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Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
Vol 111, No 236
                                                 May 2012
                   www.cmaa.asn.au

                   It’s Time
n MID YEAR
                   To Think             n CONFERENCE

CONFERENCE
BROCHURE:
pages 25-28        Jupiters             REGISTRATION
                                      & INFORMATION
                                      www.cmaa.asn.au

‘CMDA Family’ welcomes new sponsors      It’s Another
                                         Busy Month
                                         In The Zone
                                         pages 33-45
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
1

                                                                                         Club Managers’
Publisher CMAA
                                                                                         Association Australia
Editor: Peter Sharp 0412 381 733
                                                                                         Office Bearers
                                                                                         CMAA FEDERAL EXECUTIVE                   ADMINISTRATION
Contributors:
Henri Lach, Katie Cincotta.                                 Bill Clegg ACCM              President
                                                            Federal President            WILLIAM CLEGG, ACCM
Advertising: Judy Rayner                                                                 Randwick Labor Club
Advertising Bookings:                                                                    Vice President
(02) 9332 2363 & 9360 6177                                                               MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN, ACCM
Fax (02) 9361 5142                                                                       Milton Ulladulla Bowling Club
rayner@bigpond.net.au                                                                    Federal Secretary
                                                                                         ALLAN PETER, ACCM
Printing and Design:
Daily Press Group                                                                        Executive Members
                                                                                                                                  Executive Officer
Phone: (02) 9316 9366                                                                    STEVE CONDREN, ACCM
                                                                                                                                  Ralph Kober, B.Ed.
                                                                                         Southport Surf Lifesaving Club
Correspondence:                                                                          IAN TODD, ACCM                           Senior Industrial Relations Advocate
                                                            Michael O’Sullivan ACCM                                               Peter Cooper
The Editor, c/­                                                                          Kingsgrove RSL Club
                                                            Federal Vice President
Club Managers’ Association Australia                                                     NSW State Executive Member               Marketing and Sponsorship Manager
Level 2, 1 Showground Road                                                               DAVID HISCOX, ACCM                       Shannon Donato
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127                                                             Dapto Leagues Club                       Industry Professional
Locked Bag 4317                                                                                                                   Development Manager
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127                                                             FEDERAL COUNCILLORS                      Geoff Meston
Phone (02) 9746 4199                                                                     Division A – City/Eastern Suburbs        Training Course Administrators
Fax (02) 9746 5199                                                                       Zone and Manly/Northern Suburbs          Brad Jones, CCM
                                                                                         Zone                                     Estelle McDonald­Birch
                                                                                         Mario Machado, ACCM
Please address all business                                                              Chief Executive Officer                  Accounts Officer
correspondence to the                                                                    Hornsby RSL Club                         Priscilla San Luis
Federal Secretary                                           Allan Peter ACCM                                                      Administration Officer
                                                            Federal Secretary            Division B - St George/Cronulla
The Club Managers’ Association Australia is                                              Sutherland Zone and Inner West Zone      Evonne Bosnich
registered as an industrial organisation of                                              Douglas Kirkham, ACCM                    Receptionist
employees in the terms of the Fair Work Act                                              General Manager                          Carol Quirke
2009, and The Club Managers’ Association is                                              Canada Bay Club
                                                                                                                                  Events Administrator
a registered Trade Union in the terms of the                                             Division C – Nepean Zone                 Tegan Cain
New South Wales Industrial Relations Act                                                 Michael Wiezel                           Qld Membership Liaison Officer
1996. The CMAA is affiliated with the                                                    Secretary Manager                        Justin McGurgan
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).                                               St Marys RSL Club
                                                                                                                                  Life Members
                                                                                         Division D – Hunter Zone, Central        Harry Walker (decd.)
Registered Office
                                                                                         Coast Zone and Great Lakes Zone          Norm Robinson (decd.)
Level 2, 1 Showground Road                                                               Stephen Byfield, ACCM
                                                            Steve Condren ACCM                                                    Arthur Justice (decd.)
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127                                                             Chief Executive Officer                  Len Ewart (decd.)
                                                            Federal Executive Member
Phone (02) 9746 4199                                                                     Diggers @ The Entrance                   Lou O’Neill (decd.)
Fax (02) 9746 5199                                                                       Division E – Far North Coast Zone,       Peter Cameron (decd.)
Locked Bag 4317                                                                          North West State Zone, Mid State Zone    Bob Harbutt (decd.)
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127                                                             and Mid North Coast Zone                 Keith Nolan (decd.)
Email ­ cmaa@cmaa.asn.au                                                                 Phillip Mallon, ACCM                     Fred Chubb, CCM (decd.)
                                                                                         General Manager                          Alan McDougall, MBE (decd.)
Office Hours                                                                             Casino RSM Club                          John Milne (decd.)
                                                                                                                                  Les Evennett
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm                                                              Division F – Illawarra Shoalhaven Zone   George Elliot, CCM
Seven­day telephone answering service in                                                 and Far South Coast Zone                 Peter Strachan, ACCM
operation.                                                                               David Hiscox, ACCM
                                                                                         General Manager                          Hans Sarlemyn, ACCM
                                                            Ian Todd ACCM                Dapto Leagues Club                       Jim Henry, OAM, CCM
“Club Management in Australia” is published monthly by
the Club Managers’ Association Australia. All material is   Federal Executive Member                                              Terry Condon, CCM
copyright and cannot be reproduced without the explicit                                  Division G – Gold Coast Zone, Brisbane   Lew Cooper
permission of the Publisher or Editor. Editorial                                         Zone, Ipswich Darling Downs Zone,        Barry Stevenson
contributions relating to the club industry are welcome.                                 Sunshine Coast Zone, and the Central     Greg Pickering, ACCM
Submitted copy should be typed and double spaced. We                                     and Northern Queensland Zone             John Allan, ACCM
don’t accept any responsibility for keeping and returning                                Wayne Moffatt
unsolicited material. Photographs submitted must be                                                                               Allan Peter, ACCM
                                                                                         General Manager                          Wayne Forrest, ACCM
captioned. Those sent without prior arrangement cannot
be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self                                        Pine Rivers Memorial Club                Bill Clegg, ACCM
addressed envelope. Views expressed in this magazine are
not necessarily those of the Club Managers’ Association                                  Division H – Victoria Zone, Riverina
Australia. Although we do exercise the utmost caution, we                                Murray Zone and the ACT Zone
don’t accept responsibility for claims expressed in                                      Grant Duffy, ACCM
advertisements appearing in our issues.                                                  Secretary Manager
Subscription rate is $60 a year.                            David Hiscox ACCM            Numurkah Golf & Bowls Club
ISSN 0045­7205                                              NSW State Executive Member

       CMAA MEMBERS CONFIDENTIAL SUPPORT & COUNSELLING - 1300 464 262
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
Club Managers’
Career Development
Centre Sponsor
     CAREER DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
4         IN YOUR MAY EDITION

