The past few years have been a time of change for the leisure industry. From exciting new technology to the challenge of catering to increased demand for leisure as Covid-19 restrictions ease off, there’s been a whole lot of learning taking place.

This month we put five questions to Sheena Sadlier, Customer Success Consultant at Jonas Leisure, to get her thoughts on some of the hot topics facility staff are grappling with these days and what makes the industry great.

What is your favourite thing about working in the leisure industry?

I am a strong advocate for health and wellness across populations, so I love being part of an industry that supports and encourages this.

How important is it to be across industry trends in your role?

As a Customer Success Consultant I must identify and anticipate trends to ensure everyone can create and leverage new opportunities. I enjoy keeping my finger on the pulse and hearing about the latest innovations.

Have you seen an organisation doing super clever things with Jonas Leisure software lately?

Yes! I hope Bernadette Neal won’t mind me saying this, but Royal Life Saving Society – NSW Branch are always doing clever things to streamline their businesses.

They have created their external swim schools as individual programs in Envibe, allowing parents to book their kids into the year appropriate class at each school’s venue.

You deal with quite a few swim schools in your work. What are some of the challenges they are facing right now?

Swim Schools across the globe are in a staffing crisis. This is why it’s so important to upskill and train staff, and to support and reward your existing staff, creating a culture of “Rockstar Trainers”.

In addition to using technology where you can, using the Envibe member web portal and making use of automated SMS or email takes the mundane tasks away from staff and frees them up more to better service their customers.

Are there any key seasonal trends we tend to see in the leisure industry as we head into the warmer months?

Across Australia and New Zealand’s spring and summer there is always a natural progression towards increases in swimming lessons and outdoor training.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic we have also seen a growth in “new exercisers” – those who have committed themselves to taking up a new activity to promote their health.

We are also seeing more mindful exercise choices. Mental Health is an important topic and sites should recognise the need for specialised programming.