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» 2020 InnovatIon awards

TOP INNOVATORS: special events

By Joe Barks, Editor

LIKE MANY CLUB-MANAGEMENT TEAMS, the staff of the Hampton Hall Club in Bluffton, S.C., quickly responded to the challenge of the pandemic by coming up with innovative ideas to help to sustain a sense of community and keep its operation going.

In addition to virtual cooking, wine dinners and trivia events, the Hampton Hall team also organized a series of monthly outdoor concerts in the parking lot, assigning spaces by families and practicing social distancing by utilizing every other space, with a minimum of 10 to 12 feet between resident groups.

“Residents brought their own lawn chairs and were also provided with a pre-ordered picnic basket menu, which was then delivered to them in their parking space,” reports Loraine Ellis Vienne, CCM, CAM, Hampton Hall’s General Manager/Chief Operating Officer.

“These events followed all of the social-distancing guidelines provided by the Governor’s office in the state of South Carolina, and sold out at the maximum participation of 250 residents monthly,” Vienne says. “It provided people with an opportunity to feel engaged while at the same time feeling safe in their own space outdoors.”

As the concert series extended into the fall, Hampton Hall tied the monthly schedule into a Halloween “Spooktacular” celebration with individual trickor-treat stations for attending families, and attendees got into the full spirit of things with costumes and all-out decorations for their assigned spaces.

“The concerts have been a huge success for us, and we will continue them even after COVID,” Vienne says.

Monthly outdoor concerts held in the Hampton Hall Club parking lot sold out consistently at the maximum of 250 attendees, and proved so popular that the series was extended into the fall and tied into a Halloween “Spooktacular” celebration. The concert program will now become a regular part of the club’s yearly calendar.

18 l Club + Resort Business l December 2020 www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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Congratulations!

Hampton Hall Club is proud to recognize the following employees for their dedicated service anniversaries:

5 YEARS Edith Bautista, Culinary Jon Donovan,

Course Maintenance Steve Stegman, Culinary Leroy Haughton, Dining Services

10 YEARS Hilda Sanders Ferebee,

Dining Services Mark Richards, Dining Services

15 YEARS Sharonda Nimmons,

Dining Services

The year 2020 was challenging for many of us in the world, our country, and our community here at Hampton Hall Club. However, amidst all the fear, isolation, safety guidelines, and regulations that took place during the pandemic, the Hampton Hall TEAM was still able to provide a safe haven for our members during trying times. As General Manager/COO, I am very proud of the HHC TEAM and all our accomplishments and wanted to recap a few of them with our community.

We welcomed over 140 new property owners in 2020! Hampton Hall Club was voted the “Best Gated Community” and “Best Private Golf Course” by Bluffton Today, and we were recognized as “Bluffton’s Best Gated Community” by Monthly Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Hampton Hall was also nominated as the “Top Innovator” for Special Events hosted during the pandemic by Club & Resort, a national industry magazine.

Hampton Hall completed the Strategic Plan with valuable input from the entire community. Motivated to work towards the goals outlined in the Strategic Plan, Phase I of the Community Clubhouse renovation was completed, giving our ballrooms and dining areas a modern and inviting update for the enjoyment of all members and guests. We continued our work on three significant projects for the community, including Phase II renovations of the Community Clubhouse, the redesign of the front gate project, and evaluation of the traffic flow for future improvements to the front gate. In an effort to enhance value and meet the expectations of current and future members, we presented the phased “Master Plan” for the redesign of the outdoor recreation amenities to include new dedicated pickleball courts and a future tiki bar in the lakeside pool area.

Hampton Hall’s facilities were not alone in getting a refreshed look in 2020! The Club launched a new responsive website, designed with member lifestyle photography and videography, and we released a mobile app, providing members another way to stay connected to the Club and engaged in activities. We also produced the first full year of The Bridge, Hampton Hall’s new lifestyle magazine, proudly named by a member after the Hampton Hall’s signature landmark, representing the unity of our diverse community.

Your Club also welcomed over 100 new golf members during 2020! The “Prestige Afternoon Golf Membership” was introduced in July and has already neared its cap. We were recertified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, demonstrating community’s dedication to managing the course with the environment in mind.

Hampton Hall Club finished the year with a positive cash flow, while monitoring revenues and expenses during the pandemic, while keeping all full-time staff employed. We innovated and we transformed. We have been busy!