Posted by on Sep 2, 2015 in Marketing | 0 comments

Babyganics Update

After several months of negotiations, we regret to inform you that, effective immediately, we no longer have an affiliation with Babyganics. As a result, gyms will no longer be able to order cleaning products through the My Gym/Babyganics portal. Furthermore, any remaining marketing materials present in your gyms may be removed. For gyms that order product on a regular basis, we apologize for our inability to give you more lead time to place final orders and stock up. It was our intent to do so; however, because of unforeseen circumstances, this was not an option. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused, and we look forward to creating a new alliance with an alternate provider/partner in the near...

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Posted by on Aug 31, 2015 in My Gym Foundation | 0 comments

MGCA September Update

Thank You to Our August Donors: My Gym Westfield, My Gym Norwell, My Gym Annapolis, My Gym Crofton, My Gym Columbia, My Gym Chesterfield, My Gym Manalapan A special “thank you” to the gyms that are more than halfway to the 100% goal:* My Gym Upper East, My Gym Manhattan, My Gym Lincoln Center, My Gym The Woodlands, My Gym Aventura, My Gym Katy, My Gym Charleston, My Gym Lake Mary, My Gym Maitland, My Gym Kailua *Our mission is to have every My Gym contribute $1,000 to our MGCA kids in 2015. THE CHILDREN YOU HELP:  Meet Rebekah We were so happy to bring a smile to the face of our newest recipient! Rebekah has Spina Bifida and is unable to walk without the assistance of braces and a walker. Rebekah’s new swing, presented by MGCA, allows her to enjoy playtime with her siblings and friends. MACY’S SHOP FOR A CAUSE Thanks to all of your help, our Macy’s fundraiser was a success! We will announce the grand...

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Posted by on Aug 24, 2015 in Products, Support & Programming | 0 comments

Order your Mymo Hand Puppets Now for Programming

  Gyms, parents, and kids all love the new Mymo Hand Puppet!  This high-quality soft plush puppet, introduced last month, features a moveable mouth and moveable arms and has amazing detail that brings Mymo to life in your puppet shows, storytelling, games, parties, and other fun activities. You’re going to get a lot of use out of the Mymo Hand Puppet, using it for all sorts of activities and occasions.  We will begin to use the new Mymo Hand Puppet in our curriculum the week of Sept 14th.  Thereafter, it will be used during Puppet Shows for all age groups that have Endings.  You will begin to see the Mymo puppet in the curriculum for many Games and Adventures.  Mymo will be used during Separation Time, as well as in Adventures like Circus Tent and Rain Forest.  It will be fun to use the Mymo puppet during birthday parties as an added element to many activities as well. With branded products like the Mymo Hand Puppet and Mymo Stretchkins...

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Posted by on Aug 19, 2015 in Marketing | 0 comments

Online Marketing- US Family Guide

MGE Marketing is pleased to announce we have renewed our partnership with the US Family Guide network that will provide our gyms with a multi-faceted online marketing platform in your respective markets.  The program is paid for through the Marketing Fund, and there is no additional cost for gyms to participate. US Family Guide’s 500 local family guides in North America average more than 2.5 million visitors across the network each month.  Along with their more than 2,700 mommy bloggers (and growing), US Family Guide offers direct, measured response marketing programs reaching local parents in your markets. The US Family Guide audience is young parents, primarily moms with young kids and specifically those with toddlers.  Below is a quick snapshot of the network’s reach. In addition to accurate location listings in the guide that enable you to be found, one of the primary features of which all gyms can take advantage is the US Family Guide’s coupon program.  Consumers can access these coupons either by printing hard copy versions...

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Posted by on Aug 14, 2015 in Marketing | 0 comments

Social Media Contest- Back to School Corporate Campaign

As part of MGE Marketing’s ongoing efforts to increase our social media reach and engagement, we have embarked on a plan to create several contests a year for all of our gyms to easily access and share with your followers. These contests, which align with our Corporate Marketing Campaigns, are completely run by MGE, and they are a great asset to add to your social media content mix with very little time or effort. With that said, we are pleased to announce our next contest. My Gym’s Back to School SuperMoms and SuperDads Contest launches August 17th and runs through August 31st. All entrants in the non-judged, random drawing contest will have the chance to win one of 25 My Gym Fun-Packs; and the Grand Prize winner will also be awarded 3 FREE Months of My Gym Classes AND a Free Birthday Party. Winners will be announced and contacted directly in September 2015. The contest and prizing, which is fully funded by the Marketing Fund, will reside on MGE’s...

