Sergio owns a small CrossFit-style box in San Antonio. His 6:00 PM class has a waitlist. His 1:00 PM class has three people. Every week he asks himself the same thing: should I cancel it? The coach is already scheduled, the lights are on, and those three members come at 1:00 PM because it is the only time that works for them. What he wants is to fill off-peak gym classes without losing those three.
Canceling feels logical, but it can cost you the very members who do show up. Before you decide, ask three questions. They will help you spread out the people who already belong to your gym.
Question one: before you fill off-peak gym classes, is the class really empty?
Look at three weeks of attendance, not one. Keep a sheet with these columns for every class:
- Day and time.
- How many booked.
- How many showed up.
Three weeks show a pattern. Maybe the 1:00 PM class is quiet only on Fridays. Maybe the 8:00 PM class fills up but half the people never come. Each case needs a different answer, so do not treat them as one problem.
Question two: who is stuck on the wrong hour?
Your 6:00 PM class has people waiting, and your 4:00 PM class has open spots. Often those are the same members, looking at the wrong time. Message the ones who ended up on the waitlist:
Hi Matt, the 6:00 PM class is full. I have a spot today at 4:30 PM with the same coach. Want me to hold it?
One message with a real time and a named coach moves more people than a general post in the group chat.
Then ask everyone else what they want. A short WhatsApp to members with an active plan is enough:
Hi Laura, we're reviewing our class times. When would you like to train but can't because of the schedule or a full class? Reply with a number: 1) 12:00 PM, 2) 2:00 PM, 3) 7:30 PM, 4) something else.
Ten replies tell you more than a month of guessing. You may learn that several members would love a time you do not offer, and that the quiet one you do offer fits nobody.
Question three: why would anyone pick this hour?
An empty class will not fill by itself. It needs something that sets it apart, and that rarely takes money:
- A clear focus: lifting technique, mobility, or a beginner-friendly session.
- A coach people like: if one coach has a following, put that coach in the slow slot.
- A small group: "limited to eight spots" feels better than a half-empty room, as long as it is true.
- A name that says something: "Midday Strength" explains itself. "Class 2" does not.
Tell your list in one short message:
Starting Monday, the 1:00 PM class is lifting technique with Sergio, in groups of eight. Want to try it? Hold your spot here.
Reach members who still have credits
Some members have a plan or credits that are about to expire. A freer hour is the easiest yes for them. Check who still has credits left and write to them:
Hi Danielle, you still have credits to use. I have spots Tuesday and Thursday at 1:00 PM. Want me to book one?
The member uses what she already bought, and your quiet class gains a person.
Change one thing at a time
Pick a single quiet class, try one of these moves for three weeks, and compare it to your sheet. If it works, keep going. If it does not, try another. Only after that, and with your own numbers, decide whether to move the class or close it.
Mistakes that slow this down:
- Changing times without enough notice.
- Giving the class away to fill it, then not being able to take that back.
- Messaging the whole group instead of the people who can actually come.
- Judging a class on a single week.
Where Wawnia helps
The tiring part of all this is writing one message at a time and checking who has room. Wawnia shows the real openings in each class, books them with the member's credits or plan, and when someone cancels, offers that spot to whoever was waiting. Deciding what the quiet class should be is still your call.
Want to offer open spots without texting members one by one?
If your mid-afternoon classes still have spots to spare, open Wawnia's page for gyms and decide whether it saves you from texting one member at a time.