Summerfest 2017

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

Summerfest 2017 was a week-long music festival. The goal of the week was to action-pack 8 days of fun for all demographics of our membership, highlight several local bands and incorporate the BHYC traditions. The week took seven months of employee brainstorming, committee involvement and help from the town of Bay Head. The festival had it’s own logo and promotional materials to match. $240,000 in revenue was made in the first week of July alone, compared to $128,000 in 2016. Over 5,000 attendees came out to enjoy the festivities. In between the concerts, members could find sailing and tennis events as well as activities for the children.

The Preshow
Promoting the event started with a save the date in January for the headliner concert. A month later, we sent out the week long timeline of events followed by a full calendar of the summer a month later. We opened the events up to RSVP in advance online and featured them on social media. The theme of the event was “Greetings from BHYC” using a vintage postcard style.

Tickets to the main show (Southside Johnny) sold out within the first 3 hours of being on sale on March 1. 800 total tickets were sold, maxing out the capacity. The whole week was professionally recorded and compiled into a Summerfest video for the membership to enjoy. Before the concerts, geotags were created for some fun on Snapchat! The logistics of the week took lots of planning. Headsets were distributed, floor plans were designed and menus were prepped. Security was hired, fences were put up and bars were set. Each room of the Clubhouse was transformed into a different venue style to compliment the concerts each day. The entire staff was on board working dining rooms, check in tables, wristband tables, help desks and even security.

The Entertainment
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
B-Street Band
Brian Kirk and the Jirks
Pat Guadagno
Member Sing-along on Piano

The Dinner
The kitchen’s biggest challenge was to deliver the members a different taste and atmosphere every day during the week long party. The kitchen prepared a large variety of global cuisines ranging from traditional BBQ, to sushi, to American classics to Jersey Shore clambake. There was even a carnival and boardwalk theme night in the main parking lot.

This was all set up for the ‘big show’ where the Main Clubhouse was set up as an open house to serve 850 members small plates tapas style. This enabled food and beverage to capture higher revenue while keeping the culinary experience fresh and new.

The Auction
Money was raised for the BHYC Foundation during the Southside Johnny concert. The committee had an idea to auction off the boat slip in the Boathouse (SSJ venue) with premiere viewing space, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The auction took place at the Club a few months prior, raising $5,000 to benefit students with scholarships and local families in need.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

Over 5,000 attendees came to this event, proving it's success. The reactions were nothing short of amazed on the size of and quality of the productions. The membership is asking to continue to see large concerts and bigger events like these again in the future.