Archive for the ‘activities’ Category

Guest Blog: Activities - Where Do You Find Them?

Monday, October 1st, 2012

img_0580-2The entire food and beverage industry including event planners and activity professionals are always looking for new and innovative events, musicians and programs to set themselves apart from their competition.  The big question is… where can you find them and will you be able to afford it?

Calling a nearby talent agency seems to be the easiest and most logical way to secure entertainment.  But, we all know that this usually comes with a sizable price tag and many times it’s not worth the extra money.  Below, I’ve outlined the many places and spaces you can find inexpensive, quality programming and entertainment in your own backyard.  I’ve used real examples from Huntersville, Charlotte, and North Carolina.  Chances are that these very same examples (with different names, titles, etc.) exist in any other area of the country.

To find ideas I gobble up all the local papers, magazines and newsletters I can find to hunt down local talent and event ideas.  Yes, even the cheesy local paper with the entertaining “crime beat” section and magazines most households would toss before even cracking them open.  I am amazed at what my own community offers in programming and entertainment.  I found that the majority of the events and programming is coordinated by local parks and recreation departments, community centers and libraries.

Below are the many publications in my own area from which I have cut out or photocopied event ideas, band names, informational articles, etc…

  • Huntersville Herald - local small-town newspaper (entertainment section)
  • Lake Norman Magazine (community calendar)
  • Charlotte Parent (local talent ads & feature articles)
  • Today’s Charlotte Woman (local talent ads & feature articles)
  • AAA’s Go Magazine (free if you are a member)
  • Huntersville Park & Recreation Newsletter
  • Ice House (Local Arts Center) Newsletter
  • Carolina Country (”junk mail” - free in the mail)
  • Blue Ridge Outdoors (free at newsstands)
  • Carolina Sports Link (free at newsstands)
  • Our State (magazine subscription)
  • Blue Ridge (magazine subscription)

So far, I’ve uncovered a wide variety of information.  Below are just a few things…

  • Alternative local summer camps (arts, science, living history, Civil War) which can be utilized as a Saturday afternoon program (found in the entertainment section)
  • 10+ local bluegrass, country, rockabilly, old time and jazz bands (found in community calendar)
  • Gold Panning with local historian (library newsletter)
  • Free Line Dancing Lessons (found in community calendar)
  • Names of local writing, gardening and flower arranging experts (found in entertainment section)
  • Mock crime investigation scene program for teens (library newsletter)
  • $6 North Carolina Quiz Book for poolside trivia (Our State magazine)
  • Arts and craft program for making thank-you or holiday gifts for teachers (Charlotte Parent)

I’m sure you are thinking, I don’t have time to find all these papers and newsletters AND read them! May I suggest…

  • Subscribe to local or state magazines
  • Get on local arts, science, museum or community center mailing lists
  • Pick up free entertainment guides or specialty publications at area grocery stores, your child’s school, health club, spa (the places you normally go to)
  • Don’t throw away junk mail if it pertains to what’s happening in your area

100_1266-2Grab your reading pile when you need a break from the computer or it’s a rainy day and things are slow at the club.  I guarantee that you will spend less than 30 minutes browsing through the above information if you know what you are looking for.  When you find it, cut it out or photocopy it and start your idea binder.  You may not use the band or idea for months, but at least you’ve got it in your back pocket.

Utilizing local talent will eliminate the middle man, be cost effective and many times give your event the uniqueness you are looking for.

Cindy Williams, Corporate Director of Activities and Events, East West Partners Club Management

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed Rehkopf

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers — those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!

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Guest Blog: Dignity…We All Crave It, So Why Do We Keep Ignoring It?

Monday, November 14th, 2011

donna-hicks-152x200

What is the motivating force behind all human interaction – in families, in communities, in the business world, and in relationships from the personal level to the international level?  DIGNITY.  It is the desire to be treated well.  It is an unspoken human yearning that is at the heart of all conflicts, yet no one is paying attention to it.

