞tĞhave to stay on campus for a game or come back just to play is very inconvenient͘͟ ʹ Rob x
Communication was also an issue: o The means of communicating cancellations or rescheduling are weak and generally do not reach all necessary users. The facilities are one of rec sƉŽƌƚƐ͛ƐƚƌŽŶŐƐƵŝƚ͘ůůƉĂƌƚŝĐŝƉĂŶƚƐŚĂĚƉŽƐŝƚŝǀĞĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞƐǁŝƚŚĨĂĐŝůŝƚŝĞƐ. x Equipment was a concern amongst some users: o ͞TŚĞŽŶůLJƉƌŽďůĞŵ/͛ǀĞƐĞĞŶƉůĂLJŝŶŐ&ŝĚĚůĞƐƚŝĐŬƐǁĂƐƚŚĂƚƚŚĞŶĞƚƐǁŽƵůĚďƌĞĂŬĞĂƐŝůLJŝĨƚŚĞƌĞǁĂƐĂŚĂƌĚ
enough shot.͟ʹ Mark Users did not return for various reasons, mainly commitment issues including but not limited to school work, class and extra-­‐
curricular activities. Group X Classes: The main reasons people participated in group x classes are to go with friends or to be healthy. x ͞/ǁĞŶƚƚŽĐůĂƐƐǁŝƚŚĂĨƌŝĞŶĚŽĨŵŝŶĞĂŶĚǁĂŶƚĞĚƚŽƐĞĞǁŚĂƚŝƚǁĂƐůŝŬĞ͘͟ ʹ Tom x tĂŶƚĞĚĂ͞ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞŐĂƚĞǁĂLJƚŽĂŚĞĂůƚŚŝĞƌůŝĨĞƐƚLJůĞ͘͟ ʹ Mandy Group X Participants were satisfied with the quality of instructors and the variety of classes offered: x ͞dŚĞŝŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŽƌ ŬŶĞǁǁŚĂƚƐŚĞǁĂƐĚŽŝŶŐ͟ ʹ Julie x ͞ZĞĂůůLJůŝŬĞthe instructors ĨŽƌƐƉŝŶŶŝŶŐ͘dŚĞLJŵĂŬĞĂĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJĂƚŵŽƐƉŚĞƌĞ͘͟ ʹ Mandy x ͞/ĂŵƐĂƚŝƐĨŝĞĚǁŝƚŚƚŚĞĐƵƌƌĞŶƚĐůĂƐƐĞƐŽĨĨĞƌĞĚ͘͟ ʹ Kim Participants were not satisfied with the times or the level of classes offered. x One of the interviewees had to go to an advaŶĐĞĚĐůĂƐƐŝŶƐƚĞĂĚŽĨĂďĞŐŝŶŶŝŶŐĐůĂƐƐĚƵĞƚŽŚŝƐƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞ͘͞,ĂǀĞŵŽƌĞ
ĐŽŶǀĞŶŝĞŶƚƚŝŵĞƐĨŽƌďĞŐŝŶŶĞƌĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ͘͟ ʹ Tom x ͞/ƐƚŽƉƉĞĚŐŽŝŶŐďĞĐĂƵƐĞƚŚĞĐůĂƐƐĞƐǁĞƌĞƚŽŽĞĂƌůLJ͘͟ ʹ Karen The main reasons for not participating in the group X classes were class times, limited offerings, and lack of information. x ͞dŽŽĞĂƌůLJŝŶƚŚĞŵŽƌŶŝŶŐ͘͟ ʹ Joe x ͞DŽŶ͛ƚŬŶŽǁǁŚĞƌĞƚŽĨŝŶĚƚŚĞŝŶĨŽĂďŽƵƚƚŚĞĐůĂƐƐĞƐĂŶĚǁĂŶƚƚŽƐĞĞŵŽƌĞŽĨĨĞƌĞĚ͘͟ ʹ Amanda x ͞/ǁŽƵůĚůŝŬĞƚŽƐĞĞŵŽƌĞŽĨĨĞƌŝŶŐƐĨŽƌďĞŐŝŶŶŝŶŐƵŵďĂĂŶĚLJŽŐĂĐůĂƐƐĞƐ͘͟ ʹ Janet Recommendations: For Rec Sports Program: x
x
x
x
x
x
For Group X Classes: Have the rules more readily available for games o Make online Tegrity sessions explaining game rules o Make sure the whole team has access to the rules Offer mŽƌĞ͞&ƌŝĚĂLJEŝŐŚƚ>ŝŐŚƚƐ͟ƚŽƵƌŶĂŵĞŶƚƐfor various sports Improve referee training Offer skills competitions (three point contest, etc.) Offer introductory courses for sports Better advertisement o Post flyers on boards around campus and in dorms, utilize social media more effectively x
x
x
x
x
Offer wider variety of times Offer wider variety of class levels Offer outdoor group x sessions Offer a rewards program o Points card o Free smoothies after ___ amount of classes attended o Integrate wellness component Better advertisement o Post flyers on boards around campus and in dorms, utilize social media more effectively Appendices Appendix A: Survey Appendix B: Interview Questions for Group X Appendix C: Interview Questions for Rec Sports Appendix A: Appendix B: Interview Questions for Group X Participants: 1.