PAGE       ADVERTISER / EDITORIAL
Cover 1    JUPITERS MID YEAR CONFERENCE +NEW SPONSORS
Cover 2    KONAMI
1          CMAA IMPRINT & ADMINISTRATION
2          CMDA CAREER DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS
3          CLUB PLUS SUPERANNUATION
4          MARCH EDITION CONTENTS & POINTERS
5
6
           AINSWORTH GAMING TECHNOLOGY
           PAYNTER DIXON + INDUSTRY ISSUES
                                                                                                ➢ Page 18-19
7          COMMUNITY FIRST CREDIT UNION
8          PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE                                  THAT “GUT FEELING” remains an integral part of John
9          ARISTOCRAT
                                                                    Fitzgibbon’s strategy in making Earlwood Bardwell Park
                                                                    RSL Club a genuine success story. On the south­western
10         THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S DESK
                                                                    fringe of metropolitan Sydney, the club has been a working
11         INDEPENDENT GAMING
                                                                    “home” to John for almost 12 years where he has built a
12         THE BUSINESS END
                                                                    successful business under challenging circumstances in a
13         AUSTRALASIAN GAMING EXPO ­ AGE 2012                      multi­cultural melting pot of residents and members.
14         CMDA SPONSORS UPDATE ­ QUATTRO INTERIORS                 “Research … do your job, earn your money,” John says.
15         DATACARD
16         CMDA SPONSORS UPDATE ­ EP&T GLOBAL
17         JAMES CLIFFORD + CLUBS+: TWO­DAY CHEFS HANDS­ON SUMMIT
18         OUR MANAGERS ­ JOHN FITZGIBBON 1
19         MERIDIAN CONSTRUCTION +
           OUR MANAGERS ­ JOHN FITZGIBBON 2
20         HARLEY RUSSELL DAY + NORTHERN EXPOSURE ­ TWIN TOWNS 1
21         NORTHERN EXPOSURE ­ TWIN TOWNS 2
22         NUFURN + CMDA UPDATE ­ JUPITERS MID YEAR CONFERENCE
23         THOMSONS LAWYERS +
           CMDA UPDATE ­ JUPITERS MID YEAR CONFERENCE
                                                                                                ➢ Pages 22-23
24         TMA GROUP + AGE 2012                                                                  & 25-28
25         CMDA ­ JUPITERS MID YEAR CONFERENCE BROCHURE 1
26         CMDA ­ JUPITERS MID YEAR CONFERENCE BROCHURE 2
                                                                    2020 VISION - Levi’s jeans, the flying kangaroo, mobile
27         CMDA ­ JUPITERS MID YEAR CONFERENCE BROCHURE 3           phones ... and clubs ­ early innovators and the strategic
28         CMDA ­ JUPITERS MID YEAR CONFERENCE BROCHURE 4           impacts of decision making. With the CMAA’s annual
29         CMDA ­ QUEENSLAND UPDATE w/ JUSTIN McGURGAN              Conference & Hospitality Expo over, it’s time to think about
30         CMDA ­ PROFITABLE HOSPITALITY BURSARY TOUR 1             the next stage of your 2012 professional development
31         CMDA ­ PROFITABLE HOSPITALITY BURSARY TOUR 2             agenda. The CMAA’s Mid Year Conference follows through
32         CMDA ­ 2012 TRAINING CALENDAR                            on the 2020 VISION concept with the theme …
33         CMDA NATIONAL BURSARY SPONSORS +                         ‘Planning & Strategy: It’s All About People’.
           IN THE ZONE ­ INNER WEST BREAKFAST MEETING
34         CMAA 2012 MEETINGS & EVENTS DIARY
35         IN THE ZONE ­ ST GEORGE CRONULLA MEETING & LUNCH
36         ZONE EDUCATION OFFICERS + BOARD OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
37         IN THE ZONE ­ CITY EASTERN SUBURBS MEETING & LUNCH
38         CLUBS+: FOOD & BEVERAGE WORKSHOP or WEBINAR
39         IN THE ZONE ­ FAR NORTH COAST AGM & LUNCH
40         CLUBS+: WEDDINGS & EVENTS MANAGEMENT SUMMIT
41         CLUBS+: WEDDINGS & EVENTS MANAGEMENT SUMMIT
42         IN THE ZONE ­ GREAT LAKES MEETING & LUNCH
43
44
           IN THE ZONE ­ NEPEAN AGM & LUNCH
           CLUBS+: TRAINING EVENTS CALENDAR May ­ September                                     ➢ Pages 30-31
45         IN THE ZONE ­ MANLY NORTHERN SUBURBS GOLF DAY
46         CLUBS+: TWO­DAY CHEFS HANDS­ON SUMMIT                    A “PADDLE” of beers, sizzling steaks and ‘The Business of
47         CLUBS+: TWO­DAY CHEFS HANDS­ON SUMMIT                    Good Beer: How to Create a Great Beer Venue’ at the
48         NORTHERN EXPOSURE ­ NORTHCLIFF SURF CLUB 1               famous The Local Taphouse beer café, was an exciting
49         RAYNER SALES & ADVERTISING + NORTHCLIFF SURF CLUB 2      introduction to the 2012 Clubs+: Melbourne Food & Wine
50         2011 ACE AWARDS ­ THE WINNERS 1                          Study Tour. Winners of the CMDA’s Profitable Hospitality
51         2011 ACE AWARDS ­ THE WINNERS 2                          Melbourne Restaurant Bursary, Newcastle Panthers
52         MARKET FORCES                                            Operations Manager John Flanagan and Quirindi RSL Club
Cover 3    CMAA 2012 CONFERENCE & HOSPITALITY EXPO                  Secretary Manager Margaret McGrath were part of the group.
Cover 4    SHUFFLE MASTER AUSTRALASIA
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
6        INDUSTRY ISSUES

Wilkie making the most of MPC                                                              original problem gambling pokies
                                                                                           reform deal in January.

opportunity from Slipper’s issues                                                            Clubs Australia says its campaign was
                                                                                           about mandatory pre­commitment
                                                                                           being introduced without a trial.
THEY ARE at it again. Andrew Wilkie           Mr Wilkie, the Tasmanian Independent         “Everyone has now agreed to that. There
and Nick Xenophon are back in the             MP, believes he will regain some of the      doesn’t appear to be any likelihood it
headlines with their mandatory pre­           political clout he lost when the former      will be forced on clubs, pubs and casinos
commitment (MPC) campaign.                    Queensland Liberal­National MP               without a trial.”
   The anti­gambling agenda was back in       secured the speakership in late 2011           Community Affairs Minister Jenny
media spotlight after the controversially     and delivered Labor an extra vote in the     Macklin has been in talks with Mr
appointed House of Representatives            Lower House.                                 Wilkie, trying to overcome the last
Speaker, Peter Slipper, stood down over         Mr Wilkie is taking advice on what he      stumbling block to gain his support for
allegations of criminal and personal          says is “uncertainty and changing            the watered­down reforms and Ms
misconduct. The Government is                 circumstances” in the Federal                Macklin wrote to him on April 20 about
confident of a rapid resolution to the        Parliament and the implications for his      his demands on the pokies issue.
investigation into criminal allegations       poker machine reform demands.                   Mr Wilkie says he is unhappy the
by a staff member, James Ashby, that Mr         On April 23, Mr Wilkie held talks with     Government’s draft legislation does not
Slipper gave blank Cabcharge vouchers         Tony Abbott's Chief of Staff, Peta           specify that poker machines have to be
to a limousine driver on three occasions      Credlin, and Labor's chief parliamentary     “flick­the­switch ready” for future
this year. Mr Slipper has stood aside as      tactician, Anthony Albanese, about his       governments to roll out MPC technology.
Speaker only while this specific claim is     proposed poker machine reforms and           Previously, he warned the Government
investigated.                                 other policy issues in a bid to leverage     he would be a “ticking time bomb” over
  Mr Slipper also faces civil legal           the tightened parliamentary numbers to       the next 18 months if it didn't amend
proceedings over allegations he sexually      his advantage.                               the laws to his satisfaction.
harassed a former male adviser. Mr              Senator Xenophon claims “political           Ms Macklin claims the Government
Slipper has denied all the allegations.       karma” is coming back on Prime               has legal advice that the gambling
    In light of Mr Slipper’s circumstances,   Minister Julia Gillard for reneging on her   reform bill achieves Mr Wilkie's aim. n
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
Jupiters It's Time To Think - 'CMDA Family' welcomes new sponsors - Club Managers Association ...
8      CMAA UPDATE