When dignity is violated, the response is likely to involve aggression, even violence, hatred, and vengeance; the human connection is the first thing to go.  On the other hand, when people treat each other with dignity, they feel their worth is recognized, creating lasting and meaningful relationships.  Surprisingly, most people have little understanding of dignity.  While a desire for dignity is universal, knowing how to honor it in ourselves and others is not.

After working as a conflict resolution specialist for twenty years, I have observed and researched the circumstances that give rise to dignity violations.  On the other hand, when the following ten elements of dignity are honored, people feel their dignity has been recognized and that they have been treated well.  Relationships flourish under these conditions.

The Ten Essential Elements of Dignity

Acceptance of Identity.  Approach people as being neither inferior nor superior to you.  Give others the freedom to express their authentic selves without fear of being negatively judged.  Interact without prejudice or bias, accepting the ways in which race, religion, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, age, and disability may be at the core of the other people’s identities.  Assume that others have integrity.

Inclusion.  Make others feel that they belong, whatever the relationship – whether they are in your family, community, organization, or nation.

Safety.  Put people at ease at two levels: physically, so they feel safe from bodily harm, and psychologically, so they feel safe from being humiliated.  Help them feel free to speak without fear of retribution.

Acknowledgement.  Give people your full attention by listening, hearing, validating, and responding to their concerns, feelings, and experiences.

Recognition.  Validate others for their talents, hard work, thoughtfulness, and help.  Be generous with praise, and show appreciation and gratitude to others for their contributions and ideas.

Fairness.  Treat people justly, with equality, and in an evenhanded way according to agreed-on laws and rules.  People feel that you have honored their dignity when you treat them without discrimination or injustice.

Benefit of the Doubt.   Treat people as trustworthy.  Start with the premise that others have good motives and are acting with integrity.

Understanding.  Believe that what others think matters.  Give them the chance to explain and express their points of view.  Actively listen in order to understand them.

Independence.  Encourage people to act on their own behalf so that they feel in control of their lives and experience a sense of hope and possibility.

Accountability.  Take responsibility for your actions.  If you have violated the dignity of another person, apologize.  Make a commitment to change your hurtful behaviors.

Our desire for dignity resides deep within us, defining our common humanity.  If our capacity for indignity is our lowest common denominator, then our yearning for dignity is our highest.  And if indignity tears relationships apart, then dignity can put them back together again.

Our ignorance of all things related to dignity – how to claim our own and how to honor it in others, has contributed to many of the conflicts we see in the world today.  This is as true in the boardroom and in the bedroom, as it is in politics and international relations.  It is true for all human interaction.  If we are to evolve as a species, there is no greater need than to learn how to treat each other and ourselves with dignity.  It is the glue that could hold us all together.  And it doesn’t stop there.  Not only does dignity make for good human relationships, it does something perhaps far more important – it creates the conditions for our mutual growth and development.  It is a distraction to have to defend oneself from indignity.  It takes up our time and uses up our precious energy.  The power of dignity, on the other hand, only expands with use.  The more we give, the more we get.

There is no greater leadership challenge than to lead with dignity, helping us all to understand what it feels like to be honored and valued and to feel the incalculable benefits that come from experiencing it.  The leadership challenge is at all levels – for those in the world of politics, business, education, religion, to everyday leadership in our personal lives.  Peace will not flourish anywhere without dignity.  There is no such thing as democracy without dignity, nor can there be authentic peace if people are suffering indignities.  Last but not least, feeling dignity’s power – both by honoring it and locating our own inner source of it – sets us up for one of humanities greatest gifts – the experience of being in relationship with others in a way that brings out the best in one another, allowing us to become more of what we are capable of being.

Donna Hicks Ph.D., author of Dignity: The Essential Role It Plays in Resolving Conflict, Yale University Press, 2011.  You can read more about the author and her book at http://drdonnahicks.com/

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed Rehkopf

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers — those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!

