Dear Members,
September has always seemed to be something of an unofficial “New Year.” While so much else in our world has changed recently, I am somewhat comforted to find that the current change of seasons still inspires that same feeling in me – a sense of renewed focus, recommitment to goals, and determined optimism that whispers “go go go. ”
With that spirit in mind, I wanted to provide an update on how Terminal City Club has fared over the past six months. As most of you will recall, TCC closed on March 17 following the order from Vancouver Coastal Health and the City of Vancouver. After nine long weeks, BC’s Restart Plan moved to Phase 2, and TCC was able to re-open on May 19 with many modifications and a host of new protocols in place to protect the health and safety of our Members and staff.
Although TCC has definitely had its share of challenges and difficult days during the past six months, there have also been some bright spots. I would like to highlight two of those in particular:
TCC has had the pleasure of welcoming 195 new Members in the past year, including over 80 who have joined since March 2020. It is truly an honour to experience that growth in the current circumstances, and my thanks goes out to all the Members who have supported your Club by providing personal leads and introductions. Next week TCC Shareholders will have the chance to ballot 35 Members into the Club. Our entire team is looking forward to welcoming these new members!
As you heard in the July 17 announcement from TCC President Joe Corea, our Club is the winner of this year’s Canadian Society of Club Managers Club of the Year award. We are so excited to accept the award at the (virtual) ceremony on October 5, and are looking forward to being able to celebrate and share this accomplishment with you, our Members. More details to come!
In spite of these two salient achievements, there is no denying the need to redefine our offerings and find ways to keep our business viable in this new landscape. Health and safety continue to be at the top of our list of priorities, and we are fortunate to have a generous physical space to work with. We know that we will need to replace our large catering and events business with other options for the foreseeable future, so we are now well-provisioned to accommodate many types of meetings, working sessions, planning sessions, etc… with technology that makes sharing information easy, even while being physically distanced in a large room. Our restaurants have adapted by spreading out into all our available indoor meeting rooms and outdoor spaces, including the Lions Pub temporary Cordova Street patio extension. And our Fitness Centre continues to operate at “full” capacity using a reservation system and strict hygiene and cleaning protocols to ensure the protection of everyone’s health and safety. All of these measures require the participation of people to make them work, so I would like to thank all of you – our Members and staff – for the support and cooperation you have shown as we find our way forward.
The process of closing and re-opening under the swirling uncertainties of a global pandemic is one that I hope not to repeat any time soon but take comfort we are prepared for whatever comes our way in the months ahead. It is impossible to ignore the impacts – ranging from unfortunate to devastating – that COVID-19 has had on our city, our industry, and many of our TCC Members and staff. But I hope that we can also be heartened by the successes that help to keep us moving forward; and that our strength as a group will, in turn, help to strengthen our larger community.
I wish all of you a positive, healthy, and safe Fall season.
Sincerely,
Peter Jackman
TCC General Manager
P.S. As a reminder, here is a summary of current TCC protocols:
- Please do not visit the Club under any circumstances if you or any members of your household are ill or experiencing any symptoms including fever, cough, tiredness, or shortness of breath; OR if you have returned from travel outside British Columbia in the past 14 days.
- Access to the Fitness Centre and Pool continues to be by reservation only. Reservations are strongly recommended for all other areas of the Club at this time, but on-demand workspace or dining requests will be accommodated if possible within distancing and capacity parameters. Reservations can be made via email at [email protected], phone at 604-681-4121, or text at 604-200-2279.
- Private Meeting space is available, groups are limited to 50 people and we have some exceptional configuration ideas to ensure physical distancing is followed.
- If you have a larger group, please enquire as to how we may be able to accommodate your group with multiple tables as the Provincial Health Officer has limited tables to a maximum of 6 people per table.
- Entry to the Club is through the front lobby only. Members and their guests must check in at the Member Services desk in the front lobby, regardless of how they are using the Club on that visit.
- All Members and their guests will be required to complete a Daily Health Acknowledgement at the Member Services desk each time they visit the Club, feel free to arrive with completed forms.
- TCC Face masks are available for free upon request.
