What is Disruptive Innovation? Historically, “disrupters” are visionaries who grasp how an existing idea, product or service can be improved upon, produced for less or made more accessible to millions. Take Apple for example. The development of the iPhone has given consumers a way to communicate and connect like never before. Or Amazon.com, which has successfully brought millions of products to one storefront with better prices. “Disrupters” don’t settle for “this is how we’ve always done it.”
How can this type of innovation deliver a positive impact at your private club? Let’s look at club events and programming. Many clubs build an annual club calendar by replicating what they’ve always done—an Easter Brunch, a holiday luncheon, men’s and women’s guest invitationals, a wine dinner, etc. More often than not, it’s the same format, the same band, the same … same … same …
We recently fostered disruptive innovation at our club in Pebble Beach by re-engineering our Men’s Invitational. The general manager directed the executive management team and other key staff to gather around the boardroom table and re-imagine the tournament—from scratch. We began by asking questions. What are other clubs doing that are leaving lasting impressions? What are some high-end brands that are delivering customer experiences with which we might be able to align? We brainstormed on how to push the envelope creatively. From there, I identified ideas that aligned with our brand and marketing strategies before presenting to the tournament committee.
Not only was the event enhanced, but the way we worked collectively to design the experience was altered. We’ve shaken up the “way we’ve always done it” and it will pay dividends when the members and their guests arrive for an ultimate three-day experience this fall.
At a private club, one can be disruptive in every facet of the member experience. Take communications for example. Finding a successful way to reach your members through online communication and delivering information to them more quickly, easily and in a more timely and cost effective manner is a disruption to the traditional monthly country club newsletter.
There are four necessary elements to make disruptive innovation work at your club:
1. Senior Management Must Allow for Disruptive Innovation
Our general manager created space for this type of innovation by gathering us together and giving us the support and encouragement to explore and implement new ideas.
2. Understanding the Role of Tradition
Private clubs are safe havens for tradition and legacy, which makes our communities of members so special. Disruptive innovation must consider what members value most in order to successfully build new ideas, services and experiences.
For example, the Men’s Invitational has a caricature of a pelican as the tournament’s logo. This logo was sketched by a member in the 80s and to some marketers, would be the first thing to be re-designed for a more updated appeal. Instead, we opted for using graphical enhancements such as a silhouette to give the logo a more modern and clean presentation. Because the logo is a part of the history of the tournament, we incorporated a story about the member who sketched the logo and his inspiration, chronicling the origin of the tournament’s name on the invitation.
For trophies, we replaced crystal with hand-carved pieces of art. A local artist was commissioned to carve a pelican in flight to reflect our club’s ability to move solidly into the future. Also, a photo of one of our signature holes was printed on giclee paper, matted and framed.
These are the types of items that a member and their guest will be proud to take home and display. They could even spark a conversation with friends that could lead to a referral for membership.
3. Grow Market Share
By introducing change, you have the potential to engage members who have never participated before. Reach out to them personally and tell them how excited you are about this year’s event, which is unlike any other year.
For example, this year we scheduled the big dinner party for the evening of the first day of the tournament and are making it more casual and fun with interactive food and cocktail stations, live music and roaming fashion models. In years past, we offered a formal affair on the final evening of the tournament. This will be replaced with an evening of heavy hors d’oeuvres and champagne as a “toast to the champions.” Both evening events are new to the club and have the potential to attract new segments of membership.
4. Risk
Change is no doubt scary, and a lot more work. However, if you can identify a handful of events and design a long-term vision, you are essentially mapping out the incremental steps you plan to take toward success year by year.
Disruptive innovation could be that ‘spark’ that your club needs to generate new memberships and retain the members you already have. As you begin to plan next year’s event schedule at your club, will you take the passive approach of simply folding in new approaches into your existing strategies, such as hiring a different band, or will you dare to re-engineer your club events at their very core, to deliver the most memorable experience?
Rachel Carter is the director of member services at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, California and a 14-year veteran in the private club industry.