Why Engagement Is Center Stage This Week

Engagement Takes the Spotlight

This Sunday, the Club + Resort Business Engagement Summit begins at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida. For two days, leaders from across the private club industry will gather to focus on one theme: engagement.

At GroupValet, we’re proud to sponsor this year’s Summit because engagement is not a side topic for us - it’s our foundation. From the very first day we built GroupValet, our mission has been to help clubs create stronger member connections, support staff with tools that simplify their work, and provide leadership with insights that guide smarter decisions.

Over the past five weeks, we published our Engagement Series to unpack the concept of engagement. We explored why engagement is more than attendance, how feedback fuels the engagement flywheel, and why retention depends on culture as much as on amenities. Now, as the Summit begins, we bring those lessons forward into a broader industry conversation.

The Questions Every Club Should Bring Forward

Engagement is not a vague concept. It is measurable, actionable, and at the heart of a club’s long-term success. Yet many clubs struggle to define it consistently, let alone build systems to nurture it.

As the Summit kicks off, these are the questions we believe every club should be asking:

⫸ How do we define engagement beyond event attendance?
⫸ What systems allow members to initiate connection, rather than relying on staff to drive it?
⫸ How can feedback be collected and acted on in real time, rather than waiting for a quarterly survey?
⫸ What keeps the engagement flywheel turning season after season, year after year?
⫸ Which metrics actually show success - loyalty, referrals, satisfaction, or retention -
and how do we link those metrics back to daily experiences?

These questions are not hypothetical. They are the daily challenges faced by general managers, membership directors, and boards nationwide. And they are exactly the challenges GroupValet was designed to solve.

Notable Voices Leading the Conversation

One of the most valuable aspects of the Engagement Summit is hearing directly from club leaders who live these challenges every day. This year’s lineup of speakers brings a wide range of perspectives:

⫸ Melissa Hansen, Director of Membership and Marketing, The Club at Olde Cypress – Serving as the Summit’s host, Melissa brings first-hand insight from a prestigious private club where engagement is central to success.

⫸ Stephanie Donovan, Director of Membership & Marketing, Willoughby Golf Club – Representing a GroupValet club, Stephanie knows how technology can, and should, support the member experience.

⫸ Denise Saari, Membership, Marketing and Communications Manager, Addison Reserve Country Club – Another GroupValet club leader, Denise has deep experience in building programs that match her members’ culture and expectations.

⫸ Danita Osborn, Director of Membership & Marketing, Shadow Wood Country Club – Danita’s perspective from another highly regarded club will bring valuable lessons to every attendee.

⫸ Jason Becker, Co-Founder, Golf Life Navigators – With his unique vantage point across many clubs, Jason will share what prospective members are truly looking for when they consider joining.

⫸ Joseph Leonardi, Assistant General Manager, St. Andrews Country Club – As the Summit’s host club representative, Joseph adds both prestige and practical experience from one of the nation’s top clubs.

Together, this group ensures that the Summit won’t just discuss engagement in theory. It will show how engagement is being defined, challenged, and strengthened across different clubs and roles.

How GroupValet Fits In

We see the same themes in our daily work with clubs:

⫸ Connection – Members want to connect with one another, not just sign up for activities. GroupValet empowers member-led connection, so communities thrive naturally.

⫸ Simplicity for Staff – Engagement programs shouldn’t add work for staff. By automating reminders, sign-ups, and communications, GroupValet lightens the load so staff can focus on hospitality.

⫸ Actionable Insights – Data is only valuable if it drives decisions. Our AI-powered Insights show trends in member feedback, participation, and sentiment, so clubs can act before issues become problems.

These are not nice-to-have features. They are the core building blocks for any club serious about engagement and retention.

Join the Conversation

If you are attending the Engagement Summit, we invite you to connect with us. We’ll be on-site throughout the event, sharing how clubs of all sizes are using GroupValet to make engagement easier, more authentic, and more measurable.

Look for us in sessions, networking breaks, or reach out in advance to set up a conversation. We want to hear your questions, your challenges, and your vision for engagement at your club. And enter our on-site raffle for the chance to win a truly one-of-a-kind treat.

Why This Week Matters

The Engagement Summit is more than a conference. It’s a signal that the industry is ready to treat engagement as the central pillar of club success.

For some, engagement has been viewed as an intangible - something to hope for but hard to define. The Summit represents a shift. It’s where clubs and industry leaders agree: engagement is not optional, it’s essential.

At GroupValet, we’ve believed that from the beginning. And we’re proud to be part of the Summit that puts engagement exactly where it belongs - center stage.

Engagement isn’t just the theme of this week. It’s the future of thriving clubs. Let’s use this Summit to make it real, practical, and powerful. And let’s do it together.