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Guest Blog: The Future of Club Programming

Monday, June 6th, 2011

There is a tremendous population shift underway in our country with the various age and cultural demographic changes that will modify the way we do business in our private clubs well into the future. Studies have shown that our 65 year old age group will double from 40 million to 89 million and from 13 percent of the population to 20 percent by the year 2050. While this seems like a long way off, the impact that this means to our economic outlook, and how we do business in our clubs will be impacting and must be dealt with today.

tennis-ladies-21A recent study from Stanford University on the longevity of Americans living longer in our society states that Americans will continue to “Age Up” for decades into the future. With medicine and wellness practices, Americans are living much longer. With this change, there will be a transformation of organizational psychology and club programming concepts that will have a major impact not only with government policies and programs like Social Security benefits and Medicare but us as club managers and CEOs of our organizations with how we conduct business.

The realization of what this means to the business of private clubs is significant. Our entire market is changing clubs across the country. As we experience continued growth of our “Waiting to Resign Lists” with members wanting to get out of the club, for various reasons, we must begin to pay attention to how we deal with this problem. As we all know, our clubs operate with dues as our primary source of income. Without this revenue stream, we will not be able to operate. Last year alone, over 400 clubs closed their doors for various reasons. This is an alarming rate of closures in which we need to be concerned about.

The aging demographics of our membership coupled with the current global financial crisis, along with our member’s investment portfolios shrinking by 25 percent or more is causing a major transformation of the wealth distribution in our clubs. The way we are conducting business today will be outdated in the very near future. Our senior members are living longer and are spending more time at our clubs, but they are spending less money.

Several clubs have discounted their dues for seniors in an attempt to keep this age group active at their clubs and off the waiting to resign list. The reasoning is that this membership group has already paid their dues so to speak, but as younger members soon realize that the senior group is using the club more than they are, there begins to be resentment among the membership creating different factions. The younger members are feeling like they are paying the way for the senior member.

We need to ask ourselves if discounting the dues for senior members is the business practice or not or are there other measures we can take to better deal with this concern. What programs do you have in place to meet the needs and demands of this aging group? Are these programs sufficient and do they add value to the lives of our senior members, giving them a reason to continue being members of your club? A term “Productive Aging” is becoming the buzz word amongst our aging members 50 years and older.

Many clubs are being proactive and are already planning for the next few decades and how to better serve their aging membership, while still recruiting younger members, which are the future of our clubs. There is no doubt that we have age and cultural differences in our clubs. Our senior members do not desire to dine or be near the younger members and their young children, so we must develop seating areas or dedicate specific dining rooms in our clubs to accommodate this need.

What other programs are we developing to better serve our aging membership? Below are several programming ideas for you to consider implementing in your clubs for this age group.

  • Investment groups made up of members
  • Book clubs - many clubs are creating their own personal libraries that are situated in unused areas of their clubs, which has become popular with members
  • Wine clubs
  • Travel clubs
  • Hiking or outdoor recreation and fitness programs
  • Cooking classes - heart healthy cuisine
  • Organic gardening - several clubs are providing areas on club grounds for those members to have their own personal garden that they maintain
  • Self-defense training - how to avoid an attack in the mall parking lot (hopefully not your club parking lot)
  • Writing and poetry groups
  • Member focus groups - to share cultural and local lore
  • Hobbies and craft groups
  • Health, nutrition and wellness classes
  • Classes on how to retrofit your home to prepare for aging
  • Outdoor stargazing events
  • Fly fishing classes
  • Cycling groups
  • Card groups (besides bridge)
  • Storytelling and oral history presentations - lecture series
  • Mental exercise groups - crossword puzzle competitions
  • Philanthropy groups - big brother and big sister groups
  • Community outreach groups
  • Volunteer groups - to clean up neighborhoods a side streets and waterways around your club
  • Club historical preservation societies to gather your club’s history / archives
  • Technology - computer classes
  • Mystery theme dinners
  • Comedy night
  • Movie nights for families
  • Pet grooming classes
  • Pet obedience training (along with member’s and their kids as well)
  • Care giver programs
  • Club concierge services
  • Car wash - on site to wash, wax and detail members cars
  • Relationship building programs - (matching single members together)
  • Etiquette and formal dining classes
  • Retrofit your club with handicap accessibility
  • Sport shooting - clays events
  • Kayak and canoe clubs
  • Bus trips to local museums, art exhibits and sporting activities
  • Coffee shops - Wi-Fi Internet access in your clubs
  • Music lessons - how many members would like to learn how to play the piano but feel they are too old to learn but are capable?
  • Discovery nature center in your club
  • Nature walks on club property - with signs marking plants and trees along with a nature walk book to identify foliage
  • Natural healing and wellness classes
  • Business center to include access to a club computer, fax machine, photo copy machine and so forth
  • Genealogy research classes
  • Recipe book - your club members personal recipes
  • Club history book
  • Club member personal history book - let your members tell their stories
  • Shopping trips
  • Photography clubs

