“There’s been a real boom in smaller boutique gyms where people socialise and make friends,” says Sanjey Chandran, co-founder of mobile app Passport Asia. “Going through a vigorous workout together creates a stronger bond you won’t get from the traditional networking over drinks.”

However, the membership model favoured by these gyms limits clients to the activities and locations offered by the facility they sign up with, says the 33-year-old. Here’s where two-month-old Passport Asia comes in. For a monthly fee, it allows users to patronise any of the 200 partners located across the island. And there are over 120 classes on offer, including yoga, muay thai, parkour and spinning.

Says Chandran, a jujitsu enthusiast: “With more options, time-constrained executives can find one nearest to their next meeting and fit in a workout.”

On top of that, Passport Asia encourages interaction among its 10,000-plus users, connecting like-minded members via instant messaging services, e-mail or social media platforms. And Chandran sees a trend for users to organise group workouts as a social activity.

“Signing up via an app presents a very low barrier to entry, as the process is fast and seamless. Being able to share class details with a friend makes it easier to work out in a group,” says Chandran. He adds: “We all work out with goals in mind, so technology should be a seamless integration that can help us get there.”

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