Club House Europe Issue 9

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

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ISSUE 9

50th MDP – celebrating a CMAE educational milestone 2017 resolutions – top 10 tips CMAE-style Tribal Tuesday – a new take on traditional driving ranges

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Welcome

Contributors

Happy New Year to all and welcome to our first edition of Clubhouse Europe for 2017 Looking back at 2016 and I think it will always be remembered for Trump’s US Election victory, the Brexit vote and the wonderful spectacle of the Rio Olympic Games. Despite the turbulent political world the sporting world never ceases to amaze – Leicester City winning the English Football Premiership title as 5000-1 outsiders, Usain Bolt achieving the treble gold medal haul and the UK’s huge success in the Olympics – from golf to tennis, rowing and everything in between.

All of these achievements had one common denominator – a club. These great athletes are all members of clubs and have had their talent identified and nurtured through being part of a club. I’m quite sure that 2017 will throw up some more amazing sporting achievements and that clubs will continue to develop the next batch of sporting champions as well as staffing champions to ensure our clubs are all successful. That’s what CMAE’s MDP education pathway is designed to do.

CMAE is also very proud to have hosted one of the most successful BMI International Conferences to date last October in London. Our American club manager colleagues have given us rave reviews and I particularly want to thank David Balden CCM and his team for all their efforts. We have new European managers signing up to be members on the strength of the educational presentations made that week.

On to 2017, and I’m sure I’m not alone in setting goals for the year ahead. In this edition we’ve compiled New Year resolutions for the 10 Core Competencies of modern club management, gathering words of wisdom from our pool of expert MDP presenters. If we all follow these resolutions in 2017 then our clubs will be in an even healthier place.

On that note, we’re proud to be celebrating the 50th delivery of a Management Development Programme (MDP). It’s fantastic to have reached such a milestone so quickly since the inaugural MDP in October 2011. We applaud this feat in this issue (see pages 12-19) and would like to thank all the Board Members, Educators and Volunteers (from CMAE and CMAA) who have been instrumental in this success. Not forgetting our Corporate Partners past and present as well as our Alliance Partners, all of whom believe in our mission to deliver the best education and professional standards across all European Clubs.

On a global scale, and a number of our members are looking forward to attending the Annual World Conference on Club Management in Orlando, Florida (7-11 February), where they’ll enjoy over 90 education sessions, inspirational speakers and the shared experiences of 2,000 delegates. It’s a great motivational start to the year with plenty of fresh ideas for the challenges ahead.

Finally, I’m looking forward to my final year as President of CMAE where we will continue to fulfil the objectives of our strategic plan (renewed in 2016) with the continued growth and success of CMAE. Well done Michael Braidwood CCM and James Burns CCM and their education team for taking the courses to another level in terms of content and popularity. We set the benchmark in European Executive Education and will continue in our mission to raise our standards still further.

Wishing you all success at your Clubs in 2017.

Mike Sean Braidwood CCM Ferris

Kevin Fish CCM

David Foster

Jonathan Hardy

Rob Hill

Marc Newey CCM

Leigh Ann Ogilvie

Caroline Scoular

Nick Sellens

Jill Slingsby

Nick Solski CCM

Editor Caroline Scoular caroline@alchemymedia.co.uk Design David Foster Editorial Nick Sellens Sales and Marketing Manager Leigh-Ann Ogilvie Circulation Jonathan Hardy Administration Debbie Goddard Debbie.Goddard@cmaeurope.eu Publishing Director Sean Ferris sean@alchemymedia.co.uk;

Clubhouse Europe is published by Alchemy Contract Publishing Ltd. ACP Gainsborough House 59/60 Thames Street Windsor Berkshire SL4 1TX United Kingdom t. +44 (0)1753 272022 f. +44 (0)1753 272021 e.info@alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk www.alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk

CMAE The Club Managers Association of Europe Office 8 Rural Innovation Centre Unit 169 Avenue H Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2LG United Kingdom t. +44 (0) 247 669 2359 f. +44 (0) 247 641 4990

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers or the CMAE. Clubhouse Europe does not verify the claims made by advertisers regarding their products.

Marc Newey CCM President, Club Managers Association of Europe CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 3

Contents 6 News round-up News, views and all the latest on CMAE’s Management Development Programmes (MDPs).

12

12 High-five for the five from five Five MDP candidates share their experience of the MDP pathway. Having completed all five courses, just what has the CCM accreditation meant to them and their clubs?

14 Where there’s a will there’s an MDP – or five!

CMAE member Graham Stewart CCM fasttracked his CCM-quest, completing all five MDP courses in just four months. And he’s already reaping the benefits.

15 BMI International A celebration of the inspirational London event, hosted by the CMAE.

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16 Changing the perception of club management As CMAE celebrates its 50th MDP, Clubhouse Europe catches up with the tireless and muchcherished programme deliverer Kevin Fish CCM.

23 New Year’s resolutions CMAE style Director of Education Michael Braidwood CCM and friends present the perfect Top 10 New Year’s resolutions for members and managers.

Social media is one of the biggest tools for clubs whatever their discipline. Have you got what it takes to become a finalist in the 2017 Hospitality Social Media Awards? Read on.

35 Private clubs – trends and challenges The first ever European Private Club Leaders Symposium was a forum for sharing concerns, advice and predictions. GGA Partner Rob Hill presents the key findings of the research undertaken.

21 Legislation on data protection The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was passed in April this year and will come into effect in 2018. DMC’s Elliott Shepherd explains.

31 Call for entries

21

38 Securing sponsorship satisfaction Just what is the value of sponsorship to clubs?

CMAE’s Top 10 Tips will help you ensure that the relationship works for all parties.

40 Better buying

26 Club Awards 2016

It’s classified! Club-supporting businesses are ready to work with you.

The CMAE and Clubhouse Europe were delighted to be a sponsor of the 2016 Club Awards. And the winners are...

42 Tribal Tuesday

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When Nick Solski CCM took over a Manchester driving range he decided to break the mould, all with the help of washing machines and some beer barrels.

For more information on any of these articles or to contribute to our next issue, contact Editor Caroline Scoular. e. caroline@alchemymedia.co.uk t. +44 (0)1753 272022 For more information on the CMAE, its events and/or courses contact Debbie Goddard. e. Debbie.Goddard@cmaeurope.eu t. +44 (0) 247 669 2359

4 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

rt o p S T B n o e v li p u C A F The Calll now 0800 678 1061

MEANS BUSINESS

News from the frontline MDP 1 and 2 set for Dubai return Rome MDP a roaring success Seventeen delegates from the Italian and European club industry attended CMAE’s five day residential programme, organised by CMAE member association the Associazione Italiana Tecnici di Golf (AITG) and hosted by Rome’s Terre dei Consoli Golf Club. The delegates from Italy, England and Spain enjoyed presentations from leading industry educators including Bill Sanderson (Management), Duncan Ritchie (Finance) and Michael Braidwood CCM (Membership Marketing) along with a host of specialist presenters from Italy.

Ascanio Pacelli, General Manager of Terre dei Consoli and a CMAE Board member said: “We are delighted by the success of the MDP in Italy to date. We ran our first MDP 1 course in April 2014 followed up with MDP 2 in February 2015. The week was well subscribed due to the quality of the education along with the fact that our delegates are seeing positive results back at their clubs and are spreading the positive word.”

At the Rome group dinner CMAE’s Michael Braidwood (pictured left) presented a Club Management Diploma to Italian Club Manager Simeone Diozzi, Golf Club Carezza, who achieved his diploma though attendance of MDP 1 and 2 in Dublin.

The CMAE and Dubai Golf have partnered up again to host Management Development Programmes (MDPs) for club industry professionals in the Middle East.

Following on from the successful delivery of MDP 1 in May 2016, they will now deliver both MDP Part 1 and MDP Part 2 parallel to each other. The courses take place at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Dubai, between 28 May and 1 June 2017.

Commenting on the programme Dubai Golf’s Chief Executive Chris May CCM said: “We are excited about bringing club executive education back to the Middle East. The programme we delivered in May 2016 was a tremendous success. It is important to drive club management education in the region with clubs being such an important part of the tourism and corporate fabric of the region. Dubai is the perfect venue with so many clubs in our Emirate and it also being such an easy place

Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club

to get to from throughout the region. Our partner hotel the Park Hyatt is also a great place for the delegates to stay during the programme.”

London calling! City clubs to host Executive Club Management Course CMAE is hosting its first Management Development Programme (MDP) for city club professionals in London. The MDP Part 1 course will take place over a variety of city clubs from Monday 17 July to Friday 21 July 2017.

CMAE’s David Balden CCM, London and Home Counties Chairman said: “We are excited about bringing executive club education to the heart of London. City clubs have been long established and it is important to be able to bring formal education and certification to their professional staff. In these times of change our managers must be kept abreast of the latest trends and innovations in the club industry.”

The MDP 1 focuses on club operations and the 10 Core Competencies of the modern club

manager. The five day programme will see leading club industry experts from CMAE’s team delivering the programme, which is specifically designed for city clubs and clubs with large food and beverage operations. The tailor-made course will have a strong

Marbella welcomes F&B MDP The CMAE’s executive education programme on Food & Beverage (F&B) management was recently completed in Marbella, Spain in conjunction with the Asociacion Espanola de Gerentes de Golf (AEGG).

Twenty six club industry professionals with F&B-related responsibilities took part in the five-day residential programme – which covered a broad food and beverage based curriculum.

Presentation came from the following: 6 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

• Sharron Ruttledge, F&B consultant – Special events planning, HACCP compliance, F&B marketing and Customer service.

• Steven Brown, Inn-Formation – cost controlling, stock management and F&B profitability.

• Ivan Llanza, Spanish wine producer – food and wine matching.

• Michael Braidwood CCM, CMAE Education Director –Menu engineering.

• James Burns CCM, GM of Milltown Golf Club,

Ireland – Transforming your F&B bottom line.

• Peter Kirk, Jonas – the use of technology from a F&B perspective by.

During the week the delegates visited the Real

emphasis on management, governance and service standards at the highest level.

A Club Management Diploma is available to all CMAE delegates who attend the MDP 1 and MDP 2 courses, then pass the multiple choice exam on the 10 Core Competencies required, successfully fulfil the obligations of the group executive case study undertaken in MDP 2, including a presentation to a ‘Board’ on their findings and finally submitting and passing a work based assignment of 1,200 – 2,000 words on a situation at their club that they have resolved using the strategic management tools learnt during the two programmes.

