Page 8 - Yachter Spring 2024

8 PAST REAR COMMODORE HOUSE
REPORT FROM THE PAST REAR COMMODORE HOUSE
During the last year the House Committee has continued focussing its efforts on the feedback from the 2022/3 Membership Survey with
the specific aim to retain and attract new members. It’s no secret that membership numbers have declined over the year, and whilst activities
such as the Open Day last March
were successful in attracting new members, with the financial climate and an ageing membership we have lost as many as we have gained. We must remember we are not alone,
as many yacht clubs are in the same position and with the downturn in the hospitality sector, we have had to work extra hard to ensure we retain our loyal members by providing activities and facilities that meet their expectations.
More than ever before the House Committee has been proactively marketing and networking to promote the Club. The recent co-operation arrangement with the Royal Southern Yacht Club is part of the marketing plan with the aim of providing our members with a broader offering of social activities, particularly for those who live closer to the Hamble, and with this arrangement we hope to welcome their members to enjoy our Club activities and events at Gins.
We introduced some new initiatives this year to engage our members more e.g. the e-mail bulletin reminders of forthcoming events
which has proved popular, and now with the new website, we have more information on events and a full schedule of social activities available in the e-calendar through to the end of the year, to enable you to plan ahead.
We have worked extremely hard to promote our Club to other clubs, associations and
our neighbours on the River, and we are reaping the rewards of our efforts as we
are proving extremely popular with more visiting yachtsman and sailing clubs than ever before. We are, however, mindful of member requirements, so balancing visitors and members at the Club is aways a challenge, but
to date, it all seems to be working well. We have received excellent feedback
from everyone who visits the Club on the wonderful welcome they receive from our Front of House Team, good quality of service and cleanliness. Improvements have also been noted to our food offering. However, we are not complacent, and we need to ensure that we consistently provide good quality food and varied Menus for all occasions.
Notable events in 2023
• First ‘Open Day’ at Gins. In March members came and helped promote