July 6, 2026
Veleo
Introducing Renee Gardiner: Jonas Leisure’s New Business Development Manager
Jonas Leisure is excited to welcome Renee Gardiner to the team as our new Business Development Manager.
Jonas Leisure is excited to welcome Renee Gardiner to the team as our new Business Development Manager.
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At the ARV Industry Awards Gala in June, we gave the aquatics and recreation industry its first look at something we've been building behind the scenes for some time. It was brief, it was intentionally quiet, and it left a lot of people asking the same question: what exactly is Jonas Leisure working on?
Jonas Leisure celebrated with the best of Victoria's aquatic and recreation industry at the ARV Industry Awards Gala 2026, held on Friday 12 June at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was a night of celebration, recognition, and a first exciting glimpse of what's coming with VELEO.
Great customer service rarely comes down to one big gesture. In aquatic centres, gyms, and recreation facilities, it's usually the small, consistent moments that shape how a member or visitor feels about a facility, and whether they come back. Here are some of the small things front facing staff can do that make an outsized difference.
Our new Customer Success and Implementation Consultant Simon Obery brings a wealth of hands-on leisure industry experience. He cut his teeth as a lifeguard and swimming teacher, before moving into management and then into the software industry, where he has continued his love affair with leisure by specialising in leisure management systems.
Keeping your aquatic centre, leisure facility or gym thriving throughout the year requires strategic planning around key dates to drive participation. That’s why we’ve mapped out prime opportunities in 2026 to help you create timely campaigns that resonate with your members and boost attendance.
November marks the beginning of the busiest period for Australian and New Zealand aquatic centres, as seasonal outdoor pools open too, with visitor numbers about to ramp up as temperatures rise and families plan activities over the summer holidays ahead.
A council-run leisure facility is much more than just a business. Customers increasingly expect leisure facilities and aquatic centres to be community hubs and responsible operators, promoting health and wellbeing, championing sustainability, embracing accessibility and encouraging inclusion for different cultures.
In February, Selwyn Aquatic Centre in Canterbury made history by becoming the first New Zealand swimming pool to deploy state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technology designed to reduce drowning risks.
Australian parents’ commitments to their children’s sporting dreams have been steadily rising post-Covid, according to a forthcoming Australian Sports Commission report, with some now spending more than $10,000 a year to keep their kids ahead of the competition.
