Creating Anticipation at Your Golf Club Or Resort

Remember the song Anticipation by Carly Simon? I heard it the other day on satellite radio on the Music from the 70′s station and it got me thinking about the power of anticipation! Think about it yourself. What do you eagerly anticipate? Is it that special dinner, the Saturday round of golf, the weekend getaway trip, or the day off just to relax? Well, regardless of what it is, it is looked forward to and keeps you going! So ask yourself this. Are you creating Anticipation in your club or resort offerings? Are you keeping it fresh and regularly trying new things? Do you brainstorm with your staff for new ideas? Are you willing to step out of the box? Are your events really special or just called special because that’s what you have always called them.

Three Types of Experience Providers

In my conversations and visits to clubs and resorts I see three pretty distinct types of experience providers:

The Routiners:

Things are done at these clubs/resorts because that’s the way it has always been done. They do everything the same way on the same dates with the same format every year. They are either scared to step out and try something new, don’t have the skill set to do so, or are just plain not motivated. The word lazy comes to mind.

The Testers:

These people know that they should try some different things, but change doesn’t come easy to many people. So, on occasion, they will put a twist on an event or even try a new event. But they are quite tentative and more concerned about why something might not work versus devoting the planning, energy, marketing, and execution to make it work.

The Innovators:

This is the group that creates fun, entertainment, and eager anticipation. Franchises are good example of this and this is a big reason that the success rate of franchises is so high and the success rate of individually owned businesses is so low. Walk into almost any franchise and your senses are bombarded with information about food features, drink features, loyalty programs, and an upbeat atmosphere and energy created with music, lighting, props, and smartly uniformed, smiling staff.

There is a buzz and a sense of arrival. Why is there a sense of arrival? Because something is going on! And the savvy operators have something going on every day, in some cases every hour. What’s going on in your club or resort today or tonight? What do members/guests point to and plan to attend all week? What’s creating the “buzz” this week? What’s new? What’s exciting? What is creating intrigue, interest, and ANTICIPATION?

Some Examples

I recently stayed at an Embassy Suites. They have a complimentary cocktail hour from 5PM to 7PM daily. I had a meeting in the lounge area near the bar and as 5PM approached people began appearing from everywhere for the party. There was a buzz. It was clear that a great majority of these people were eagerly anticipating this event all day. I was looking forward to it myself. Attending the PGA Show in Las Vegas I noticed that the sushi bar in the Mandalay Bay Hotel had $5 sake and $5 sushi rolls from 4PM to 7PM weekdays. A great deal for a high end restaurant in a high end Vegas casino. Our party of four attended and had a great pre- Jersey Boys show snack, even though the Sapporo beer we also had was $13 for a bottle.

Returning from an out of town trip last week I stopped at a Fridays because it was one of the few places open at 10:30PM. Not expecting much I was overwhelmed with all of the options they had for drinking and dining, and even though the bar was not crowded, there was a great sense that I just arrived at a party put on just for me. I had special appetizer options, featured drink choices, it was happy hour, there were featured entrees, a great vibe from the music, and college basketball tournaments on all the dozen or so televisions. I was also given a calendar of the upcoming events for the next month.

With my check, I was given a website address to access for a free appetizer on my next visit as they were also trying to capture data from their patrons. I had not been to a Friday’s since they served steak on a stick when I was in college, but was back in this one 3 nights later. And, I have several of their menus and promotional pieces to share with our partners.

So how can I get this happening at my golf club or resort?

It’s not hard, but like anything worthwhile it requires work and the desire to do so. Brainstorm with your staff, get feedback from your members/guests, visit franchises and other clubs/resorts in your market. When you travel on business or pleasure take notes, pick up menus and other collateral material, and then DO IT! You can start simply with things like a wine tasting, a business networking event, a single malt whiskey tasting, a candlelight dinner with music on a particularly scenic hole on your golf course, a sushi chef for a sushi night monthly, a demo day, night golf, or special entertainment.

You can kick it up with a turn back the clock golf event with knickers, wooden shafted golf clubs, and gutta percha golf balls. Challenge you members/guests to take a tour of European countries by providing a selection of 5 beers from each country over 10 months. Provide custom club/resort logoed mugs and specialty glasses or other promotional items from the brewers of the beers you select. Get creative, maybe even a little crazy. People seek unique and fun activities and if well carried out, are willing to pay for them.

We’re in the Entertainment Business

Clubs and resorts face fierce competition and consumers who are becoming more judicious with their spending. Simply being a private club, having a well designed and maintained golf course, and having a great resort facility is not enough. Clubs and resorts must evolve to succeed and continually creating new events and activities and a sense of arrival will logically lead to ANTICIPATION of what’s scheduled and what’s next! So where do you fit? If you’re not an Innovator, make the choice to become one today. You can do it if you simply decide to dedicate the necessary effort to do so.

Here’s Why You Need to Charge Your Electric Vehicle At Home

It is no wonder BMW is at the forefront in making both stylish and functional vehicles that never compromise safety. Charging your electric vehicle with a home charging station has more benefits compared to public charging stations. With BMW’s electric model ranges, you will experience an entirely new driving experience. No feeling is better than gliding silently through urban and rural traffics. All of this is free of fumes and harmful emissions that impact the planet. Going electric with BMW is one of the best things you can do for you.

While BMW iX3 Charging Station is available in many places and shopping malls in Australia, it is a good idea to invest in home BMW charger as it offers a plethora of benefits. In fact, charging your electric car with a home charging station has benefits compared with public charging stations.

Here’s why you need to install BMW home charging station:-

Save money

Instead of buying battery power from a third-party source every time you need to charge your BMW, it is a good idea to pay a flat fee for a residential BMW charging station and have unlimited energy from the same source that keeps your house warm and other electric appliances running. Of course, you would see a spike in electricity bill. But, you’ll save money by saving yourself from frequent trips to the public station and paying for recharging your car. Home charging stations pay for themselves in the long run.

Finding your home charger is affordable too. There are many electric vehicles charging station providers in Australia from whom you can buy and rely on them for support. There are three different types of home chargers, including level 1, level 2, and level 3. Based on the type of charger you buy, the cost will be anywhere between $300 and $2000.

Convenient

On average, it takes anywhere from four to six hours to fully charge your BMW with a level 2 charger. Let’s imagine that you need to drive 50miles to attend a meeting and your EV is running low on battery. If you have to wait the whole night, take your vehicle to the nearby charging station, recharge, and then drive. Wouldn’t that consume your productive hours? The same scenario is much more manageable if you have the home charger installed. All you need to do is, plug the car in and go to sleep. By the time you wake up, you’ll have a fully charged BMW ready for the drive.

Safe

Charging at home is much safer than public charging stations for a range of reasons, including the safety of you and your vehicle. You’ll have to wait for a long time in the public charging stations to charge your EV, and there’s no safety, especially if you are in the middle of high way.

As you see, they’re less expensive, more convenient and completely safe as long as it is installed properly.