Club Technology Boot Camp HITEC 2004

1. Club Technology Boot CampHITEC 2004

2. Bill Sullivan CHTP • Over 25 years of industryexperience • Speaker at HITEC Club Boot Camp in 2002-2003 • Senior Industry Consultant • Author of numerous articles and textbooks • Faculty Member at University of Delaware andWidener University • HITEC Advisory Committee • Club and Hotel Manager Bill Sullivan ITR Principal Consultant Director Hospitality Industry Practice

3. Boot Camp Housekeeping • Location of Fire Exits • All slides are available as CD • Please do not use your cell phones during this session • Questions??????????

4. Agenda Part 1 – Bill Business Process Part 2 – Deb Marketing Part 3 – Deb Tools & Technology

5. Part 1: Club Systems Integrated Technology Research Corporation Bill Sullivan ITR Principal Consultant Director Hospitality Industry Practice

6. Club Technology Dynamics • Multi-Vendor Environment • Chose Cornerstone Product • Standards • Integration • Role of www.

7. Club Technology Financial Model • Predominantly standalone package solutions, future is ripe for “integration” • Software/hardware costs may be minimal compared to Integration / Implementation costs • Don’t underestimate TOTAL cost of investment

8. Technology Topics • Membership Systems • Point of Sale (POS) • Sales and Catering • Back Office Accounting • Grounds and Maintenance • Golf Member Services • Tennis and Racquet • Spa and Fitness

9. Membership Systems • Standard Features • Member master file information • Member accounts receivable • Member demographics • Interfaces to POS or internal module • Dues management • Stock Certificate management

10. Membership Systems • Optional Features • Membership cards • Photo ID and signature scans • Employee time keeping • Executive information systems • Member preferences • www. site interface

11. Local or ASP • Local Systems • Hardware and software operated locally at club • Club staff operates and maintains • Cost controlled at club • ASP – Application Service Provider • Hardware and systems software at vendor location • Cost normally based on transaction volume • Reduced technical expertise required at club location

12. ASP Providers • Golf Gopher – http://www.golfgopher.com/ • ForeTees –www.foretees.com • Article on ASP –Remote Control

13. Membership Systems • Club Systems – www.clubsys.com • Jonas Software – www.jonassoftware.com • Abacus21 – www.abacus21.com • Smythsystems – www.smythsystems.com • Integrated Business Systems – www.goibs.com

14. Food & Beverage / POS • Standalone vs. Integrated • Member Account Billing • Keyboard or TouchScreen • Handhelds and Wireless • Local Support

15. Food & Beverage / POS • RestaurantResults.comwww.restaurantresults.com • Squirrel Systemswww.squirrelsystems.com • Digital Diningwww.digitaldining.com • MICROSwww.micros.com

16. Sales & Catering • Standalone vs. integrated • Role of CRM • Matching complexity of system to your environment • Matching features of system to your environment • Enhanced graphics • www. connectivity

17. Sales & Catering • Resort Suite www.enablez.com • Northwind www.maestropms.com • Daylight Softwarewww.daylightsoftware.com • Caterwarewww.caterware.com • Delphiwww.newsoft.com

18. Back Office Systems • Chain vs. Property • Accounts Payable • Inventory • General Ledger • Payroll and Time Keeping • Level of Integration

19. Back Office Accounting Systems • Data Plus Hospitality Solution – BackOffice for Hospitality • Kronos Incorporated - Integrated HR, payroll, scheduling and time and labor software • Restaurant Software by MenuLink - Back Office Inventory and Labor Products • Visual One Systems

20. Grounds and Maintenance • Budget & Expense Tracking • Personnel & Labor Activity Records • Chemical & Fertilizer Application Records • Inventory, Purchase Orders & Fuel Reporting • Equipment & Property Maintenance

21. Grounds and Maintenance

22. Grounds and Maintenance • TRIMS – www.trims.com • Precision data Services – www.precision-data-services.com • Golf Course Superintendents –www.gcsaa.org

23. Golf Member Services • Tee time scheduling • Handicaps tracking • GPS course location tracking

24. GPS Systems • Location and distance tracking for golfer • Pace of play and cart location tracking • Food and beverage sales • Other marketing • Score input for individuals or tournaments • Tournament leader boards • Emergency communications

25. GPS Systems • GolfNet – www.golfnet.com • Focus 2K – www.focus2k.com • IntelliGolf – www.intelligolf.com • ParView – www.parview.com • SkyGolf GPS – www.skygolf.com • Up Link Golf – www.uplinkgolf.com • ProShot Golf –www.proshotgolf.com

26. Tennis • Court scheduling • Pro Shop management • Tournament scheduling and management • Court maintenance

27. Tennis • Top Dog Tennis – www.topdogtennis.com • Racquet Soft – www.getphysicalsoftware.com • Greencourt – www.greencourtsoftware.com

28. Fitness- Spa • Management of memberships and fees • Scheduling of spa facilities and services • Tracking fitness conditions and programs

