With the New Year in full swing, there are many new programs that parks and recreation organizations can add to their programming. Most organizations need to be mindful of seasonal changes, to make sure their services won’t be affected. Some sports and activities are also more popular during certain times of year.

Fitness trends shouldn’t become the be-all and end-all for your organization but they do provide some guidance for activities that are growing in popularity. Once you’ve got your new programming in place, you’ll have to find effective ways to get the word out, in order to grow your membership numbers. Here are some ideas to help inspire you to create new programming for your parks and recreation organization.

Seasonal Changes

Depending on where you live, environmental concerns can dictate the timing of certain outdoor sports. Some activities are also a lot more popular during certain seasons, making the timing very important, as you don’t want to lose time sensitive or seasonal opportunities. We recommend first organizing the season-sensitive programming, so that you can fill in the needed spots with classes that aren’t dependent on the time of the year. Make sure you provide a good variety of programming, to fit all of your community’s needs.

Fitness Trends

A new year brings with it new fitness trends. Some of the fitness trends in 2019 include group training, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), bodyweight training, yoga, functional fitness training and personal training. Capitalizing on these trends should help bring in more participants. Modern fitness classes such as Barre, TRX, yoga, spin classes, and body weight circuit training also continue to do really well. 

Get the Word Out

Once you have all of your great new programming, you’ll have to share it across your social media networks, email lists, newsletters and marketing avenues. Make sure to highlight all the fresh new classes and workshops you’ll be hosting, as your following already knows all about your traditional programs and classes. Getting the millennials in your community involved is a great way to grow engagement, especially in the long-term. There are many ways you can go about it but we suggest holding a couple social media contests, to help raise awareness around all of your new programs.