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Posted by on Aug 13, 2015 in Products | 0 comments

Pre-Order Mymo Stretchkins for Programming Now

  Mymo Stretchkins are almost here, and they bring fun and fitness together just as My Gym does.  For those of you who haven’t seen them yet, Mymo Stretchkins are large plush Mymo dolls with elastic in the arms and legs and straps for hands and feet so you can “wear” the Stretchkins and get them to mimic your actions as you move and stretch. Stretchkins have been proven successful and popular.  Major retailers have sold various Stretchkins for years, and a Stretchkins television commercial was even filmed at one of our My Gym locations.  Realizing that Stretchkins are a natural fit for My Gym, MGE created Stretchkins programming and tested it at several gyms.  Parents, kids, gym owners, and gym employees all loved Stretchkins, so MGE developed a custom Mymo Stretchkin and decided to add it to programming.  Many of you were introduced to Mymo Stretchkins at the International Convention last summer.  Since then, MGE has refined them through further testing, design, and feedback, coming up with a...

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Posted by on Aug 12, 2015 in Support & Programming | 0 comments

Hosting a Successful Open House Webinar

Hosting a Successful Open House Webinar We will be holding a 30 to 45-minute webinar on hosting a successful Open House.  This Webinar is not a marketing webinar; instead, it is how to prepare, execute, and wrap up a successful event, with the focus on new enrollments.  This webinar is geared toward Owners and Directors. IMPORTANT NOTES: 1.  We make every effort to place these webinars during times we feel will work for most of the My Gym Family.  Of course, this is not always possible, so a recorded version of the webinar will be posted in the Tutorials section of the extranet.  This recording is not intended as a replacement for attending the live event.  The recorded webinar should be used only as a reference. 2.  We have disabled the mic and speakers function for this webinar; the only way to participate is to call in. Your attendance is appreciated at one of these webinars: Thursday, August 13th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM PDT Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7563650806766327042  Thursday, August 13th,...

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Posted by on Aug 12, 2015 in Technology | 0 comments

MGM

Dear Franchisees, We wanted to provide you with an update and reminder of what is happening with the MGM System and the Technology Division at MGE.  In case you missed the update from earlier this year, you can review it  here. We are hard at work upgrading the MGM System and planning a few other fun surprises as well.  We are on schedule to release the upgraded system later this year. Starting in the fall, you will receive more specific information about the exciting upgrades to the platform and the other changes in the works.  We are very excited for the launch of this new product and we are doing everything in our power to make sure it is launched as near perfect as possible. Sincerely, MGE Technology...

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Posted by on Aug 11, 2015 in General | 0 comments

Grand Opening

We are extremely excited to announce the Grand Opening of our first My Gym in Alabama.  RyAnn and Eric Fligel have just completed their first weekend of open house events in Auburn.  Open house events will continue through the weekend with classes starting on Monday.  Warm wishes and congratulations can be sent to...

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Posted by on Aug 10, 2015 in Marketing | 0 comments

Artwork Ordering Systems

It has come to our attention that there is still some confusion as to how gyms can obtain artwork.  In 2012, we introduced the Print System,* which offered DIY templates of flyers, posters, punch passes, and post cards.  You choose the template you need, customize the available fields, then download the file, and print on demand.  As a reminder, the designer cannot make modifications to any items created on the Print System. In a few weeks, we will be conducting a purge of the print system to freshen up the content and retire old photos.  Gyms will be given plenty of notice to save your files beforehand once we nail down a concrete date. Custom Artwork The Print System has some limitations; only certain types of artwork can be made into templates.  Anything that is not available on the Print System should be ordered through the designer.  Orders include, but are not limited to, publication ads, large format posters/banners, and flyers with intricate text or layout requirements.  The designer...

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Posted by on Aug 7, 2015 in Products | 0 comments

My Gym Cups Song Winner – My Gym Louisville!

My Gym Cups Song Winner Facebook Post                                        Thank you to all the gyms that participated in the Merchandise Division’s My Gym Cups Song Contest.  We received so many fun videos, and we appreciate the time, energy, and creativity that everyone put into them.  We’re proud to announce that the contest winner is My Gym Louisville.  This gym’s submission, featuring Julie and Chelsea, is a fun, original, and creative video with singing, music, and My Gym activities.  As required by the rules, this winning video follows the tune of the “Cups” song, contains original lyrics about My Gym and, of course, features the cup routine with the new My Gym Mymo Favor Cup.  As their prize for winning the contest, My Gym Louisville will receive 200 free favor cups. Click here to view the winning video, and then you can click on #mygymcupscontest  to view the rest of the videos. Remember...

