Published in Club & Resort Business Magazine.

1. 48 Club & Resort Business JULY 2007 www.clubandresortbusiness.com
TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY
E
ven in a world where people seem to be
endlessly connected to computers, cell
phones and other devices for a constant
stream of information, there’s still a use for
printed pieces that people can have, hold and
peruse at their leisure. In the club world, while
many properties have now partnered with Web
site providers, or struck out on their own, to
greatly enhance their electronic interchanges with
members and guests, printed communications
still play an important role. And as desktop
publishing software has become cheaper and
easier to use, more properties are finding that a
do-it-yourself (DIY) approach is the best way to
keep costs down and positive impressions high.
At the Peninsula Yacht Club in Cornelious,
N.C., Loraine Vienne shopped around to
consider a few different approaches for the club’s
newsletter after taking over the General Manager
position a little over a year ago. The club, which
had previously outsourced newsletter production
to a graphic designer, had decided to reexamine
all aspects of its communications with members,
as part of a push to upscale the club.
Vienne quickly found that the two-color
newsletter being produced by the outside vendor
could just as easily be done in-house with new
desktop publishing software. “When I compared
the cost to buy a program versus going to a
graphic designer, I found it was basically the
same,” she says. “Time-wise, we have a lot more
control [producing our newsletter in-house].
There was a lot of wasted space before. Now we
have control over which events to emphasize.”
Peninsula YC now produces a four-color
newsletter 10 times a year and a two-color
newsletter during the busier months. The
newsletter highlights events, member activities
and club departments, and includes a calendar on
the back page—with events and club hours—that
members can tear off to hang on their refrigera-
tors or post in other frequently viewed places.
While only two staff members focus directly on
the newsletter, Vienne says she relies on depart-
ment heads from each area of the club to submit
articles and other materials. “We get a lot of
comments from members about how drastically
the newsletter has improved and how much more
they like it,” she reports.
The club also keeps members in the loop
through its Web site, where a one-page, user-
friendly version of the newsletter is posted.
Regular e-mail “blasts” are also used, especially if
reservations are low for a certain event, to send
out electronic reminders to members about
upcoming events and encourage them to register.
SUMMING IT UP
▪ Producing
your own
newsletters and
other marketing
pieces in-house
can be more
cost-effective
than
outsourcing.
▪ Call upon each
department head
or members to
write articles for
a newsletter.
▪ Keeping in touch
through both
print and elec-
tronic formats
allows members
and guests to
get information
in the way they
prefer.
Most clubs and resorts can save time and money by bringing
at least part of their publication production in-house.
By Ann McDonald, Contributing Editor
D YDESKTOPPUBLISHING
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2. www.clubandresortbusiness.com JULY 2007 Club & Resort Business 49
More Control
Like the Peninsula YC, the Los Angeles
Country Club (LACC) recently switched from
an outside vendor to produce its newsletter in-
house, after examining the cost-benefits of each
approach. Stephen Wilson, Assistant Manager,
agrees that one big benefit of desktop publishing
is control over the final product.
“Previously, articles were gathered and sent to
an outside designer, who did the job in a one-
color format,” says Wilson.“Since switching to an
in-house approach, we have saved money on a
designer and gone to full-color printing, with an
expanded monthly publication.”
By doing all of the design work in-house, the
club can also incorporate more timely informa-
tion from tournaments and club events, Wilson
confirms. The money saved by not using an
outside vendor was put towards the cost of
printing in full color.
Another benefit of in-house design, Wilson
says, is that instead of printing up “masters” on an
annual basis, the club can now change its cover
photo monthly, for “seasonally correct” views of
the many beautiful locations on its grounds.
While production of the LACC newsletter is a
team effort, in the end most of the work falls on
Wilson, who manages the coverage from various
departments, gathers photographs, and does the
entire layout. Several employees and members
have monthly contributions that they e-mail to
Wilson for formatting and placement in the
newsletter. All copy is prepared and edited in
Microsoft Word, and then transferred to Quark
Xpress for formatting, layout and final printing.
The biggest challenge for the club now that it’s
gone to an in-house approach, Wilson says, is
sticking to deadlines amid the constant activity.
“With a busy club like ours, we have no shortage
of events to promote, or past tournaments to
highlight,” he notes. But despite the hectic pace,
staff members recognize the value of the monthly
newsletter and are willing contributors. Wilson
does try to make sure, however, that the burden of
producing the newsletter does not weigh too
heavily on any one staff member.“All anyone ever
has to do is one short article,” he says.
Putting Members to Work
For the California Yacht Club, the decision of
who should be in charge of the club’s newsletter
wasn’t so much an outsourcing issue as a staffing
issue. Eric Gregory, General Manager of the
Marina del Rey-based club, says he realized he
didn’t have the in-house resources to produce the
high-quality newsletter members would expect.