                 Australia stands proud at                                              we need to pursue the improvements to
                                                                                        corporate governance that the wider
                                                                                        industry acknowledges must happen.
                 World Clubs Conference                                                 This agenda cannot be influenced by
                                                                                        those that are absorbed with self­
                                                                                        interest. Your Association is committed
                 President’s Perspective        with BILL CLEGG, ACCM                   to identifying the training needs and
                                                                                        developing appropriate courses for the
                                                                                        club managers of today and the
WITH CMAA Federal Secretary Allan               Clubs, like everything else, rise and   approaching decades. Compared
Peter and Executive Ralph Kober, I          decline with the community/society          internationally, we are well positioned,
recently had the honour to represent the    they serve. The great benefits of           but cannot think that the future will
Association at the 85th World               economic difficulty is the ability to       look after us ­ if we do not look after
Conference on Club Management.              reduce overheads and become “lean”,         ourselves.
  We also joined 27 other official          while the key success factors in a
International Delegates and many more       prospering economy is quality service,      IT WAS a privilege to represent the
international club managers at the 16th     friendly club atmosphere, improved          CMAA at the recent 14th Australian Club
International Symposium. The Club           communications and value for                Entertainment (ACE) Awards Dinner.
Industry’s international focus is varied.   membership. Clubs must maximise cost
                                                                                          With such an impressive array of
In Europe, the development of the           savings and revenue­producing sources
                                                                                        entertainers on stage and accepting
European Club Education programs            ... “run the club like a business”.
                                                                                        awards and more than 500 people
progresses well, with the primary             Of interest, the top 20% of clubs are     packing The Juniors auditorium, you
objective of developing the industry        doing well; 60% are struggling; while the   appreciate the role the Club Industry
leaders but, first, having to establish a   other 20% could disappear. Consolidation    has played in providing work
sustainable organisation that can deliver   of the Club Industry is inevitable. The     opportunities for entertainers to hone
the programs. In the Americas, the          trend to 20% fewer clubs is an indication   their skills.
recovery from the global financial crisis   that management requires greater skills
continues and the industry now is                                                         Among the sponsors who made the
                                            and there is need for the Board of
reflecting on where they have been and                                                  night possible were, Canterbury
                                            Directors to plan strategically.
what the future holds.                                                                  Hurlstone Park RSL (the home of the
                                              Bill McMahon could easily have been       ACE Awards for more than a decade),
  Bill McMahon, a consultant to US and      talking about Australia’s Club Industry.    Twin Towns Services Club, Petersham
Canadian clubs, provided the Keynote        The consolidation and reduction in club     RSL Club, St Mary’s Leagues Club,
Address at the International Symposium      numbers and the need for greater            Bowlers Club of NSW, Ingelburn RSL
on the theme ‘Trends Changing the Club      education is imperative for a successful    Club, The Juniors @ Kingford,
World’. The context of Mr McMahon’s         industry to survive and thrive.             Bankstown Sports Club, Revesby
presentation is relevant to all clubs                                                   Workers Club and Blacktown Workers
                                              Not surprisingly, the focus of the
around the world. Clubs operate in and                                                  Club ­ all clubs that have a strong
need to adjust to ...                       Conference education content
                                            addressed the key areas of social media,    ongoing commitment to providing
­ a time­constrained society, members       turning healthy trends into healthy         opportunities to artists.
  with busy lifestyles;                     profits, strategic planning, improving        The CMAA and ClubsNSW, provided
­ the changing roles of women are           the member experience, personal             the administration support to the event
  making them major decision­makers;        credibility, leadership and the changing    management team and, with the added
­ wellness & health ­ active aging;         trends in food and beverage.                support of Leagues Clubs Australia and
­ sense of community;                         Another Conference highlight was the      the RSL & Service Clubs Association,
­ green movement – eco­friendly;            International Breakfast when each of the    made the ACE event a true Club Industry
­ technology & communications:              Official International Delegates provided   entertainment event.
                                            a short update on the status of their         Our allied trade partners ­ most CMDA
                                            respective Associations. In my address, I   sponsor companies, particularly Major
                                            reviewed the industry’s position and the    Sponsor Lion and Doug May ­
                                            advances CMA Australia has made over        complimented the organisation and
                                            the past 30 years.                          support for the event.
                                            I THOUGHT I was watching a re­run of          The success of the ACE Awards comes
                                            Jurassic Park at a recently industry        from the commitment of all sectors of
                                            meeting when there was a call for the       the Club Industry in publicly
                                            training requirements and                   acknowledging the remarkable talent of
                                            improvements to corporate governance        our entertainers. n
                                            to be removed from the industry’s           ➢ BILL CLEGG, ACCM, is the CMAA
                                            agenda. If the Club Industry wants less       Federal President, a CMAA Life
                                            interference from Government and less         Member & General Manager at
                                            pressure from community expectations,         Randwick Labor Club
10 CMAA UPDATE

                 Optimistic prediction taking                                             networking with Asian club managers
                                                                                          from the Asia­Pacific region.

