SPICE U40
Events specifically aimed at our members under 40. See Meet The Team for your U40 coordinators.
What is Spice U40 and why are you introducing it?
Spice U40 is an initiative to increase the number of members joining and as importantly remaining in Spice who are in their 20s and 30s. Spice's average age grows approximately 0.75% of a year for every actual year that passes. We would like to stabilise this ascent so the events program remains balanced between Adventure, Social and Leisure events as it is presently.
The reason for this increase is two-fold:
1) The main source of new members is word of mouth which is excellent, however people generally talk to people around their own age, hence those who are joining are of a similar age to those already in the group.
2) The average length of time a member stays is increasing which is also excellent news, which means we must be doing something right. Obviously point two has a direct effect on point one and the average age grows.
New blood is the lifeline of any business, and if we can keep the members we have, keep the word of mouth working and increase the number of members we presently recruit in their 20s and 30s then we will be successful in stabilising the average age of Spice. This has the positive effect of keeping the Adventure, Social and Leisure balance on the events.
Why are you only appealing to younger members?
We are not. As with the above question we are trying to balance the ages, after all word of mouth accounts for around 90% of new members joining. Remember when you were a new member? I bet you told all your friends about Spice. After 3-4 years, are you still doing the same? Chances are your friends are also now 3-4 years older. Hence having an initiative that attracts younger members will balance the ages of those joining. The U40 initiative has been trialled in other regions and has shown to be successful in increasing event bookings, as well as bringing new members on board and helping retention too.
Is Spice ageist?
With all the Yorkshire office staff being over 40, the answer no! The only age restriction we have is that you need to be over 18 to join.
Why not put on events that will appeal to younger members?
We think we do; with lots of sports & party nights and adrenalin events. I believe these events should attract all ages. You don’t need to be young to get involved with any of them however this on its own it will unfortunately not be a long term solution. We also have a new-look website and we are active in social networking and have the newsletter available online.
What else are you doing to increase membership?
We work hard to promote Spice in many ways through online advertising including on social networking sites and Google as well as the more traditional advertising, leaflets, mailshots etc. In every issue of the Spice newsletter we ask for help on the above initiatives and we are lucky that several members actively do assist, as word of mouth is our very best recruitment tool. We do our own PR to keep costs down including approaching local newspapers to national magazines (We tend to find PR works better than advertising as Spice is actually quite hard to explain in just a few words)
Is Spice discriminating against the over 40’s?
No we're not. Gyms put on exercise classes for the over 50s, for teenagers and for pre and post natal women. Some people in these categories might feel uncomfortable exercising with people out of their age range, whilst pre and post natal women might feel self-conscious about their bodies and want a routine specifically tailored for their needs. The gym isn’t discriminating since other people can still attend classes there; it’s just giving its other customers (some of whom would otherwise stay away) what they want. Saga and Young at Heart put on holidays for the more mature traveller, Club 18-30 caters for the younger end of the holiday market. Solo arrange their holidays into age bands.
What happens when you reach 40, some of your friends are U40 and you can’t go on the events?
As the U40 events will be a maximum of 3% (2 – 3 events) of the monthly programme there will be plenty of opportunities to socialise with your friends. U40 events are in addition to the other events we run so you can still enjoy up to 100 events every month.
Why do we need separate events - doesn’t Spice advocate that age doesn’t matter?
Try to look at it from a 20-something’s point of view. You might have recently left university or college where you were surrounded with people your own age. Then you join Spice, and the majority of members are 10-20 years older than you - old enough to be your parents. Whilst most people in their 20s enjoy an occasional night out with their parents they also want to meet and socialise with people of their own age (and vice versa).
Will the number of U40 events increase and will you be putting on weekends?
We’ve listened to the concerns from Spice members regarding an increase in the number and type of U40 events put on in other Spice groups. We are limiting U40 to maximum 3% of the monthly programme and these will all be social events. Our U40 members can book onto U40 events run by other groups, with that group's approval.
Will U40's pay the same membership fee as the over-forties?
Yes they will pay the same fee. Additionally members who join by Direct Debit have their membership fees frozen at the rate they joined at, for as long as they maintain continuous membership. As Spice generally increases its membership fee every 2 or 3 years in accordance with general price increases, those who are already members on direct debit of whatever age do benefit from frozen membership.
Spice also needs to retain its older members - are you only interested in helping the younger members?
We value all of our members and think we do a lot to get all our members involved in the group. We obviously hope you feel the same way too but if you feel there is something we can improve on please let us know.
