Tips on Setting up and Running Pilates Retreats by Rosa Whitehead

Tips on Setting up and Running Pilates Retreats

My name is Rosa and I run PilatesPlusWellness Retreats in Turkey, in Koycegiz, a small town overlooking the beautiful Koycegiz Lake which flows into the Mediterranean Sea.  I was inspired to run Pilates retreats after going on a yoga retreat in Gozo.  I loved it so much that I wanted to provide that feeling for my clients.  I love travelling, enjoying the sun and beautiful places, and the only way forward for me seemed to be to combine this with helping clients have a really amazing experience and learn more in beautiful surroundings. 

So first and foremost, to run a retreat I would say you need a total passion for providing a really special experience for customers and a strong desire to inspire and motivate as well as educate clients in their Pilates practice.   From my experience, it was a real challenge to get people booked on the retreat at first.  So having a strong enough reason WHY motivates you to keep going.  Persistence pays and I found it really useful to remember this after spending lots of money on advertising and only having a few clients book onto my first retreat! 

Below are some tips that you will hopefully find useful or thought provoking if you are interested in running your own retreats.  My original intention was to approach the hotel in Gozo that I had visited on the inspiring yoga retreat and run my retreats there.  I was also in touch with a massage therapist who had contacts throughout Gozo.   By chance, I was approached during a Pilates demonstration at the Vitality Show one year by the Turkish hotel owner who invited me to see her hotel and all that Koycegiz and the local area had to offer. This was perfect - I never looked back!

Tips or points for consideration when setting up and running a Pilates retreat:

·         Decide on a country or area that gives you a good feeling, like a tranquil haven.  You want your clients to have the whole experience of Pilates and total pampering and relaxation.  Word of mouth is the best way, as we all know, to promote ourselves.  If your clients love the whole experience they will want to tell everyone!  The people I ran my first retreat for have each told five friends who are all booked for next year!

·         Network.  Look for people in the area who can help you.  Make life as easy as possible and speak to massage therapists or related local businesses.  No holds barred on asking for help or advice.  People love to share knowledge and to help you if you are proactive and show a positive attitude in making your venture a success. They also have a vested interest in promoting their business and bringing more business to their area or hotel.  Even if someone you approach doesn’t see the retreats as a direct opportunity for them, they may know someone who would be interested.  So look for joint ventures, which also give you credibility.  If someone recommends your retreats to their clients, they will feel more confident about booking and trust they will be booking an amazing holiday. 

·         Negotiate.  It has to be a win: win situation for you, the hotel owner, and obviously value for money for your clients.   I always ask, “What is the best price you can give me, with a view to bringing you more business and at a price we will both be happy with?”  I never make the first suggestion; I just listen to what the other party can offer.  You either have a good arrangement or you don’t.  You need to feel really happy with the conditions and terms set, and get everything in writing.   I get my room for free in the hotel whilst running the retreats and the hotel owner doesn’t need payment in advance for the rooms for guests.  So if you don’t get the numbers at first, then nothing is lost, except possible income.

·         Run the retreat even if there are only four clients initially.  We all have to start somewhere and you will be pleasantly surprised by the bookings next year.  I see it as a working holiday as you do get time to rest in the sun and relax.  I took my clients to all the gorgeous places like the beaches, mud spas, waterfalls and restaurants, so it is quite fun being tour guide too.

·         Venue: I run my retreats at a family-run hotel which has only 16 rooms.  It has a lovely feel to it and also the service my clients get is next to none!   Homemade brunch, all locally produced and fresh.  My clients would not get this kind of care and attention in a big commercial hotel or self-contained apartments.   So I would always go for small cosy hotels where my clients feel they are in a home from home.  Everything is organised for them and they choose to do whatever they like during the day, after their 2 hours of Pilates and relaxation every morning. 

·         Legalities: Make sure if your retreats are outside the EU that there are no relevant legal restraints .  You may need to do your promotion and collection of money in the UK or you may in some countries need to get a work permit. Be aware of these factors and make sure you speak to people who can advise you correctly.  Find out on the internet or carry out your own thorough research.  Find out who may be running retreats in that area, whether they are Pilates-focused or not.  Contact them to ask what type of retreats they run and what challenges they have faced.  You will need public liability insurance. 

You may also need a licence to play music, as is the case in the UK.

·         Marketing for the retreats.   I spend 60% of my time marketing my business.  This is a must as you need clients to know about you! There are many different way to market the retreats.·         Invest in professionally produced leaflets.   Hit your clients’ emotions by painting a vivid picture.  Describe how they will feel during and after the retreat, what will they see and do.  People’s emotions are stronger than their thoughts, so connect with them.  Inspire them.   Make sure you deliver your leaflets wisely.  I left them randomly in hairdressers, beauty places etc.  I now leave the retreats leaflets in other Pilates centres, or health spas, and offer a discount if customers quote where they found out about the retreats. 

·         Set up a good website so that clients can pay using PayPal if they wish and can also see what they are getting (www.pilatespluswellness.com).  I also have group on Facebook (Pilates Retreats in Turkey) and a ‘become a fan’ page (PilatesPlusWellness). People can then access pictures and regular updates easily.  Use Twitter too to promote. 

·         Joint ventures also can help cut costs on the marketing front.  Whether that is sharing the costs of producing leaflets or setting up an internet newsletter.  Also, ask small holiday companies to promote your retreat and give them a commission for every place they book.  I give 10-20% of the full price for this. 

·         Promote for free by contacting magazines or asking your clients if they have any media contacts.  My retreats are featured in the August issue of Soul and Spirit magazine and the September issue of Spirit and Destiny through using contacts. The Daily Record (sister paper of the Daily Mirror) also ran an article on one of my clients and our training, which included great references to the retreats and featured my website - all for free.  So just ask!

·         What is unique about your retreat compared to others?  Think about this and sell it.  My unique selling point would be combining the Body Control Pilates Method with coaching and using relaxation techniques, NLP and visualisation to help clients feel and look their best.  This is combined with a hotel where they make all meals from scratch.  Even the butter is home made.  My clients loved that coming from a country where we rely on supermarket foods packed with preservatives.

·          Structure of the Retreats: In my experience, running the Pilates (90 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of relaxation and meditation) in the morning is best as the clients can then relax by the pool or choose one of the many trips.  Two hours may sound a lot to clients at first but usually by the third day they request longer sessions J. Clients want to get value for money and will embrace learning as much as possible.

·         Offer irresistible value!  I offer the retreat for only £450 which includes the 2 hours of Pilates and relaxation, two free pampering sessions, healthy locally produced brunch every morning and spacious clean rooms with a dining area and fridge. Plus a free update for exercises and monthly health assessment coaching wheel that they can use to keep them on track.  There are many things that you can offer for free that will not cost you much in time or money once set up, but are seen as great value by your clients.

·         Systemise your retreats so that you can eventually step out of them if you wish and hire other Pilates teachers to run them, leaving you free to build retreats elsewhere if you wish.  Have a set syllabus for your weekly Pilates sessions and give your clients feedback forms at the end of the retreats to gain invaluable information about what clients want and need.

If you would be interested in coming on my retreat or have any clients that would be keen, please contact me as I would love to hear from you.  Also if you are running retreats and have any other thoughts or advice on running retreats, please share them with me. rosa@pilatespluswellness.com www.pilatespluswellness.com