                 on positive reality for clubs                                              I know that each of the Australian club
                                                                                          managers feels proud and grateful for
                                                                                          such a great career development
                                                                                          opportunity and trust that they will, in
                 The Executive Officer’s Desk            with RALPH KOBER
                                                                                          their own way, encourage more
                                                                                          managers to apply for this prestigious
                                                                                          study tour in the upcoming CMAA
IT SEEMS just moments ago I wrote in        staunchly supported by the Club               National Bursary Program, released later
this column earlier this year that I        Industry.                                     this year.
believed that 2012 would be a year filled     Effectively, MPC has been shelved and,
with growing optimism and confidence.       while we are in a political “limbo” where     IT WON'T be long until members come
  I'm pleased to say that prediction is     the Government remains hesitant to            together en masse at the CMAA’s Mid
becoming reality.                           introduce the draft legislation during        Year Executive Leadership Conference at
  The mood at the recent CMAA               the sitting of this Parliament, it’s likely   Jupiters ­ July 4­6 ­ which is shaping up
                                            that some form of voluntary pre­              to be a substantial education event, as in
Conference & Hospitality Expo at
                                            commitment and hard demonstration by          previous years.
Darling Harbour in March was upbeat
                                            the industry that it takes minimising the
and overwhelmingly positive.                                                                Adding value to your CMAA
                                            harm associated with problem gambling
  Managers and trade exhibitors             seriously could be considered in the          membership is a priority and, at Jupiters,
remarked on how different the attitude      next Parliament.                              the CMDA is offering two pre­Conference
and demeanour of the attendees was                                                        optional courses ­ full details and
                                              At the time of writing this column, I
compared to this time last year when                                                      information is available in the
                                            am in Singapore leading a delegation of
the issue troubling the Club Industry                                                     Conference Brochure (pages 25-28 of
                                            CMAA Members who were awarded
was the uncertainty around Andrew                                                         this edition) or go to
                                            educational bursaries under the CMAA
Wilkie’s mandatory pre­commitment           National Bursary Program, in attending        www.cmaa.asn.au and
(MPC) gambling reforms.                     the 9th Asian Club Managers’                  www.ccmtravel.com.au.
 Attendee numbers at the CMAA               Association Conference and the Asian            Continuing on the theme of ‘2020
Members AGM, Conference and Expo            Food & Hospitality Expo.                      VISION’ - Strategic Management &
were up on last year.                         The experience has been tremendous          Planning, the Conference will be a great
  Exhibitors reported that they wrote       for the bursary winners, encompassing         event and the opportunity for
substantially more business and had         tours of the Marina Bay Sands and             networking with other like­minded
more leads than 2011. I suspect all of      Sentosa integrated resorts, tours of          professional club managers is one not to
this change is predicated on the            high­end Singaporean private clubs,           be missed.
successful outcome of the campaign          such as the Orchid Country Club and the
against the anti­gambling reforms           American Club, and two long and               AS I reported at the CMAA Annual
capably led by Clubs Australia and          beneficial days of conferencing and           General Meeting at Darling Harbour in
                                                                                          March, the Board of Management Studies
                                                                                          and CMAA Management are conducting
                                                                                          reviews of the Active Certified Club
                                                                                          Manager (ACCM) award and CMDA
                                                                                          National Bursary program to ensure they
                                                                                          are both relevant and of value to
                                                                                          members.
                                                                                            I anticipate that after the Mid Year
                                                                                          Conference the results of these two
                                                                                          reviews will be reported to Members
                                                                                          and any change in either program's
                                                                                          construct will be phased in over a
                                                                                          reasonable time frame.
                                                                                            I welcome any feedback from CMAA
                                                                                          Members regarding both programs prior
                                                                                          to the reviews, so please contact me at E:
                                                                                          ralph@cmaa.asn.au.

                                                                                          IN SUMMARY, I encourage you and your
                                                                                          club to continue working positively and
                                                                                          with optimism in your day­to­day
n Members of the CMA Australia National Bursary tour group at the                         operations and trust that you are looking
9th Asian CMA Conference in Singapore.                                                    forward to seeing “the good times roll”. n
12 CMAA UPDATE

                 Members and Sponsors in                                                     Club Industry continues to provide
                                                                                             these opportunities and services to our
                                                                                             communities.
                 the Business Spotlight                                                         So, if over the Easter period you, like
                                                                                             me, spent a little time reflecting upon
                 The Business End           with SHANNON DONATO
                                                                                             what you are contributing, I hope that
                                                                                             like me, you were proud of your work in
                                                                                             the Club Industry.
BEFORE THE Easter break, I attended ­         run at a loss and/or significant cost ­ to
and immensely enjoyed ­ the Nepean            provide a place for people to spend time       SPONSORS SPOTLIGHT
Zone Annual General Meeting. It was           together.
great to spend time with members and            As we know all too well, clubs don’t
sponsors in this thriving and vibrant         act only as meeting places and modern
CMAA Zone.                                    versions of the “town square”, but also
  The Meeting, Workshop and Luncheon          offer social/personal support and
were all terrific. The highlight for me –     assistance to their wider communities.
and, I suspect, many lunch guests ­ was       Gus spoke about how clubs play a vital
rugby league champion Phil “Gus” Gould        role in providing funding and resources
taking the time to attend the lunch and       to local communities and sporting
provide his thoughts on the role of the       groups.
Club Industry.                                   A successful football player and coach,
  While always entertaining and               now media commentator and high­
enlightening when he speaks, Gus’s            profile senior club administrator, Gus         THIS WEEK we put Mark Swindell, from
words and sentiments echoed in my             also worked in the Club Industry many          our new National Bursary Sponsor
mind over the following days during the       years ago as a sales representative, so he     company EP&T Global in the ‘Sponsors
Easter period.                                is more than qualified to give a long­         Spotlight’…
   Easter is a time where we are able to      term, holistic perspective on the
                                              importance of our industry.                    Name: Mark Swindell.
stop and take the time to reflect upon
the important things in life ... family,        He has been impressively successful          Company: EP&T Global
friends and what kind of contribution         across many areas and, importantly, Gus        Position: Commercial Manager
we are making in our lives. This got me       says his passion for what he does and
thinking about what I do for a living and     his subsequent success (my words, not          First club client: Blacktown Workers
Gus’s words on the contribution our           his) harks back to his time as a junior        Club
Club Industry makes to our                    sportsman … an opportunity provided            Best thing about working in the Club
communities.                                  through clubs in his community.                Industry: The great people.
  Never one to shy away from giving his         Just after the Easter weekend, I spent       Best piece of advice you can
opinion, Gus spoke passionately about         some time with my family at Mollymook          offer/have ever received: You can
the role clubs play in the fabric of          and Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast.          learn something from everyone you meet.
modern Australian society. The fact that,     While in town, we visited CMAA Federal         Worst piece of advice you have ever
besides providing employment for tens         Vice President Michael O’Sullivan’s            received: That horse never throws
of thousands of Australians, clubs also       Milton Ulladulla Bowling Club. During          anyone off.
provide a social hub for people to meet       our visit to this beautiful sea­side club, I
and come together. Clubs provide              witnessed three generations of one             I wish I had a dollar for every time: I
activities such as bingo, mother’s            family celebrate their grandmother’s           hear businesses complain about rising
groups, golf, bowls, darts and numerous       birthday; we met three young Ulladulla         energy costs.
other social and sporting events ­ often      locals as we watched the football (when        When not at work you can find me: At
                                              the Warriors belted the Rabbitohs); and        home with the kids, or playing rugby.
                                              saw dozens of locals enjoying the world­
                                                                                             Favourite sporting team: NSW
                                              class bowling greens.
                                                                                             Waratahs (rugby union).
                                                Sitting there, enjoying the club’s
                                                                                             My local club is: The Epping Club.
                                              facilities and atmosphere, watching the
                                              operations of a genuine asset to the local     Best thing about my local club: The
                                              community, I was reminded of Gus’s             amazing food! n
                                              words about the integral role clubs play
                                              in local communities and the fabric of         ➢ SHANNON DONATO is the CMAA’s
                                              modern society.                                  Sponsorship & Marketing Manager
                                                All of us ­ club managers, their staff,        M: 0434 185 414;
  n   PHIL GOULD                              club suppliers and CMDA sponsors ­               W: 02 - 9746 4199;
                                              play an important role in ensuring the           E: shannon@cmaa.asn.au
14 CMDA SPONSORS UPDATE