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Which class did you participate? How often do you participate? Why did you participate in group X class? What do you hope to get out of the class? Did the class fulfill your goals and needs? Were you satisfied? a. With quality of class ʹ atmosphere, welcoming, progression, intensity, modifications b. With quality of instruction ʹ competency, approach, friendliness, feedback, professionalism c. With quality of facility ʹ cleanliness, maintenance, safety, air quality, audio quality d. With the times of classes ʹ What times do you usually go? Do you prefer other times? e. Was it easy to find a spot in class? Was it over crowded? What other classes would you like to see? What could be improved? tŚLJĚŝĚŶ͛ƚLJŽƵƌĞƚƵƌŶ͍ Are you a member of another gym? What could Rec Center do to get you to use the facilities/services? Non-­‐Participants 1. Are you aware of the resources (programs, services and facilities) the rec center has to offer? Tell us the programs/services that you are aware of. 2. If not aware of group X classes, (after sharing the info), would you be interested in group X classes? 3. If you would be interested, what would your expectation be? a. What do you look for in an instructor? b. What type of exercises/classes would you be interested in? c. Best times for you 4. Do you know where to find information about the group x schedule? 5. If aware of group X classes, what do you know about the programs? a. Perception about group X classes. 6. What is your source of information? 7. tŚLJĚŽŶ͛ƚLJŽƵƵƐĞit? 8. Are there any classes that you would like to see offered? 9. Is there anything else the rec center could do to get you to go there? Appendix C: Interview Questions for REC Sports (Intramural Sports) Participants: 12. Which sport did you participate in? 13. How often did you participate? 14. Why did you participate in Rec Sports? a. What do you hope to get out of your Rec Sports participation? 15. Did Rec Sports fulfill your goals/needs or expectations? 16. Were you satisfied? a. With quality of organization ʹ atmosphere, punctuality, directions, instructions, bracket system, rules/regulations and their application b. With quality of personnel ʹ Organizers, referees -­‐ friendliness, professionalism c. With quality of facility ʹ cleanliness, maintenance, safety, air quality, audio quality d. With the times of Rec Sports ʹ What times do you usually go? Do you prefer other times? 17. What other sports would you like to see? 18. What could be improved? 19. tŚLJĚŝĚŶ͛ƚLJŽƵƌĞƚƵƌŶ͍ 20. Are you a member of another gym? 21. What could Rec Center do to get you to use the facilities/services? Non-­‐Participants 10. Are you aware of the resources (programs, services and facilities) the rec center has to offer? Tell us the programs/services that you are aware of. 11. If not aware of Rec Sports, (after sharing the info), would you be interested in Rec Sports? 12. If you would be interested, what would your expectation be? a. What do you look for in rec Sports? b. Which sports would you be interested in playing? c. Best times for you 13. Do you know where to find information about the Rec Sports and schedule? 14. If aware of Rec Sports, what do you know about the programs? a. Perception about Rec Sports. 15. What is your source of information? 16. tŚLJĚŽŶ͛ƚLJŽƵƉĂƌƚŝĐŝƉĂƚĞŝŶZĞĐ^ƉŽƌƚƐ͍ 17. Are there any sports that you would like to see offered? 18. Is there anything else the rec center could do to get you to go there?