EMD UK, the national governing body for group exercise, has won the Digital Transformation Award at this years 2021 ukactive awards.
EMD UK was recognised for its classfinder application and the use of an open data feed to share class listings across multiple websites and search engines.
With the rapid shift to online teaching and the more recent return to face-to-face classes, group exercise has never been more accessible.
However, EMD UK felt it was important to support this movement by offering a booking system utilising the open data feed to promote classes across multiple platforms.
Feedback from instructors demonstrated it was crucial to remove barriers and administration in balancing online and face to face classes. The classfinder open data feed has meant that instructors only have to add their classes in one place to be listed on multiple sites and search engines.
Making things simple for instructors gives them time to focus on the things they do best; getting the nation active through group exercise.
As EMD UK continues to support instructors to embrace digital services it is exciting to see the impact this has on supporting group exercise instructors to increase participation and improve the health of their communities.
Jade Cation, Project Lead and Head of Digital and Insight, EMD UK said:
“It became clear during the COVID-19 disruption that we could do more to support group exercise instructors with their digital transformation.
As we researched and gathered feedback from participants and instructors, we saw an opportunity to help increase visibility of classes and ultimately increase participation while minimising additional work.
The classfinder open data feed is a first for group exercise and offers an innovative solution to problems faced by the sector. I’m really happy that the hard work of the EMD UK team has been recognised and we are excited to continue leading the transformation of our sector.”