It’s easy to identify the keys to good communication practices: clear, concise information; accuracy and detail; and identifying the balance between effectively promoting club events and oversaturation. Many communications positions in the club industry were created as a solution—solving the problem of organizing a club’s chaos and providing order to the information sent to the membership. They centralize and streamline efforts, provide a maestro for the orchestra of club events and serve as a hub of support for members and other departments.
Once a club combines these ingredients, they have a recipe for success. But what’s the trick to go above and beyond? To provide a better, more tailored member experience? The answer is simple: Create a communications plan.
Inform, Excite, Inspire
A solid communications plan is grounded in three elements: the ability to inform, excite and inspire. Informing the membership involves communicating details and all opportunities involved with the event to target audiences. Then, it’s time to build excitement—what makes this event special or distinct? Every large event at a club should be defined by a unique characteristic and add value for the membership.
Finally, work to inspire. Properly engage membership before, during and after the event to help them feel invested. This is the most important part of a communications plan, especially in the club industry. Inspired members take pride in their club and its events.
Dominion Charity Classic: By the Numbers
- 708 CCV Clubhouse Tickets Sold
- 738 CCV Grounds Tickets Sold
- 400 CCV Member Volunteers
- More than a year of planning!
2016 Dominion Charity Classic: The Big Event
2016 was a big year for The Country Club of Virginia (CCV) in Richmond, Va. Named host of the Dominion Charity Classic—a PGA TOUR Champions event—the venture was the first PGA TOUR or PGA TOUR Champions event held in the Richmond area in 25 years. Developing a communications plan for the event was crucial because of how new the event was for both CCV’s membership and the community.
Planning for the event, held in October 2016, began in the summer of 2015. CCV’s Executive Management Team joined forces with the Dominion Charity Classic staff. The Executive Management Team is composed of CCV’s general manager, assistant general manager, CFO, director of athletics, food & beverage director, director of golf & grounds maintenance, human resources director, director of racquet sports, and the director of operations. Including all of these roles allowed the team to plan through the impact of such a large event club-wide and kept all departments on the same page.
Decide on the first steps of a large event’s communications plan by thinking proactively. How does a member want to hear about a new club event? What makes it seem special to them? Why do they want to attend? The first steps for CCV were to introduce the event, announce it to members and prepare a document of frequently asked questions.
At CCV, a personal message from the general manager or club president to the club membership, is frequently used to announce any major news pertaining to the club. To meet this expectation in a timely fashion, especially as the media learned of the event, the Dominion Charity Classic was introduced with a personal e-blast. But with the knowledge that the new event would lead to a large number of questions, CCV staff, with the help of members, immediately started working on FAQs to address potential questions in a proactive way. CCV was lucky enough to have a strong Tournament Chairperson, in tune with the thoughts of membership as a past president, to make suggestions for the FAQs. Staff feedback and member questions from open house events about the tournament also provided strong direction for the FAQs. These questions addressed everything from the reasoning behind hosting the event to the tournament’s impact on operations.
In communications plans for large events, these first few steps are the perfect time to build excitement, as well as create and gain member support. Do this by offering inside opportunities. For CCV, one inside opportunity for the membership was early registration to serve as a volunteer at the event. For other types of events, it could be as simple as early registration for past event attendees, extended hours or services or the first opportunity to use a new club facility.
Using terms like “exclusive,” “discounted” or “preferred” can also help create and gain member support. Members of CCV were given an exclusive ticket discount to attend the tournament. Other ideas may include offering a complimentary cocktail or early tee time in conjunction with the event or giving an exclusive promotional item with the club logo to members at an event. Distinguish the event from others at the club or around town and success will come from word-of-mouth though member support and/or organic marketing for the event.
Create a Captive Audience
After announcing the event, identify target audiences to help generate member support. Any large club event may have multiple target audiences. By segmenting these audiences and tailoring communications to them, reaching these groups on a more personal level can reap the benefits of their support.
The Country Club of Virginia defined three target audiences for the 2016 Dominion Charity Classic: club membership, neighbors and staff. With the novelty of the event for the club and surrounding community, specific communications personalized for all three audiences was crucial for success. For large events of a different nature, segmenting the overarching audience of membership to smaller groups, such as age, gender, club use or membership type, is imperative for this personal touch.
Members
To personalize both print and digital communications, remember to focus on what the membership wants to see. This may also need to be balanced with an outside organization’s messaging for the event. For CCV, this meant taking the information provided by the tournament and giving it a fresh take: putting members in the shoes of professional players on the PGA TOUR Champions and creating a story. When developing a communications plan for a large club event, step outside of normal protocol and think outside of the box. CCV designed and printed a “Member Fan Guide” for the tournament, inspired by fan guides distributed by sports teams. This guide detailed key information for members and provided insider tips, like the best places on the course to catch the action.
