How to use the idea generator

Pick your facility type, then narrow by level, audience and format. The generator draws from a curated list of classes, clinics, socials and competitions that class-based businesses actually run, and shuffles five at a time. Reshuffle as often as you like, copy the ones worth keeping, and share the link to your filtered list with a co-owner or head coach.

It is a starting point, not a schedule. The point is to get past the blank page quickly and spend your energy on the step that matters: finding out which of these your members would actually attend.

The four formats and when to use each

Class series. A recurring weekly slot or a fixed block of four to eight weeks. Best for skills that build (a lifting cycle, a stroke clinic, a beginner course) and for anything you want to become a habit. Commits a coach and a room for the whole run, so validate demand first.

One-off workshop. A single longer session on a focused topic. Low commitment for members, easy to price separately, and a good way to test whether a topic deserves a series. Guest teachers fit here.

Social. Open play, partner nights, themed sessions, potlucks after class. These rarely make money on the night and are not meant to. They exist to make people renew, meet each other and bring friends.

Competition or challenge. In-house throwdowns, ladders, comps, monthly challenges. High energy, great for content, and they need a critical mass to work, which makes them the format most worth putting to a vote first.

From idea to a full room

Shortlist three to five. Mix formats. Include one idea you are unsure about; the vote often surprises.
Tag each with the level and audience. Beginner or advanced, kids or adults, weekday or weekend. Tags make the vote tell you not just what, but for whom and when.
Ask your members before you schedule anything. Post the shortlist somewhere members can vote with an email, share one link in your newsletter and group chat, and let the ranking form over a week or two.
Launch the winner to the people who voted for it. They asked for it; tell them it is on. A launch email to voters fills a class faster than any general announcement.
Keep the runners-up. The second and third ideas are next month’s shortlist, already with a warm list attached.

Why members’ votes beat your instinct

Owners tend to schedule what they personally find exciting, coaches favour what they are best at, and the loudest three regulars sound like a majority. A vote corrects all three biases at once. It also gives you cover: a class that fails after 40 people voted for it is a marketing problem you can fix, not a judgment call you have to defend.

Adding your own ideas

The generator covers pickleball clubs, climbing gyms, CrossFit boxes, Hyrox studios, pilates studios, martial arts academies, dance studios and swim schools, with a general list for everyone else. If your facility runs something that should be here, email us and we will add it.