Adding these types of programs for your entire membership to enjoy will support their need to remain as members ensuring the future of your club.

Don Vance, CCM, Master Club Advisors, Club Leadership Digest

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed Rehkopf

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers — those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!

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Training: The Achilles Heel of Club Operations

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Recognizing that we work in a detail-intensive business, most club managers understand that comprehensive and systematic training for both subordinate managers and line employees is an imperative.  Yet, the sad fact is that training is an afterthought in many operations, left up to department heads or front line supervisors to conceive, design, and implement.

Why is this so often the case?  I offer the following as some of the factors that make training so difficult for all of us:

  • barman-pouring-drinks-3First, is the standalone nature of most clubs. Busy managers have little time and, in some cases, lack the necessary skill set to design a comprehensive training curriculum for employees. Complicating this is the fact that club operations span many disciplines, including accounting, human resources, marketing, member relations, golf operations, food and beverage, aquatics, golf course maintenance, and other areas. Few, managers have the detailed knowledge of all these disciplines to design the well-integrated systems, policies, and procedures that cover all areas of the operation.
  • The general manager and management staff have not formally defined the standards of quality and service they wish to provide the membership. Without formal standards, how do they determine their training needs?
  • Given the many positions inherent in club operations, there is the need to develop a curriculum for each position to provide employees the appropriate skill set.  This is a daunting task, though focusing on critical member-facing positions is the first step.
  • In addition to individual skills training, employees must be trained in the club culture and values; laws affecting the workplace; employee work rules and policies; liability abatement training such as safety, sanitation, and public health; human resource issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination, conduct, and performance criteria; accounting policies and procedures relating to their work such as point of sale training, inventory procedures, and timekeeping; and all the club’s various organizational systems that allow it to function efficiently.
  • Managers at all levels must be trained in a variety of disciplines including leadership; club culture and values; various laws affecting club operations; club systems; accounting standards, policies, and procedures; human resource standards, policies, and procedures — to name a few.
  • Few clubs have a comprehensive training plan that guides subordinate managers in training standards, responsibilities, budgets, resources, and necessary curricula.
  • There is no easy way for the general manager to monitor training execution due to the lack, in most  clubs, of training administration software and training benchmarks. Short of attending each training session, how does the GM know who is training and meeting the ongoing requirements of a multi-faceted curriculum.handtray-21
  • In times of tight budgets (and when is it ever not such a time?), the cost of every hour of training is multiplied by the number of employees being trained and their hourly wage — and this can have a significant impact on the bottom line.
  • The management staff does not have the will to make it happen given all the other management requirements, demands on their time, and competing priorities.
  • The club’s board, while demanding high service levels, does not understand the direct link between formal training and quality service or, even more importantly, the challenging task of designing and implementing an effective club-wide training program. In many cases, the general manager has not developed the training goals, assessments, plan, proposed budget, and “sold” the board on its necessity.

The bottom line on all these issues is that unless focused on and attended to religiously, they fall through the cracks.  While the training requirements of a well-run operation seem overwhelming, they can be effectively implemented by a variety of strategies which we’ll talk about next week.

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed Rehkopf

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers - those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!