Sponsorship builds
on Quattro’s great
work with clubs
By PETER SHARP

DURING THE past decade, the traditional
club landscape has been subject to many
changes when it comes to legislation and
the development process. As architects
and interior designers, Quattro has been
closely involved with these changes.
  Established 11 years ago as an
architecture and interior design firm by
                                                                                              n ABOVE:  A Quattro project ...
directors Peter Hosking and Kylie
Grimwood, Quattro has completed more                                                          the Lucido Bar at
                                                                                              Wentworthville Leagues Club.
than 50 club projects ­ from minor
alterations and refurbishments to larger                                                      n LEFT:   The Quattro team.
new builds.
  Quattro has won these projects, either

                                                                                              ‘
working with builders on gross maximum
price or design and construct contracts
with project managers and, now, directly
                                                                                               “Successful design is
with the clubs.                                                                                about giving your client
  In many cases, the design often is                                                           what they want and
dictated by the base building legislation of     The spatial qualities of a club and the       about educating your
the day.                                       atmosphere it creates are two key               client on what is
  Quattro’s versatility and readiness to       elements to its success.                        available and what
adapt to any situation has ensured                Kylie Grimwood said the focus is on both     works for them.”
constant work with clubs across NSW and        at Quattro – planning of the space and the
developed strong relationships with the        interior design. “We pride ourselves on
club managers.                                 listening to and collaborating with the
  It is due to these positive relationships    client,” Kylie added. “Successful design is
that Quattro decided to strengthen its         about giving your client what they want
relationship with the Club Industry by         and about educating your client on what is
becoming a CMDA National Bursary               available and what works for them. It’s
Sponsor.                                       about interpreting their brief.”
  “We see the opportunity of partnering          This approach has enabled Quattro to
the CMAA as a great way to boost our           generate consistent return work.
involvement with the clubs of Australia,”         Dapto Leagues Club General Manager
Peter Hosking said. “Clubs are some of our     and CMAA NSW State Executive Member
best clients and to support the CMDA           David Hiscox says Quattro understands the
through its important education and            client and what they are looking for. “Their
professional development program is a          [Quattro] concepts were fantastic,” David
win­win situation.”                            said. “We have been using Quattro for two
  While the process of club development        years now ... I can’t see why we’d go
has changed over the past decade, using        anywhere else.”                                ➢ For more information, contact
intelligent club architecture and interior       Quattro’s capabilities allow them to be      Quattro Interiors
design to achieve better results has not.      involved in all aspects of the design          P: 02 - 9699 9881
  Merrylands RSL General Manager Bryn          process.                                       W: www.quattrodesign.com.au
Miller said: “In the hospitality industry,       From design, document, co­ordinate and       Quattro Interiors head office is
there are 1,400, or so, clubs and hotels in    provide FF&E packages, to master               located at
NSW ­ all very competitive in driving their    planning, then right through to the last       Studio 7, Level 1
businesses. If you have a ‘wow factor’         architectural detail and finish, Quattro       35 Buckingham Street
about your business, it sells itself.”         takes the stress and pressure out of a         Surry Hills NSW 2010
  Quattro strongly believes this sentiment.    successful project. n
16 CMDA SPONSORS UPDATE

EP&T Global                     By PETER SHARP                               comprehensive end­to­end solution
                                                                             dedicated to improving the way energy is
                                                                             managed, highlighting areas of energy
tackles energy,                 AS THE cost of living rises along with
                                other uncertainties, managers in the Club
                                Industry faced the challenging task of
                                                                             waste and helping clubs and their
                                                                             managers to achieve their sustainability
environment                     operating venues that provide a wide
                                range of services and a unique social
                                                                             goals.
                                                                               EP&T Global’s Marketing &
challenges                      environment for their members, while
                                supporting their local communities.
                                                                             Communications Manager Steve Grant
                                                                             said the rising costs of energy and
with clubs                         Managing such a diverse operation with
                                multiple facilities can be a major
                                                                             pressures within the Club Industry posed
                                                                             a unique set of challenges to the
                                undertaking, especially when taking into     management of clubs and their resources.
                                account the energy costs involved and the      “Energy management is an increasingly
                                impact these costs have on a club’s bottom   important area for all clubs to address and
                                line.                                        make part of their overall strategy as the
                                   For more than 20 years, EP&T Global       benefits they can achieve represent real
                                has been delivering innovative energy        value and real savings,” Steve added.
                                efficiency and environmental solutions for     EP&T Global’s energy efficiency
                                its customers and helping them make real     solutions focus on how to make the most
                                and sustained savings in terms of their      from an organisation’s existing
                                energy use and cost.                         infrastructure.
                                  By combining its pioneering technology       “We often have customers that are
                                with a team of multi­disciplinary            amazed at the savings we can achieve for
                                engineers, EP&T Global provides a unique     them because, if such issues were
                                approach to achieve real and significant     unidentified or left unchecked, the costs
                                savings in terms of energy, water and        over time can have a substantially
                                waste, that represents real financial        negative impact upon their bottom line,”
                                savings for its many clients.                Steve Grant added.
                                  EP&T Global is Australian­owned and          “Our solutions provide a unique
                                operated with a mission and a passion to     opportunity to eliminate energy waste
                                help its clients make genuine energy and     and optimise the resource consumption
                                cost savings that can then be used to        for a club, while maintaining the comfort
                                benefit other areas of their operations.     levels of their member.
                                  EP&T Global’s team takes the time to         “As a result, the associated savings can
                                understand its clients’ businesses and       be directed towards other operations of
                                tailor­make a solution that fits their       the club which benefit both their
                                specific requirements.                       members and the communities they
                                  This is achieved by identifying energy     serve. It’s the ultimate ‘win­win’
                                consumption “hotspots” throughout a          opportunity.”
                                building that can then be rectified by the     EP&T Global has recently joined the
                                building staff and converted into savings.   CMDA Sponsor “family” as a National
                                  EP&T Global has an extensive track         Bursary Sponsor.
 ➢ For more information on      record of on­time, on­budget delivery           “We are an Australian company and
 EP&T Global’s range of         with EP&T systems installed in more than     understand the important and long­
 products and services, go to   600 sites across a wide range of             standing role that clubs play within
 www.eptglobal.com or           industries, including a dedicated            Australian communities,” Steve said. “So,
 contact EP&T Global’s          commitment to servicing the clubs sector.    supporting such a worthwhile Association
 Commercial Manager                                                          with its focus on the education and
 Mark Swindell                    The energy efficiency solutions EP&T
                                provides are an increasingly trusted         professional development of its members
 B: 02 - 8422 6060;                                                          fits very comfortably with EP&T’s core
 M: 0424 888 083;               means of performance management.
                                                                             values. It’s another win­win situation.” n
 E: mark.s@eptglobal.com          In the past year alone, EP&T achieved
 EP&T Global’s Australian       these savings for clients …
 offices are at 358 Eastern     ­ $21.4 million in utility costs;             … the rising costs of energy
 Valley Way, Chatswood NSW
 P: 02 ­ 8422 6000 and
                                ­ 120,000 tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide)      and pressures within the Club
                                  emissions;                                  Industry posed a unique set of
 1006/220 Collins Street,
 Melbourne, Victoria            ­ 700 million litres of water.                challenges to the
 P: 03 9639 7772.                 With a range of more than 30 products       management of clubs and
                                and services, EP&T Global offers a            their resources.
CMDA - CLUBS+: CHEFS TWO-DAY MANAGEMENT SUMMIT                                                17

