The Solid House of Cards – A Brief History of MultiSport
MultiSport Benefit Ltd. is now an established brand, a popular provider of corporate benefits and a stable environment for employees across various industries. However, it didn’t become that way overnight. When it entered the Czech market in 2010 as a subsidiary of the Polish company Benefit Systems SA, it was made up of just a handful of enthusiastic people in a small office.
MultiSport Over Time
From the very beginning, MultiSport aimed to promote the health of employees in the Czech Republic. But in order to provide a product that would help them with their health, it was first necessary to establish a partner network. What started as just a few gyms gradually grew into an ever-expanding list of sports facilities, relaxation centers, and an increasingly diverse range of activities that the MultiSport Card enabled and still enables. The corporate value of MultiSport has always been the pursuit of the “win-win” solutions. In practice, this meant that both the company and the sports facilities benefited from these partnerships, as the card brought them many regular visitors. The client company could then offer a benefit that realistically helps employees maintain a healthy lifestyle and makes healthy movement more accessible.
By 2015, MultiSport already had the majority of the TOP partner facilities in the Czech Republic contracted, with 600 clients and 26,000 cards and it was time to move the company forward. The number of employees doubled within one year from twenty to forty and the new product was a success – The Health Day, where company representatives help clients directly. The number of employees doubled within one year from twenty to forty and the new product was a success – The Health Day, where company representatives help clients directly.
It’s no wonder that the Event department was soon established, which focuses on these activities for clients. And the company as a whole began to grow more. Care for partner facilities, acquisition of new clients, care for existing clients, financial control or even marketing – all of this required a number of specialists with their own agenda.
Another significant year comes for MultiSport and that is 2018. By that time, the number of cards had already exceeded 100,000, there were 90 employees in the company, middle management expanded, the analytics team was hired, and preparations were underway to move to larger spaces at today’s address in Prague 4. Meanwhile, branches are developing in Brno and Ostrava, as well as partial representation in other Czech cities.
Meanwhile, branches are developing in Brno and Ostrava, as well as partial representation in other Czech cities. The long-term goal was and still is to act as an expert on a healthy lifestyle in the Czech Republic. Thanks to the annual MultiSport Index research, it is possible to track trends in the interest of employees in the Czech Republic in an active lifestyle and the willingness to invest in it. These pieces of information are important not only for the further development of the company but also for the Czech population as a whole. These pieces of information are important not only for the further development of the company but also for the Czech population as a whole.
2010
MultiSport Enters the Czech Market The original team – Marián, Martyna and assistant.
First partner – Hit fitness Flora and Viesmann.
Top brands like Holmes Place, BBC Fitness and World Class don’t want to work with us.
2011
2x contract with World Class.
2012
Start of passive enquiries, signing more well-known partners.
2013
We are launching an online system incl. Inhouse IT specialists and we start signing up known clients.
2014
We have most of the TOP partners and we are getting into the green numbers.
2015
The first Sales Manager, HR Business Partner, Marketing Specialist and the Health Days boom begins. There are now 20 employees, 600 clients and 26,000 cards.
2016
We have doubled the number of staff to 40, focusing more on Fair Play and the Events team.
2017
Development of branches in Brno and Ostrava.
We are focusing on acquisition sales, the first competition is emerging on the market – Active Pass Sodexo.
2018
We are expanding middle management, adding a team of analysts and have more than 90 employees.
2019
We are opening new offices in Prague.
2020
We are opening new offices in Brno.
2021
We’ve been suspended for eight months because of covid-19.
2022
We are launching the student and virtual card.
MultiSport Today
Nowadays, MultiSport consists of just over 120 employees, the partner network covers the entire Czech Republic and it helps make an active lifestyle more accessible to roughly a quarter of a million people. There are also ongoing efforts in the development of new products. In 2022, the student MultiSport Card and virtual card were introduced.
The company also proved itself as a stable employer during the COVID-19 pandemic. The service was suspended for long 8 months, but the company still managed the situation without major layoffs or significant cuts. The MultiSport Card as a corporate benefit is also often a game-changing factor for those applying for a job in a new company.
However, the effort to keep building does not end there. In collaboration with experts and representatives of MultiSport in other European countries, the company is constantly striving to move forward and create a suitable environment for the work-life balance because it knows that employees feel better then. With regard to the ambitious plans that MultiSport has for the future, another wave of expansion is currently going on.
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