Who Knew Being Wait-Listed Could Be So Much Fun

Submitted by The Granite Club

by C&RB Staff (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
April 2008
 

The wait-list at The Granite Club isn’t what it used to be.
 
With members-to-be waiting two or sometimes even three years for the chance to become members, the club, located in Toronto, decided to reward candidates for their extended interest, and patience, by inviting them to attend the Annual Family Festival of Lights that celebrates the official start of the holiday season at the club.
 
All prospective member invitees were required to RSVP prior to the evening to arrange for guest passes that would allow them into the parking garage. They were also invited to make reservations for the Friday night family buffet before or after the official lighting ceremony that would be held later in the evening.
 
As Victorian carolers strolled through the club and a live pianist played in the lobby, attendees enjoyed a fabulous family-friendly buffet and complimentary hot chocolate and hot cider on the club’s terrace, as they anxiously awaited the countdown to the lighting. Following the lighting ceremony, children’s entertainers and children’s crafts were offered in one of the ballrooms.
 
This was the first Festival of Lights the club has held. Approximately 400 adults and children turned out, with the majority of the attendees being candidates from the wait-list—150 adults and 150 children.
 
The festival performed a valuable service in offering members-to-be a glimpse at the life of the club. In addition to the financial benefits (F&B revenues were a combined total of $11,251.65, compared to a typical Friday night, which generates averages of approximately $8,500), candidates were thrilled to be a part of the club’s holiday season tradition, with many commenting that it only made them look forward even more to being able to become a full-fledged part of the tradition in the future, when they could finally become members.