Goodwood Full Membership

[SarahGoodwood]

No ideas for a name said:

I will take the opportunity to thank Sarah who pops in here occasionally.
Can't be easy as pretty well every time she puts her head over the parapet, some one shoots it off.. (That includes me from time to time).
Tough job, having to toe the company line and enter this forum where there are more complaints that praise.

I trust it does get the message through, though staff can't change the direction of the GRRC.

Thank you - I appreciate that!

Sarah

[A993LAD]

No ideas for a name said:

I will take the opportunity to thank Sarah who pops in here occasionally.
Can't be easy as pretty well every time she puts her head over the parapet, some one shoots it off.. (That includes me from time to time).
Tough job, having to toe the company line and enter this forum where there are more complaints that praise.

I trust it does get the message through, though staff can't change the direction of the GRRC.

Well said. I'll second that.

My heart sinks every time I see anything Sarah posts on this thread. Her responses always look so well intentioned to me, but I just know some old PH whinger is going to shoot it down with a lengthy rant.

Well done Sarah, I for one admire your positive attitude and resilience in the face of adversity. Although TBH I can't help thinking your energies would be better spent on something else. You're fighting a losing battle trying to help this lot.

Pass my appreciation to your team and colleagues. Goodwood run some brilliant events and my family always have a great time leaving us amazed at the attention to detail that goes into the management and organisation.

[85Carrera]

A993LAD said:

Well said. I'll second that.

My heart sinks every time I see anything Sarah posts on this thread. Her responses always look so well intentioned to me, but I just know some old PH whinger is going to shoot it down with a lengthy rant.

Well done Sarah, I for one admire your positive attitude and resilience in the face of adversity. Although TBH I can't help thinking your energies would be better spent on something else. You're fighting a losing battle trying to help this lot.

Pass my appreciation to your team and colleagues. Goodwood run some brilliant events and my family always have a great time leaving us amazed at the attention to detail that goes into the management and organisation.

OBR incoming. Well done.

PS You seem to have completely missed the point. No one is complaining about the events themselves. Members have, quite rightly, pointed out that they are being taken for mugs when compared to the benefits offered to “Fellows” for a fraction of the cost.

[ecsrobin]

A993LAD said:

Well said. I'll second that.

My heart sinks every time I see anything Sarah posts on this thread. Her responses always look so well intentioned to me, but I just know some old PH whinger is going to shoot it down with a lengthy rant.

Well done Sarah, I for one admire your positive attitude and resilience in the face of adversity. Although TBH I can't help thinking your energies would be better spent on something else. You're fighting a losing battle trying to help this lot.

Pass my appreciation to your team and colleagues. Goodwood run some brilliant events and my family always have a great time leaving us amazed at the attention to detail that goes into the management and organisation.

I think that’s unfair to those that post on here, there are clearly issues within the estate and its management and that’s what people were discussing (and the benefits) I think everyone has put a balanced view of membership across but more so than ever the scales have tipped in the wrong direction. People have sent this feedback in by email, by phone and in person but we are allowed to discuss it.

There were some members of the GRRC that believed in “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything” but it will be those same people questioning in a few years why they pay £1k a month to the GRRC and in return the club can bill them any time they use the word “Goodwood”.

[mk1coopers]

A993LAD said:

No ideas for a name said:

I will take the opportunity to thank Sarah who pops in here occasionally.
Can't be easy as pretty well every time she puts her head over the parapet, some one shoots it off.. (That includes me from time to time).
Tough job, having to toe the company line and enter this forum where there are more complaints that praise.

I trust it does get the message through, though staff can't change the direction of the GRRC.

Well said. I'll second that.

My heart sinks every time I see anything Sarah posts on this thread. Her responses always look so well intentioned to me, but I just know some old PH whinger is going to shoot it down with a lengthy rant.

Well done Sarah, I for one admire your positive attitude and resilience in the face of adversity. Although TBH I can't help thinking your energies would be better spent on something else. You're fighting a losing battle trying to help this lot.

Pass my appreciation to your team and colleagues. Goodwood run some brilliant events and my family always have a great time leaving us amazed at the attention to detail that goes into the management and organisation.

Motion passed, the job that Sarah does here, on Facebook, or on any of the other social media platforms, looks to often be a thankless task, as I've had reason to speak with Sarah via email before I made the time to say hello face to face at the Revival last year, and say thank you, the GRRC team are doing their job within the parameters allowed by their employer, as we all do. I, like may other members on here, have raised previous and current issues with the 'club' directly, at various levels, with the understanding that Goodwood, and the GRRC are a business, and as such they will make business decisions that may not be liked or understood without further context at the time.

