Lifestyle

FITFCK & Fitness First Announce Partnership, Bringing Fitness Dating Classes to London Gyms

Published

2 years ago

June 26, 2023

FITFCK, a dating brand for gym-enthusiasts, has announced a partnership with leading international gym firm, Fitness First. The partnership will bring in-real-life fitness dating classes to Fitness First’s extensive network of London gyms. Attendees can look forward to expert-led fitness classes and exhilarating workouts, designed to lead to dates.

This exciting collaboration builds upon the success of FITFCK’s previous in-person dating events and will further enhance the offerings available to Fitness First’s members. With many Fitness First gyms already involved, the two fitness brands are preparing to take IRL fitness dating experiences to the next level.

FITFCK, described as “The fitness brand to watch out for in 2023″ by Bodybuilding.com, has previously connected gym-goers through a series of extremely successful IRL fitness dating events across London – and more recently, Manchester. The first event, which took place in March at CrossFit Gym, Putney sold-out to hundreds within 12 minutes – showcasing a strong demand for combining fitness and dating in a social setting.

Pioneering the fitness dating scene, Jamie Wykes-Hobday, founder of the BBC featured company, is building an omni-channel brand for not just dating and relationships, but also backed by a seemingly very engaged fitness community.

As well as a strong track record for hosting in-person fitness dating events, FITFCK more recently diversified its product suite by releasing an IOS and android compatible FITFCK dating app. The app garnered significant attention and positive reviews from the media – as well as the app users themselves. The app currently boasts impressive user metrics – considerably higher than the reported rates from other growing, and established, dating industry players.

FITFCK’s in-person events and online dating app are already being promoted to the brand’s fast growing following of over 51,000 engaged Instagram users. And now, with support from Fitness First, the brand is set to reach an additional 70,000 London based gym goers through Fitness First’s gym floor advertising, as well as direct online promotion to their online database.

Despite the app being a huge success, it’s FITFCK’s approach to IRL fitness dating events that sets them apart from traditional dating platforms. Apps have certainly shaped a lot of dating experiences for people in the 2020’s – and that’s not just millennials and GenZers. But, the dating landscape is seeing a new trend emerge as people are becoming more and more interested in meeting new people and dating in real life, for example through meetups, speed dating and singles parties. The entire process seems to be becoming much more ‘intentional’. And after the Covid-19 pandemic, can you blame anyone?

As a result of these new trends, many dating apps are making efforts to incorporate real life events into their business models – think Bumble for example. The difficulty for mainstream giants is that their users encompass such a wide range of interests so it can be hard to connect a group of people who have anything in common. FITFCK’s partnership with Fitness First will absolutely break the mould for IRL dating success. Despite often being seen as a small ‘niche’, almost 15% of the UK population hold gym memberships. If just a quarter of these are single, that’s almost 3 million people the fitness brands can help.

Entrepreneur and FITFCK Founder, Jamie Wykes-Hobday, commented: “I am absolutely ecstatic to say that FITFCK will be collaborating with the incredible Fitness First to bring fitness dating classes to a number of gyms in London – and that’s just the starting point! Since the early conversations, we knew that FF would be a good collab for us. What stood out was their mission to connect people through fitness and workouts, combined with their appreciation for the strong fitness community… we just prefer to throw a few dates and number swaps into the mix ;)”.

“Getting gym goers together under one roof, with a workout and a DJ, is a fulfilling prospect for both of our brands. We’ve run hugely successful events throughout 2022-23 so we know exactly how powerful they can be – and how much our community loves them. Now, working with Fitness First, we’re able to massively increase the frequency of our events and connect a lot more people – we’re upping the weights and the reps, if you like.”

When asked about the ‘event attendance to subsequently organising a date’ success rate, Jamie answered: “We’ll have to find a better metric name to report on that! But in all seriousness, that’s the true beauty of what we’re trying to achieve here. Our goal is to bring together fitness lovers and gym enthusiasts who share a passion for their training and the industry. What’s the worst that can happen? If they don’t find a date at the event, they’ll walk away 100% satisfied after a first class workout and come along to the next event to try again – the only workouts we regret are the ones we don’t do, right?”

