Again Faster Launches Competition Component for Gym Owners
Most well-known for supplying gyms with barbells, plates and other necessary equipment, Again Faster is shaking things up by adding a service to their repertoire that puts those bars in action: a competition sector that works hand-in-hand with box owners.
Known as Again Faster Live, the local competition series includes four major branded events accompanied with a worldwide leaderboard that take place right in your home gym. Done-for-you planning, programming, marketing and revenue generating celebrations of fitness with your hometown athletes — from the company that has been making gear since 2006, it begs the question: why?
“One of the reasons why I started doing this was I owned a gym and if I ran four events a year, one per quarter, which is where the schedule came from, if I didn’t run those events, my gym would have closed 100 percent,” said Ashleigh Johnson, Director of Live Events for Again Faster. “So if I needed that, a lot of gyms must need it. We have so many event dates that we can fit in anybody’s calendar. No matter what you run, no matter what you do. We have a date that works for every gym, and we want them to work with us and see how much easier it can be.”
With about a year of the new initiative under their belt, the company has sold out dozens of events, registered close to 2,000 athletes and has events booked through early 2024.
Michael Duff, an eight-year affiliate owner out of Virginia, has used Again Faster Live numerous times and has “run multiple events before and this was a complete game changer. The precision to details in that our marketing was already set-up for us, so we just had to plug and play,” he said.
Eric Botsford, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Again Faster, believes strongly in working in conjunction with gym owners to help make them successful going forward.
“Not only are we providing that platform for gyms to actually produce a bit of revenue, stoke their community out, that whole thing, but we’re actually teaching these business owners how to be business owners,” Botsford shared. “…We’re delivering to them basically on a platter the steps by which they can make the most money possible.”
Furthermore, Botsford is spearheading an effort to connect industry brands with members of the community through their experience in e-commerce to elevate earnings for everyone involved.
“Each event has its own look and feel, but this ecosystem of athletes and gym owners and event hosts is going to live out here — so brands can definitely connect with us and become part of this marketplace that we’ve created,” he said. “If you’re a small to medium-sized business, hit us up because we have close to 100 gyms that we can go directly into to set up wholesale accounts (and) we can provide exclusive discounts to athletes to help them.”
The criteria for being an eligible host for one of these events isn’t terribly specific, and starts with a consultation call with Johnson.
“They would be in their gym, and they could show me their gym layout, and we can kind of talk through the programming and things of that nature to see if it would really be a good fit for the area and the host,” she said. “And if they’re willing and able to do it, they need to have the required equipment, which is just normal things that you would find in a CrossFit gym (such as) dumbbells, barbells, boxes, a rig (and) rowers.”
If you’re interested in hosting a throw down in your space, learn more and schedule a consultation call on the Again Faster Live website.
“These competitions allow athletes to test themselves in a way they might not have in day to day life,” Duff explained. “I always try to remind members that they need an avenue to test their fitness with either running, hiking (or) playing a sport, so running competitions provide a service to the fitness community. Having it run smoothly assures these competitors have a safe and comfortable place to go to and test themselves over and over again.”
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