A New Club Industry Podcast, Plus the Expansion of Purple Friday

On 1 October, the very first episode of the ClubLIFE Podcast will be available for you to stream via the ClubLIFE website, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts! I was lucky enough to listen to a preview this week and I’m already counting down the days until the next episode is available. 

Set to be released fortnightly, each episode of the ClubLIFE Podcast will feature a different guest who has a unique perspective or insight to offer listeners — think club CEOs, marketing experts and hospitality personalities who have been involved with the industry in some way, shape or form for decades. The first guest shared some fascinating fun facts about themselves and their unusual career history… but I won’t ruin the surprise for you!

Our goal with this podcast is to entertain, inform and inspire you, so if there is a particular person you want to hear from, please email the team at [email protected].

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On the ClubsNSW Conference front, two brand-new events have been added to the schedule for Day One:

• TAB's Next Gen Showcase from 12.30pm at the Gold Coast Turf Club, where you will have the chance to win $1000 through Tab Tip'Em at Australia's first and only flagship Next Gen venue. There will be state-of-the-art features including multi-view screens, Dave Stanley will be doing an outside broadcast for Sky Racing, and Laurie Daley will be stopping by for a chat too.
• The Women's Networking Event from 3.30pm at The Star (Level 18), where you can enjoy an afternoon of elegance and exchanging ideas (with drinks and canapés of course).

I’m told a ‘speed painter’, a Moulin Rouge performance and the Killer Queen Experience have all been added to the entertainment line-up for the Conference Dinner too, before Boom Crash Opera takes to the stage. You can find the full Conference program here. I can’t wait to see you there!

Wednesday was a busy day, starting with the Parliamentary Friends of Rugby League touch football match (City vs Country) at Allianz Stadium in the early morning, followed by our second regional Vibrancy & Gaming Reform Forum — this time at Griffith Leagues Club. 

Facilitated by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), the session allowed us to hear from regional club representatives about their unique challenges, experiences and prospects. A big thanks to CEO Anthony Lico for hosting us and for helping to design the session to make it as productive as possible. 

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Last night, I popped into the launch party for the NSW 24-Hour Economy Strategy at the State Library in Sydney, which was presented by the Hon. John Graham MLC — Minister for Music and the Night-Time Economy. You will be hearing more about that strategy soon, but it is very promising for our industry and our state more broadly. 

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Before I sign off, a big shout out to Cherry Street Sports Club CEO Tere Sheehan and his team for extending their Purple Friday campaign to the entire club industry this week! They have been at the forefront of Purple Friday, encouraging local businesses to wear purple shirts and spread the message that the town says ‘no’ to cowardly acts of domestic violence. In fact, their efforts won them a 2024 Clubs & Community Award in the Social Inclusion category. 

If your club wants to get involved in the Purple Friday campaign, please click here.

Have a great weekend.