I think the Season Pass idea can definitely be reworked to make it accessible and worthwhile for most of the club. I think a better model than ski passes to look at is gym memberships. Studies have shown that making people pay up front for a gym membership doesn't increase long run attendance. After a while, people forget how painful it was to pay all that money in January and get lazy. When they pay monthly, it hurts a little each time they write a check, so they are constantly reminded to make use of the service they are paying for. So, a flexible payment plan where people could make monthly payments would put the Pass in the reach of most club members and help to increase attendance even more than a plan where you pay up front.
In regards to refunds, there could be exceptions made in extreme circumstances. For instance, say someone's father has hip surgery in July, and they can't attend any events for the rest of the season because they need to take care of him. They go to the BoD and petition for a refund of 50% of the Pass price because 50% of the season has passed already. This way, people know that the club has their back if something happens, but only serious excuses will be accepted.
I also like the idea of rewarding people who actually do show up to events. It seems that some people felt that limiting the reward to one specific event decreased its effectiveness this year. One alternative would be a rewards system similar to what a coffee shop might do where once you attend five events, you get your next NHMS event at a discount. Of course, these numbers would be changed before a finalized plan would be launched.
boltonite wrote:AFAIK there is an opening for a "Marketing Chief" to lead membership and event packaging efforts such as the "season pass" idea. Talk is cheap -- next Wednesday saddle up, fill your meth-injected ride with boost juice, put on your nomex suit and SA2010 helmet and trot on over to Yangtze River!
I think I could help out as Marketing Chief. I'm about to graduate from business school with a degree in Marketing, so I have plenty of ideas and info to bring to the table. However, I go to NYU and will be in New York until May, when I plan to move to Boston.
--Lindsey--