Motionsoft Technology Summit | Takeaways From Ann Marie Barbour of Soul Body LLC

This was my first MotionSoft Tech Summit and was thrilled to be on a panel about Virtual Group Fitness with Paul Bowman (Wexer), Lauren Foundos (Forte) and Garrett Borunda (24 Hour Fitness). Paul spoke about personalization and whoever does that well will win – that truly is the key! Quote of the week was “data is king but knowledge is poor” – HOW do we take all of this data from all of these new “players” in our industry like Listen360, Tinoq, Silicus and more that offer up ”intelligent analytics” to learn, solve and augment human decision making.

This is all new, amazing and to be honest, somewhat scary! It’s truly unbelievable how detailed the information gathered can be, down to understanding the intonation of a single word. The KEY is to be able to use these intelligent apps to physically and emotionally touch our member base (or instructor/club base in my case), causing them to action, feel special, benefit from a top tier experiences and come back for more – That’s the true win!!

I was quoted that there is a 12% increase in the “live class” attendance by those that got their “feet wet” with virtual fitness classes first. Paul reiterated as well, taking a virtual class gives them confidence and a higher comfort level to come into a live class. VIRTUAL is a great gateway to LIVE.

Bottom line for me is the HEART of fitness is eye to eye, face to face with human interaction and community experiences (think hi-fives and friends saving you a mat in class). We at SoulBody know the importance of the “LIVE” Group Fitness space but are embracing all of the other offerings like virtual live streamed, at home on-demand, (with our partners Wexer, BurnAlong and NEO U), as well as mobile app-based products to meet the needs of our clients.

The GOAL is to embrace ALL vehicles (that are actually touch points) to give this new wave of customers what they want at any given moment. But we all need to be on top and out front with these offerings and experiences at a higher level because the quality has been leveled up. “Quality Content” is a buzzword, but it’s true. Whether in the entertainment or fitness industry, it’s what our customers/members/subscribers are all now use to and DEMAND.

Final take away from the Summit: Another great product I personally liked and was impressed with (as well as their fund-raising initiative) was eGYM! I often don’t work out on “machines”, as I’m mostly in the studio:)) but cool to see these innovative, electronic machines – nothing like a little German Engineering and smart technology to ensure proper form and effective training, what’s not to love!

Ann Marie Barbour

Ann Marie Barbour is the co-founder of Soul Body LLC and Co-Creator of SoulBody Barre, SoulBody Barre “Unhitched” and SoulBody Power group fitness programs.

With a strong team they created a comprehensive certification with continuing education centered around their consistent pre-choreographed class formats. They have found tremendous success with the SoulBody Barre programming in over 80+ clubs across the globe including Gold’s Gyms, Goodlife in Canada, Brick Bodies, Merritt Clubs, Under Armour Performance Centers, YMCAs and more. Soul Body’s programming is affiliated with both AFAA and NASM continuing education credits.