Digital communications are a quick, effective and low-cost tool to reach an audience. The Country Club of Virginia’s communications plan revolved around digital communications including targeted blasts prior to the tournament, personalized “Club Update” messages to the membership from the general manager and/or club president, and live updates during the event with photo galleries, member quotes and more. When navigating these, think past the actual message to its packaging. CCV created specific headers for each audience, personalizing each communication.
Neighbors
In addition to generating member support, the logistics of the Dominion Charity Classic required clear, detailed communication to the adjacent neighbors of CCV’s James River Course. While they could be perceived as less invested in the details of the tournament, the fact that the neighbors’ daily routines would be greatly impacted throughout the event distinguished a need for targeted communications. In addition to digital efforts, traditional methods of print communication were sent to this audience, including letters and brochures. Informational meetings and personal calls proved helpful, too.
Staff
When creating a communications plan, particularly in the club industry, there’s one audience to never forget—staff. With each event hosted, staff has a tremendous opportunity to increase member support and engagement through knowledge and top-notch service. Staff meetings, handbooks and e-blasts are vital for any communication plan. CCV also incorporated “pop quizzes” with prizes for staff members who were able to correctly answer frequently asked questions when put on the spot after training.
In many cases, print communications are great visual aids for events with more complicated details. The weeks surrounding the tournament, a facility and operations calendar (above) proved helpful to both staff and members at CCV to indicate when course and facility closings impacted both audiences. For other events, this could be a catalog of an event’s history, site and parking maps or even a creative spin on a menu.
Catch Them While You Can!
A well-attended event with a captive audience may feel like a “win,” but the real challenge is to press on. The second an event starts a small window opens to truly engage not only those in attendance, but also the entire membership. Be sure to document the event with photos and video. Interact with the membership— what does the event mean to them? How can their stories be used in it future communications?
Since the Dominion Charity Classic was a four-day event, the club jumped on the opportunity to send digital updates with photo galleries and quotes from members about their experience. These updates allowed members who were not able to attend the opportunity to connect with what was going on, to take pride in their club and perhaps inspire them to attend in the future.
Evaluation
A communications plan extends well beyond the conclusion of an event. Don’t forget to evaluate the event as a whole and the effectiveness of the communications methods. Take note of what was learned, collect data and make notes for the future. Surveys are a popular tool to generate feedback, but be sure to walk around during the event, mingle and see if any suggestions present themselves in conversation.
What did CCV learn in their evaluation of the 2016 tournament?
- To engage as much as possible, using interviews and photos to tell a story.
- Data collection is imperative: capturing as much information as possible serves as a marker for success when feedback is limited or unavailable. Being open to suggestions for improvement by listening and chatting with members and club staff on the course offered quick and reliable feedback to act upon. It’s important to try new things, no matter how traditional the club. For The Country Club of Virginia, this included their Member Fan Guide and the creation of a new Host Ambassadors Committee comprised of club members who wanted to provide the best experience possible to community guests as they visited the club for the first time.
- Have the ability to send information on the fly. Even with the best planning, there will inevitably be a need to inform the membership or registered attendees of a change or adjustment to the event. In case it happens, be prepared to make this happen.
- Though often overlooked in large events, taking the time for detailed staff training across the board only aided in the success of the Dominion Charity Classic.
Knowledge is Power
CCV will continue to host this event for the next three years. For 2017 and beyond, the Dominion Charity Classic will be referred to as the Dominion Energy Charity Classic. As with any event, there were many opportunities for improvement. CCV looks forward to planning even further ahead, coordinating more member interviews and stories for communications ahead of time. CCV plans to increase the number of e-blasts during the tournament to one per day, rather than every other day, and allow members to submit their own photos during the event, and perhaps use
a hashtag. CCV also hopes to incorporate new technologies, including more video and graphics for further engagement.
The changes The Country Club of Virginia made to clubhouse ticket packages are a great example of implementing the evaluation process. Clubhouse tickets allowed exclusive access to the grounds and clubhouse for members, preferred parking, and the option to purchase upgraded food and beverage for the inaugural event. For 2017, CCV will include lunch each day of the event, a post-event party with exclusive access and hors d’oeuvres, and PGA TOUR Champions player visits in the clubhouse. Taking the time to evaluate and make these types of enhancements can lead to an elevated experience members will never forget.
The Balancing Act
Communications directors and departments can easily become bombarded by daily communications efforts. With the extensive number of events and activities at a club, stepping back to plan ahead must become a priority. Turn to communications plans, especially for large events, as a tool to generate an easy, evolving checklist in generating member support and lasting member engagement.
Ashley Payne is the communications director at The Country Club of Virginia. She can be reached at [email protected].