• For further details please visit the CMAE web site www.cmaeurope.org Delegates outside Real Club Valderrama. CMAE Director of Education and programme facilitator Michael Braidwood said: “We are delighted by the success of the programme. Our twenty six delegates had an excellent week of education and felt empowered to go back to their clubs to evoke positive change in their food and beverage offering.

Our thanks go out to all of the high quality presenters, Les Roches Hotel school, Real Club Valderrama and Sotogrande Golf Club. I look forward to bringing this programme back to Marbella in 2017.”

Club Valderrama and Sotogrande Golf Club to gain insights into how these top Spanish clubs run their F&B operations.

Major milestone as MDPs reach 50th The CMAE is celebrating the delivery of its 50th Management Development Programme (MDP).

“This is a significant achievement and the result of over 10 years of work by a dedicated group of club managers, educationalist and leading industry figures worldwide,” said President Marc Newey. “We owe them all a huge debt of gratitude and this issue of Clubhouse Europe majors on the excellent

achievements of the courses and the candidates.”

The CMAE MDP is a series of courses and learning opportunities designed to be inclusive and aimed at everyone from those in senior positions at sports, city and business clubs to those who aspire to these roles in the future.

• Turn to pages 12-19 in this issue for more details.

The K Club, venue of the MDP 1 in Dublin

Chipping in

MDP Calendar 2017 Date Course Jan 23 - 27 MDP 3 Jan 30 – Feb 3 MDP 1 Feb 7 - 11 CMAA World Conference Feb 20 - 24 MDP 1 Mar 6 - 10 MDP 2 May 28 – June 1MDP 1 May 28 – June 1MDP 2 July 17 - 21 MDP 1

Location Edinburgh Warwick Orlando Dublin Stirling Dubai Dubai London

Host CMAE L&HC / Midland & North Regions CMAA CGI SGL Dubai Golf Dubai Golf L&HC

Club management education course returns to Dublin The CMAE, Confederation of Golf Ireland and the Irish Golf and Club Managers Association have joined forces to bring the CMAE’s Management Development Programme (MDP) Part 1 course back to Dublin.

The five-day residential educational programme runs from 20 -24 February at The K Club, Dublin. Part 1 of the programme focuses on Club Operations and will see leading club industry experts deliver education sessions on Management, Leadership, Food and Beverage Operations, Club Governance, Membership Marketing, Facilities Management and all of the statutory compliance required to run a successful club.

At the end of the programme, delegates will also have established a valuable network of support from presenters and peers which will help them fulfil their career in the industry.

CMAE’s Director of Education Michael Braidwood CCM said: “There is a real thirst for education amongst club managers in Ireland which was proven by the success of previous MDP Parts 1 and 2, plus the MDP Food & Beverage which have been held in Dublin over

the past three years. We are excited to be working with our Irish partners to bring the programme back to Dublin in 2017.”

The CMAE’s Management Development Programme was launched in 2011 and since then has been held in seven countries across Europe and attracted over 850 delegates all with different skill sets and backgrounds, ranging from established club managers and secretaries of golf, tennis, sailing and city clubs, club committee members, course managers, golf professionals and those from outside the club industry looking for a career change.

Those who complete MDP parts 1 and 2 will have the opportunity to gain the Club Management Diploma (CMDip), the only European recognized club management qualification and forms the building blocks to the Globally recognised Certified Club Manager (CCM).

• To book a place on the course contact Michael Walsh at the Irish Golf & Club Managers Association by at clubmatters34@gmail.com

Governance and capital maintenance drive clubs The first European Private Club Leaders Symposium, hosted by Global Golf Advisors (GGA) in collaboration with the CMAE, has identified the factors most likely to influence the performance of prestigious private clubs in the future.

A broad breadth of topics were covered, including governance, capital maintenance, Brexit, recruitment and retention.

Findings included: • The average Board size at clubs is approximately 10.5 Board members.

• 11% of clubs have reduced the size of their Board in the last five years.

• The average number of standing subcommittees is seven.

• 22% of clubs have reduced the number

of committees in the last five years.

• Clubs spend an average of 9% of gross revenue on capital maintenance annually.

• 61% of clubs have encountered challenges with an aging membership or growing senior member category.

• 28% of clubs have experienced a decline in their total number of members in the last five years.

• 72% of clubs have found it more challenging to source talented staff over the last five years.

Turn to page 19 of this issue for in-depth details and/or download it now at https://www.cmaeurope.org/researchgoverance-capital-maintenance CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 7

News from the frontline The 4th MDP Golf tees off to perfection A record 21 Golf Managers from 13 different countries attended a successful five day residential training programme hosted by the CMAE at St Andrews, the home of golf.

Sixteen subjects were covered, including Golf Course and Turf Management (from Dr Paul Miller), a course tour of the St Andrews Links (with Gordon McKie and CMAE Vice President David Roy CCM), Rules of Golf (Claire Hargan, R&A), Golf technology (Steve Otto , R&A), Pace of Play Principles (John Grant, St Andrews Links Trust), The Golf Business Model for clubs (Kevin Fish CCM and John Kemp of Scottish Golf) and Golf Operations (delivered by Simon Wordsworth, Phil Barnard and Joe Kelly of the PGA).

Scotland celebrates success The delegates pictured outside the R&A Clubhouse in St Andrews, the venue for MDP Golf

Programme facilitator and CMAEs Director of Education Michael Braidwood CCM, said “We were delighted by the international turn out for this valuable programme. The itinerary we put on covered every aspect of managing a successful golf operation and, with our partners, demonstrated best practice in all disciplines. We will continue to

work together to further enhance this already excellent programme. The benefit of having representatives from 13 different countries really added to the networking and sharing of ideas component to the programme.”

• For insights from a course attendee, visit page 12 in this issue.

Syngenta study identifies a $35 billion opportunity Women account for just 24% of golfers worldwide, yet the number of prospective female players could add $35 billion to the global golf economy.

These are the findings of a groundbreaking global study into female golf participation commissioned by Syngenta and conducted by an independent international market research company.

The new report, ‘The Global Economic Value of Increased Female Participation in Golf’, surveyed 14,000 people in eight markets in North America, Europe and Asia.

It found that 29% of non-golfing females and lapsed players were either interested or very interested in taking up golf in the next two years.

Being outdoors, relaxation and spending time with family and friends are the primary appeal factors to non-golfers.

It also found that women are 38% more likely than men to bring children to golf, indicating that increasing female participation would significantly boost the number of juniors taking up the game.

Launching the report at the HSBC Golf Business Forum, Syngenta Global Head of Lawn & Garden Jeff Cox said: “For the first time, we have been able to assess worldwide latent demand for golf among women and estimate the potential economic value to the global golf industry.

“As our survey shows, millions of women worldwide could be interested in taking up golf within the next two years. This is a huge opportunity for the golf industry. However, realizing this opportunity, engaging and then converting prospects, requires golf to listen to and address the specific needs of its different customers.”

The report (which is free to download from www.unlockinggolfstruepotential.co.uk) focuses on three key 8 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

CMAE members are presented with their Club Managers diploma after successfully completing their course.

research themes: • The economic value of female golf • Realizing the value of existing female customers and prospective players • Women as a catalyst for junior golf Carin Koch, the 2015 European Solheim Cup Captain and Syngenta Golf Ambassador said: “As a professional golfer who has been fortunate to travel around the world, I know that golf is a game with global appeal to both men and women. I also know, as a mother of two children, that golf is a wonderful way to share time with family.

“One of the most interesting findings for me was that family responsibilities and cost were the two main reasons women give up golf, yet spending time with family and friends is one of the great attractions of golf. If golf could make itself more female and family friendly, there is both an immediate and long-term opportunity to retain and attract many more female golfers and bring their children into the game.”

The survey is part of Syngenta’s ‘Unlocking Golf’s True Potential Campaign’ and is the first in a series of Global Customer Insights studies.

Jeff Cox added: “This report is designed to help the global golf industry understand its customers and build its value proposition.

“Gender diversity is good for sport – and it is good for business. It is also something that a modern, globalized society expects.”

• The Global Economic Value of Increased Female Participation in Golf is available to download free of charge from: www.unlockinggolfstruepotential.co.uk

Presentations at BMI International The Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) and the CMAE presented a number of well-deserved diplomas at October’s BMI International Conference, London.

New look magazine for Tolchards CMAE Corporate Partner Tolchards has launched Headlines. The bi-monthly magazine includes 64 pages of trade insight, interviews and special offers tailored to those within the trade to help attract and retain customers successfully.

Accompanying the new magazine Tolchards have begun to introduce their new look throughout the company, including new livery on their vans and lorries. Also soon to be launched will be a more dynamic website along with a new customer ordering system to help make ordering quicker.

“We are excited about the new look which will be extending throughout the company in 2017. This will reinforce Tolchards’ key values of delivering quality drinks with a quality service,” said Mark Tipton, Marketing Manager.

• Email info@tolchards.com to receive your free copy.

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MDP PATHWAY

High-five forthe five from five We at CMAE all know the value of MDPs – of course we do. But for any of you reading this who are still unsure about embarking on this career-changing journey, we hope that the experiences shared by these five members who've completed all five courses will encourage you. All journeys start with one step, and the MDP pathway is no exception.

GABRIEL SOTA CCM Ramón Sota Golf Club, Pedreña, Seve Home of Golf, Spain Inspiration and motivation It was my club, Ramón Sota Golf Club, its members and my friends who inspired me to do the five levels of MDPs. My father’s passion for golf was also a real inspiration. He taught me that if we love what we do, then everyone will love us for it. The final and important nudge, however, came from Daniel Asís.

So thanks to everybody who made me start my education pathway!

MDP magic The key MDP learnings for me are knowledge, team work and leadership.

The knowledge gained helps you to know what to do and how to do it, when to do it and by whom within your team. The leadership is essential - you need to be a good, respected leader who can prepare the team, help them to work to their job description and motivate them. (Sometimes of course this is difficult and that’s when to be humble; ask other experienced General Managers about any issues you have.)

As a leader you need to have all your business tools in place and a clear vision going forward. The team needs this vision too, and this teamwork starts with a written agreement of the club’s vision, mission and objectives –we could say the ‘game rules’.

Inspiration and knowledge The five MDP programmes provided me with huge inspiration and knowledge. The most inspirational MDP for me personally would perhaps be the Golf Operations element. My village, Pedreña, is Seve’s home of golf – at my club you can see Seve’s putter from the St Andrew’s Old Course 1984 British Open.