Knowing how important it is to have a profes-
sional, attractive newsletter as a tool to promote
events, retain members and enhance club
membership, it was decided to put production
into the hands of those who knew the club best—
the members.
With the exception of a Manager’s article by
Gregory, all content for California Yacht Club’s
monthly newsletter, “Breeze,” is now written,
photographed and edited by the members. “The
events [at the club] are all chaired by member
volunteers; they are the most qualified to report
on their success,” Gregory reasons. It was easy to
get members interested in producing the
newsletter every month, he adds, because of their
great pride in all of the club’s events and their
ability to provide first-hand accounts about them.
“Breeze” editors are now selected every year by
flag officers at the club, based on their qualifica-
tions and dedication to committing the time and
effort needed to make the publication a success
every month. Staff at the California Yacht Club
now do little for the newsletter beyond placing
ads and approving layouts. An outside designer
does the actual layout of the magazine and
arranges for its printing by another company.
“It’s taken some time to get all the pieces to
work cohesively, but now it works very well,”
PHOTOSCOURTESYOFUNIONLEAGUEOFCHICAGO
A small team
at the Union
League of
Chicago
produces a
monthly
newsletter,
weekly
e-newsletter
and monthly
magazine
(ABOVE), called
“State of the
Union.”
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3. Gregory says. “We meet with our
layout company and printer each
year to go over logistical timing and
quality issues.”
Knowing Your Limits
Gregory’s concern over not having
enough resources in-house to produce
a high-quality newsletter is not an
uncommon one among club and resort
managers. And in many cases, that concern can
lead to the use of outside experts.
Craig Wilson, General Manager of the Ritz-
Carlton Club and Spa in Jupiter, Fla., studied
some of the best club newsletters in the business
before deciding to work with an outside vendor to
produce the monthly newsletter for his property.
“We had to make sure that the piece could
deliver to the brand standards of the Ritz image,”
Wilson says.“The colors, fonts, and weight of the
paper used were all key considerations. It took
time to create the template we use now.”
The club now works with a publishing company
to produce its 12-page monthly newsletter,
“Members Link.”Andrea Davis,Communications
Manager, meets with the publishing company
every month to outline content, review editorial
ideas and choose pictures.
While the inital planning, and final production,
is done with an outside vendor, Davis says that she
still relies on staff from all areas of the club—from
the golf shop to the food and beverage and spa
teams—to fill her in on what’s happening. “I
always keep in mind that other [staff members]
are fully packed with their jobs,” she says. “I meet
with them quickly to go through what’s going on.
I am looking for hints of great stories.”
In addition to mailing out the newsletter and
leaving it around the club, Davis says it is also put
into a PDF format to be posted on the club’s Web
site. And selected stories are also e-mailed to
members.
Something for Everyone
Providing information in several different
formats is now the underlying goal of the Union
TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY
Ritz-Carlton
Club and Spa in
Jupiter, Fla.
posts a .PDF
version of
“Members
Link” on its
Web site and
e-mails certain
stories to
members.
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4. www.clubandresortbusiness.com JULY 2007 Club & Resort Business 51
League Club of Chicago’s communication strategy. The club
now puts out a newsletter, “E-Line,” once a month, as well as
a weekly electronic newsletter,“Dateline,” that features four or
five items to keep members constantly updated, and a maga-
zine, “State of the Union.” All publications are designed and
produced in-house, using a core communications team
formed from among staff members.
“Having different print and electronic communications
allows members to get information the way they want it,”
explains Noel Rozny, Director of Communications. “The e-
newsletter started about a year ago. We have a lot of
members who use their computers a lot and like to get
information electronically.
“We also have so many events at the club every month,
and some that get added later, that it’s important to stay in
touch with our members [on a more timely basis],” Rozny
adds. “The e-newsletter is a nice supplement to the
newsletter; it doesn’t get dated.”
Union League Club members now provide e-mail
addresses when they join; the club uses an e-mail marketing
company to manage e-mail communications, maintain lists
and track users. “Pretty much everyone who has e-mail is
using [the “E-Line”],” Rozny says.
While the rapid advances in desktop publishing mean
there are now almost as many different ways to produce a
newsletter as there are newsletters, the end goal for all club
and resort managers as they try to take greater advantage of
available technology is
the same: increasing
members’ involvement
in club activities, and
enhancing the member
experience.
“We strive to create
more value with our
newsletter,” says Wilson
of the Ritz-Carlton
Club & Spa. “We want
to give members a collat-
eral piece they are proud
to put on their coffee
tables.” C&RB
Online Exclusive:
For more on these
clubs’ approaches to
e-mail promotions,
see “The Paperless
Trail” at www.cluband
resortbusiness.com
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