The American Club 2019/2020 Annual Report

MESSAGE FROM

THE PRESIDENT

The past year has been a time of both major achievements and significant challenges at The Club. After nearly four years, redevelopment was completed during the first half of Fiscal Year 2020, which ran from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. The remaining dining outlets, the gym and other areas all opened, enabling Members to enjoy the full range of facilities in the Clubhouse. While some rectifications are still in progress, Members have been delighted that we can get back to the activities we cherish. The Club celebrated with a special birthday bash in September, bringing in hundreds of Members both to celebrate The Club’s birthday and to enjoy everything The Club has to offer. Behind the scenes, The Club leveraged technology, automation and new layouts to increase efficiency and deliver better service. A centralized kitchen, for instance, enables easier preparation of food such as pastries and grab-and-go items. Enhancements to the website, media such as The Club’s WhatsApp channel and a new JOGA app allow more frequent communications with Members and simpler booking of events. New equipment, including energy-efficient fryers and technology for managing staff uniforms, reduced costs and improved food or service quality. As facilities opened and activities resumed, Members came back. While usage was still below the levels prior to renovation, it rose significantly throughout 2019. More new Members joined, and the total number of Members exceeded expectations.

The Club also completed reviews that were approved at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2018. Accuracy, a firm engaged by the Audit Review Group to analyze the redevelopment project, found that while a number of processes that could be improved, financial reporting was accurate. When the Pool Area Working Group concluded its pool area redesign project and Members voted on its two alternatives for further renovating the pool, as well as a third alternative of not making changes, a majority voted not to change the pool area. There were also changes to the General Committee. Following the resignation of former Club president Dana Hvide in early November, I was elected as president and Peter Proft was elected as secretary. Four new Members were elected to the General Committee at the AGM, ushering in a period of significant change in some practices or processes. Despite the momentum towards continued growth in usage and activities in the new year, unexpected changes forced shifts in how The Club operates. The Club issued its first advisory relating to Covid-19 at the end of January 2020, then asked Members to exercise social responsibility and implemented increasingly strict restrictions as the intensity of the pandemic grew. Usage of services and activities at The Club gradually dropped, as Members found it more difficult to enjoy all that they had come to expect. In early April, the government ordered The Club to shut. The closure both hit The Club hard and enabled new models to evolve.