Fiorenza Conti carries on the family tradition of wellness—in a changing fitness world that needs it more than ever
by Patricia Amend, MA
Fiorenza Conti is one of the few people who can say that she loves working, each day, at her dream job. She is now general manager of the Club Francesco Conti Fitness Centre in Milan, Italy, the centrepiece of the family business that her father started nearly 50 years ago. Her task is to strike a very delicate balance—to grow and update the business without alienating its members, some of whom have been with the club for three generations. She holds the family treasure in her hands, and while that is an awesome responsibility, she has been groomed for this role all of her life.
'I have had the honour to be Francesco Conti's ‘apprentice’, and not only his daughter, and this has been very important in my professional training,' she says. 'The management transfer from my father to me has been very gradual.'
Fiorenza, 28, who holds a master's degree in architecture, with an emphasis on fitness centres, clearly intends to do what is needed keep the club's focus on wellness, which its members value highly.
'We have not only some original members here, but their children and grandchildren, as well,' she says.
'Almost all of our members—81%—have been with us for four years or more. I have just overseen a major restoration of the facility. My biggest challenge is to improve the club, but not change it; changing it could result in losing our long-time members. For me, it is much like a family.'
Some of Fiorenza's earliest memories are of playing, and later, working, in the club alongside her mother and her brother, Leonardo, now 30. Her father, Francesco Conti, started the business after a serious motorbike accident in 1956 left one of his legs badly damaged. As he recovered from the injury, he studied physiotherapy on his own. His intensive course of self-instruction not only helped him rehabilitate the leg, but it made him a true innovator in the health and wellness field in Italy.
'My father has always had a very strong personality,' Fiorenza points out. 'Because he really trusts in what he is doing in his life, he passed onto me and my brother his way of thinking. We have always known that doing exercise was not something for your aesthetics, but more for your inner part; to make you feel better, and to strengthen your relationships with others.'
Francesco Conti moved the Milan club several times, opening the present location on St. Valentine's Day, 1973. Far ahead of his time—and fitness trends—Conti developed 'a little city of fitness,' with a restaurant, massage, and classes in yoga, meditation, and stretching, in addition to cardio and strength training.
Today, there are three Club Francesco Conti locations with a combined total of 10,000 members—the main club in Milan (10,000sq m); one in Varese, (4,500sq m), which Leonardo manages; and one at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, a five-star luxury hotel in Bellagio on Como Lake (900sq m), which Leonardo and Fiorenza co-manage. Francesco, now 66, retains the title of president of the company.
The Milan club offers indoor and outdoor swimming, and 30 different kinds of classes; among them: Latin American dance, belly dancing, tai chi chuan, low impact aerobics, total body workout, karate, judo, yoga, squash, basketball, soccer, back prevention, well back, and cardio bike. The club also features special classes for members over 50 and programs for those that wish to lose weight and cellulite. A total of 545 classes are offered weekly.
Stretching the mind, moving the body
'We offer education as well as exercise,' Fiorenza explains. 'Our instructors start with a brief lecture before the class begins. We also have a big library with lots of books where people can sit and read about many health and wellness topics over tea.'
During summer, members can also enjoy the all-natural, open-air, roof-garden restaurant, which overlooks the city of Milan. The club also offers tanning, oxygen and massage, a hair salon, aestheticians for men and women, and leisurewear and natural food shops.
Among the cutting-edge wellness offerings is the 'Cardio Club,' a technologically sophisticated space staffed by 20 physicians and dedicated to the prevention of, and rehabilitation from, cardiovascular disease. 'This medical part in our club is very important,' she points out. 'All of our members get a medical check-up at least once a year, some more often than that. We always say, 'safety first.''
While the club's traditions are well established, Fiorenza knows she must keep up with changing times. A decade ago, fitness instructors with little training in management ran fitness clubs in the Italian market. Today, however, highly experienced, professional managers with business degrees run more clubs. So too, has Fiorenza studied management and marketing. And a recently installed new computer system allows her to more readily keep in touch with members and respond to their individual needs.
'It has been hard work not only to change over to computers, but also to change the minds of the more than 300 people who work for us. I am trying to introduce a new way of doing things—something more professional. We are growing year by year, not only with members, but also with space. We are trying not to give services that a person will find elsewhere. We are a little particular.'
Staying with the club's original mission often calls for ignoring popular fitness trends that competitors may embrace—and profit from—in the short term. Spinning is one example, she says. 'I know that spinning is not safe for some people with heart problems. What we have, instead, are three classes of cardio bike—low, medium and high—that call for cycling in the correct heart rate training zone, and it works for us. No matter what trend I see in other clubs, I never forget what our club is about. We never compromise with our principles or our philosophy. It may be difficult in the beginning, but we really believe in it.'
It is clear that the Conti family treasure rests safely, in good hands.
Patricia Amend, MA, the co-author of The 30-Minute Fitness Solution: A Four-Step Plan for Women of All Ages, is a contributing editor to CBE. She can be reached at Pamend@aol.com.
