1) How many parking spaces should a club have to accomodate the members?

According to architect Hervey Lavoie of the Ohlson Lavoie Corporation in Denver, you should plan on one parking space for every 12-15 members in a suburban club. (This accounts for the impact of public transportation and multiple passengers per car.)

Note: In urban clubs, the number may be significantly less because of the large number of members arriving by foot or public transportation. This may not suffice during periods of peak usage, and you may want to set up parking overflow parking arrangements to handle excessive demand.

According to Donald DeMars of Donald DeMars International suggests that a club should plan for 5 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet. In a club's peak hours you can expect 10-12% of membership using the club during those hours (example before work, after work).

2) How many lockers should a club have to accommodate its members?

According to Hervey Lavoie of the Ohlson Lavoie Corporation in Denver, a generous ratio for suburban clubs is one locker per every 10 memberships.

3) What's a healthy ratio for club membership dues collected via EFT versus cash accounts?

A healthy ratio for automatic collections whether through EFT, credit card, or other systems is 60% of total monthly membership revenues. Recommended that a club attempt to collect approximately 40% of its membership revenues in the form of 'cash income' from three, six, or 12-month contracts. (Michael Scott Scudder, owner of the Fitness Advantage fitness center in Saugerties, New York, and head of the Fitness Company)

4) In a given area, what's the average number of people who will join a gym?

The national average for health club participation is 16% of the population over the age of 6. This will vary according to specific demographics such as age, education, and household income, and other characteristics. (IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report)

5) CALCULATION: How can a club calculate the membership capacity of it's fitness center?

1. Determine the total number of members the club can accommodate at one time by counting all strength training equipment, cardiovascular equipment, number of spaces on aerobics floor.
   
   For Example: 1 member per every cardio unit, one member per every aerobics space, one member per every two pieces of strength training equipment

2. The sum of those three 'fractions of usage' is the maximum number of members 'in usage' that the fitness center can serve at one time. Keeping in mind that usage of locker rooms also needs to be accounted for.

3. Add in usage and locker room figures to determine the total number of members the club can accommodate at one time.

4. Divide hours of operation by the length of the average visit to determine the number of membership cycles per day. Multiply that number by the total number of members the club can accommodate at one time to determine base membership capacity
   
   NOTE: One needs to account for low use members as well as seasonal members

5. The final represents the club's capacity.

6) What is the average length of membership at a health club?

The average number of years a member stays at a health club is 4.1 years. (IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report)

7) In regards to travel time, how long will a person travel to commute to a club?

In suburban markets, in which the automobile is the primary means of commuting to a club, the primary trading area for clubs in competitive markets extends no more than 10-12 minutes travel time from the club, which translates into no more than five miles from the club site. (IHRSA's Guide to the Health Club Industry for Lenders & Investors)