I was at the club last weekend, grinding away on the treadmill early one morning – age shall not weary him! I watched people come and go; swimmers (brrrrrr), young Opti sailors and their parents, volunteers preparing for the sailing day, cyclists, walkers and many familiar faces. I then went into the Olympic room which was full of conversation, smiling faces young and old, and at least two of our Flag Officers.
There’s joy in sharing a conversation, a coffee, a plate of food and a few beverages with friends and family. Whether you’re a sailor, a swimmer, a paddler or just enjoy our club vibe, hospitality is at the core of who we are and what we offer as a destination. When we halved the height of our imposing waterfront fence about 15 years ago, we became the only yacht club on the bay that is open to the public. The objective was always to leverage this as a way to attract new members, but importantly, to improve the club’s hospitality financial bottom-line. The latter is something which has steadily declined. Doing things the same way will no longer achieve this. We know that yacht clubs around the country are all being challenged by the same issues. If hospitality is to be successful, it needs to evolve profitably and provide value for money.
The club has a number of prized assets including; our membership, our location, and our relationship with community.
At our half-year meeting with members in March, there was quite a bit of discussion regarding the financial performance of our hospitality operations. At the meeting, your General Committee advised they would be undertaking a review of how these services are delivered, and would consider a range of new models. The objective was to not only improve the financials, but also deliver a service across the club which provides improved amenity to members and guests, attracts public foot-fall to our dining offer, and continues to position RBYC as a destination for our increasingly broad community.
At the core, our goal is to provide a range of options throughout the course of each week and month spanning breakfast, lunch and dinner downstairs, improved performance of our functions and events spaces, as well as continued activities in the member’s bar.
A sub-committee has considered a range of options, and has now engaged an independent advisory firm who specialise in club hospitality environments to assist in reviewing and recommending a new model. We expect to settle on a new model by mid-August, and have this operational for the commencement of the sailing season. We will keep you updated on this exciting development.
Grant Dow
Member, General Committee
