Planning for Next Season? Don’t Just Repeat Last Year

Is Your Next Season Just a Copy of the Last One?

For many clubs—especially in the South—the offseason is when planning kicks into gear. This is when activity directors, event teams, and GMs start looking ahead: What should we bring back? What should we cut? What will make next season even better?

But let's pause for a moment and ask something important:

Are you truly planning... or just repeating?

We've seen it happen time and time again: the upcoming season's calendar is built by opening last year's spreadsheet and updating the dates. Maybe a few new events sneak in, but the overall structure stays the same. It feels efficient, and it kind of works. But clubs that take that route often miss out on their biggest opportunity:

Next season could be radically better.

Repetition Is Comfortable - But Risky

We get it. Repeating what worked is safe. If the ladies' luncheon was well-attended and the bocce league filled up fast, why not bring them back as-is?

The problem isn't the individual events - it's the mindset.

⫸ Repetition doesn't evolve with your membership
⫸ Repetition can stall creativity
⫸ Repetition often reflects what staff had time to organize - not what members actually want

A calendar built on habit is like a restaurant menu that never changes. Familiar, yes. But also forgettable.

Your members crave variety. They want to connect. And sometimes, they want to lead. The more you empower them to do that, the more engaged your club becomes - and the less burden falls on your staff.

The Hidden Opportunity in Your Membership

Every club has a secret resource it rarely taps into: member-initiated energy.

What do we mean by that?

We mean the Canasta regulars who always call each other before Thursday morning.
We mean the pickleball players who text six different people every Sunday trying to get a game going.
We mean the trivia enthusiasts who want to represent the club offsite but don't know how to get the word out.

These aren't hypothetical examples. These are real, recurring patterns happening at clubs every day - often under the radar.

The question isn't whether your members want to engage. They already are.
The real question is: are you making it easy for them?

When Staff Drive Everything, You Limit Growth

Let's talk about staff for a moment. We know how hard your team works. Activity directors are some of the most creative, adaptable professionals in the industry - but they're also stretched thin.

When every event requires staff to brainstorm it, promote it, manage RSVPs, coordinate rooms, and follow up... you're going to hit a ceiling.

There are only so many hours in the day. Which means only so many events make it to the calendar.
But what if you could grow that calendar organically - without adding more staff hours?

That's where member-initiated engagement (MIE) changes the game.

What MIE Looks Like in Practice

Let's paint a picture. Imagine this:

• Steve and three other golfers at your club want to play every Friday morning
• Instead of calling around or relying on a group text, Steve creates a “Friday Foursome” group using GroupValet
• The system sends reminders, manages RSVPs, and adjusts the lineup when someone can't make it
• Steve doesn't have to bug the pro shop. Your staff doesn't have to organize a thing

Now multiply that by ten. Or fifty.
That's MIE. It's organic, recurring engagement that members manage themselves.

And here's the best part: you still see it all. With GroupValet, staff retain visibility and oversight. But they're no longer the bottleneck. And you can leverage MEI to help promote other club events. See how here.

Planning Smarter for Next Season

As you map out next season, think about the strategic shift from "what can we offer?" to "what can we unlock?"

Here are a few questions to guide that process:

⫸ Are there interests that aren't represented on the current calendar - but likely exist in the membership?
⫸ Are you relying too heavily on a small number of staff-led events to drive engagement?
⫸ Could your members be trusted to lead some of their own activities with the right tools?

Planning smarter doesn't mean throwing out your proven events. It means building a better balance - where club-led and member-led programming complement each other.

With GroupValet, members can easily create groups, invite others, and keep everything organized. Staff stay in the loop and can even highlight or promote active member groups that deserve attention.

More Engagement. Less Work. Stronger Culture.

A thriving club culture isn't made only from big events. It's built from the little things - those frequent, low-lift interactions that give members a sense of belonging.

That's where MIE shines. It fills the spaces between your major events. It turns passive members into active participants. And it keeps your calendar vibrant without overwhelming your staff.

So as you sit down to plan, don't just copy and paste last year's calendar.

⫸ Ask what could be improved
⫸ Ask where you could do less - but members could do more (because they actually want to)
⫸ Ask what would make next season not just familiar - but better

Let's Rethink the Season - Together

We built GroupValet to help clubs evolve - to give staff better tools and members more ownership. If you're looking at your calendar and thinking "there has to be a better way," there is.

And the offseason is the perfect time to explore it.

Book a quick demo and see how other clubs are planning smarter.