So to attend the course at St. Andrews, the ‘home of golf’ was exceptional. My friends on the course and I could feel the same passion for golf, the same course conversations – just in another language! That was

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For Gabriel Sota, studying an MDP at the Home of Golf, St Andrew’s, held a special resonance. His club, Ramón Sota Golf Club, is ‘Home of Seve’ (Ballesteros) whose winning putter from the 1984 British Open, held on the Old Course, takes pride of place in the clubhouse. very, very special. Add to that the presentation of my Club Manager Diploma at the R&A itself with my friends and delegates applauding my incredible moment, I think everyone can understand why this is the most inspirational of programmes!

Applying learnings The way to apply MDP learnings is communication.

We need all of the team (from the Board to the staff) onboard, sharing the vision, mission, objectives and action plans on how to get there.

We work constantly as a team, forming, storming, norming, improving and evaluating. We apply our learnings in all of the 10 CMAE Core Competencies.

We love goals and we love processes! In every task we set an action plan to follow and we always talk about

SMART objectives, with measurable and affordable projects planned within a realistic time frame.

Thanks to the MDPs our entire team is more efficient with concise meetings, clear ideas and an accompanying great club atmosphere.

Clear communication, as I say, is a key success; now everybody understands what to do, how to do it and who is accountable. We have good operations reports, an excellent response to our member survey and we’re promoting staff as well.

We are in a great place and feel good about what we have achieved and where we are. Is there anything that would add to this success? Yes – another Certified Club Manager (CCM) in our club!

A very happy New Year to all CMAE members.

And thank you CMAE!

MARY LOU WATKINS CCM North Berwick Golf Club, Scotland

Pictured at the most recent MDP F&B having completed their pathway are (left to right) Alberto Iglesias CCM, Mary Lou Watkins CCM, James Burns CCM, CMAE EPB Chair and Gabriel Sota CCM.

ALBERTO IGLESIAS CCM Director General, Font del Llop Golf Resort, Spain Who inspired you to join the CMAE education pathway?

Daniel Asis CCM during the International Congress in Benidorm 2010. [Daniel is Manager at the Oliva Nova Golf Club, Spain, and a member of the CMAE Education Policy Board.]

Key learnings from the five programmes?

In two words – Team Work.

Which MDP did you find most rewarding?

All programs have their value. If I have to highlight one above the others though, I’d say it would be MDP 3 on Leadership.

Have you applied your learnings?

Yes indeed, and very successfully. The key to this has been communication.

Any other reflections?

My life has changed. I work and I think very differently now. I believe that everybody who works in a club should embark on MDPs.

Norway’s ROBERT HANSEN CCM and DAVID GEMMELL CCM, General Manager at Turnhouse Golf Club Robert Hansen CCM (left) and David Gemmell CCM, General Manager,Turnhouse Golf Club (right) are congratulated on completing their CMAE MDP 3 Strategy in Leadership by CMAA’s Senior Vice President of Professional Development Dr Jason Koenigsfeld (pictured centre).

David said: “I am extremely proud and honoured to achieve CCM status, especially at the first attempt. The pathway started for me back in 2012 on MDP 1 and from then on I have become an education junkie! I have done all five MDP courses, attended World Conference and attended numerous regional and national seminars.”

“I’ve been very fortunate in my career to receive significant on-the-job training, gaining qualifications as I’ve gone along. A fear for me when moving into the golf industry was that this opportunity would not arise, and whilst I’d been involved in golf administration for a long time, in my opinion I still needed to learn a lot about the job.

I was therefore delighted to learn of the CMAE courses very soon after joining the North Berwick Golf Club, and I have to say that the Captain, the Committee and Managing Secretary of the club were very supportive of me starting this journey. I cannot leave out Kevin Fish from this list of people, who as a member of the club gave me great encouragement to engage on this education pathway. [Editor’s note: for an in-depth interview with Kevin on all things MDP turn to pages 16-19.]

TEAM work – Together Everyone Achieves More – is fundamental to all of this. As was underlined at the MDPs, without a fantastic team you have nothing. I have always been a control freak and the course has made me realise that I simply can’t do everything and that I need to trust others to do their job – this has been very hard for me!

All five programmes have given me insights and knowledge, but I would perhaps single out Part One as the programme that sparked off real inspiration to try to introduce change for the better at the club.

Part One gives you a real buzz for how to examine where changes can be made, and then the next four Parts give you even greater knowledge on how the changes can make an impact, giving you the right tools to implement them.

As a result, the Captain and Committee listened to my experiences from MDP 1 and MDP 2 and introduced greater governance to the club; for the first time they produced a detailed business plan.

We also introduced the use of iPads to our Committee for all golf club business. The iPads are now a one-stop-shop for all the information each Committee Member needs including Committee papers and their e-mails. Each Committee Member now has their own individual club e-mail address and this minimises the intrusion of golf club work into their personal or work e-mails.

In summary then, all five courses have given me an opportunity to meet like-minded people who are seeking to improve both themselves and their clubs. I cannot over-emphasise the fantastic education and networking opportunities these course bring. I have met some amazing people and made some fantastic friends!

Congratulations to all of our MDP candidates.

Considering following in their footsteps and embarking on the pathway to an even more successful and enjoyable career? Then turn to the news pages to find dates of the next MDP courses.

Or better still pick up the phone now and call CMAE's Director of Education and golf pro Mike Braidwood CCM on 44 (0) 247 669 2359 or email him on michael.braidwood@cmaeurope.eu

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 13

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MDP CASE STUDY IN THE MAKING

Where there’s a will there’s an MDP – or five!

Graham Stewart CCM is something of a legend amongst CMAE’s MDP deliverers. With 30 years working within the golf sector, he decided it was time to notch up a gear – by taking all five MDPs in the space of just four months. Clubhouse Europe asks him the inevitable question – why?

z“After 30 years in the golf business, amassing a multitude of skills and experience, I felt it would be prudent to bring my knowledge up to date and acquire a qualification that formally demonstrates my learning and achievements,” says Graham.

“Without a formal qualification I was effectively just another Golf Pro with experience.”

Graham’s long career is certainly something to be proud of (see boxed copy) but in his determination to set himself apart from the rest he embarked on a mission to prove that he has taken the time to learn, improve and evaluate himself.

“I initially enquired with the PGA who were pro-

14 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

Joining the world of golf was something of a happy accident for Graham. “I was 18 when I got my first job as an Assistant Golf Pro at Batchwood Hall Golf club in St Albans Hertfordshire,” he says, explaining that after applying for a few local jobs and as a trainee architect in London it was a trip round Batchwood Hall which saw his career launched.

“My parents were out visiting friends and stopped off for a walk round the club and to reminisce about when they started playing golf 30 years previously.

They went by chance to the Pro shop where the Pro was in something of a panic.

Both assistant Pros had not turned up for work and it was high season with 250 players per day. My Dad said, ‘Our son is looking for a position,’ and I started the next day!”

He enrolled into the PGA training scheme and the rest is history: “My goals were set and I would focus on becoming a player on the European Tour.”

He moved to Hartsbourne Country Club in Bushey and worked for former Ryder Cup player Geoff Hunt. “My playing went from strength to strength locally and I attended final qualifying for the European Tour three times. I missed twice so narrowly – by just one shot in 1984,” he recalls.

He went to Germany to teach golf for six months which turned into nearly 10 years, becoming Head Professional at Munich Eichenried, Home of the BMW Open. But for the ambitious Graham, that was no longer enough.

“In 1993 I leased the golf range at Vale do Lobo on Portugal’s Algarve, a business that I ran for over 10 years. After a two season stint in Mauritius I was appointed General Manager of the 4 star Barringtons Royal Golf hotel in Vale do Lobo,” says Graham.

And now, back to 2017, after three years of coaching golf in Southern Germany he has been appointed General Manager of Golf de LaLargue, Switzerland. moting their own Director of Golf qualification,” says Graham. “But I felt I needed something more in-depth and challenging. After consultation with Braemar Golf and then with Michael Braidwood it

was clear to me the CMAE MDP was the best option by far.”

He was also motivated by his new appointment as General Manager at Golf La Largue, Basel, Switzerland, wanting to seal his commitment to his new club by ensuring he has the appropriate qualifications. And as a result of his MDP marathon he has achieved this.

“The education is varied, in depth and presented by industry professionals with proven track records,” he says. “I have added to and improved my knowledge in all aspects of the business.”

In common with all MDP delegates, Graham places great value on the like-minded attendees who all bring so much to the table. “I can’t emphasis enough how valuable the networking between the candidates is,” he says. “Each delegate brings a certain knowledge and experience and everyone is encouraged to share. I have met many friends and we stay in touch by social media on a daily basis. We share insights, questions and answers and the odd joke.”

His new role role as General Manager of Golf de LaLargue, Switzerland, begins as we go to press.

All of us at the CMAE and Clubhouse Europe confidently wish him every success in his new role.

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BMI INTERNATIONAL

Applause for CMAE The CMAE was proud to host the 2016 Business Management Institute (BMI) International in London, October 6-11. Ninety managers from the USA and Europe attended and enjoyed 5 days of eduction, networking and entertainment. Here is a whirlwind tour in pictures of this much acclaimed event.

BMI International was deemed a great success. The five day programme included education presentations by top international speakers including Sir Clive Woodward, Boris Becker and Knut Wylde.

Networking, seminars and a welcome reception at the House of Lords were the order of the day, as well as visits to some of the most prestigious clubs in the world including The All England Lawn Tennis Club – Home of Wimbledon, the Royal Automobile Club, Lansdowne Club and Roehampton. And the audience said...

Tour of the All England Club ‘Excellent conference, with a varied selection of speakers.’

‘Super stuff - really enjoyed the two days I could attend. Thank you CMAE!’ ‘The best educational course I have been on. My thanks to all those who put the event together.’

‘An excellent conference. Well organised. Fantastic venues and good education.’

‘This was an amazing experience for me. The Clubs that we visited were top notch.’

‘I thought the value and content was great. I definitely plan to attend future international conferences. Thank you for all of the effort , great events and great clubs.’

‘An outstanding conference. Thank you to all those who contributed to the great mix of program topics and speakers.’

Education day at the RAF Club

‘A once in a lifetime experience. Thank you.’

Boris Becker with CMAA’s CEO, Jeffrey D. Morgan, FASAE, CAE.

Gala Dinner, Royal Automobile Club

Networking and socialising, an integral part of BMI International.

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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

MDP –“We are changing the perception of club management in Europe” As CMAE celebrates its 50th Management Development Programme (MDP) in Edinburgh, Clubhouse Europe catches up with the volunteer whose name keeps appearing in discussions about how formal club manager training was brought to Europe. Introducing Kevin Fish CCM.

N

ewcomers to the industry may think that formal training has always been available for club managers, but Kevin Fish CCM knows otherwise. “As recently as 2011 this was not the case, and it took the CMAE and its partners to give education its correct place on the agenda of clubs, professional bodies and even club managers themselves,” he says.

Kevin, who was within the first group of European Managers to attain CCM designation in 2008, chaired the CMAE Education Policy Board (EPB) for six crucial years and has the distinction of being the first European invited on to the Professional Development Committee for the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA).

Ask him how the CMAE MDP programme came about and Kevin is disarmingly modest.

“I was just sitting on this egg when it hatched, it really is that simple,” he says. “CMAE had been gradually building up a head of steam for a decade or more when I was approached to Chair the Education Policy Board (EPB). It became very clear that in order to maintain our momentum and our status within the international community of club managers we would need to mirror the standards of education being offered to club managers not only in America, but throughout the world. Someone needed to stand up and say they would try and make it happen, so I took a deep breath and said that if the EPB was with me, we would do it. And we did.”

That meant studying the programme owned by CMAA – called BMI – and replicating this in a format that would appeal to CMAE’s managers across Europe, explains Kevin: “Back then clubs were far less used to committing to their managers’ professional development needs.”

Five years on the MDP Pathway is now firmly established and the numbers speak for themselves.

16 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

introduction of training and qualifications we were doing far more than just helping club managers with their jobs, together we were actually changing the perception of club management,” he says. “Few clubs would employ a new course manager or head professional without the appropriate training and qualifications, and now, finally, we are giving clubs the chance to view their club manager in the same light.

Wouldn’t it be great if within a generation we change the landscape so that every club recognises that their manager has received the formal training required to do this job, and fully respects them for that.”

So with over 900 places taken at 50 MDPs, what’s so special about the programme? Kevin crystallises it down to three key factors: “It’s industry-led, it generates tribal behaviours, and it forces managers to think deeply about their clubs, and often themselves.” Let me elaborate.

Nine hundred representatives from 29 nationalities have been represented to date in seven host venues.

“As we saw early demand for the course rise, and numerous countries show serious interest, we could sense the excitement and momentum build and the enthusiasm from everyone just carried us over the line,” says Kevin. “Jason Koenigsfeld was our biggest supporter. He mentored me through the whole thing, even becoming a fixture around the dinner table in my house for a while as he audited our programmes on behalf of CMAA, who understandingly needed to know that their programme was in safe hands. ” As the programme got underway the impact it was having on club managers – who as Kevin points out are often under-valued by their clubs and committees – was soon evident. “It became clear that through the

Industry-led The programme is based on a global curriculum which has been fine tuned over 30 years by an international audience of thousands of club managers.

“This let us hit the ground running back in 2011, with proven best practice which give managers guaranteed deliverables when they return to their desks,” says Kevin. “Club managers in 29 countries and 15 different sports have attended the courses so far which proves that the principles of club management are global, even though the practices are understandably very local.”

Tribal behaviours “The residential nature of the courses generate a togetherness that other forms of learning simply don’t foster,” says Kevin. “Managers now have access to many other forms of education, or they can simply google information on clubs if all they are seeking is a

“ ”

When things are going well, take every opportunity to look out of the window, not in to the mirror.

Industry experts The curriculum is delivered by external specialists with a history of working in the club industry and experienced qualified Club Managers. Our committed team of educators will provide on going support after the programmes to delegates who approach them.

Certification

Networking

We offer two levels of certification for those who are on our education pathway.

30% of learning is done outside of the classroom, which is why our MDP courses are residential giving delegates the chance to network and build relationships.

The Club Management Diploma (CMdip) which is available to those who complete MDP’s 1 & 2 and the globally recognised Certified Club Manager (CCM).

Both awards are recgnised by the leading club industry recruitment firms.

Clubs all over Europe have benefitted

Bringing it back to your club One third of all delegates have made a financial improvement at their club within 30 days.

The average improvement was

50

7 901 £3,310!

147 36

MDP Courses

Countries

CMdips

Delegates

CCMs

The delegate satisfaction rate for our MDPs

Kevin in action with MDP delegates. transfer of knowledge. MDP is different, it provides the benefits of studying in a group, using the social interaction of managers sharing experiences to truly explore a subject and generate meaningful solutions based on real life, not just theory. This tribal behaviour extends well beyond the course, with managers continuing to interact to solve day to day problems.

Presenters now also send a post-course email nudge to delegates to see if they can help them once back at their desks. Our Managers cant quite believe the tribe

• Scotland • England • France • Spain • Italy • Ireland • UAE

in the 2015/16 term was

90.34%

The delegate satisfaction rate of our facilitators for the 2015/16 term was

95%

that they have joined, and often say they wonder how they ever did their jobs without it.”

Going deep early “We encourage people to go deep early,” says Kevin. “It’s a catch phrase that has stuck with me

CMAE Vice President David Roy (standing) introduces Kevin Fish at the AGM where CMAE Presidents Arnaldo Cocuzza and Marc Newey awarded Kevin with honourary CMAE membership and a gavel ‘with which to chair his meetings with ruthless efficiency!’

Kevin meets a hero, Alastair Campbell (right) and Bill McFarlane (left) at London's action-packed 2016 BMI International.

now, but I truly believe that those who get most from the courses are the managers who come willing to explore their weaknesses, share their concerns or angst, and are willing to help others do the same.” Managers often rediscover their love of the job during a week with their peers, and re-affirm why they were attracted to a club career.

“This has been helped enormously by the recent introduction of the two Lumina profiling tools,” says Kevin. “These two modules, and the follow up support we can offer have taken self awareness to a new level, and are helping managers to improve communication and reduce conflict. It’s all about self management, which starts with self awareness.”

While Kevin is widely credited as the architect of

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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

INSIDER’S INSIGHTS On working with the CMAA I know that CMAA is delighted that Europe has successfully delivered the global curriculum using local presenters and I was honoured to be approached by them to join the CMAA Professional Development Committee who oversee that global curriculum.

On governance I was alerted to the importance of governance by Dick Kopplin whose message instantly resonated with me as a serving club manager. The governance session at MDP always scores well, but I am quick to point out that it is the content that is so compelling – although it might help that this presenter has much personal experience of governance done badly, that it makes it easy to articulate what ‘good’ and ‘bad’ look like.

On presenting eight times at World Conference I was first asked to co-present at the World Conference in Hawaii by Niall Flanagan. I had just secured my R&A Rules of Golf Refereeing certificate. I learned that if you have some knowledge that you think would be interesting for the audience to hear, and you have a passion for channelling that subject to the audience, then presenting is fun. It’s finding the subjects you have passion for that counts, and I am pleased to say that I have several of those passions on which I now speak.

Most rewarding MDP session to deliver?

I loved the MDP 2 at Warwick last November because the Lumina Spark session was so well received.

Delegates immediately decided to ‘go deep early’, allowing us to enlarge several issues that weren’t necessarily on that days agenda, but were critical to the managers fulfilment in the role.

Most challenging MDP? MDP 2 is the most exhausting for delegates, mainly due to the amount of time they are determined to put in to the case study preparation. No amount of mentoring them can hold them back from banking hours in the evening, when they may be better served by balancing their case study with kicking back and learning from each other again.

Biggest challenges in setting up the programme?

In 2011 the education landscape was filled with deeply buried landmines, and a number of professional bodies were – understandably – sceptical of supporting a programme which had not piloted in this country. That was a big challenge. However, BIGGA, the PGA and GCMA all got behind the programme and CMAE continue to aspire to having the same commitment to the education of Club Managers that Course Managers and Professional Golfers have benefited from for years.

Name three club related wishes you’d love to be granted by Theresa May? 1. All of the public to be offered a financial incentive to take up a membership of a sporting club. This might help the health challenges we have, and give a much needed injection of cash in to clubs.

2. With an eye on training, introduce a new minimum educational requirement for managers of sports clubs, to focus the spotlight on this important area.

3. Introduce a new code of conduct, similar to Company Directors, which all volunteer club Committee members are obliged to follow.

Who would you could award an OCE (Order of the Club Empire) to and why?

Dead easy – Gregg Patterson OCE. These guys come along once in a generation, and if you are lucky enough to have one in your industry then cherish them.

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Gregg Patterson OCE

Top: Greg Patterson welcomes Kevin to the CCM fold.

Above: CMAE VP David Roy CCM and Kevin winning the MDP Golf ladder – a trophy which the duo had donated (and not on the understanding that they should win it!).

the programme in Europe, he pays tribute to those unsung heroes who helped lay the foundations.

“Establishing MDP in Europe has been my biggest achievement as a volunteer, but I have seen the blood, sweat and tears of dozens of people who have made it possible,” he says. “I have already mentioned the many CMAE Board members who helped CMAE to gain a foothold in Europe, the EPB members who just decided one day to make it happen and Jason Koenigsfeld of CMAE without whose professionalism we would not have earned the reputation we have gained.”

Support from the broader industry is also praised.

“Long before the success of MDP our long term partners at Toro, Circle, Jonas and EZGO backed us to climb this staircase, even when the first step wasn’t always clear,” says Kevin. “My own employers at Scottish Golf immediately saw the benefits of the programme to their affiliated clubs and backed the early programmes with infectious enthusiasm.”

Each of the seven MDP-hosting countries have needed what Kevin describes as ‘a pied piper on the ground’. “In Daniel Asis, Marc Bousige, Ascanio Pacelli, Nigel Cartwright, Dave Balden, Stuart Ferrier and James Burns we have been fortunate to have such great ambassadors,” he says. “Our presenters have delivered brilliantly, or we wouldn’t be sitting with a

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Where did you go to school/college?

I was born and raised in Newcastle and have lived in Scotland most of my life.

First job?

Selling the first home computers. Ironic really as I’m now one of the least ITreliant people you’ll meet.

Most exciting role to date?

I loved managing a club, which I did for nine years. My greatuest pleasure though is helping mentor or simply un-stick other club managers.

Celebrating in style at the CMdip presentations at Stirling, 2016.

Anything you’d do differently?

My advice to my younger self is the same advice I pass onto those managers at MDP under pressure. Take 10 years to complete the five year plan, and take everyone with you in the process. The journey will be far more enjoyable and far less hazardous.

Who has been your biggest influence in your working life?

Gregg Patterson, the recently retired Manager of the Beach Club in Santa Monica.

What book are you reading?

Alastair Campbell’s book on strategy, Winners.

The first ever MDP course, “The Scottish Trailblazers”, held at Stirling in October 2011, under the shadow of the Wallace Monument.

90% delegate evaluation score. The experience of Ronnie Malcolm and Bill Sanderson in particular was much needed in setting up such high impact courses.

And finally to Gregg and Elaine Patterson tireless support and unwavering belief kept me going; thank you.”