Chefs cooking up                                                                         and has been a special guest of the “Iron
                                                                                         Chefs” in Japan.
fast track to success                                                                      For those who want to learn more
                                                                                         from this high achiever, here’s a great
                                                                                         opportunity.
WHATEVER YOUR opinion of                                                                   Mark will be a guest presenter at a
“Masterchef” and all its variations,                                                     special gathering for chefs in June ­ the
attracting hundreds of thousands to the                                                  Clubs+: Chefs Two-Day Management
screen most nights has put the kitchens                                                  Summit.
and chefs under a very bright spotlight.
                                                                                            The Summit ­ at Bankstown Sports
  Clubs, hotels, bistros, cafes,                                                         Club in Sydney on June 5 and 6 ­ will be
restaurants and even in bars: patrons        hard work, education and business           a gathering of chefs from all over the
are demanding more and second­rate           management “smarts”.                        country.
food or service is no longer accepted.
                                               Chefs need to be good at planning,          Be a part of this exciting education
  Today’s chefs generally have a strong      costing, ordering, cooking, time            opportunity ­ and bring your team.
focus on professional development ­ for      management and team leadership ­ and
themselves and their teams.                                                                There will also be a unique three­hour
                                             that’s just the start.                      MasterClass event on Tuesday, June 5,
  Chefs are at the front of the line to be     According to one of Melbourne’s           especially for Executive Chefs. n
offered the best positions and a good        leading chefs, Mark Normoyle, the
salary ­ as an executive/head chef, an       Executive Chef at the prestigious RACV      ➢ Visit www.ProfitableHospitality.com
operations manager ­ even a CEO.             City Club, training and ongoing learning    or go to www.cmaa.asn.au for more
  Their unique insight into kitchen          across all areas of the business is         information and to book for this
operations gives them a considerable         paramount.                                  remarkable professional development
advantage in the management of any                                                       opportunity.
                                               Leading the second­largest team of
hospitality operation.                       chefs in Melbourne, Mark Normoyle has       ➢ The Clubs+: Chefs Two-Day
  However, career success generally          the distinction of working in the world’s   Management Summit information
doesn’t come without a good deal of          only seven­star hotel, the Burj Alarab,     brochure is on pages 46 & 47.
18 OUR MANAGERS

Competitive edge drives
John’s passion for clubs
By PETER SHARP

THAT “GUT FEELING” remains an integral part of John
Fitzgibbon’s strategy in making Earlwood Bardwell Park RSL
Club a genuine success story.
  On the south­western fringe of metropolitan Sydney, the club
has been a working “home” to John for almost 12 years where he
has built a successful business under challenging circumstances
in a multi­cultural melting pot of residents and members.
  “Research … do your job, earn your money. Talk to people who
know about the changes and decisions you have to make for
your club to be successful,” is John’s plain­speaking philosophy
about managing a club. “Consultants can be helpful, but not
always the answer. Every field has an expert ­ not necessarily a
consultant. In the club business, managers know colleagues who
have the answer or advice than can go a long way to solving a
problem. A good manager travels, observes, experiences what’s
happening in the industry, then taps into that collegial network
to finally make good decisions.
  “At the end of the day, you know what works, what’s right for
your club and, sometimes despite the best evidence, you just
                                                                         n Earlwood Bardwell Park RSL Club General Manager
have to trust your gut on some things … it’s that way in lots of
businesses.”                                                             John Fitzgibbon.
  John’s gut instincts are built on almost 30 years in clubs,
starting out in March 1983 after three years working with the
National Bank, then at the Corowa Bowling Club with Harry                “I learned the business from good people so it was the right
Bellette as his boss. “Because of my banking background, Harry        opportunity at the right time when I was ready to settle in and
was keen for me to work on the club’s cash flow, so I was up at       take on the responsibility of my own club,” John said. “It was a
5am reading the poker machine meters for two hours each day           club I knew, one with plenty of challenges, but a business I knew
… that’s when managers knew where meters were on machines,”           could be better and bigger and something valuable in the
John adds with a smile.                                               community.”
  John was the Gaming Manager at Corowa when he “gave it                 One of John’s first, and perhaps biggest projects was to move
away to knock around for a few years”, including 12 months in         the club operations upstairs to street level. “Everything was
London, before return to Sydney and hooking up with his               below street level,” John says. “We had an auditorium upstairs
predecessor at EBPRSL, Frank Mulhall. “Frank heard I was in           and the rest of the club was downstairs. A positive was that it
town, he called, then spoke to Corowa and we had the next two         was easy for the construction team and, in the end, it was a
years together here,” John recalls.                                   hugely successful outcome for the club and the members. It gave
  It was on to the NSW Leagues Club as Deputy General Manager         us a great marketing and membership opportunity to invite
for 1989 to ’95, then south to the St Kilda Football Social Club at   residents in the area to revisit their club. We were able to make a
Moorabbin for a few more years.                                       superb venue upstairs and throw in great family dining and a
                                                                      world­class health and fitness facility downstairs.”
  John’s itchy feet took him back to Sydney where he had a few
jobs as a receiver/manager until 2000 when with Frank Mulhall            That membership demographic looks more like the
seriously talking about retirement, he got the invitation to come     membership of the United Nations, with Greek, Australian,
back to Earlwood as the boss.                                         Italian and Asian residents in the area attracted to the club’s
                                                                      impressive dining, gaming, entertainment and fitness facilities.
                                                                      “It was critical to physically go out and engage with the
                                                                      residents, so we actually went out to streets, knocked on doors
                                                                      to find out who was living in our area and invite them to visit the
     At the end of the day, you know what works,                      club,” John said.
     what’s right for your club and, sometimes                           John points to a stable, supportive and understanding Board as
     despite the best evidence, you just have to                      the most important component in the club’s success. “The only
     trust your gut on some things … it’s that                        change in the Board over the past 12 years was bought about by
     way in lots of businesses.                                       a death. We are financially successful because we have a unified
                                                                      Board with a good working relationship with the management at
                                                                      all levels. Everyone is working for the same outcome.”
OUR MANAGERS                   19