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Posted by on Aug 6, 2015 in Marketing | 0 comments

Marketing & Sponsorships- Oball Customer Survey

We hope everyone is enjoying the new Oballs recently shipped to all of our US and Canadian gyms by our partner, Kids II! As part of our relationship with Kids II, we have agreed to make best efforts to get customer feedback related to the Oball program.  Accordingly, we have prepared an Exact Target email, which we respectfully request all gyms to please send to all of their Tiny Tyke – Terrific Tot customers ASAP. The email can be found in Exact Target, Global emails > general emails. Thank you for your consideration and for being a good partner to our friends at Kids...

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Posted by on Aug 5, 2015 in General | 0 comments

From the Desk of Our CEO: A Message to Our My Gym Owners

From the Desk of Our CEO: A Message to Our My Gym Owners  My Gym Children’s Fitness Center – Stronger than Ever Thirty-two years after the first My Gym opened for business in 1983, our global brand is thriving.  There are 353 brick-and-mortar locations spread over 34 countries in the world, and there is My Gym mobile programming present in at least another 1500 children’s venues.  My Gym is also present in many schools, health clubs, resorts, malls, etc.  In 2015, My Gym will have over 2000 trained teachers working with our students in our gyms.  During the last 5 years, MGE has created standardized core curriculum worldwide (which allows many benefits) and has authored new programs such as Martial Arts, Dance, Preschool Prep, and All Star Sports.  We have also revamped Cardio Kids and Art Explorers.  Further, MGE has created new or has enhanced operational systems and retention programs such as PSP, OMG, and MGM (yes we like acronyms).  We have advanced our marketing machine to include standardized...

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Posted by on Jul 31, 2015 in My Gym Foundation | 0 comments

MGCA August Update

Thank You to Our July Donors: My Gym Aventura, My Gym Palm Desert, My Gym The Woodlands, My Gym Upper East, My Gym Manhattan, My Gym Lincoln Center A special “thank you” to the gyms that are more than halfway to the 100% goal:* My Gym Upper East, My Gym Manhattan, My Gym Lincoln Center, My Gym The Woodlands, My Gym Aventura, My Gym Katy, My Gym Charleston, My Gym Lake Mary, My Gym Maitland, My Gym Kailua *Our mission is to have every My Gym contribute $1,000 to our MGCA kids in 2015. THE CHILDREN YOU HELP:  Meet Jaxon Jaxon was born with Cerebral Palsy, mild cortical vision impairment, and bilateral cystic periventricular leukomalacia. With the help of Jaxon’s bath chair, his mom is able to care for Jaxon and allow him to play in the bathtub without worry. In a recent conversation with Jaxon’s mom, she exclaimed: “Jaxon had so much fun playing in the water that I didn’t want to take his little pruney body out!”...

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Posted by on Jul 29, 2015 in General | 0 comments

Grand Opening

We are pleased to announce the Grand Opening of our newest location in Brandon, FL.  Thurlowe and Corinne Russell have just completed their first weekend of open house events and have experienced an overwhelming response from the community.  They have several more days of open house events and will begin classes on Monday.  Warm wishes and congratulations can be sent to...

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Posted by on Jul 27, 2015 in Products | 0 comments

Now In Stock – Mymo 3D Lenticular Bookmark/Ruler!

The new Mymo 3D Lenticular Bookmark/Ruler, which went on pre-sale a few weeks ago, is now in stock.  If you pre-ordered this item, it will ship out to you today and you’ll receive it within a week.  If you didn’t order your bookmarks, order now so you have them in time for back to school.  This bookmark/ruler looks even more impressive in person than in the digital images on ShopMyGym.com and in this update.  You and your members will love it! As we shared in the original update a few weeks back, just tilt the Bookmark/Ruler, and Mymo jumps up and down with excitement on his trampoline.  On the other side, Mymo encourages kids to exercise every day and suggests fun activities.  These new vivid 3D Mymo images are virtually impossible to ignore, and they’re sure to amaze and amuse parents and kids alike.  At a cost of just $0.75 each, this is an incredible and cost-effective year-round promotional product, and it’s a perfect back to school giveaway for...