Asked what really stands out from the MDP journey and Kevin is clear that it’s the satisfaction of seeing education high on the agenda of clubs and of managers.

“I get to see people who have not been in a classroom for 30 years battle their way through an exam and pick up a qualification that re-energises their careers. I see more and more vacancies being filled by managers with a CMAE Qualification,” he says. “I occasionally have someone tell me that MDP has changed their life. What better reward can there be?”

Kevin has now handed the EPB Chairmanship to James Burns CCM, so what’s next?

“I have enjoyed taking a back seat for a while, particularly knowing that the programme is getting stronger with James and Mike Braidwood in post. I am now turning my volunteer time to creating an

annual gathering of this growing tribe of qualified managers. It’s a form of alumni I suppose, where we can gather together at a supportive European venue for a mixture of education, some golf, definitely some socialising and maybe some charity work thrown in there too.

On the work front he intends to carry on supporting the managers who contact him, invariably after an MDP presentation on governance, business planning, committee politics or Lumina self development,” concludes Kevin. “I have learned a huge amount from being around the MDP presenters and the global curriculum, and I am regularly asked to help managers in Scotland to put that knowledge to good use at their clubs. I aim to extend that one-toone support beyond Scotland’s borders in 2017, and would love to hear from the tribe if they feel I can help them and their clubs.”

Contact details Kevin Fish CCM can be contacted on Kevin.Fish2017@gmail.com

I’m afraid.

First record ever bought?

Ouch; it’s the Bay City Rollers

Current music hero?

Modern day crooner Richard Hawley.

What is your favourite tipple for relaxing after a hard day?

I should probably reflect deeply on this fact, but most of this readership already know the answer to this. Drambuie.

How do you unwind/relax?

Either, in the hot tub with the family, a beer and some Richard Hawley on the CD, or around my beloved Huffin Puffins football team, cycling, footballing, watching bands or just having meaningful conversations. Both work well for me.

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Unlocking Golf’s True Potential Syngenta is a global agriculture company, As an industry leader, we care not only for employing more than 28,000 people in 90 the health, quality and consistency of your fairways and greens, we care about the countries. health of the game itself and the industry’s For more than 30 years we have also been long-term business sustainability. a market leader in the global golf industry That’s why Syngenta is creating innovative turf management solutions for golf courses in 43 countries. investing in golf from the ground up with the aim of However, Syngenta is much more than turf Unlocking Golf’s True Potential. management products and services.

Our objectives are focused on:

Sustainability Enhancing the environment, increasing biodiversity, and engaging with customers and stakeholders

Productivity Supporting our customers and stakeholders with new knowledge, skills and tools to create strong, dynamic, customer-centric golf businesses

Playability Working with golf course superintendents around the world to deliver the best playing conditions for their customers

Working together, we can Unlock Golf’s True Potential To find out more, join Syngenta Golf Ambassador Carin Koch for a special on-course video presentation at: www.unlockinggolfstruepotential.co.uk

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CPC4 Capital Park, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5XE.

DATA PROTECTION

New legislation on data protection Following over four years of negotiation, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was passed in April this year and will come into effect in 2018 across Europe. Whether the UK will follow the regulations post Brexit remains to be seen, but there will be a big impact across all CMAE members in the EU. Elliott Shepherd at DMC explains.

What are the regulations for?

The new law comes following the ever increasing digital era of the internet, mobile devices, online banking and social media, replacing the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive. This new legislation is intended to better protect your club members against data breaches caused by service providers.

Businesses will benefit through the harmonisation of European data protection regulations therefore making it easier to comply.

What is the impact on your club?

You may have seen last year, TalkTalk received a £400,000 fine for their customers’ personal data being leaked. Those not conforming to the new requirements can expect fines amounting to as much as 4% of their previous year’s global revenue (or €20 million, depending on which is greater).

Come 2018, your club must keep track of sensitive personal data and have proven audit trails of the processing of such information. Should a breach occur, notification to the data protection authorities must be provided within 72 hours – In the UK it is the Information Commissioner’s Office.

For those handling considerable amounts of sensitive customer information, a special data protection officer must be appointed. Arming these individuals with the tools for data governance will be key.

Clubs face significant risk not only financially with potential fines but also the impact in reputation in the event of a data breach. With these new regulations, members are likely to challenge clubs on their data protection governance before making a decision.

There is no doubt that this new law will affect almost every club in some way and therefore it will be essential to preserve members’ expectations and trust to remain successful. Any club not protecting their members’ data sufficiently will be at severe risk of losing custom to competitors.

Recommendations include the following: Secure Print • Avoid sensitive documents sitting uncollected at the printer • Allows users to release print jobs from any device.

• Encrypt print jobs from the user PC to device.

• Anonymise print file names.

• Monitor content of documents being printed, copied or scanned to prevent duplication of documents of the highest sensitivity.

• Device Hard disk Erase or Encryption to prevent lose of data from printer Hard Drives Document Management • Automate the storage, management and tracking of all documents.

• Distribute to the relevant department automatically from the scanner.

• Apply rules based print and scan to prevent sensitive data from being copied.

Version Control • View what changes have been made to a document, when and by whom.

• Record all changes to a file or set of files and ensure your staff are using the most up-to-date data.

• Create user identity profiles.

Access Rights • Prevent sensitive data from getting into the wrong hands.

• Manage user permissions for use of specific documents within your business.

• Apply protocol settings to print and scanning devices.

• Create user identity directories that include guest permissions.

CONTACT DETAILS For further information please contact Elliott Shepherd at DMC on elliott.shepherd@ dmcplc.co.uk or 020 8253 4652

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10 CORE COMPETENCIES

New Year resolutions – CMAE-style CMAE’s education programmes are based around the 10 Core Competencies of the modern club manager. So to start off 2017, Director of Education Michael Braidwood has, with the help of a few friends and colleagues, compiled the perfect Top 10 New Year’s resolutions for members and managers.

B

efore getting down to the nitty gritty, I thought it’d be fun to find out just when did ringing in the New Year become such a big deal? Turns out it was the Babylonians who we can thank for New Year celebrations, Hogmanay and hangovers. They rang in their New Year 4,000 years ago with an 11-day festival – albeit in March.

By 46 BC Roman Emperor Julius Caesar declared January 1 as the start of the New Year in honour of Janus, the Roman God of Beginnings, and, after an unenthusiastic patch of some centuries, 1582 saw Pope Gregory XIII bring the January 1 New Year back with panache, introducing the still-current Gregorian calendar.

So, centuries down the line, how will we mere mortals of the CMAE clan prepare for the year ahead?

Membership and marketing – Michael Braidwood CCM Looking into the New Year there is one thing I always look at with respect to membership.

Are all our members engaged with what we do?

It’s worth reviewing what you’ve done in the past 12 months at the club and how many of your members are actively engaging the club’s offerings. Are they playing golf or tennis or your other core sports? Are they using the F&B areas, attending the social events you are putting on and so on?

This information should be readily available through your club management software and from there you should be able to see who the ‘at risk’ members are. If they’re not using your club there’s a good chance that their renewal will be under threat.

So reach out to them before this happens and find out why they’re not engaging. One simple phone call could make all the difference between someone renewing or deciding that the club is not for them.

Club governance – Kevin Fish CCM Tribe members – you all know that governance (the ‘G’ word!) comes from the Greek ‘to steer’. You also know that it’s not your club, ‘it’s theirs’. Your

job is to make sure that ‘they’ have all the information and guidance that ‘they’ need to steer the ship in the right direction. Now, if – like most club managers – you noticed that you were not on the Christmas card list of every member of the Committee, why not use this time of year to make a resolution that you’ll begin the process of mending any relationships that might be costing you a smooth passage through the choppy waters of club governance. The MDP pathway prepares you for improved self awareness, more informed decisionmaking and better results, so go and show your Committee that you value their input and opinion, and see what impact eight ‘wise men/women’ (or more) can have on your new year.

F&B management – Steven Brown Take the Guess out of Success! Given that the vast majority of clubs are unaware of why approximately 80% of their members fail to visit their food and beverage (F&B) operation on a regular basis, it’s surely imperative to try to find out why. Only then can you attempt to counter any negative thoughts that the – let’s face it – greatest potential market may be having about the F&B unit.

I strongly recommend that clubs conduct a specific food and beverage survey using one of the many free survey models currently available, such as Survey Planet, Survey Monkey, Typeform, Google Forms, Zoho Survey and Survey Gizmo.

In this way, and by asking the right questions, analysing the data and publishing the results, you can take the guess work out of planning your future F&B success.

Oh, one other important point! In order to encourage your reluctant members to complete the form, you need to offer an incentive, so how about a draw for all completed entries that guarantees that one lucky member will not pay their annual dues next year! Too rich for your blood?

Got enough on your plate? Well how much do you think ignorance will cost you next year without this key data? You know it makes sense! Supreme Commander Brown signing off; and have a happy and prosperous New Year!

Finance – Duncan Ritchie It’s important to start the financial year clean and up to date. This means reconciling the cash book to bank statements (remember, Cash is King!).

Debtors, creditors, fixed assets and stocks should all be itemised and reconciled to the Nominal Ledger; this means you have detailed back up for your Assets and Liabilities. (Please do make sure your final books match the Statutory Balance Sheet, in case a few changes may have arisen during the Audit.) Once the Accounts are all neat and tidy, it’s time to file them in an orderly fashion. This is so important because you will refer to them during 2017.

The Winter months are a good time to write down your Financial Policies and Internal Control Procedures. These should form part of a Club Handbook, and will be useful for any new employees joining. It will also be a chance for you to think about what and how you do things at the club. Equally it’s a good time to conduct any staff appraisals and make sure objectives are set so together you can monitor progress and eliminate surprises.

Finally, keep focussed, learn from the past, and most importantly, enjoy your job!

Leadership – Bill Sanderson Who leads the Leader? We often get so committed to leading, motivating and developing our team that we forget to practice what we preach.

So the key question for you is, ‘what is your commitment to becoming a better leader, over the next 12 months?’. The resources at your disposal are time and money. So: • How many days have you allocated to becoming a better leader?

• Are they top priority days? That means that whatever happens – and be certain of it, something will happen – you will keep to your commitment.

• How happy would your boss be if he or she knew your answer? Does any employer want a senior manager with zero (as it is in most cases) or low, commitment to being better next year than they were this year?

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10 CORE COMPETENCIES BILL SANDERSON’S TOP TIPS I will give each member of your team these two sentences to complete: “My manager is a great leader because………….”

• How would you like that sentence to finish?

• Are you delivering the leadership that will get you the response you want?

“I score my manager X out of 10 as a leader.”

• What score would they give?

• What score would you want?

What would you have to do to...

• Earn the ideal response?

• Improve your score?

• With a good response and score, what will you have to do to be even better?

Now: 1. List the actions needed to develop the skills, knowledge and experience that would get you to...

• The desired level of leadership • Your target score.

2. Design a strategy to get from where you are now as a leader to where you want to be.

3. Add a deadline.

4. Schedule a programme to get you there.

5. Take responsibility for making it happen.

This is Leadership in Action.

Interpersonal skills – Darshan Singh How are your communication Skills? As 50-60 % of a General Manager’s role is about communication, pay attention to 55, 38, and 7! Remember that only 7% of our message comes across in words, 38% in tone/volume of voice, and 55% through body language with gestures and movement. So ensure you use the correct medium for communicating your message.

Dynamic of teams – Teamwork is a powerful generator of learning and development opportunities. A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of their contribution and have the right level of knowledge, skill and competencies along with the trust and will to contribute.

Responding to conflict – Use Dr Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, which is a powerful technique that helps one to look at conflict from a number of different perspectives. Brainstorming is also a simple and effective method for generating new ideas and solutions to conflict resolution.

Ownership and responsibility – Key to success in personal and professional life is where individuals take ownership and responsibility for SMART goals and objectives and then use Time wisely.

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Remember Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back. So when it’s Time for action, stop thinking and just do it.

Facilities management – David Roy CCM At the start of the year you will have a (relatively!) empty diary or similar on your lap top. Take a few moments to plan out the following important tasks relating to Facilities Management. And book them in now!

• Quarterly full facility walk rounds, checking everything. Do this with a colleague and/or member of your Board/Committee. Extra pairs of eyes will have different angles and provide a more rounded view of the club in its entirety.

• Review existing contractors and update your list of approved suppliers.

• Plan dates to train colleagues on preventative maintenance (and who to call in the event of an

emergency).

• Meet your Insurance broker to ensure you have the right cover for all assets and eventualities.

• Review the warranty periods on all your pieces of equipment.

• Fix a date for closing the clubhouse for a deep clean, planned maintenance, carpet cleaning, touch-up painting and cleaning of plumbing (to prevent legionella).

• Review the capital replacement programme.

• Fix a date for the PAT review.

• Plan in a roof inspection, repairs, gutter cleaning etc.

All of the above is key to proactive preventative maintenance, which will ensure 2017 is not a year of unpleasant surprises!

Recreation management – Michael Braidwood CCM One of the keys to successful recreation management

Training – follow up with a great induction programme to settle in your new recruit.

External and governmental influences – Caroline Gurevitz What do you need to do to make sure that your UK club is complying with its legal obligations in 2017?

Are you prepared to adapt with legal changes on the horizon?

The first step is to ensure that you are complying with current legal obligations. The following should all be in place: 1. All employees must be issued with a contract of employment.

2. The club must have disciplinary, grievance and absence procedures which comply with the relevant ACAS Codes of Practice.

3. You must have carried out ‘right to work’ checks on all staff.

4. You must store all confidential information pertaining to staff and members in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Planning ahead, and 2017 is set to be an interesting year with new pieces of legislation and case law awaited. These are our top picks to look out for: • Holiday pay – British Gas Trading Ltd v Lock and another In October 2016, the Court of Appeal ruled that commission should be included in the calculation of holiday pay. British Gas is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Whilst no date has yet been set for a hearing, this judgment is likely to have implications for many employers.

is to ensure your facilities are at the cutting edge of your sector. This is, of course, linked to facility management, but is more about seeing your recreation offering through the eyes of members and customers.

So, two quick 2017 resolutions for you: 1. Use your own facilities from time to time. You’ll learn a whole lot more about the functionality and quality they provide if you experience them for yourself.

2. Take time to experience your competitors’ facilities. Use them to pick up new innovations and to bench mark your facilities against theirs.

Human and professional resources – Michael Braidwood CCM Failing to plan is planning to fail! One of the biggest time-wasters managers face is disengaged and unproductive staff. Often the problem lies in

the very fact that they shouldn’t have been working for you in the first place thanks to poor recruitment, planning and procedures. So for 2017 set yourself a goal of doing your recruitment properly and train your line managers to do the same. Consider the following: Recruitment time lines – often we pick the most available person rather than the most competent.

Succession planning – not everyone is going to stay forever.

Job description and requirements – recruit around exactly what you need. Prepare a good list of interview questions to really get the most out of your prospective candidates.

Appointing – ensure you get a second opinion and then use your due diligence and follow up on references.

• General Data Protection Regulations Although the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) do not come into force until May 2018, the scope of the changes under the new Regulation means that preparing for the GDPR will be high priority for employers in 2017.

• Salary-sacrifice schemes Employers will need to reconsider their benefit offerings as tax savings through many salarysacrifice schemes will be abolished from 6 April, 2017.

• Changes to rules for employing foreign workers Employers sponsoring foreign workers with a tier 2 visa will be required to pay an immigration skills charge of £1,000 per worker (£364 for small employers and charities) beginning in April 2017.

The immigration skills charge will be in addition to current fees for visa applications.

• National minimum wage changes aligned Increases to the National Minimum Wage will be aligned, with the next round of changes taking effect on 1 April, 2017.

CLUB MIRROR 25

CLUB AWARDS

Club Awards 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; winners announced The CMAE and Clubhouse Europe were delighted to be a sponsor of the 2016 Club Awards. The team was there in force on the night to celebrate all that's great about UK sports clubs specifically, underlining the broad church that the association now represents. The night of celebration began with a drinks reception (sponsored by Carlsberg UK) complete with The Barclays Premier League Cup courtesy of BT Sport.

Then followed the main event â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the 2016 Club Awards Gala Dinner hosted by TV presenter Sally Nugent.

Congratulations to all winners, to every finalist and to every club who entered.

CLUB AWARD JUDGES

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CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 27

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CLUB AWARDS

Golf Catering Club Leeds Golf Club

Catering Club Kings Heath Cricket & Sports Club

Green Club Shifnal Golf Club

Bar Manager/Steward Ian and Joanne Bamford, Somers Sports & Social

Business Initiative Cobham Sports & Social Club

Most Innovative Club Burghill Valley Golf Club

Website of the Year Dudsbury Golf Club

Turnaround Club Wrockwardine Wood FC Sports & Social Club

Cricket Club St Anneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cricket Club

28 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

Football Club Ramsbottom FC

Bowls Club Penn Bowling Club

Golf Club Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club

Rugby Club Burton Rugby Club

Rugby Club Newport Rugby Club

Sports Club Cookley Sports Club

Tennis Club Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club

Sports & Social Club Willaston Sports & Social Club

Manager/Secretary of the Year Paul Palmer, Dudsbury Golf Club

Manager/Secretary of the Year David Giles, Northern Football Club

King of Clubs Cobham Sports & Social Club

READY TO ENTER? CMAE members are invited to nominate themselves or fellow clubs for the 2017 Club Awards. Just contact info@clubmirror.com or let Mike Braidwood know you would like to enter. Michael.Braidwood@cmaeurope.eu CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 29

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HOSPITALITY SOCIAL MEDIA AWARDS

Hospitality Social Media Awards The first ever Hospitality Social Media Awards (HSMA) took place on Wednesday November 23, 2016 in Manchester. The only pan-sector Awards saw clubs, pubs, hotels and restaurants showing how social media is making a real difference to their business and to the sector as a whole.

S

ocial media is one of the biggest tools for clubs and the on-trade in all its guises and wherever the club or outlet happens to be. It allows outlets to reach via an up-to-the minute – and extremely cost-effective – means of communication.

Most importantly it’s proving one of the most effective weapon in drawing people out of their homes and into the hospitality arena.

The Awards were launched to encourage and applaud this, with finalists across all areas of the hospitality industry, from football and golf clubs to tennis clubs, pubs, hotels and restaurants coming under one roof to share successes and learnings.

“Every one of our finalists is clearly an ambassador for the use of social media,” said ACP MD Sean Ferris (pictured right). “But there are many, many outlets that need more help. And we’re hoping that these success stories will become part of that inspiring process.”

CALL FOR ENTRIES To enter the 2017 Awards, turn the page.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 31

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HOSPITALITY SOCIAL MEDIA AWARDS Sports presenter John Inverdale hosts the inaugural Awards.

AND THE CLUB SECTOR WINNERS ARE...

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1. GOLF CLUBS OF THE YEAR Farleigh Golf Club Golf at Goodwood 2. FOOTBALL CLUB OF THE YEAR Stafford Rangers FC 3. COMMUNITY CLUBS OF THE YEAR Kings Heath Cricket & Sports Club Phoenix Artist Club 4. RUGBY CLUB OF THE YEAR Bedford Blues Rugby Club 5. COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB Cardiff City FC

OUR SPONSORS

32 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

2

Congratulations to the first ever Hospitality Social Media Awards winners.

3

4

The Premier League Trophy makes an appearance, courtesy of BT Sport.

INTERESTED?

5

For the HSMA Special issue (coming soon) use this QR code.

Images also available at www.hmsa.org and on our Facebook page â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.facebook.com/HospitalitySocial-Media-Awards Ready to enter the 2017 Awards? Just send in your club details to info@hsma.org and we'll do the rest.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 33

REFRESHING

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UNDERSTANDING YOU, FIRST...

Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

*

INDUSTRY REPORT

Private Clubs – trends and challenges In September 2016, Global Golf Advisors (GGA) and the CMAE hosted the first European Private Club Leaders Symposium. GGA Partner Rob Hill presents the key findings of the research and highlights which trends and challenges identified by these leaders are likely to have the most impact on private clubs over the next five years.

GGA and the CMAE’s first European Private Club Leaders Symposium hosted over 35 club executives and leaders from many of Europe’s most esteemed private clubs to identify and explore emerging trends and best practices within the private club segment - from governance and capital to membership, strategic intelligence and Brexit.

Talent search Private clubs rely on consistently identifying, attracting and retaining talented people in order to perform at the highest level. It is a challenge that these leaders predict is to become significantly more difficult and impactful over the next five years.

When asked why, more than half of participating club leaders (58%) believe that there is (1) an increased demand for talent in the hospitality sector and (2) that the club industry is not as attractive as other hospitality specialties. To overcome the challenge, clubs are seeking to develop closer relationships with third-level institutions, and to place a greater emphasis on both internal and specialized club education such as that provided by CMAE.

Other influential factors cited as expected to have a significant impact on the performance of private clubs in the next five years include the changing demographic profile of membership and capital maintenance and its funding.

