As we approach Christmas I remain troubled about our inability to meet on the same day each week. This is disconcerting to club members and makes the speaker seeker’s job even harder as we chop and change between Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Attendance suffers, and that is just not helpful
This situation is not anyone’s fault - other than those who create demand for meeting rooms in hotels, but we are the victims of it. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done unless we are prepared to pay for the hire of a room – which we have not previously done.
That is why the hotel moves us around from room to room each week. That was not a problem while we were more or less guaranteed a room – somewhere – each week. And on occasions we went downstairs to the Arizona Bar – never popular with members, and it was clear that attendance dropped in the weeks we were there.
That option is not available with the hotel’s revamping of this facility into 2 Grey, so we remain at their mercy.
My worry is that if the current demand for hotel function spaces remains high in the mornings, then we will be faced with some unpalatable choices. Charging more for breakfast would almost certainly follow, and that would very clearly be a challenging option for us.
On a more positive note membership is up and there are some more prospects waiting to be inducted. Hopefully we can complete those in the new year.
I thoroughly endorse Tim Pankhurst’s view that members should invite people they know to come to a meeting – no obligation. No one will join a club that they have not seen in operation, or where they have not met the members.
So, recruiting is simply about bringing people along. Some will like us; others will decide we are not for them. No issue with that. But it’s not about rejection; it is about asking people to come and have a look. As someone slightly famous once said, let’s do this.
.JPG)
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