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Establishing and Maintaining Discipline

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Discipline is necessary to maintain the direction and focus of the organization and to establish and maintain standards of quality and service.  The desire is to achieve excellence and success and supervisors should understand that these goals are dependent upon the quality and commitment of the staff.

Unfortunately, in every group of employees, there are some who have attitude problems, lack commitment, or are not capable of meeting standards.  When confronted with such a problem employee, it is the responsibility of supervisors to deal quickly and effectively with the situation before it degrades the efforts of the rest of the staff.

assurance-21Supervisors’ Responsibility

It does no good to have rules, regulations, and policies spelled out, if they are not going to be enforced by all supervisors.  Whenever a supervisor overlooks an infraction, he encourages others to similar violations.  A lax supervisor can be more damaging than no supervisor at all.

Further, supervisors are expected to actively confront any problem employee in their departments with the aim of correcting the problem.  If it cannot be corrected in a reasonable period of time, supervisors are expected to terminate the individual while following established discharge policies.

Good Communication

Good communication is important when working with a troubled or problem employee.  Some supervisors do not like to confront employees on seemingly “small” issues.  As a result, many small problems build up until the supervisor finally blows his top and is ready to fire the individual.  However, termination is inappropriate because the supervisor has not previously discussed the problems with the employee, warned him of the consequences of continued problems, or offered any help to correct the problem.

Good communication would prevent this situation.  If the supervisor talks frequently with employees, points out minor problems as they occur, addresses continuing problems in a proactive and formal way, an employee will never be surprised should he be terminated.

Disciplinary Philosophy

another-busy-kitchen-2A club should subscribe to the “Hot Stove” approach to discipline.  Employees are told what is expected of them and what the consequences are of ignoring rules, requirements, policy, and procedure.  If they then touch the hot stove, they get burned.

The rationale behind this philosophy is that supervisors want to deal with staff as adults who are responsible for their own actions and they want to avoid inconsistency in applying rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.

Rules, Requirements, Policies, and Procedures

This philosophy requires that supervisors tell staff what is expected of them.  First, do this by spelling out in detail the rules, requirements, policies, and procedures of the club and position.  An Employee Handbook should contain the more important club-wide rules for employees.  Second, expend some effort through orientations and formal training to make staff fully aware of their responsibilities and the club’s expectations.

Fairness and Consistency

A club’s disciplinary process must be fair and consistent.  This will follow naturally from rules, requirements, policies, and procedures being applied fairly and consistently to all employees.  Supervisors who are not fair and consistent will create major problems within their departments.  There is no quicker way to destroy departmental morale and trust than to play favorites.

Often the perception of fairness is as important as the reality.  Supervisors should not only be fair, but also give all appearances of being fair.  If some special situation comes up where your decision may seem unfair to some employees, take the time to explain the situation to everyone.  This will “clear the air” and more than likely satisfy the staff.

Constructive and Progressive

A club’s disciplinary process should be both constructive and progressive.  By this it is meant that all disciplinary actions are aimed at correcting erroneous or inappropriate behavior, and successive disciplinary actions will be progressively more severe.  These two aspects are, in reality, part of the same philosophy.  While the club wants to help employees overcome their problems, when the problems continue, it wants to get the employee’s attention with progressively more severe consequences.

Higher Standard for Supervisors

Because of a supervisor’s position, experience, training, education, and other factors that led to hiring, they are held to a higher standard of conduct and performance than line staff.  In disputes between staff and supervisors, it is expected that supervisors will have solidly documented cases showing thorough investigation of any incident.

While supervisors will always be supported when in the right, line employees will be given the benefit of the doubt when there is insufficient evidence or the absence of a thorough investigation.  The best way for a supervisor to ensure that he is supported in his decisions is to have all his facts together before taking disciplinary action.

For a complete discussion of disciplinary procedures see Employee Development and Disciplinary Guides.

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed Rehkopf

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers - those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!

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Operating Standards

Monday, October 12th, 2009

aerating-2As anyone who has ever read my writings knows, I am a firm believer in written standards, policies, and procedures as the basis for a well-organized hospitality operation.  Here are some of the reasons why:

Written standards (or the expected outcome of our “moments of truth”) for our products and services must be detailed in written policies and procedures.

