CERM looks for industry input to 2022 operational benchmarking survey

CERM Performance Indicators at the University of South Australia is inviting aquatic, recreation and sport facilities to be part of its 2022 Operational Management Benchmarking survey.

Based at the UniSA Business division, CERM PI has been a leader in benchmarking research relating to customer service quality and organisational performance management for over three decades. providing facility managers and local councils with metrics to compare performance year-on-year and against industry benchmarks across Australia.

CERM PI®’s 2021 report found a continued downward trend in membership numbers with memberships for centres with indoor only pools decreasing by 23% from the 2018/19 financial year and 13% from the 2019/20 financial year.

However, interestingly, the 2020/21 financial year reported an increase in memberships for certain centres (those with outdoor only pools and indoor + outdoor pools). For example, centres with both indoor and outdoor pools had a 21% increase in memberships in 2020/21 from the previous year.

Between 2020 and 2021, CERM PI noted other changes including how the median labour costs for most centres increased.

Centres with indoor only pools saw a 15% increase in labour costs while centres with indoor and outdoor pools saw a 10% increase. Inversely, outdoor only pool centres decreased by 28% in labour costs in 2020/21. However, none of these labour costs in 2020/21 surpassed the figures in 2018/19. With that said, expense recovery did not change between 2019/20 and 2020/21.

For outdoor only pool centres expense recovery remained at 61%, for indoor only pool centres this was 88%, and for indoor + outdoor pool centres it was 70%. Based on anecdotal evidence, and in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is anticipated that many of these figures, especially memberships and expense recovery, will trend in a positive direction come this financial year.

New to this year, CERM PI is collaborating with the City of Sydney who are developing an industry first energy rating system based off the NABERS star system.

CERM PI is assisting by gathering and suppling Sydney with centres’ de-identified energy metrics. From 2018/19 to 2020/21, energy expenditure for centres has increased by 1.8% for outdoor only pools, 0.5% for indoor only pools, and 2% for indoor + outdoor pool centres despite the pandemic. With energy costs increasing throughout the years, this is important to understand and record not only for cost reasons, but to contribute to wider industry sustainability and the promotion of green business practices. 

Registration to participate in the current 2022 CERM PI Operational Management for Australia Public Aquatic and Recreation Centres is now open.

Centres can email: cermpi@unisa.edu.au to register their interest.

Image courtesy of Zoggs.