We don't know if the suggested 20% leaving rate for Members has any basis in fact, only Goodwood will know, if it is the case they will need to make business decisions to further separate the Members and Fellowship benefits to maintain the balance that they want, again 'we' don't know what their long or short term goals are, so 'we' react to how thing affect us personally.

I used the free FOS Thursday tickets, for me it was a quantifiable cost I could remove from the Membership fee's as I was likely to go anyway, so I'm also not happy they have gone, as others have said, renewing this year took far more thought than it did in previous years, and I have one foot in the 'one more year' camp, so let's see how 2024 goes, Goodwood, its over to you

Edited by mk1coopers on Wednesday 24th January 17:21

[SarahGoodwood]

A993LAD said:

Well said. I'll second that.

My heart sinks every time I see anything Sarah posts on this thread. Her responses always look so well intentioned to me, but I just know some old PH whinger is going to shoot it down with a lengthy rant.

Well done Sarah, I for one admire your positive attitude and resilience in the face of adversity. Although TBH I can't help thinking your energies would be better spent on something else. You're fighting a losing battle trying to help this lot.

Pass my appreciation to your team and colleagues. Goodwood run some brilliant events and my family always have a great time leaving us amazed at the attention to detail that goes into the management and organisation.

Thank you so much. That is very kind of you! I will absolutely pass on your comments to the team.

With best wishes,

Sarah

[Ian Wegg]

I'll add my thanks to the GRRC team, I've always found them highly professional and very friendly. I have great sympathy for them having to deal with the consequences of a situation not of their making.

[No ideas for a name]

Ian Wegg said:

I'll add my thanks to the GRRC team, I've always found them highly professional and very friendly. I have great sympathy for them having to deal with the consequences of a situation not of their making.

Woah... yesterday was 'Be nice to Sarah day'... everything should be back to normal on here today

[SarahGoodwood]

No ideas for a name said:

Woah... yesterday was 'Be nice to Sarah day'... everything should be back to normal on here today

I enjoyed it very much. I hope it's an annual event.

Sarah

[A993LAD]

SarahGoodwood said:

I enjoyed it very much. I hope it's an annual event.

Sarah

Yes definitely an annual event.

Unfortunately we've been advised by management to reduce the amount of praise each year though!

We'll be doing this in small increments in the hope you barely notice and offering some small additional but meaningless trifles as a distraction.

This should keep you hanging around, if only to keep reminiscing about how good our compliments were back at the start.

Hang on. Are we copying somebody else's cunning plan?

Edited by A993LAD on Thursday 25th January 23:41

[jeremyc]

A993LAD said:

SarahGoodwood said:

I enjoyed it very much. I hope it's an annual event.

Sarah

Yes definitely an annual event.

Unfortunately we've been advised by management to reduce the amount of praise each year though!

We'll be doing this in small increments in the hope you barely notice and offering some small additional but meaningless trifles as a distraction.

This should keep you hanging around, if only to keep reminiscing about how good our compliments were back at the start.

Hang on. Are we copying somebody else's cunning plan?

Edited by A993LAD on Thursday 25th January 23:41

We do, though, hand out a very similar amount of praise to lots of others in the Goodwood team who don't put in as much effort as you Sarah.

There's very little noticeable difference, so if you wanted to do less and be less helpful but still feel as good then we can drop you to the alternative level.

[TV8]

SarahGoodwood said:

No ideas for a name said:

Woah... yesterday was 'Be nice to Sarah day'... everything should be back to normal on here today

I enjoyed it very much. I hope it's an annual event.

Sarah

annual event sounds good! Will it be open to ex-members or full members and fellowship only?

[TV8]

I received an email today from Josh Parsons, GRRC Manager suggesting a phone call to discuss my “frustrations”.

He listened and responded but ultimately it was a pointless conversation as I would say the policy changes are tangible and not simply frustrations and the GRRC line is that the changes needed to happen. I did ask about renewal numbers and he assured me that they are as previous years.

Sarahgoodwood was mentioned as the only person who bothered responding to me and basically, he glossed over failings in their office responses to emails and problems systems access (forum).

I think he was surprised when I told him despite enjoying the Goodwood experience I was leaving and he made an appeal to see if there was anything he could do to get me to change my mind and I had to qualify with him if he was offering anything tangible as I thought he was over selling it. Nothing tangible was confirmed and as kind an offer, as having him as an escalation point might be for some, it’s not for me.

