MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2004
To: ACBL Board of Directors
cc: Don Mamula
Peter Rank
From: Jay Baum, CEO
ACBL
Date: February 6, 2004
1. MIMAIL VIRUS:
The Computer Division did a fabulous job of containing the January 26 virus that affected millions. We have taken steps to guard against this type of virus in the future. We are very thankful to Ed Evers, James Lowes, Terry Norton and David Blaylock for their fast action and long hours on January 26 in order for the ACBL to be back to normal on the morning of the 27th.
2. MEMBERSHIP:
New member’s numbers were soft for January, however losses for the period showed great improvement. We had a net change of –129 for the month. (Click here to see Exhibit 1)
3. HUMAN RESCOURCES:
2004 Employee Performance Reviews – We have purchased a software package "Performance Now" to be used by managers to prepare their employee's performance review from April 1, 2003 through March 31, 2004. Performance Now is a software tool with built-in intelligence to help managers quickly and easily evaluate performance and write performance reviews. Managers will rate their employee's performance competencies and their 2003 goals on a 5 point system. Managers will also be able to set their employee's 2004 goals using the same software.
4. MARKETING:
· We conducted a photo shoot in January for photography to be used for collateral
materials, to include the new corporate brochure, teacher brochure and
tradeshow displays.
· Group 2 copy has been completed, which includes Play, Marketing and Juniors.
Group 3, which includes Learn, Units/Districts and Club Directors copy
has been received and is being reviewed at this time.
· As of Jan. 31, we have received 10,160 responses from the national consumer research survey distributed late last year. Respondents are receiving a follow-up letter and coded postcard to request a Prospective Member Packet, and thus far we have received 217 Prospective Member Packet requests via the returned postcards.
CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION
· The January Marketing Matters e-newsletter launched with great success and feedback. The February newsletter resulted in dozens of new requests for the online teacher listing.
· We also are launching an e-newsletter campaign to promote each NABC to clubs and teachers. These e-newsletters will provide pertinent information to clubs and teachers such as seminar and speaker schedules, advertising supplies they can expect from the ACBL to help them promote the NABCs, accommodation information, and more.
· The 1st quarter Club Managers newsletter now is in the mail and on the web site, repeating much of the information in the electronic newsletter. We hope that the repetition of marketing messages will result in much better program recognition when the club officials-teachers survey is conducted again next fall. The managers mailing also included a Reno NABC poster. We will send a poster to clubs for each NABC in 2004.
· The ACBL will be featured as a Champion of Industry by Pat Summerall Productions on Headline News Network stations in the United States Wednesday, Feb. 18. The two-minute segment will air between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. The segment features footage from the Fall North American Bridge Championships in New Orleans, including shots of players intent on their cards and directors busily entering scores. The segment ends with a reference to the ACBL web site to promote contact from the public. When the ACBL surveyed club officials and teachers late last year, one of the recurring themes of their comments was that bridge needs national media attention. At a date to be announced later, a five-minute video of the Champions of Industry program will be broadcast for 24 hours on forbes.com. This version also will be available to members seeking to promote bridge with potential sponsors or other media.
· Media relations consultant Robin Monsky visited Memphis last week to discuss a number of national media pitches, particularly publicity opportunities in New York.
· A feature on Clement Jackson recently ran in the Albuquerque Journal as a result of one of the hometowner pitches from New Orleans.
· The ad for Learn to Play Bridge ran on Yahoo! Games Jan. 1 – 16, resulting in 1022 downloads.
· On-camera production of the new Audrey Grant television series was completed in Memphis last week. We expect to wrap up production and begin promotion and distribution in late Spring or early Summer.
· Team recruitment efforts have been intensified to include the web site and weekly e-announcements to potential players, along with banner ads to appear on bridgebase.com, which will host the qualifying event this year.
We have an online banner ad campaign for the college championships that reaches 750 colleges. This is being run through college publisher network.
Learn To Play Bridge Download
· Updated statistics for the Learn to Play Bridge download on the ACBL web
site since March 2003 through Jan. 31: 32,920, 25,625 of which were non-members. Since we began the automated
campaign in November, we have recruited 64 new members and distributed
more than 800 prospective new member packets.
Exhibits
· We have submitted a full schedule of events for the Origins gaming convention
in Ohio in June, including daily lessons and/or mini tournaments.
