I wish to thank the Club Members that engaged in the recent vote for the election of Directors to serve on the new Board and to say how honoured I am to have been appointed as Chairman of our great Club.
Understandably the Members votes were not unanimous in support of the candidates to be appointed to the Board but we will do our utmost to reassure those Members that felt that they couldn’t offer their support that our desire to improve the Club’s Membership experience and day to day operation of the Club is paramount.
Over the last fourteen years I have served as a volunteer Club Official in the office of Regional Officer, Model Register Captain, Model Register Co-Ordinator, Club Valuer, Assistant to the Regional Development Director, NEC Stand Organiser and on the Interim Board as Vice Chairman and Interim Director – National Events.
My recent experience as an Interim Director provides a degree of continuity between the Interim Board and the newly elected Board but perhaps more importantly through my various Club roles I have accumulated a broad knowledge of the “workings” of our Club and so can offer assistance to quickly establish our new Board. A number of our Board have served as Regional Officers and Model Register Captains, reinforcing our available knowledge and experience.
The Board are aware of the areas of our Club that need attention and investment and so will undertake a comprehensive review of all policy and procedures, expenditure and I.T systems. This review will not be completed in a few weeks so we request your patience while we complete this task, the Board will provide regular updates on our progress and any setbacks encountered.
Previous to 2022 the Club’s last notable anniversary was our 60th in 2012, at that time our Membership was around 10,000 and climbed to a peak of 11,500 by 2018. The recent Pandemic, changes in social behaviour, increased pressure on household budgets, environmental concerns and the changes in the way cars are “owned” – PCP, have conspired to result in a decline of our Memberships to the point when yesterday (January 17th) the figure was 8,343.
We are not alone in experiencing this decline in Membership numbers, in fact most Clubs, Societies and Associations are reporting similar experiences.
It is obvious that our Club with just 8,343 Memberships cannot operate indefinitely at the same level as a Club with the income from 11,500 Memberships, however we are very fortunate to have substantial cash reserves to carry us through these challenging times.
With the assistance of our group of enthusiastic and much valued Club Officials the Board will commence the task of increasing our Membership base through Social Media and other marketing activities but most importantly by “getting out there” to promote our Club at a great number of Regional, Model Register and National Events including two shows at the NEC.
The Board is hosting the Official’s Study Day in late February, this is an annual meeting that provides a meeting point for Club Officials and Directors and signifies the start of our Club year. We have received an excellent response from our Club Official’s invitation to attend the event and look forward to a most productive exchange of information and ideas during the day.
To conclude, I wish to reiterate that your Board and myself are committed to a culture of regular open communication and transparency, this is your Club, this is our Club.
The Board Member’s contact details are available on the Club’s website and they will be pleased to hear from you regarding matters relating to their particular areas of responsibility.
I would appreciate to learn of your views and suggestions regarding the operation of our Club at clive.henderson@mercedes-benz-club.co.uk or on 07368 297788
Kind regards,
Clive Henderson – Club Chairman