  The RSL Club faces a lot of competition for the gaming dollar,      units] were well­priced at a time when we had money to invest
with five of the state’s top 20 clubs within a 10km radius. “We       and it has allowed us to plan and implement some important
stack up well against our club competition because we pay             changes for the club.”
attention to the things that are important for success … we
                                                                         Those changes, following on from two trading floor
support our community and are always working on
improvements to the club.”                                            “refurbs” in the past five years, include the latest $2 million
                                                                      project to upgrade the building externally and remake the
  The business oversees 214 gaming machines ­ 160 at the              foyer and toilets. After this latest restyle, John plans on a few
RSL Club and another 54 machines at the EBP Sports Club, the          years of cash consolidation to see how the political and
former Earlwood Bowling Club. “The M5 conversation started            legislative landscape plays out so the club can make strong
23 years ago and there was a fear the project might cause
                                                                      financial and strategic plans for the future.
problems for the main club, so Frank [Mulhall] took on the
bowling club, which was struggling at the time, and we have              That future includes annual overseas and domestic tours to
been working away at making it a positive contributor to the          gauge the latest style, gaming and business trends. “If I don’t
overall bottom line,” John said. “We made a profit in 2010,           go, then senior managers go, sometimes with a director,” John
which was pleasing and things have been going from strength           added. “You never know where you will pick up the perfect
to strength with a few significant changes in place there.”           idea for your own club … it’s much easier to go to Macau than
  Those changes, which eventually produced a $300,000 turn­           Las Vegas and the things being done in the new properties
around in revenue, include converting one of three greens into        there is overturning all of the conventional thinking on
car parking, refurbishing the club and adding outdoor gaming.         everything from food to lighting and furniture. A good example
There are more plans for change, including a new 5x5x5 lease          is the new Galaxy property which is truly amazing in so many
that will offer greater flexibility in all aspects of the business.   aspects and goes against all accepted gaming design theory.”
“The Sports Club is coming along nicely and offers opportunity
for a few interesting aspects of the business,” John added.             That competitive edge extends to dining at the RSL Club and
                                                                      John sees restaurant quarters in Newtown and Marrickville as
  That flexibility includes rotating most of the staff, including     his main competition. “We really don’t have much competition
managers, between the locations. It’s not a block rotation, but       from clubs in our area when it comes to food, but I want to
one that offers a variety of responsibility. “It stops people         make sure young people looking for a quality, affordable meal
becoming ‘stale’ in one location, doing one job and exposes           come to us, rather than driving or catching a train to Newtown
staff and members to each others at both venues … it works            for a good pizza and bottle of wine,” John says with a hint of
well and the staff appreciate the variety,” John added.               competitive edge in his voice.
  John’s staffing structure ­ encompassing 70 people,
including casual and part­time staff – involves a Deputy GM,            John’s conviction about successful business boils down to
Chief Financial Officer, six Senior Duty Managers, a HR               analysing every component of the business and measuring it
Manager, Supervisors and general staff. Duty Managers and             against the opposition. “It’s critical to precisely understand
Supervisors split their time between the office and the floor of      everything you do and what you offer … what’s workable, what
the club and between both venues.                                     you can win and what you have to ‘go around’ when you can’t
                                                                      win,” he adds. “Understand your members and your customers
  A big part of the club’s financial strategy is three luxury         … who they are, where they come from, what they expect –
units on the Gold Coast that allows the business to proceed           and how to exceed those expectations.
with capital refurbishments without impacting on the club’s
balance sheet. “We bought the units overlooking Coolangatta             “And, when you have all of that information available, you
Beach, one at a time off the plan, to use them as collateral with     can make decisions to make your business better and stronger.
the bank when we want to take on new works,” John says. “We           Sometimes though, it’s important to trust your gut … your
use the units as security which leaves the club unencumbered          instincts … because your members are much more than
… they are non­core assets that spread the risk. They [the            numbers.” n
20 NORTHERN EXPOSURE

                                                                    Twin Towns shrugs off threat
                                                                   of an uncertain gaming future

By HENRI LACH                                                                     n ABOVE: The club is a spectacular sight at night.

                                                                                  n BELOW: Twin Towns Services Club … a financial giant
TWIN TOWNS Services Club (aka Twins Towns Clubs & Resorts)
on the NSW­Queensland border is a financial giant that exerts a
massive positive impact on the local economy. Any
businessperson, contractor or supplier in the Tweed will swear                the face of on­going efforts by anti­gaming zealots at political
to the veracity of that statement.                                            levels. But Rob is upbeat about the move.
  With its resort developments and its two other licensed clubs                 “This work, we hope, will get some impetus back in the area,”
in the Tweed area, Twin Towns has been there when the                         he said. “There’s certainly not a lot of other building going on
economic chips were down, providing jobs at many levels where                 around Tweed Heads at the moment.”
none would have existed otherwise, right back to its early                      Work on Stage 1 of the project began in March and is expected
history in the 1960s.                                                         to be completed in time for Christmas. It’s providing scores of
  General Manager Rob Smith is succinct in his assessment of his              jobs for local contractors and tradespeople.
club’s role in the economic life of the Tweed.                                  The project involves demolition of about 3000 square metres
  “Twin Towns has led the way with successful developments at                 of the 1968­vintage Harbour Lounge and refurbishment of
times which traditionally haven’t been popular in economic                    another 1500 square metres of floor space.
terms,” he said.
  And Twin Towns is doing it again, with the go­ahead of a
$20 million revamp to its premises. It‘s Stage 1 of a longer­term
$50 million makeover. The decision comes with risks attached in

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NORTHERN EXPOSURE                     21

   The end result of Stage One will be a
new building with alfresco areas and
sports bar and TAB open to the public,
without their having to sign into the
licensed club. On their part, club
patrons will be able to enter from the
Jack Evans Boat Harbour side.
  There is no time frame for the next
two stages of the redevelopment.
  Rob explained that they could be
done at the club’s leisure.
   “The State Government gave us a
master plan approval,” he said. “Once
we’ve completed Stage 1, that approval
is available to us in perpetuity. So the
club will have the opportunity to do
those last two stages when we see fit.”
  Implementation of the $50 million
full master plan came to an abrupt halt
less than a month after it was given the go­ahead by the club’s             n Digital imaging of the new-look building, with new
board.                                                                      signage, at right.
  “It was ironic that the strategic meeting of the board to
approve the project actually took place on the day of the 2010
Federal Election,” Rob added. “At that stage, both the Coalition
and the Labor Party had indicated that gaming wasn’t on the             plans contain a contingency against a worst case scenario.
radar, that it wasn’t an election issue. So we were going ahead           “The worst case scenario would be to have those machines
largely on the basis of reasonable commercial feasibility aspects.      changed,” Rob said. “And if that was in the same sort of numbers
Then, within 16 days, we had Mr Wilkie and his agreement with           that mandatory­pre commitment would have required it would
the Prime Minister. So, the very next meeting after the approval        amount to $20 million [Twin Towns has 600 machines]. So we’ve
we said, ‘Whoa, we’ve got to stop here and re­assess our                hedged our bets and made sure that we’ve got the ability to not
position’, and the project was put on hold.                             only upgrade the club, but to address that worst case scenario
  “One of the reasons we pushed the button to go ahead now              should it eventuate.
with Stage 1 is because we believe it’s appropriate to move on, to        “We’ve re­jigged the design. Currently, we have a very
get the club to the position that we want to.”                          significant footprint that’s spread over four floors. What we’ve
  Despite the apparent demise of the Wilkie­style mandatory             come up with is a design so that we could operate a fully
pre­commitment proposal, Rob Smith has no illusions that                functional, and we think pretty impressive, club all on one floor.
draconian restrictions affecting the Club Industry still may be in      That will be an outcome of this stage of the development,” Rob
the wind. It’s no accident, then, that the club’s redevelopment         concluded. n