Governance Governance is the engine which drives and preserves the culture of a club. The research findings indicate that many clubs are now taking a more structured and pro-active approach to governance.

Trends in the club industry in recent years have shown that the function, size, tenure and decisionmaking authority of the Board and Committees at private clubs have been changing to ensure more efficiency and professionalism, and to ensure that a sound business model is in place (for example, smaller Boards with longer terms and fewer Committees).

Some of the key research findings were: • More than two-thirds (68%) of participating clubs reported having a Strategic Plan.

• More than half of clubs (55%) keep their strategic plan active and relevant by reviewing their plans

•

•

•

• • •

Table: What factors most impact on the performance of the club Change in Factor Impact

Avg. Rating (5 = Highly Impacted) Past 5 Years Next 5 Years Variance in

•

Impact Identifying/retaining talent

2.76

3.47

+ 0.71

Demographic profile of members

2.96

3.44

+ 0.48

Capital maintenance

3.42

3.84

+ 0.42

Changes in utilisation

2.60

2.88

+ 0.28

Reduction/increase in membership count

3.07

3.07

0.00

Technology

3.11

3.10

- 0.01

Governance

3.33

3.02

- 0.31

•

•

• •

Source: GGA Private Club Leaders Symposium Survey, 2016

each month while 45% report performance results annually. More than one-third (36%) of clubs implement a General Manager incentive programme tied to achieving strategic aims.

In the last decade, more than nine out of 10 clubs (92%) have changed or revised their vision statement.

Club Managers make their strategic plan part of their Board orientation process by reviewing the plan one-on-one with each new Board member (70%), requiring Board members to read and review the plan (20%), or conducting Board retreats (10%).

Roughly nine out of 10 (89%) Club Managers involve the Board before setting annual goals. At half of clubs, the Board is responsible for setting annual club goals while one-third (31%) rely on the Club Manager for goal setting.

75% of Boards use written goals to monitor/evaluate GM performance.

63% of GMs report progress on their goals each month.

The average Board size at participating clubs is approximately 10.5 Board members; 11% of clubs have reduced the size of their Board in the last five years.

The average number of standing sub-committees is approximately 7. 22% of clubs have reduced the number of committees in the last five years.

Only 6% of Boards self-evaluate their performance at the conclusion of each meeting. The Board is always evaluated as a whole, rather than as individuals.

More than nine out of 10 (94%) of clubs provide a performance appraisal to the Club Manager each year, with half (50%) of clubs providing both a verbal and written appraisal.

On average, clubs reported that 39% of Board meeting time is spent on operational matters.

Two-thirds of clubs (67%) empanel their Board through elections while 22% rely on the standing Board to appoint new Board members.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 35

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INDUSTRY REPORT • Detailed analysis of members’ satisfaction, attitudes, expectations, capital preferences, and pricing sensitivity (78% support).

• Formalised, detailed comparative benchmark analysis of club’s performance (72% support).

• Deep understanding of local household trends (61% support).

• Analysis of trending golf demand in local area (56% support).

• Clubs feel that their current club management software systems are somewhat limited with regard to their ability to impact strategy. Six in 10 Club Managers (59%) feel that their current software system does not meet the needs of their club.

Maintaining capital Many clubs are pressured to evolve and stay relevant, which requires anticipating future capital needs, adhering to maintenance schedules, and allocating financial resources well in advance. Capital maintenance and its funding has been and will remain for the next five years, one of the private club sectors greatest challenges.

Research findings demonstrated the following: • One-third of clubs (33%) fund capital by allocating a portion of annual subscriptions/dues to capital while 17% charge a separate capital due to members. Half of clubs don’t allocate or charge for capital funding at all. The greatest capital challenge for more than half of clubs (53%) is funding capital improvements.

• Six in 10 clubs (61%) have an up-to-date capital reserve study. Nine in ten (89%) have a capital reserve fund for capital maintenance, with more than half (56%) funding their reserve through a calculation of expected maintenance.

• Clubs spend an average of 9% of gross revenue on capital maintenance annually.

• The most significant deferred capital maintenance issues at participating clubs relate to the overall clubhouse and golf course; clubs are primarily focused on adding or improving both over the next five years.

• Clubs are focused on improving existing facilities rather than adding new ones.

• Improvements/upgrades will be directed toward clubhouse and dining facilities.

• New facility additions relate to childcare, spa facilities, and racquet sports.

Membership recruitment and rentention Gone are the days when most clubs were operating with waitlists and a pipeline full of members lined up to join the club. The reality is that most clubs must now aggressively seek and find new members.

36 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

Successful clubs are adopting a more data-driven approach to membership recruitment/retention and are adjusting membership and amenity offerings to be more competitive in their business space.

• 61% of clubs map the location of their members to identify trends and areas for new member growth.

GGA recommends that clubs do this annually to maximise membership sales effectiveness.

• Six in 10 clubs (61%) have encountered challenges with an aging membership or growing senior member category. Two-thirds of this group has adopted a set of tactics to address these challenges, among which adjustments to age bands and entry fees are most common solutions.

• More than one in four (28%) clubs have experienced a decline in their total number of members in the last five years.

• The top three factors for creating a sustainable membership strategy include (1) improve overall amenity quality, (2) embracing modern technologies to complement modern lifestyles, and (3) further enhancing the club’s platform for connecting its membership.

Strategic intelligence Strategic Intelligence relates to the methods and means of gathering, analysing, and organising data useful for informing key strategic decisions made by clubs. After all if a club is to develop a strategic business plan, it is reasonable to expect that it should be an intelligent one, informed by market-reality as opposed to opinion, anecdote or agenda.

Research findings demonstrated the following: • Clubs see the greatest value in gathering metric data related to better understanding their members and evaluating their club’s operating performance.

• Mapping where members live and work (78% support).

Brexit The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union, proposed for completion by the end of March 2019, may bring with it considerable consequences for the club industry. The UK is now entering a time of uncertainty while business and politics attempt to make sense of the post-referendum reality and navigate a new course. While only time will tell what impact Brexit holds on private clubs in Europe, many of the region’s elite club managers have their own speculations: • Just under a quarter (22%) of clubs have carried out a Brexit Impact Assessment.

• Nearly half of participating clubs (46%) believe that the impact will be most strongly felt in areas relating to overall revenue performance, acquisition and retention of staff, and their overall membership absorption rate (the ability to attract new members).

• EU nationals comprise approximately 18% of the workforce at participating clubs, even exceeding 30% in some cases.

• Nearly three quarters (72%) of clubs have found it more challenging to source talented staff over the last five years. More than half of clubs attribute this change to (1) a greater demand for talent in the hospitality sector, (2) that other hospitality specialities are more attractive than the club industry, and (3) an overall lower supply of talent in the hospitality sector.

• The two most important critical factors in retaining existing talent of the next five years are the ability for clubs to provide for professional development (65%) and improvements to remuneration/compensation (53%).

A copy of the report is available to CMAE members on request by contacting GGA Partner Rob Hill on rhill@globalgolfadvisors.com.

Rob Hill is a partner at GGA (formerly KPMG Golf Practice), the largest professional advisory services firm in the world dedicated to clubs and golf-related businesses. From their offices in Dublin, Toronto and Phoenix, GGA has served more than 2,700 clients worldwide. They specialize in; strategic planning; governance; market analysis; membership planning; and operational performance analysis.

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Meeting the needs of our clients In the fall of 2012, while hosting a User Group in Fort Lauderdale, a Jonas Club Software employee sat down at a table for lunch. Already seated were four employees from Lost Tree Club, all of which had come to the User Group with one very specific intention – to see if Jonas Club Software was ready to take their Spa Management system to the next level.

L

ynn Hearn is the Director of Spa & Fitness at Lost Tree Club in North Palm Beach, and is the founding president of the Club Spa & Fitness Association (CSFA), a non-profit association dedicated to establishing best practices for fitness, spa & wellness operations in the private club setting.

When Lost Tree signed up for the 2012 User Group session, they were preparing to open a new Spa & Fitness facility, and were seeking additional software solutions that would support their expanded wellness operation.

“Back in 2008, Rick Bayliss was recruited to take the helm at Lost Tree Club, a nearly 50 year old club at the time, to create an infrastructure for capital and operational improvements and move the club successfully into the future. We had made the decision to transition the whole club under one software system,” said Lynn. “It was important to us moving forward to have the reports and dashboards to develop a better understanding of the Spa and

Fitness facilities as part of the whole business.”

As one of the first users of the new Spa Management system, Lost Tree was an early adopter, and in doing so soon realised the product still needed to grow to meet their advanced needs.

Lynn explains: “We knew the system needed to grow in order to support and meet the needs of a sophisticated fitness & spa operation, so we reached out to Jonas regarding improvement opportunities in the program.” It’s what happened next that surprised Lynn and the team from Lost Tree Club. “A lot of companies would go on the defense when questioned about a new product, but the people at Jonas said ‘OK, let’s get it working the way you need it to’, and that was the beginning of a great partnership,” she said.

In the years that have passed, Lynn and the team at Lost Tree have developed a close working relationship with the development team at Jonas Club Software, even travelling to the company headquar-

ters in Toronto to brainstorm ideas for the continued development of Spa and Fitness applications.

“We were so happy that Jonas offered us an open door policy,” said Lynn. “We weren’t sure at first what would come of this, but over time, it has become clear that Jonas is being responsive to the needs of the industry and we’ve seen the product evolve thanks to their willingness to work with us.”

Client partnerships like this one are just one example of how we at Jonas Club Software work every day to ensure we are meeting the needs of our clients. We also take every possible opportunity to meet and interact with our clients face to face at User Groups, Conferences and industry events. We hope to see you sometime soon too.

CONTACT DETAILS www.jonasclub.co.uk e. sales@jonasclub.com

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 37

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SPONSORSHIPS

Securing sponsorship satisfaction CMAE’s Mike Braidwood CCM examines the value of sponsorships to clubs and how to ensure that the relationship works for all parties – including the members. Here are his 10 Top Tips with an additional one thrown in, all in the spirit of under-promise, over-deliver! practical way to earn additional revenue for your club is to bring in sponsors. Not only can they add financial value to the club, they can also pro-actively promote the club and act as an endorsement of the club if the brand fit is right.

To bring in the right sponsors at the right fee, you first of all need to understand what the sponsors are looking for. All businesses will have their particular targets so if, for example, they’re looking for a younger market you may want to discuss the youth section. If their product is female focussed, then your drive to bring in more 18-34 year old males may cause disappointment and friction at a later stage.

Equally, be sure that the sponsors you hope to bring in will be viewed as a good fit by the members.

