Who knew the Panthers would help so many gym owners over the years?
I’m referring to my high-school intramural team. That’s where I got the idea to create Two-Brain’s Intramural Open, which has now been used by thousands of gym owners to generate revenue and improve retention with an in-house competition that can run independently or be linked to the annual CrossFit Games Open.
I was a Panther way back in the day at the Central Algoma Secondary School, and this farm kid had a ton of fun earning points while competing with the Knights, Kings and Aces. It was actually possible to letter in intramurals—at least it was in ’94, when I was there. I even met my future wife through intramurals, and my kids were Panthers, too, years later.
You probably participated in intramurals or some sort of “spirit week” at your school, so you’ll understand the concept:
Any group can be divided into teams whose members earn points through competition or other fun activities. When the CrossFit Open appeared in 2011, I saw a great opportunity to “revive the Panthers” and fire up the members of my gym, Catalyst.
Over the next years, the concept evolved because I realized that fun was just part of the deal: Intramural competitions could actually be leveraged by gym owners to improve key business metrics. The Panthers never made a dime, but Catalyst added thousands of dollars to our revenue and improved length of engagement. When I documented our tactics and shared them widely to help other owners, gyms around the world had the same success.
Now, the Intramural Open is one of Two-Brain’s signature events. We upgrade our plan every year, and our 2023 manual is our best guide yet.
You can get it for free here. Use it with my compliments.
Retention and Revenue
Here’s what the Intramural Open does for your gym:
1. It gives you an opportunity to celebrate your members and put them on podiums. This is great for retention and relationship building.
2. It gives your members a reason to come to the gym and something to train for. That helps with adherence.
3. It helps you create stronger relationships among members. They already interact with your business and your coaches—but what about other members? If they make more friends at your gym, they’ll be much less likely to leave.
4. It helps you generate revenue. Our plan includes a host of tested revenue-generation tactics that will improve your bottom line. Many gyms run the Open and put in a lot of extra work without any financial reward. I think the time gym owners invest should generate a return, and the Intramural Open makes that happen through registration fees, retail sales, pre-competition training plans, post-competition goal reviews, and so on.
Get the 2023 Guide
Our updated Intramural Open guide is our best ever. It’s 31 pages of step-by-step guidance and optimized tactics for gym owners. You’ll find exact timelines and precise procedures, scoring systems, media plans, and an entire section full of ways to generate revenue. I’ve even included “survival tips” to help you manage the workload during the Open.
If you’ve ever felt burned out at the end of a competition season, or if you’d love to start the year with a revenue boost, get our free guide here:
