Well, the fun's over… Opening Day is behind us and it's back to business.
We have an important business decision to make over the next 30 days at SDYC. That is the future of our traditional Commodore's Luncheons, which are hosted by me each Wednesday. These have been going on for decades and have evolved over time. I am told that early on, all prospective members attended and were presented to the attendees prior to initiation. Eventually women were admitted and the name was changed from Yachtsman's to Commodore's luncheon. Last year, Jr. Staff Commodore Woody Hunt and I discussed the issue of continually-dwindling attendance and we solicited feedback about how we could make them better and boost participation. We held a special luncheon where the topic was dedicated to ways we can improve. All ideas were on the table for consideration.
Following those discussions we decreased the cost to attend. Then we created some new formats such as Club committee activity, club history, and an after-work dinner event to attract younger members and reach out to older members. With a third of the year behind us I am sorry to report that, with a couple of exceptions (after work events), attendance is no better than what we had last year which caused us all of this concern in the first place. This begs the question… have the times changed to the point where these weekly events are no longer productive? I made a comment at a lunch a couple of weeks ago about how well the Club has been doing with our F&B improvements. A question was asked about what we are doing about increasing attendance at these lunches. The answer is that while Lee Hope and I have been working hard to make things better, you can't always lead a horse to water. People need to show up!
This program takes a lot of effort to put on, with the involvement of staff, volunteers and the speakers themselves. Without adequate attendance, this energy may be better placed into other efforts. On top of that, it's embarrassing for both Lee and I, as well as the speakers, when they show up to share their story to an empty room. We have our regulars who show up most every week and I appreciate their support and understand that this is a regular staple of their weekly routine. My point is that unless things improve quickly, I will have no choice other than to either dramatically change the event as we know it or eliminate it altogether.
This is what I would like from all of you… please let me know what your thoughts are on this subject by e-mailing your comments to me at commodore@sdyc.org or grab me when you are at the Club. This is a big decision and one I do not want to make without exploring all of the alternatives. We discussed this with the luncheon crowd and key people earlier and now I want to ask the entire membership. Please share your suggestions about what would make it easier for you to attend. Is it better to have a monthly vs. a weekly program? Do you think it's important or not? What other ideas do you have?
The other thing you can do… if we want these to continue, is to attend the next few upcoming events. Also please make reservations via the website or phone. It is an immense help when we know how many to prepare for.
As I said earlier, our F&B operations are doing well. We have more people coming down to the Club on a daily basis than we did last year. The bar revenue is also up over last year. The Darren & Terry Show sells out every month. The monthly Women's Luncheon is extremely successful. The Easter and Opening Day brunches were huge. I anticipate a robust Beer Can season this year. The only thing that isn't being supported are these lunches.
As they say… the times are a changin'… it may be time for us to change as well.
Thanks for your input and support.