9 Mar 2023

A chain of gyms in metro Indianapolis was opening a new location, and they had a two-part goal: (1) to ensure member safety by effectively monitoring the activity in and around the gym and (2) to visibly show members that there were cameras monitoring what went on in the gym.

In anticipation of including video security cameras at the facility, the General Manager (GM) anticipated where he wanted the cameras (e.g., at the entrances, check-in), and during the design phase of the new construction, he had the building cabled for the cameras.

High-resolution camera images

Challenges - The GM also recognised that at a gym, there are opportunities for members to get injured in a class or on equipment, and since they offer daycare, they also wanted the camera placement and high-resolution camera images optimally placed. This would protect their business against liability if there was an injury or incident.

This would protect their business against liability if there was an injury or incident

Solution - The Konica Minolta team was acquainted with the GM, and when they learned about the expansion of a new location, Account Manager Zack Turi and Manager Aaron Piening brought in Stephen Crump, Video Security Solution Executive, to handle the recommendations for cameras, camera placement and information around the platform, including video analytics.

Information around the platform

With enough lead time for a Jan 1 opening, Konica Minolta worked with the GM to co-author the design, with the cameras plotted out to exactly how the coverage looked, and then recommended the number of cameras required to meet the GM’s goals. This survey map enabled the GM to easily present the design and cost to the CFO for approval.

Our primary goal was member safety. We have a wide age range with our membership as well as onsite child care – so we want members to feel that they would be safe in our facility. We even set up a monitor to show the camera feed so along with the cameras themselves, we had a visible sign that let our members know we had security in place,” said General Manager.

Key member activity

The gym purchased 20 MOBOTIX IP cameras, three of which were hemispheric for a 360° view

Outcome - The gym purchased 20 MOBOTIX IP cameras, three of which were hemispheric for a 360° view from the entrance to the check-in to the gym to cover all the key member activity, and a Video Management System (VMS). These cameras were visible to members, enabling them to see the security the gym installed. 

While no analytics were purchased, in the future if the gym wants to use facial recognition to prevent a member banned from one location from sneaking into their location – there is the opportunity to add on. Also, the VMS platform that Konica Minolta used allows for networking the cameras across all of the gym locations.

Gym location manager

The GM would be able to view any of the cameras from the four locations on a unified platform, while limiting the view of each gym location manager to the cameras at their specific location. Installation was handled in-house by the gym since it was already set up with the cabling.

This solution applies nationwide, to organisations that want better oversight of their facilities and priority for detection apps. The story is simple, Konica Minolta can help to provide security via its mobotix cameras and through its camera apps.