· A new brochure and display are being produced for Reno and subsequent mailings.
· Bridge Week in North America (BWNA) will be celebrated Sunday, March 21 through Saturday, March 27. We will focus on broad promotion of a national celebration of bridge—and a bit of fun for our members. Activities will include press contacts, government proclamations, a nationwide bridge trivia context, daily promotions in the Daily Bulletin in Reno and a joint BWNA-Goodwill Day promotional item.
· Press release to major media with special emphasis in Nevada.
· Trivia Contest
The contest will be published in the March Bridge Bulletin, on the web site and in the Daily Bulletin.
· BWNA trinket
We’re working with the Goodwill Committee on a joint BWNA-Goodwill Day trinket. This allows us to commemorate BWNA and provide a nicer promotional item for the Goodwill.
· Daily promotion
Sunday, March 21: Picture of proclamation at presentation
Monday, March 22: Announcement of Goodwill/BWNA gift for the day
Tuesday, March 23: Run Trivia Contest
Wednesday, March 24: Listen for your table and direction today as the ACBL celebrates BWNA with special prizes.
Thursday, March 25: Listen for your table and direction today as the ACBL celebrates BWNA with special prizes.
Friday, March 26: Listen for your table and direction today as the ACBL celebrates BWNA with special prizes.
Saturday, March 27: It’s Bridge Week in North America. Pick up your FREE I © Bridge buttons at the ACBL Store while supplies last.
5. EDUCATION:
Education Newsletters
“The Bridge Teacher” is now received by all ACBL Accredited Teachers including
TAP graduates, Better Bridge Accredited Teachers and Easybridge! Accredited
Presenters. The first issue of 2004 will be mailed in April.
“The Grapevine,” ACBL’s Junior newsletter will be mailed this week. Its
focus is the Junior Extravaganza in NYC this summer, which includes the
North American College Bridge Team Championship final, Stratified Junior
Scholarship Game, Europe vs. North America Youth Team Challenge Cup, World
Junior Individual Championship, USA Junior Team Trials and World Junior
Bridge Camp (Nyack College) following the Summer NABCs.
The 2004 school edition of “The Grapevine” has been printed. It will be sent to graduates of the ACBL/ACBL Educational Foundation school
bridge lesson courses. This newsletter promotes ACBL membership (the special
$5 school lesson graduate offer) and all of the Junior contests and activities
for the year.
Publications
The success of the marketing offer to teachers to buy any of the ACBL Teacher
Manuals for $5 during the month of January was very successful. A total of 1,875 teacher manuals were sold, allowing us to sell out of
the manuals and update and upgrade them as we reprint.
The “Welcome to the NABCs” booklet for IN players was reprinted and the
new copy will be distributed in Reno.
Juniors
Plans have been finalized with Nyack College for the World Junior Bridge Camp this summer. It will run from the final Saturday of the Summer NABC (July 17) through the following Saturday.
6. FINANCIAL:
a. The current Canadian exchange rate for the month of February is $1.29.
b. Trimester Financial Results of Operations.
7. CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Management created a Customer Services tracking report which we plan to
distribute in-house and to the Board of Directors on a monthly basis.
The tracking report summarizes activity for the customer service toll free phone line and for the customer services e-mail box. We have also measured these activities weekly to determine trends.
Future reports will break out clubs and masterpoints. The segmentation will present a clearer picture of the volume of calls
and e-mails routed into the club area compared to communications into member
services.
Prior to Reno, we will send the entire Customer Service Program to the Board of Directors.
8. TOURNAMENTS:
Special Events – The NAP Conditions of Contest will be ready for internet posting early next week. The mailing (approximately 4000 pieces) will go out the first week of March, as previously scheduled.
Table fees for 2004 (Click here to see Exhibit 5)
Table count for January 2004.
9. NABC FINANCIAL STATEMENT:
A few of you have asked for greater financial detail from the NABCs. I have included 2003 financial reports.
10. JACK ZDANCEWICZ:
On Monday, February 2, Jack was admitted to the hospital for bypass surgery. He was released yesterday evening and is at home. The surgery went well and Jack is on his way to recovery. He will be out of the office for a few weeks, so please send any inquires to Kelley.
11. RENO JOURNAL:
Reminder the deadline for the Reno journal is Monday February 9.