🎯 What Climbing Gyms Can Learn From Glastonbury, Zara, and the NBA Draft: 10 Cultural Trends Fueling Community and Business Growth

Stay culturally relevant!!!

As the indoor climbing industry evolves, centre managers and business developers are looking beyond the boulders to find fresh strategies for growth. This week’s trending topics, from Glastonbury 2025 to the NBA Draft, hold surprising insights for climbing gyms aiming to boost revenue, foster community, and future-proof their offerings.

Here’s how the top 10 trends from pop culture, tech, and sport can inspire climbing gym business and community development:

1. 🎸 Glastonbury 2025 Lineup & Festival Culture: Curated Experiences Build Loyalty

Like Glastonbury, climbing gyms are more than venues, they’re experiences. Build hype around seasonal events: think Summer Send-Offs, Winter Flash Fests, or themed comp nights with live music. Layering experience onto climbing builds retention and word-of-mouth marketing.

2. 🛍️ Zara & the Power of Drop Culture

Zara’s success lies in limited-run, fast-turnover stock. Climbing gyms can mirror this with limited edition merch, pop-up coaching clinics, and exclusive member nights. Scarcity drives engagement and creates urgency. But be aware of your value proposition and dont over-promise.

3. 🏀 NBA Draft 2025: Talent Scouting & Pathways Matter

Like the NBA Draft, climbers want visible progression. Establish coaching tiers and talent ID programmes that help members move from casual climber to comp contender. Share progression stories on social media. Aspiration equals motivation!

4. 📡 Mobile Network Outages UK: Don’t Let Digital Let You Down

Recent outages remind us how fragile connectivity can be. Ensure your climbing centre app, booking system, and Wi-Fi are robust. Nothing hurts customer experience more than glitchy check-ins or unresponsive comms.

"Computer Says no" - about as welcome as it always was!

5. 🎮 K-pop Demon Hunters & Gamification

Gamification is huge. Introduce badges for climbs, leaderboards, or monthly “level-up” challenges. Combine this with app integration to appeal to Gen Z and digital natives.

6. 💄 Katy Perry & Brand Authenticity

Love her or not, Katy Perry’s brand is unshakeably “her.” The takeaway? Authenticity sells. Climbing walls that share their values - whether sustainability, inclusivity, or local roots, attract tribes, not just customers.

7. 🥪 M&S Strawberry Sandwiches & Viral Novelty

People talked about that sandwich because it was weird - in a good way. Could your gym create a “climb of the month”, mystery hold challenge, or bonkers beta series that gets people talking?

8. 🎥 Denis Villeneuve & Cinematic Storytelling

Great directors tell unforgettable stories. Apply this to your social media and website. Instead of just “here’s a comp,” show the journey, the emotion, the behind-the-scenes. Narrative builds connection.

9. 💥 Steam Summer Sale 2025: Give People a Reason to Spend Off-Peak

Gyms can mimic this by creating timed-offers, off-peak membership tiers, or group challenges that unlock discounts. Don’t wait for Summer slumps, build your own “climbing summer sale”.

10. 🌍 Flash Floods in France & Resilience Planning

Unpredictable weather and climate events are on the rise. Is your gym prepared? Risk assessment, climate control, insurance coverage, and community emergency planning are becoming essential business tools. Many have already seen the downturn from the unseasonable stable period March to July.

🔗 Final Holds: Culture Drives Climbing

The most successful climbing gyms in 2025 won’t just sell memberships, they’ll build communities, tell stories, and embed themselves in the cultural moment. Whether it’s hosting your local version of Glastonbury or launching your own “climbing draft” talent programme, aligning with trends outside our sport helps indoor climbing feel current, cool, and culturally connected.