The sponsors you choose to work with says as much about you as a club as it does about them as a sponsor. And also do remember to tap into the expertise and reach of your new partner. Examine cross-promotions and be ready to discuss their learnings while sharing your own to equal benefit.

In general sponsors are looking for: • Positive promotion of their brand (exposure).

• A platform through which to sell their products.

• A targeted client base who match the profile of their customers.

• A facility that matches their brand aspirations.

• And potentially a place to entertain existing clients to ensure ongoing loyalty.

A

Here are top tips to ensure your sponsors are completely satisfied and keep coming back to you year on year.

1. Professionalism Many of the potential sponsors you will be dealing with will be reporting back to a head office which will have strict control procedures. Therefore it is important to understand quickly that these organisations will need professionally produced documents produced during the negotiations and contract process.

Ensure that you have these documents to hand and that your communication and dealings are professional and efficient. Often large organisations

38 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

The sponsors you work with will tell your members much about you as a club. make last minute decisions and are working to tight timelines, so it is important that you respect these timeline and follow through on their requests.

Ensure that everything is signed and sealed as - like many clubs - budgets may be cut in times of austerity or if head office priorities change.

2. Respect their brand Sponsors are entrusting you with their brand. From the onset, then, you should ask them for a copy of their brand guidelines and any do’s and don’ts. This will not only impress them with your commitment to safeguard the brand values, but it will also ensure that you or your team don’t make any blatant errors when you do agree terms and are ‘managing’ their brand on your property. It is a good idea to quickly establish sign off procedures on their brand application at your facility so it does not hold up the process.

3. One stop shop Once you have established an agreement for a company to sponsor an element at your facility they may expect you to provide a ‘one stop shop’ for them.

This is a great opportunity to add yet more valuable revenue by taking care of the production of branded items etc. Be careful during the negotiations that the

sponsor understands that the fees you are charging are for the exposure opportunity and the cost of branding certain items is over and above that.

You may be asked to source the signage company, printer, source the shirts, produce the flags etc. whatever it is you will need to project manage this carefully and charge a decent margin to cover the time you have put into this.

Very often clubs will have much better supply chains for these items than the sponsoring company themselves.

4. Add value When you are developing sponsorship relationships make sure you understand the long term value of the sponsorship agreement and ensure that you are adding value into the agreement. This may be in the form of, for example, free activities – perhaps a fourball at a golf day, seats at an annual dinner and so on.

One good way to add value is to create a media release about the agreement and circulate (with their prior approval) to your database.

By adding value you are reinforcing the relationship which should result in the relationship lasting longer term, giving the club some sustainable income streams.

• Media clipping from a joint press release with some media value calculations.

• Photographic log of their brand in situ.

• Feed back/testimonials from sponsored events.

8. Longer terms presence If you have committed and loyal sponsors on board it is a good idea to have a sponsors’ recognition wall somewhere prominent in the clubhouse. This wall can carry the logo and a story of the relationship, thus giving the sponsor more exposure and a feelgood factor. However, the sponsors’ wall is also a marketing showcase for you, because it sends a positive message to others that ‘yes we are open to sponsorship suggestions’.

You should be able to measure the value of the sponsorships you receive and therefore you could put a ‘minimum’ spend threshold to qualify for permanent club house presence.

9. First refusal Over time you will think up many sponsorship opportunities at your club, from events and competitions to product placement or simply branding.

Whatever they are, make sure you give your existing sponsors first refusal. There is nothing more infuriating for an existing sponsor seeing another brand take on something at a facility that they were unaware was up for grabs. Equally, if you feel the need to spread your sponsorships over more companies for security, use your diplomacy and communication skills to explain this reasoning.

If your sponsors are focusing on the next generation of members, make sure they see your coaching programmes in action.

5. Communication – before, during and after Often the sponsoring company will have assigned the relationship to a specific person in their organisation. Whoever this person is and whatever their job title, rest assured they will be required to give timely feedback on what is happening to their sponsorship investment. As a result be proactive with your communication before, during and – in the case of an event – after. In this way you are making their life easier and, if there are any misunderstandings, they will emerge quickly and can be addressed. The aim is to show that you are meeting and exceeding expectations. It becomes quantifiable and, should this person leave, there is an accurate trail of activities to prove that you are meeting your side of the agreement. It also makes their life easier which can only help secure renewals/more business and goodwill.

6. Loyalty During a sponsorship relationship you need to be loyal to your sponsor and open and upfront about other sponsorship opportunities. You may, for example, tie down a local car dealer to be ‘Official car dealer of club X’. As a result of this you will have to have in your agreement certain exclusions

regarding approaches from other car dealers and/or brands. This may not preclude you from having a competitor brand’s event at your club, but you better make sure that your sponsor knows that you will be open to other car brand business. This puts you in a position of power. If they demand exclusivity that will cost more as you’re losing potential revenue. A word of warning here; if exclusivity comes into play, be careful on your handling of turning others away. If your sponsor walks away from you (for whatever reason) you could find that those you’ve turned away have secured sponsorships elsewhere. Look at the length of your agreement and secure a three year exclusivity deal if possible.

7. Results The more results and stats you can feed back to the sponsor the better. They have to report up the chain the performance of their sponsorship investment, so it is crucial that you feed them with the right information. Some of the stats you could offer are: • Number of customers you have had through your doors who have seen their brand.

• The number of hits on your web site pages that carry the sponsors brand (you might also show the click through rate).

10. Innovation Sponsors appreciate it if you come up with innovative ideas that help portray their brand in a positive light – and which also secure money for your club (win win). So take time to understand the businesses your members are in and keep an eye on local and regional advertising to see who is promoting what.

Then approach them with ‘have I got an idea for you!’.

And finally – your bonus point!

11. Recognition Take time to recognise your sponsors at every available opportunity: • Thank them during speeches at events, specifically not generically. “I’d like to thank all the sponsors today” does not cut it.

• Invite them to a sponsors’ golf day or event as your guest/s.

• Invite them to an end of season dinner.

• Send them a thank you gift at the end of the year (an innovative one ideally – stand out from the crowd).

• Send them thank you notes.

Ultimately, always try and step into the mind-set of your sponsors. And keep in touch with what they’re doing. If they shift direction or launch a new product, you want to be sure that together you stay on the same path and continue the journey for their benefit, the club’s benefit and ultimately the benefit of your members. And ultimately always remember the mantra – under promise and over-deliver!

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 39

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TRIBAL TUESDAY – STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP

Is that a washing machine?

Nick Solski CCM recently took over Boomers and Swingers driving range in Manchester and decided to break tradition and be a little different.

O

kay; 50 or 100 balls with no dimples, which would you prefer? And 100, 150, 200 yard targets – which of these exciting options shall we aim for today?

Having such a limited choice over the years has lowered the expectations of both golfers and nongolfers alike. They expect to shove the necessary change into a cold, battered metal machine that unhappily dispenses tired, discoloured old balls that can defy physics by drawing and fading in one shot.

So it’s a shock when they arrive in the car park here to be welcomed by two huge white signs, Boomers and Swingers. What is this establishment we have come to? What happened to the old faded pink signs with a green surrounding? This in-yourface sign wouldn’t look out of place at a Donald Trump Convention! (That’s the idea, the owner smugly thinks.)

Walking into a brightly lit shop to be met by a good morning, a smile and a genuine welcome is so shocking to some that we felt the need to buy a defibrillator! Straight away they are on guard; change must be bad! This leaves their walk to the counter filled with trepidation.

As they look over the server’s shoulder out on to the freshly cut range with the distance markers lined up in a very pleasing-to-the-eye way, they are greeted by the sight of three silver washing machines adorned by six old beer barrels. The lack of flags on the range nearly causes the defibrillator to be pulled out for a second time, but opinion soon changes after the first satisfying ‘ding’ of a successful ball/barrel collision.

The explanation starts. ‘We have a new system of 30, 60 and 90 minutes with UNLIMITED balls.’

(The confusion levels are now through the roof!)

‘And yes, we have new balls. Nike ones. And new mats that won’t hurt your hands when you hit from them. We won’t achieve our goal of being the best driving range in Manchester without them.’

‘Is the price still the same as it was in Happy Hour?’

‘No Sir. Then you got 100 balls for £6.75. Now you get unlimited for one hour for £8.’ (With unlimited it’s impossible to calculate the price per ball, so our prices cannot be compared to anywhere else but

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give a perceived ‘unlimited’ potential value.)

‘The balls are all laid out on the bays waiting for you. We will be round to top you up if you’re running out and please help yourself to a free coffee from the machine on the way out.’ (It’s free coffee every time it rains in Manchester... not far off 365 days per year.)

Results? Well, its early days. As I write this it’s just six weeks since I took over the business. But this last week has seen double the number of visitors than the previous two weeks, so I hope the trend continues. The Facebook comments are increasing and the smiles of returning customers demonstrate early signs of contentment.

So, that was a little customer journey. What does that have to do with anything in practice?

1. Breaking traditional constraints allows you to play with products and prices (six holes + sandwich and bottle of wine for four people – £50?).

2. Having responses ready to customer comments and/or complaints leaves you ready to respond (practise role play) .

3. Don’t be afraid to be different, but remember that every single person will have an opinion, so cover your bases with quality as well as quirkiness.

4. Tell your members/customers your goals. Be proud of them and don’t make any action unless it relates to achieving them.

5. Don’t bad mouth other competitors. Sing their praises, but highlight their differences.

(Thorough market research and SWOT analysis is needed on each competitor.)

6. Be a beacon of positivity. Turn negatives into

marketing positives. For example, ‘I’m just a driving range. I have no golf holes, but I do have a roof!’ (Hence the tagline ‘golf with a roof.’)

7. Encourage feedback. People love to share their experiences. Face to face is the time to do it, not with a survey.

8. Don’t lie. But you don’t always have to share the innermost secrets of your facility. Front of house and back of house. Perception and reality.

Choose how you want to be perceived.

9. Price is only important in the absence of value.

What are you doing to add value to your product as opposed to discounting it?

10. Do you know how to use social media to get a response/action? If I see one more club logo with the words ‘hidden gem’ under it...!

Nick Solski CCM Nick Solski CCM owns Boomers and Swingers Driving Range in Manchester.

For the past seven years he worked at golf resorts in Eastern Europe and two years at Roman Abramovich’s golf course in Moscow. He is a Fellow of the PGA and a strong believer in the role of CMAE. “Education is the foundation of innovation, and spending time with tribe members on MDP courses has given me the knowledge, confidence and comfort that we are all in this together – as the facebook group demonstrates!” says Nick.

• If you would like more information from Nick please feel free to contact him on nick@nicksolski.com

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