CERM PI adds new green energy usage metrics to 2023 Operational Benchmarking Survey of aquatic, recreation and sport centres

Inviting input to its 2023 Operational Benchmarking Survey, the CERM Performance Indicators research team at the University of South Australia has advised it has added new metrics including green energy usage such as solar and fitness passport visitations to its study.

The 2023 Operational Benchmarking Survey of aquatic, recreation and sport centres will also feature more in-depth measures of membership usage of the centre with facilities will be able to compare their average membership length (i.e., the average amount of time members stay members at the centre before cancelling) to other centres while another new measure concerning membership will be the average member visitation per week.

CERM PI’s respected annual Operational Management Benchmarking survey - which provides centre management and local councils with metrics to compare performance year-on-year and against industry benchmarks across Australia – helps clients to understand how performance can be improved through evidenced based research and performance measurement.

In its most recent 2022 report (FY2021/22) had some interesting comparisons to the previous year. Especially considering that Operational Management reports are created using data from the current and past two financial years, FY2021/22 was the first report to include only years impacted by COVID-19, which may be reflected in some of the differences when comparing to other years.

It noted an increase in energy costs for both aquatic and dry centres (except for outdoor only pool centres and smaller dry centres) while centres with indoor only pools had the most dramatic average increase of over $50,000 for the year, while most other groups increased by $20,000.

CERM PI advise that much of this may be explained by the increase in energy usage for these centres.

Between FY2020/21 and FY2021/22, CERM PI also note other changes.

Expense recovery decreased for all centres, although not by much, except for outdoor only pools which had a 20% decrease in expense recovery during the two year. The only centre group to have an increase in expense recovery for FY2021/22 was smaller ‘dry’ centres (increase of 3%), even with a large increase in the median for labour costs, which was similar for larger dry centres.

Aquatic centres’ median labour costs remained fairly steady; although, all surplus (subsidy) per visit figures decreased with outdoor only pools decreasing by 21%, indoor and outdoor pool centres by 13%, and indoor only pools by 26%. The only group to have a positive change in surplus (subsidy) per visit was larger dry centres which went from -$1.04 to -$0.27 (a 74% increase).

With this in mind, it is interesting to find the continued bounce back in membership numbers from FY2018/19 and FY2019/20 to FY2020/21 in the FY2021/22 report.

FY2021/22 found membership increased by 4 to 9% for centres with both indoor and outdoor pools and indoor only pools, with large dry centres and outdoor only pools having a more dramatic increase of 27% and 34%, respectively, compared to the FY2020/21 report. Only smaller dry centres had a very slight decrease from FY2020/21 (<2%). Some of these findings may be the result of centres coming back from the impacts of Covid-19, but this year’s report (FY2022/23) may breakaway or continue certain trends with the increase of inflation and energy costs.

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

Participation in the CERM PI Operational Benchmarking Survey costs $235 (GST exclusive) per centre.

Email cermpi@unisa.edu.au to ask any questions or click here to register interest.