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Posted by on Jul 27, 2015 in Support & Programming | 0 comments

Hosting a Successful Open House Webinar

We will be holding a 30 to 45-minute webinar on hosting a successful Open House.  This Webinar is not a marketing webinar; instead, it is how to prepare, execute, and wrap up a successful event, with the focus on new enrollments.  This webinar is geared toward Owners and Directors. IMPORTANT NOTES: We make every effort to place these webinars during times we feel will work for most of the My Gym Family. Of course, this is not always possible, so a recorded version of the webinar will be posted in the Tutorials section of the extranet. This recording is not intended as a replacement for attending the live event. The recorded webinar should be used only as a reference. We have disabled the mic and speakers function for this webinar; the only way to participate is to call in. Your attendance is appreciated at one of these webinars: Thursday, August 13th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM PDT Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7563650806766327042  Thursday, August 13th, 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM PDT  Registration:...

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Posted by on Jul 23, 2015 in Support & Programming | 0 comments

Oballs Shipment

Per the update sent on July 10th, we will be using Oballs in the weekly curriculum beginning July 27th. Everyone should have received their package by now, however, some gyms have reported that they did not receive all 24 Oballs. If you did not receive a complete set, please email marketing@mygym.com ASAP so that we can have the rest of the set shipped to you as quickly as possible. To expedite the process, please include the following information in your email: Gym location/address Contact name and phone Number of Oballs received Thank you and we apologize for the...

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Posted by on Jul 23, 2015 in Support & Programming | 0 comments

Building Blocks Presentation Week – July 27, 2015

The Next Building Blocks Presentation Week is July 27, 2015 Next week marks the end of our latest Mind and Body Building Blocks cycle. Enjoy your respective Presentation Ceremonies, and don’t forget to give stickers for skill sheets (along with their usual ribbons) to all the kids for a job well done. Starting August 3rd, we will be doing ONLY a four-week Mind/Body cycle before we move back to the normal eight-week Mind/Body cycle. This will all be reflected in curriculum. Consequently, we’re making the materials – new Skill and Development sheets and the PDF for the Mind/Body poster – available now. You can find them in the Operations Manual, in the Systems > Building Blocks folder. We decided to do a four-week Mind/Body cycle of Building Blocks from Aug 3rd-29th because, since there are 52 weeks in a year, this four-week cycle needed to happen at some point. It is best to happen now, as kids are switching classes, moving up for the fall, or coming back to the...

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Posted by on Jul 22, 2015 in Marketing | 0 comments

Exact Target Assistance

We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the Exact Target assistance resources available to them. If you are experiencing any sort of issue with the program, please contact MGE first at tech@mygym.com. In most cases, we will be able to resolve the issue. If not, we will escalate the ticket to Exact Target Global Support and assist along the way until it is resolved. Here is how you can fix a couple of the most common issues faced in Exact Target: Activation codes: To bypass the activation code requirement when logging in, add your IP address range to the whitelist. If you are able to get into your account, follow this tutorial to add your IP range. If you are unable to get into your account because the code never arrives, or for any other reason, contact tech@mygym.com, and we will add it for you. System lag/slowness: Program speed will depend on various factors such as peak usage times and your own internet speed. In...

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Posted by on Jul 20, 2015 in General | 0 comments

Save the Dates for the 2016 International My Gym Conference

July 20 – July 24, 2016 More details to follow, but please mark your calendars today!  Plan to close your gym or have appropriate staffing so that ALL OWNERS AND KEY DIRECTORS are available for this powerful event. Location will be in Southern California. *Please note:  While this gathering has previously been known as a Seminar or Convention, we have officially changed the title to My Gym International Conference, as it seems more appropriate for what we do at this valuable meeting....

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Posted by on Jul 16, 2015 in Products | 0 comments

Get Your Hands On a Mymo Hand Puppet Now!

  Puppets have been a longstanding tradition at My Gym, so it’s only fitting that we now have a Mymo hand puppet.  As many of you saw at the recent seminars, this is a high-quality soft plush doll that features a moveable mouth and moveable arms.  It has amazing detail that brings Mymo to life in your puppet shows, storytelling, games, parties, and other fun activities. Plush fabric 12” puppet Moveable mouth and arms using your fingers from inside the puppet T-shirt with My Gym logo on front and “Mymo” on back Constructed of high-quality materials Fine detail that accurately depicts Mymo’s features Available for use in the gym and for retail sale J-hook and hang tag for retail display Programming for this puppet is scheduled for the week of 9/14.  All gyms are required to purchase one hand puppet, and we suggest you purchase one additional puppet as a backup.  You’ll also want extras on hand to sell to your members, since kids are sure to want to...

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