IDEA COVID-19 Support Webinar Series: Reopening Our Clubs and Studio, Part 1

As the first dramatic wave of Coronavirus infections have flattened, many states and jurisdictions in the US have lifted shelter-in-place orders and are opening—or are already opened for business. While this is positive, in that it’s a step toward normalcy, it’s also a very complex process to navigate for all business owners—perhaps especially so for gym owners and managers. This is not a light switch that can just be turned on again. The path to opening our gyms is fraught with many obstacles and unknowns, and it will certainly not be linear. In this first of a two-part series, our expert panel talks about public health concerns and precautions (masks, gloves, voluntary health checks, disinfecting); communication strategies and expectations for staff and members; and liability concerns/waivers.

Listeners can expect to learn the following:

• The public health perspective on opening our gyms. What we need to be concerned about from an epidemiologic perspective; what populations we need to be concerned about; how to protect both staff and members (masks, gloves, threshold health checks)
• Communication Strategies for Staff and Members
• Liability, waivers, Health/Temperature Checks
• Phased opening: What it looks like

Panelist Bios
Moderator: Sandy Todd Webster, Editor in Chief, IDEA Publications

Panelists
Grace Desimone is the product director for Group Fitness at Optum On-Site Services where she and her colleagues direct the content, quality and operations of over 2,500 weekly group fitness classes taught by more than 1,000 instructors for over 200 on-site fitness locations that support employee well-being. She was named IDEA’s 2016 Program Director of the Year.

Alexandra Black Larcom, MPH, RD, LDN, is the senior manager of health promotion and policy for IHRSA. She develops resources that help IHRSA clubs offer effective health programs in their communities, and actively advocates policies with lawmakers that promote the power of exercise to lawmakers.

Casey Conrad, JD, has been a sales and marketing consultant in our industry for over 30 years. She has authored numerous books that have been translated in several languages. She has been a featured presenter in 24 countries, has online sales training platforms and writes for magazines around the world.