                                        ‘Casual arrangement’                               More recently, Rob can take justifiable credit
                                                                                           for the reconfiguration in 2010 of Club
                                        passes 30-year mark                                Banora, which saved it from oblivion. “The
                                                                                           original master plan was never sustainable,”
                                        2012 IS a significant year for Rob Smith. It       he said. “We had to top it up by about
                                        marks the 30th anniversary of his arrival at       $1 million a year. It‘s now returning $750,000
                                        Twin Towns Services Club. Rob was an               a year.” A new master plan for Banora is on
                                        18-year-old on a working holiday from his          the table, with diversification into aged care,
                                        home in Canberra when he walked through            retail, and a new club premises. Earlier in his
                                        the club’s doors in 1982, looking for casual       career, Rob was instrumental in raising the
                                        work. He caught the eye of the then GM,            Twin Towns Junior Club from the ashes of the
                                        Russell Roylance, who recognised this young        former South Tweed Leagues Club in 2002.
                                        man as a person of talent and convinced him        Currently, he can point to a total year-end
                                        to stay. Rob’s rise through the ranks from         profit of $6.8 million for 2011, and an
                                        casual barman to executive status confirmed        expected turnover “in the mid-$70 million”
                                        his boss’s faith and assessment, and Rob           for the current year. The CV covering his past
                                        assumed the chair vacated by his mentor in         30 years undoubtedly would open any door
                                        2005. He lists the opening of the club’s multi-    to a lucrative executive post. So what are Rob
   n General Manager Rob Smith          million dollar Harbour Tower resort block in       Smith’s future plans? “I love Twin Towns and I
   - celebrating 30 years.              2006 among his milestones as chief executive.      love Tweed Heads,” is his smiling answer. n
22 CMDA UPDATE W/ GEOFF MESTON

STRATEGIC                                                                               quality ­ and it wasn’t cheap. The safety
                                                                                        was founded on expensive Australian
                                                                                        aircraft servicing that increased the
decisions dictate                                                                       airline’s operating costs. As more
                                                                                        airlines entered the market and new
consequences                                                                            markets opened up, Qantas has found it
                                                                                        could not compete with its existing cost
at all levels                                                                           structure intact, so remains in conflict
                                                                                        with their Australian workers as they
                                                                                        seek to utilise cheaper labour overseas
2020 VISION ­ Levi’s jeans, the flying                                                  to remain price competitive. Keep your
kangaroo, mobile phones ... and clubs ­                                                 eye on Qantas.
early innovators and the strategic                                                         The following article was derived
impacts of decision making.                    In the 1980s, things started to go       from ‘The Motley Fool’ at
   From the turn of last century through     wrong. There were a lot of newer brands    http://www.fool.co.uk/ “Back when I
to the 1970s and early 80s, the coolest      coming on to the market due to             bought my first mobile phone, Nokia
piece of clothing on the planet was a        changing customer tastes and, perhaps,     (NYSE: NOK) was the must­have brand.
pair of Levi Straus denim jeans. Whether     a new generation’s social impulse to       The industry was young, the mobile
you were a rockstar, surfer, bikie, or       buck the trend. They were “tribal          internet hadn’t yet awoken, something
fashion­conscious member of the public,      specific” cool as opposed to “generic”     like three­out­of­four phones sold were
Levi’s were the jean (and jacket) of         cool. What did Levi’s do? They were        Nokia, and the company had a lock on
choice for your tribe. When you first        possibly slow to act; then changed their   the market.
bought them, they were so stiff you had      styles and became followers instead of        “But Nokia has since been outshone
to soak them for a day and then bash         leaders; and released ranges they          by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and its ultra­
them against a brick wall to stop them       thought would satisfy the new              desirable iPhones and iPads, and this
feeling like you were putting on a pair of   consumer.                                  week has been forced to release a profit
concrete pants. They even had a very           Did it work? NO!                         warning. The erstwhile king of the castle
slick TV ad campaign with the song ...                                                  is now expecting to make a loss for the
“When I get into my Levi’s, I get into a        The Levi’s case often is discussed in   first two quarters of the year, where
feeling; do you want me, or want me for      Strategic Management studies because       previously it had been forecasting
my Levis?” Phew ... deep stuff. Levi’s       it’s a great example of a famous brand     break­even.
strategy was bullet­proof.                   and strategy losing its connection with
                                             its external competitive environment.        “Their shares plunged on the news,
                                             They didn’t go out and ENGAGE the new      falling 15%, and are now down nearly
                                             customers to find out what the issue       90% over the past four years.
                                             really was. So, they allowed too many        “What went wrong?
                                             new entrants to take some market share       “Consider that other troubled
                                             and have never regained their status.      competitor, Research In Motion (Nasdaq:
                                             They really needed to reinvent             RIMM). RIM is the maker of those once­
                                             themselves ... but didn’t.
                                               Qantas is another great case study of

                                                                                        ‘
                                             strategic change. The flying Kangaroo
                                             enjoyed massive success as an                   Companies may stay the
                                             international carrier when flying was a         same but the market
                                             relatively expensive method of travel           never does.
                                             which, to a degree, tended to limit
                                             access to the masses. Its strong
                                             reputation was built on safety and
CMDA UPDATE W/ GEOFF MESTON                                                23

wanted BlackBerry devices, which
caught on strongly in the corporate
market. But with their focus on email
and instant messaging, they’ve been
upstaged by modern devices like tablets                                 Planning & Strategy:
that can do that just as well, while being                                It’s All About People
able to surf in ‘proper computer’ style,
                                                                  2012 Mid Year Executive Leadership Conference
take photos and synchronise everything                                   July 3-6 @ Jupiters Gold Coast, Queensland
via the ‘cloud’, too.                                                             www.cmaa.asn.au                            Conference Sponsor

In Too Early
   “These two companies did something         disappointed when Apple dropped its               stylus just right and squinted. Apple
in common. They both entered the fray         Newton line, one of the world’s first              didn’t have to reinvent its mobile
when the technology was woefully              forays into mobile computing, with                offerings by moving on from older
inadequate, and they succeeded by             handwriting recognition and all that. But         obsolete technologies.
making the most of a bad job.                 it was a sound commercial decision,               Lessons To Be Learned
   “I remember an old Nokia phone I had.      because even though we had a few years
It was one of the early WAP phones            of rudimentary PDAs after that, what                “Companies may stay the same but
(Wireless Application Protocol ­              mobile computing needed was                       the market never does. Companies
remember that, you antiques experts out       connectivity.                                     must be flexible and nimble in their
there?). It cost hundreds of dollars, and                                                       strategies. Management need to be
                                                “And when the technology was up to it
by hooking up with a WAP provider, I                                                            constantly vigilant for hints of change;
                                              and Apple rejoined the fray, it was able
could get some sort of rudimentary web­                                                         engage with customers instead of
                                              to blow the competition away. Mobile
type data services. But with bandwidth                                                          telling them what they want; address
                                              technology had progressed far enough
so poor, a dearth of WAP services and the                                                       generational change; keep some money
                                              for iPhones, and later iPads, to work as
inadequacies of those tiny little displays,                                                     in the bank for a rainy day; and embrace
                                              genuine everyday devices that provided
it was, frankly, useless.                                                                       technology.”
                                              integrated services right from the start,
   “Now compare Nokia and RIM with            and not cute gadgets that kind of                   Hope to see you at Jupiters (July 4­6)
Apple. I remember many years ago being        worked, most of the time, if you held the         to continue the discussion ... n
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