The University of Sunderland’s iconic fitness facility, CitySpace, is the central hub on campus for sport and social activity at the university. Designed to provide its members with a premium and all-inclusive fitness experience, CitySpace is suitable for members of all ages and abilities. Looking to refresh the fitness experience they were delivering to students, and create a more personalised journey, the Fitness Suite underwent a complete refit at the end of 2017. The gym now proudly showcases over 70 fitness stations split across a two-level, open plan gym layout.
To create this new experience, the University partnered with Technogym as their official supplier of fitness and wellness solutions, working with them to redefine their member journey.
Bringing Innovation to the Gym Floor
Technogym worked with CitySpace to create a facility that really does reflect the latest fitness trends and supported them in bringing innovation to the gym floor. The Fitness Suite now features a dedicated area to the industry-leading Skill Line, a dynamic range of products designed with performance athletes in mind. Skill Line focuses on speed, power, agility and stamina training. CitySpace invested in key pieces from the range, including the revolutionary Skillbike, the only indoor bike with real gear shift and real-time biofeedback, enabling members to track and improve upon their performance.
Chris Curtis, Sports & Recreational Assistant at CitySpace commented, “The students absolutely love the new technology that we now have as it helps them to engage with their fitness through the many apps and features included on the equipment. The feedback has been absolutely brilliant”.
Delivering a Personalised Service
With a vision to deliver not only an exceptional service, but a personalised one as well, CitySpace invested in the Technogym mywellness cloud ecosystem. The integration of mywellness into each member journey has meant that students are able to digitally connect with CitySpace and its trainers by; following training programmes on their phones, taking part in campus challenges, taking wellness assessments to track their progress, and booking classes with ease.
“Mywellness really helps us to interact with our students. We can create a buzz around the gym through challenges and get students involved. We can also reach out to students who may not have been as active recently and encourage them to return to the gym” added Chris.
Creating Immersive Experiences
Looking to bring new energy to the gym floor, CitySpace have also introduced Skillrow Class, an experience where members get the chance to row together like a real crew, take part in competitions and receive live feedback on their individual performance. The biggest benefit of integrating the Skillrow Class format into the gym floor is that the space used becomes dual use. When classes are not in progress the Skillrow equipment can also be used independently by members to train both cardio and power at the same time, for a more complete workout. Kevin Ludlow, Facilities Manager at CitySpace said, “The main reason that Technogym have been successful in supplying to CitySpace is that they really understood what we required as a business from concept through to installation. The real difference with Technogym is that we work together in a true partnership, rather than just a customer – supplier relationship”.
“Our long-standing partnership with CitySpace at the University of Sunderland is one that Technogym are incredibly proud of, and their approach to Wellness aligns perfectly with the Technogym Global mission and values. We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with CitySpace and to build upon this already fantastic partnership”, says Ben Sandham, Area Sales Manager of Technogym UK.
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