We discover how member events can boost your business...
By: Sarah Lee
Hosting events for the enjoyment of their members may not top the list of priorities for resorts dealing with lots of everyday activities, but a number of developers have found that member events can be a fun, informative and social platform for boosting sales and ensuring customer loyalty.
Party with Polaris
Spanish holiday home developer, Polaris World, recently held a series of events in the UK purely to boost the ‘feel good’ factor among its owners.
One Polaris owner, Louise Verde, was very impressed by the Friends of Polaris event she attended at Birmingham’s Hyatt Hotel. She said: “I bought my Polaris property four years ago and though pleased with it, I wasn’t planning to buy another, so I was surprised to be invited to the event, as well as being told we could take friends along.”
Verde said: “On arrival we were taken to a meet and greet area and given champagne and canapés, while we listened to Spanish music. They then showed us a short video on Polaris World resorts, which was very aspirational and made us feel proud that we’d purchased one of their properties.
“We expected a sales element to the evening, but they didn’t try to sell us anything. It was more about meeting other owners and finding out who your neighbours were. When we left we were each given an information pack, complete with DVD, and an orange tree to act as a reminder of our home in the sun.”
Rita Rowe, managing director of Mason Williams PR agency, which organised the parties, said no sales people were present at the events. She explained: “The parties were organised purely as a ‘thank you’ to owners for purchasing a Polaris World property and as a chance for them to meet other owners.
“It was also a chance for owners to meet with Polaris World staff and pose any questions they had, in the knowledge their issues would be addressed, if
not there and then, the following day. When you purchase at a Polaris World resort it can be difficult to meet people so the idea was to bring owners together to create instant friends.”
Fun for Finnish members
Traditionally resorts have held sales and marketing events aimed at introducing potential new members to their products or getting members to buy more weeks and points. As Hannu Mäntyharju deputy CEO of Group RCI affiliate, Holiday Club Resorts (HCR), explains, this can be a profitable exercise. Staff at one of the company’s recent events achieved a 57 per cent closing rate.
“Our sales figures ere very good from our events,” says Mäntyharju. “We hold about 30 a year and sell more RCI Points to our owners, as well as gaining new sales from owners’ friends. Marketing costs for the events amount to just five per cent of the net sales.”
HCR events usually comprise a weekend stay for owners at one of the company’s 25 resorts in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Spain. At a recent event about 200 members attended a weekend at Holiday Club Saariselkä – most of them meeting in Helsinki for a 17-hour coach trip to the Lapland resort.
Mäntyharju said: “Our owners really enjoyed this. It gave them a chance to meet with friends, talk about their travel experiences, and to make plans for the weekend.”
Group RCI regional director, Riitta Apiola, who attends many of HCR’s events, said: “This is an opportunity to meet our members as well. We inform them about new things within Group RCI and help them make better use of their membership. We also send their feedback to Group RCI’s member services.”
Membership value at Kilconquhar
At Kilconquhar Estate and Country Club in Scotland, a number of events are held throughout the year but the most popular is the annual dinner and dance.
The event is held over a weekend just before Christmas and members pay to stay at the resort. Most stay for two or three nights and participate in a golf championship and cooking competitions before the main dinner and dance. Around 250 people attend each year and the resort charges £100 per person for the weekend stay, including the dinner and dance.
Kilconquhar developer Jim Vance said: “Sometimes members will bring their friends to the dinner and dance and they have, in turn, ended up buying a timeshare. However, that’s not the purpose of the event. Although it’s a social event, it has become quite profitable for us – we made just under £30,000 last year and we have no marketing costs, as it is so popular people book for the following year before they leave.
“I think members appreciate that we’re trying to offer them more than just their annual holiday. Around 250 people attend the dinner and dance, while 100 attend our summer barbeque – none of these events entail any heavy promotion but members are left feeling that they get value for their membership.”
Ways to a winning event
- Have a running order and ‘dress rehearsals’ so everyone knows what’s expected of them.
- If it’s going to be a sales opportunity, make sure staff are trained and experienced enough to handle tough questions.
- Make it interesting – perhaps choose a theme.
- Make it ticket only to avoid gatecrashers.
- If you have ‘giveaways’, employ a mechanism to ensure people can’t just take them.
- Be prepared for people to arrive early, and keep them entertained so they don’t feel unattended.
- Leave guests feeling happy about the event and they will become your ambassadors.
- Get your staff onboard so everyone understands the benefit of the event to the company and make sure they have fun.
- Ensure the information you offer is correct. If you can’t answer a question there and then, get the member a response as quickly as possible afterwards.
