1st birthday for Gympie RSL renovations

One year on and Gympie RSL’s major renovations continue to surpass expectations.

Maer Group’s Managing Director Matt Rafton describes Gympie RSL’s renovations as the benchmark for mid-size clubs in the industry.

“What’s been created at Gympie RSL is a model of success that the management, board and members should be very proud of,” Mr Rafton said.

“They’ve developed a highly efficient operation that consistently holds the number one position in Queensland gaming rankings (for clubs up to 150 gaming machines), while operating just 98 machines.”

The renovations completely transformed Gympie RSL with a new bistro, café, bar, foyer and gaming facilities all on the one level.

“It’s a compact area, but the central bar/café/cashier provides great efficiencies and maximises the use of floor space. It feels like a big club in what is a relatively small space.”

To reduce the impact on trade during works, the new “main club” level was constructed on the top level of the building.

The club continued to trade from its lower levels during construction, then switched to the brand-new upper level from 1^st December 2020.

Minor refurbishments were then completed to the lower levels, which now include a dedicated sports bar, entertainment and events precinct.

Mr Rafton said the relationship with Gympie RSL has been very strong.

“We’ve been proud to work with Gympie RSL since February 2020, in fact they were Maer Group’s very first client.

“We worked with the team to conduct a full marketing audit during the COVID closure period. After this, we developed a series of training workshops to upskill the management team and prepare for re-opening.

“We then deployed our direct marketing and promotional strategies to help drive revenue throughout the final stages of the renovations, before hitting top gear for the grand opening.

“Today our services include the development of annual marketing plans, gaming & major promotion development, loyalty program management, campaign & communication development, website management, social media execution, general marketing coordination, monthly reporting and support.

Gympie RSL General Manager Steve Lancaster said the club has been through a big transition in the last two years, with the merger of their Sub Branch and Licensed Club entities, land acquisitions, a major renovation and changes in marketing personnel.

“What has been consistent throughout this time is the support from the Maer Group team,” Mr Lancaster said.

“Matt and his team have been here when we needed them.

“In the past 18 months, they have completely overhauled our marketing, and now provide a full-service marketing solution for us.

“We recently introduced a casual marketing coordinator position in-house, which Maer Group provide with direction, training and support.

“However, outside these couple of shifts weekly, Maer Group cover the lion share of our marketing requirements from planning to execution.

When asked about the outcomes from their collaboration with Maer Group, Steve highlighted the measurable results that have been achieved.

“Maer Group’s direct marketing campaigns are delivering a six-figure return (profit) for our venue each month.

“We’ve also seen records achieved with the major gaming promotions they developed. The quality of our overall marketing and branding under the direction of Maer Group is first class.”