During the next two weekends, my wife and I will be traveling to Hilton Head and Jekyll Island, respectively. We often travel to Hilton Head in its “off-season” for a long weekend change of scenery with walks on the beach and general relaxation.
We find late February is a good time to go as the chance of warmer weather becomes more likely. While our trip to Jekyll Island is as much business (board retreat) as pleasure, we are excited about the prospect of a more beach atmosphere before the peak season of the “Golden Isles”. From a business perspective, it is an interesting time to be in these locations as it is shortly before the start of many school “spring breaks,” which typically kick off their “peak seasons” and last through the remainder of spring, summer, and early fall. So, at this time of the year, places like Hilton Head and Jekyll Island are in final preparations for their busiest times.
As noted above, we often travel to Hilton Head this time of year and therefore, I have been able to observe businesses ramping up and getting ready for their main season for a number of years. During those visits, I have come to realize that the leisure and hospitality businesses of Hilton Head use this time of the year similarly to how major league baseball teams use Spring Training to prepare for their regular seasons. In this week’s column, I will share how these preparations are alike and also, so that businesses in the CSRA can use similar preparations as their “practice rounds” before many visitors arrive for the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the Drive, Chip, and Putt Championship, and the Masters Tournament over the first two weeks of April.
1. Figuring out your “roster” and “where they are going to play”: Prior to the start of peak season, Hilton Head hospitality businesses ramp up their hiring. As more visitors descend on the Island, businesses need to increase their capacities to meet surging demand. In recent years, I have noticed that when we arrive at Hilton Head before Spring Break, some new hires are already on board and working. Just like in Spring Training for baseball teams, these businesses are trying to determine how these workers best fit their needed positions. While baseball teams are determining who might be a starting pitcher or a relief pitcher or where a good hitter can best be positioned in the field, these businesses are figuring out which of their employees are better in “customer-facing” positions versus which are better working in the “back room”. The time to figure this out is before the bigger crowds arrive. So, as you prepare for what is now two weeks of golf crowds, start getting your new people on board and determine where they work best.
Because the crowds in the first week are smaller than Masters Week, you also have the luxury of fine-tuning your “roster” leading into the big week.
2. Emphasize the Training in Spring Training: If you were ever to go visit a major league baseball team’s Spring Training complex, you would note that the emphasis is on training. You will see players doing many different drills to ready themselves for the seasons: pitchers covering first base and working on keeping runners close to the base, catchers blocking errant pitches, infielders turning double plays, and outfielders hitting cut-off men on their throws. These are all “fundamentals” of winning baseball. In preparation for the arrival of many vacationers in Hilton Head, the businesses there work diligently on the processes they need to deliver good service.
Much time is spent on how to interact with customers, both face-to-face and by phone or text, and how to execute the processes that result in an enjoyable meal or stay. So, as your business prepares for the two weeks of golf in Augusta, be sure your staff is well-trained to provide the many visitors with a pleasurable experience.
3. Face “Real Bullets”: While there is a lot of training that goes on during Spring Training, the major league baseball teams also play many games (approximately 30) against other teams. While each team is not necessarily trying to win every game, each of the players in the game is doing their best to assess where their game is for the regular season.
So, everyone is trying and each game is very much like a regular season game, particularly for the newer players.
In Hilton Head, businesses will put their new workers in new situations when we are there this weekend to help prepare them for when the bigger crowds arrive in the coming weeks. So, as you prepare for the arrival of Masters Week, be sure to prepare your new workers by putting them in new situations before the bigger crowds arrive.
My wife and I are looking forward to some fun, rest, and relaxation during the next two weekends. During that time, we know we will encounter new workers who will be doing their best to make our stays enjoyable. However, they will be doing the things they need to do to prepare for even bigger and more demanding crowds in the coming weeks and months at the same time. As you and your business prepare for early April, you too can emulate baseball’s spring training to have a very successful “peak” of your year!