We cannot begin in any meaningful way to train our employees until we have defined for them the standards which we wish to achieve.  These must be in writing to allow the General Manager and owners to evaluate and concur with the standards we contemplate.  When written they allow us to consistently pass on the standards to succeeding generations of employees.

Policies and procedures are the “what and how” of the way we do things.  Employees should not be allowed to freelance.  “Discretion [on the part of employees] is the enemy of quality.”  Again, policies and procedures must be written for consistency sake.  Taken together they form the basis for most training material.

Standards, policies, and procedures must be continually reviewed and updated as necessary.  Continual process improvement is the discipline that will not permit us to rest on our laurels, but instead be constantly working to make all aspects of the operation better.

What are some of the reasons that managers do not prepare written standards, policies, and procedures?

  • It takes too much time (so they don’t mind wasting immense amounts of time dealing with untrained staff and a disorganized operation)
  • No one told them to do it (in other words, they don’t have any initiative; they’re not, as Jim Collins described in Good to Great,  “disciplined people taking disciplined action”)
  • Their writing skills are not up to it (so they’ve given up instead of looking for creative ways to make it happen)
  • They don’t know what standards, policies, or procedures to prepare (then why are they a manager? - somewhere in their heads must be an idea of how they want to organize and run their operation)
  • They don’t know what format to use (could copying Club Resources International’s already designed format be any easier?)
  • They have no excuse.  Which is exactly right!

serving-food-21Having faced these issues in job after job in both hotels and clubs, I have over the years prepared an immense amount of written standards, policies, and procedures which are available on the Club Resources International website.  You can join the site for free and begin downloading these resources and customizing them for use at your club.  So honestly, there is no longer any excuse!

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed Rehkopf

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers - those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!

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Benchmarking

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Imagine two professional baseball teams.  One team measures every aspect of every player’s performance—the number of at bats; number of hits, walks, and strikeouts; batting averages against right- and left-handed pitchers; slugging averages; and fielding percentages.  They also measure each pitcher’s earned run average, number of base on balls, strikeouts, wild pitches; and so on.  The other team decides it’s too much trouble and keeps no statistics whatsoever.

baseball-2These two teams will meet each other eighteen times a season.  While well matched in player talent, hustle, and desire, and though each team possesses competent management and coaching, one team dominates the other season after season.  Would anyone be surprised to discover which is the dominant team?

As everyone knows, this example is ludicrous because every baseball team measures players’ performance and uses this information to make crucial game decisions.  What is it that baseball managers understand that some club managers don’t seem to grasp?  The fact that everything in life follows patterns. When patterns are tracked and analyzed, they can be used to predict future performance and set goals.

Benchmarking, the act of measuring and analyzing operating performance, seeks to understand the patterns underlying a club’s operation.  Reasons to benchmark include:

  • Benchmarks can be used to establish performance goals for future operating periods.
  • Benchmarks help identify under-performance and best practices.
  • Benchmarks from past periods can make budgeting for future periods easier and far more accurate.
  • Tracking revenues and comparing them to historical benchmarks allows management to measure member response to products/services and new initiatives.
  • Benchmarks create the measurable accountabilities for each manager’s work plan.

budget-2The club’s monthly operating statements provide good basic information, but these summary numbers can mask troubling trends within the operation.  For instance, higher food revenues can be a result of less patronage, but each member spending more because of higher menu prices.  The manager is happy with the higher revenues, but is blissfully ignorant of declining clientele.

Benchmarking is best accomplished by department heads who have bottom line responsibility.  Most performance measures will fall into the following broad categories.

  • Revenues and expenses, both aggregate and by type
  • Inventories
  • Retail sales mix to determine buying patterns of members

Most of the raw data necessary to benchmark comes from point-of-sale (POS) reports.  Much of this lode of daily information gets looked at briefly by department heads or the accounting office and is then filed away, rarely to be seen again.  The real value of this information comes from tracking it over time to determine trends by day of week, week to week, month to month, and year to year.  This makes it necessary for managers to pull the information from POS reports and enter it into spreadsheet software.

