At the National Club Association, we purposefully use the phrase “club community” instead of “club industry.” This is because clubs are all about and rooted in community—that feeling of fellowship with others. Unfortunately for far too long, the club community wasn’t able to gather. However, with COVID-19 cases and deaths down and vaccines up, the club community was fortunately able to reconnect at NCA’s 2021 National Club Conference at Ocean Reef Club in late May.
The Conference was truly a historic event, serving as the first industry-wide gathering in nearly one and one-half years. It was a testament to the strength, forward thinking and resilience of our club community. Alex Tonarelli of Ocean Reef Club, Chris Everhart of Key Largo Anglers Club and Diane Platt of Card Sound Club and their respective teams did a tremendous job of welcoming us warmly and providing exceptional service. Not to be outdone, the NCA staff must be commended for their extraordinary work leading up to and at the Conference.
The Conference hit the trifecta of amazing location, exceptional speakers and outstanding networking and recreational events. But what really made it so special was the community and, according to one attendee when asked what the best thing about Conference was, “Shaking hands and hugging friends!!!” It is great to see something that we took for granted is now truly appreciated. I invite you to read the National Club Conference photo essay on page XX and also visit our website to view the educational sessions and see more photos.
To further engage the club community, NCA has introduced/unveiled the first App to serve the club community. We worked with NCA Executive Partner Pacesetter to develop a tool that provides easy access to NCA’s vast library of resources right on your phone as well as the ability to register for events and receive communications from NCA.
The Conference also provided us with the opportunity to introduce our Cybersecurity white paper and our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Blueprint for the club community. In partnership with HFTP, the cybersecurity paper was developed to provide critical source of information to protect your club and members’ data.
The DEI Blueprint provides critical and practical steps and guidance to help clubs become more inclusive and strengthen their membership and staff for the future while preserving their great traditions. See the Blueprint and a Q&A with Heather Kim Degenhardt Stifanic about implanting DEI at your club.
However, Conference didn’t mean the end of servicing the club community. That is evident with the launch of Club Governance in this issue of Club Director. This biannual publication co-published with NCA Legacy Alliance Partner GGA Partners will focus on all aspects of club governance best practices and trends. This inaugural issues focuses on the club president.
NCA will always strive to service the club community as best we can, and I welcome your thoughts on how we can do that. You are part of the club community and responsible for its success.