To further support the partnership and spread the word about the upcoming Fitness First dating classes, the FITFCK team will be attending The Tru Athlete Expo, in London on 11-13th August 2023. The expo is a must-attend fitness festival which will undoubtedly increase footfall through Fitness First’s London gyms when the events take place in the very near future.

FITFCK and Fitness First, although just rolling out this partnership across the fitness centre’s London gym venues at present, are confident this is just the beginning. The collaboration is set to extend nationally in the coming months with the opportunity for international partnership also. That certainly would be a PB for the brand, which continues to take huge growth steps.

FITFCK will also be creating their first LGBTQ events next month, in partnership with Pride Month. We’re excited to see what’s next for Jamie, his team and their FIT as FCK community.

To learn more about FITFCK and Fitness First Gym’s upcoming fitness dating events visit www.instagram.com/fitfck

– ENDS –

About FITFCK

FITFCK is a fitness dating brand designed to connect like minded gym lovers through IRL fitness dating events and our soon to be released fitness dating app. Born out of heartbreak, after founder Jamie Wykes-Hobday was dumped weeks before competing in a bodybuilding show, FITFCK (Pron: “fit-eff-see-kay”) has quickly becoming the place for UK based fitness lovers who are looking to share their lifestyle choices with someone whether it be dating, relationships or casual.

Lifestyle

Powerful Corporate Gifting Strategies to Build and Strengthen Business Partnerships

Published

2 weeks ago

April 15, 2025

Michelle Langton

If you want to build and strengthen business partnerships with your clients and top investors, there are a few key steps you must take. One essential strategy is corporate gifting. This simple act goes beyond building a partnership. It will also increase your customer retention rate and promote your business even beyond the shore of your country.

But before you consider gifting any item, there are some strategies to put in place. This will ensure your gift makes a lasting impression and resonates well with your clients. Below are powerful corporate gifting strategies to build and strengthen business partnerships with your clients and top investors.

Choose a Personalized Item

Rather than choosing an ordinary gift for your clients and investors, opt for a personalized item. Customised corporate gifts such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, and bags create a stronger emotional connection than generic gifts. They also leave a more lasting impression than most other gift types.

Imagine how investors and your clients will feel when you beautifully inscribe their image or favorite quotes on a T-shirt. Of course, they will feel valued, appreciated, and ready to invest more in your business.

Consider Their Culture and Background

As an entrepreneur, it’s essential to be culturally competent and sensitive. Your gifts should resonate with your clients’ and investors’ cultural backgrounds. Otherwise, they may be quickly discarded or overlooked. If your investors and audience are predominantly of Black heritage, consider giving them a custom T-shirt featuring a map of Africa or inspirational quotes from iconic Black leaders.

Their religious beliefs are also important. Specific religions may find some images or symbols inappropriate. For instance, if you’re giving a gift to a Muslim investor, avoid designs that include images like pigs, as they are considered offensive in Islamic culture.

Consider a Functional Gift

You should also consider the gift’s functionality. A gift that can be used every day will be more valuable than an impractical one. Even if the gift is expensive but doesn’t have any functional purpose, it won’t serve the purpose it was intended for.

Instead of purely sentimental keepsakes or abstract gifts, consider practical items like pens, notebooks, backpacks, coffee mugs, umbrellas, or water bottles. Just make sure the gift is well-designed and features your brand logo and identity. This not only increases brand visibility but also helps strengthen the connection between you and your investors.

Tie it to a story

Tie your gifts to a story to make them more memorable and emotionally meaningful. For example, if during your business’s early days, your employees always worked tirelessly day and night, you could opt for a custom hourglass. Clients and investors who receive such a gift will appreciate your business’s journey of patience and perseverance.

Offer Quality Gifts

Gifts given to investors or clients who have significantly contributed to your business growth should reflect their value. They shouldn’t be cheap or low-grade items. The gift doesn’t have to be trendy or widely popular, but it should come from a reputable and high-end brand. This will give your gift more credibility. Besides, the recipients will feel comfortable to use the gift among their colleagues.