A few caveats:

  • There are as many aspects of an operation to measure as time, resources, and ingenuity will allow.  Focus on those most critical to one’s operation.
  • Data used in benchmarking must be defined and collected in a consistent manner.
  • When comparing data, always compare like to like.
  • Ensure benchmarks measure events with only one underlying variable.
  • Do not draw conclusions from too small a sample.  The larger the sample, the more accurate the conclusion.
  • When two pieces of data are compared to generate a benchmark, both a small sample size or extreme volatility in one or the other, can skew the resultant benchmark.

Benchmarking is not complicated, but it does require discipline and persistence.  It is best accomplished by setting up routine systems to collect, compile, report, and analyze the information collected.  Like a baseball team, the knowledge gained by benchmarking will bring a club to the top of its game.

Thanks and have a great day!

Ed Rehkopf

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers - those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!

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Guest Blog: Add More than a Towel Service and Lounge Chairs to Your Pool Deck!

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

 We are operating in different times.  How many times have you heard that lately?  Our members want more for less and expect exceptional service at all times (ok, so their mindset probably has not changed with the downturn economy).  What have you added to your program to add value?   Summer is here!  It’s a great time to add a few low cost programs to keep your members happy and the pool deck is the perfect place to get started!

 Pool Games

pool_gamesCalling all kids!  Grab a couple staff members to conduct weekly poolside games to include a penny dive, relay races (wet t-shirt, ride a noodle, etc.), ping pong ball Scrabble, etc.  Most of the needed supplies are probably lying around the club or can be borrowed.  Prizes can be as inexpensive as a 5 cent freeze pop!  The kids will love it!  Log onto www.wemanagefun.com all summer long for pool game ideas!

Sno-cones or Sundaes on Sunday

sno_coneWhat fun to come to the pool for a FREE (or inexpensive) cool treat!  Once or twice per month, schedule a staff member to man a sno-cone machine or build your own sundae bar.  You can rent a sno-cone machine for as little as $35 or buy your own!  Providing ice cream and toppings is a bit more expensive, but worth the member satisfaction.

Water Fitness

For $25-$40 per hour, you can provide a water fitness class for your membership.  Exercising outdoors is great alternative to going to the gym and you can work on your tan!  Contact your local YMCA or fitness club for a list of water fitness instructors you can contact to employ over the summer or ask your membership for names of instructors they have met in the past - you know they love to share their ideas! 

Kids Splash and Parents Dash

Give parents a 2-hour window to run errands or spend time at home alone by providing a 2-hour pool program for the kids!  Engage them with games, contests, outdoor crafts, etc.  Parents will gladly pay for this service.  I suggest offering a second child discount.  What a great way to make some revenue and help out a mom who needs a few hours to herself!

Dive In Movie

Outdoor movies are making a come back, why not offer one at your pool!  Wal-Mart is selling inflatable movie screens for less than $200.  You will also need a DVD projector and speakers for sound.  Many times, clubs have projectors available for conferences and meetings and most pools these days have speakers on the deck.  Check out your facility and see if this might be an easy addition for you! 

Poolside Pampering

pedicureHow about hosting a manicures and mimosa morning at the pool for the ladies?  Hire a mobile spa service to conduct mini pedicures and manicures on the pool deck.  The cost is passed on to members and the club can decide whether the mimosas are charged or complimentary. 

The possibilities are endless!  Adding a little pizzaz to your pool deck will keep your members interested and coming back for more.  It’s one more reason why they will continue to talk up your club and possibly recruit a few of their friends! 

Cindy Williams, Corporate Director of Activities, East West Partners Club Management

Cindy is a nationally-recognized expert in family lifestyle programming in private clubs. In addition to her blog, WeManageFun, she speaks at conferences and seminars and provides consulting services to the club industry.

This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers - those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.

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