[Martin315]

TV8 said:

I received an email today from Josh Parsons, GRRC Manager suggesting a phone call to discuss my “frustrations”.

He listened and responded but ultimately it was a pointless conversation as I would say the policy changes are tangible and not simply frustrations and the GRRC line is that the changes needed to happen. I did ask about renewal numbers and he assured me that they are as previous years.

Sarahgoodwood was mentioned as the only person who bothered responding to me and basically, he glossed over failings in their office responses to emails and problems systems access (forum).

I think he was surprised when I told him despite enjoying the Goodwood experience I was leaving and he made an appeal to see if there was anything he could do to get me to change my mind and I had to qualify with him if he was offering anything tangible as I thought he was over selling it. Nothing tangible was confirmed and as kind an offer, as having him as an escalation point might be for some, it’s not for me.

And this is the problem. Despite the well intentioned efforts of Sarah and others, the arrogance from above and the expectation that others will fill the shoes of departing members seems to drive the policy.

It may have worked this year, but based on this thread and other members I know, they might be in for a rude (and not undeserved) awakening next year.

[ecsrobin]

TV8 said:

I received an email today from Josh Parsons, GRRC Manager suggesting a phone call to discuss my “frustrations”.

He listened and responded but ultimately it was a pointless conversation as I would say the policy changes are tangible and not simply frustrations and the GRRC line is that the changes needed to happen. I did ask about renewal numbers and he assured me that they are as previous years.

Sarahgoodwood was mentioned as the only person who bothered responding to me and basically, he glossed over failings in their office responses to emails and problems systems access (forum).

I think he was surprised when I told him despite enjoying the Goodwood experience I was leaving and he made an appeal to see if there was anything he could do to get me to change my mind and I had to qualify with him if he was offering anything tangible as I thought he was over selling it. Nothing tangible was confirmed and as kind an offer, as having him as an escalation point might be for some, it’s not for me.

Echos every other poster that’s had a chats response.

They mention exciting plans in communications yet I don’t think they have any or they would use them as a carrot on a stick. The fools are not the ones that have left but the ones who have stayed.

[TV8]

Martin315 said:

It may have worked this year, but based on this thread and other members I know, they might be in for a rude (and not undeserved) awakening next year.

I am not sure about that. The fees increased a lot last year and only made sense financially for those that book complete weekend tickets. I recall many people saying something similar about one more year following the big increase and taking the man at his word, people have renewed.

[TV8]

ecsrobin said:

They mention exciting plans in communications yet I don’t think they have any or they would use them as a carrot on a stick. The fools are not the ones that have left but the ones who have stayed.

I asked him to justify the monetisation of the waiting list and the official line is that they needed to do that to get the communicaton going with prospective members and what has happened is that they have become restricted benefits members.

At the weekend, I was chatting with a mate who left a couple of years ago and he actually got exhibitor tickets for the Sunday at the last Revival from someone in his family who had some vehicles on show. He commented that it seemed on the Sunday at least, that there were a lot of people who seemed to be there solely for a jolly up and he didn't enjoy the atmosphere in one of the hospitality spots.

I suspect there is more money to be made selling lots of inclusive hospitality packages and bottles of bubbly for £100/£15 per glass than keeping an enthusiast happy as a member when there are lots of people paying to join a waiting list to replace said enthusiast member in the future.

That said, I am really going to miss walking around the central pits if I ever attend the Revival again.

[No ideas for a name]

TV8 said:

I asked him to justify the monetisation of the waiting list and the official line is that they needed to do that to get the communicaton going with prospective members and what has happened is that they have become restricted benefits members.

It has all been said before, but why did they give away core benefits to the Associates?

Monitising the waiting list I can understand... it started off as being about £40. For that, I guess most who were waiting would have been happy with the newsletter. As far as I can see, there was absolutely no need to give away anything else that then has eaten in to the differential between Associates and Members.

I am hopeing for some tangible changes this year, but to be honest I can't really see how they can unwind the mess they have created.

[Arkose]

They got too greedy chasing Fellowship sign ups (targets, targets,) offering more and more but in turn degrading the full fat membership

[SarahGoodwood]

Dear all,

I feel I should point out that the revenue generated by the creation of the Fellowship actually allows us to offer more benefits to the full membership. Without the Fellowship, the number of member events would have remained at the level they were in 2016/2017. Now, we are able to arrange more factory tours, more regional drives, more driving tours, to provide more GRRC enclosures at the headline events and more.

With best wishes,

Sarah