29. Fitness- Spa • ResortSuite – www.enablez.com • Abacus 21 - www.abacus21.com • Spa Soft – Spa Management • Salon Master – ASP – www.salonmaster.com • Rio Systems – www.riosystems.com • Aphelion – www.aphelion.net

30. Debra Kristopson • President of NDTC.com & NDTCWIFI • Former CIO of Stouffer Hotels & Resorts and Stouffer Restaurants • Over 25 years of industry experience • Senior Industry Consultant • Industry Speaker/Lecturer • Author

31. Technology’s Role in Club Marketing Going Beyond the Basics

32. Marketing with Technology Going beyond the basics of your Membership Management and Sales & Catering Systems, What additional tools are available….

33. Deb’s Technology Rule #1 For ANY Technology which your current, or future, Club Member is able to interact with…… You need to have a non-technology equivalent service. For acceptance, Technology must be perceived as an added benefit not as a replacement for personalized service.

34. Member Marketers Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool is a Satisfied Member Keys to Membership Satisfaction: 1. Recognition2. Personalized Service3. Participation4. Involvement Technology can “enable” you to provide superior service

35. Member Recognition Ask yourself:1. How many members are there in your Club? 2. How long have you been with your Club? 3. How many members do you know by name? 4. What is your annual staff turnover? 5. How many members would the average Club employee know by name?

36. The Ultimate Solution Member ID Recognition SystemsThese are currently custom solutions using off the shelf components 1. “Contact-less” Member RF IDs2. Photo Database of Members3. RF ID Sensors placed in key contact areas4. Member profiles activated on PC when the member is in “range” Ski Resorts are using a variation of this technology for Lift Access

37. Resources • On the web use “rfid” or “rf id” as keywords to find sources of information on RF ID tags and vendors • www.amtel-security.com • www.aleder.com

38. Personalized Service Providing Personalized Service is NOT easy BUT it is an attainable goal. Personalized Service Basics • Track Member Participation • Track Member Preferences • Track Key Dates • Track Prior Complaints • Expedite Requests and Issues • Follow up on all issues

39. Software Solutions for Personalizing Service • Guest Recognition Software • Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM) • Quality Assurance Software These systems are labor intensive both in collecting the data as well as making the information actionable.Information without Action is Meaningless.Management Commitment is REQUIRED.

40. Resources • www.guestware.com • www.mtech.com • www.hotelexpert.com

41. Expanding Member Services Integrating OLTP applications into your Member services can enhance your perceived value as a Club. Examples of available OLTP applications: • Tee Time Scheduling • Calculating / posting handicap • Checking account status • Making dining reservations

42. Encourage Member Involvement Solicit feedback on club issues Conduct surveys/online polls Post Results and important updates Act upon at least ONE item Never solicit feedback and then ignore it by failing to take action

43. Your Marketing Web Site • Your “Marketing” web site has a different audience, message and goal than your Members Only web site • Perform Regional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) • Attain as many legitimate inbound links as possible • DO NOT auto-submit your site to one million search engines and directories for the low cost of $69.99

44. E-Marketing is LEGAL • Develop a relationship with your ISP – they are your first line of defense against complaints. • Never conduct an email marketing campaign without their prior knowledge. • Use carefully built lists. • Always allow for OPT-out. • Avoid spamming people. • Keep your email message small and simple. Direct your reader back to your web site for more information.

45. Web Site Basics It’s True, People Don’t Read

46. Web Site Basics • People don’t read – keep your information concise, and well organized • Be unique – don’t use templates • Who you host with does matter • Search Engine Ranking is more important than “bells & whistles” • Promote your web site in all traditional forms of communication

47. People Don’t Read • Focus on what the surfer wants to know NOT on what you want to tell him • Don’t use a graphic which doesn’t display well • Keep Navigation simple and consistent across all pages • Keep individual page lengths to a maximum of two vertical scroll bars • Break long text with Graphics • Keep load times under 25 seconds on a 56kb connection • Don’t go overboard with required fields on information forms

48. Your Design Should be Unique • Just as you wouldn’t put your name on someone else’s sales brochure, don’t use a template and make your site look just like everyone else’s. • Your web site should be reflective of the personality of your Club. • Keep your content fresh and up to date.

49. Web Hosting Considerations Nothing in life is truly free…… Choose your host with care • Be pop-up banner and ad free • Be hosted as a stand alone site – do not allow yourself to be header-hosted • Make sure your host is using, at minimum, T1 connections to the Internet • Your host should provide web based email with SPAM Blocking • If you are planning on E-Marketing, make sure that you have a sales representative that you can work with to avoid being blocked

50. Be Search Engine Friendly Search Engines are “finicky”….. • Avoid Search Engine Roadblocks:1. Flash Intros2. Animation3. Frame • Not all web designers know how to design for search engine optimization. Check first. • Not all web designers perform search engine optimization or submit your site for ranking. Check first.