Leadership Summit: “Membership Development” and “Feeling Connected to the Club”
Las Vegas, Nev. (Jan. 20, 2017) -- The 2017 SCCA® National Convention is well underway, with representatives from 75 of the SCCA’s 116 Regions in attendance January 19-21 at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The hallway outside Leadership Summit meeting rooms buzzed with activity Friday as Club members from around the country converged bright and early to consume the wealth of information being offered over two days. Heyward Wagner, SCCA Director of Experiential Programs, said the purpose of this year’s National Convention Leadership Summit can be divided into three parts.
“First, this is an opportunity to get everyone together to network, connect and recognize shared challenges to find common solutions,” Wagner said. “Second, attendees have the opportunity to learn SCCA skills such as how to hide cars during Club races so sessions can keep going or specific steward training that directly make SCCA events better.
“Third, we included elements this year that embrace leadership and life skills that make SCCA members more valuable within their larger community,” Wagner continued. “What is shared this year at the National Convention can be applied to a wide variety of activities in life, which make our leaders and Club much stronger all around.”
Jeff Luckritz, Dean of the SCCA Leadership Academy, was charged this year with creating the Leadership Summit seminars. More than 70 fantastic presenters with various professional and Club backgrounds were recruited to offer insight at nearly 50 sessions.
“The vision for this year’s Leadership Summit stemmed from SCCA member survey results. What we did was listen to ‘our’ people to see what ‘they’ wanted,” Luckritz said. “Overwhelming, what people wanted was to learn how to feel connected to the Club and how to help others feel welcomed. If you can make people feel welcomed, then the Club grows. And if the Club grows, that’s generally good for everybody.”
One unique seminar offered was “Building Your Brand,” presented by Shea Holbrook, a Pirelli World Challenge driver and team owner who also coaches at SCCA Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack events. Holbrook looked at how a Region’s “brand” is its public identity, and offered strategies for building a public-facing brand that promotes individuality and mission.
“Building a ‘brand’ on a Regional level does encompass part of the SCCA’s National perspective,” Holbrook said. “But what is important to communicate is that each Region has its own characteristics, identity and charisma. Allowing that charisma and a Region’s individuality to shine builds a unique brand and helps draw consumers to local events.”
Zack Barnes, a Lone Star Region member who sits on the SEB, made a presentation titled “Solo: Attracting and Keeping Rookies” that looked at strategies for attracting and engaging newcomers, developing regional involvement of new members, and introducing newcomers to their adopted National “family.”
“Over the last several years, Texas has done a good job of developing a good core of rookies. We’ve helped them develop and move into more serious competition, which in turn grew the Region,” Barnes said. “It’s vital to continue tracking rookies and keeping them. One, because you must have a way to refresh your organization. If you don’t refresh from somewhere, your Region is slowly going to die. Keeping rookies engaged helps not only maintain or grow your Region, it helps to build a community. If you build a good community -- a good group of people, a fun group -- it naturally improves the participation, engagement and the membership.
Another very interesting seminar was delivered by Chicago Region’s Kevin Coulter, the Central Division Executive Steward. In his session, “The Meaning of Stewardship,” Coulter investigated what exactly it means to be a steward.
“Being a ‘Steward’ is not just a title. It’s a responsibility,” Coulter said. “Oxford dictionary defines ‘steward’ as someone who takes care of something. Every Club leader and race official, doesn’t matter what type of event, is really a ‘steward’ of our Club. We are all caretakers of this Club.”
For the last five years, Tom Reynolds, of the Rio Grande Region, has attended the National Convention. But just in the last two years, he has sensed a change in the convention. He feels there are many more interesting, Region-focused topics being discussed.
“In the beginning when I started attending convention, there were some interesting classes that gave you some ideas, but there were no tools to deploy the ideas,” Reynolds said. “The classes now are much more focused and offer practical applications. The information immediately translates to improving your Region.”
Saturday is the final day of the 2017 SCCA National Convention. The confab concludes with the SCCA Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet where Pete Brock, Dennis Dean, Larry and Linda Dent, Joe Huffaker Sr., Lyn St. James, Phil Hill and Jim Kaser will be inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame.
Photo: A packed room listens to Bob Tunnell and Bob Davis present information on Recruiting Volunteers and Leaders during the SCCA National Convention.
