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Purpose -This study was conducted with the aim of examining important and frequently used managerial competencies for private club managers. Sandwith's five-competency domain model was applied to private club managers who were members of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA). Design/methodology/approach -A total of 800 private club managers from throughout the USA were invited to participate in this study. Managers were randomly selected from the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) membership list. Findings -This study investigated managerial competencies for private club managers. A total of 28 competencies were classified as essential competencies, 120 were classified as considerably important competencies, and three were classified as moderately important competencies for private club managers. These were classified into five domains: the conceptual/creative domain, the leadership domain, the administrative domain, the interpersonal domain, and the technical domain. Leadership and interpersonal competencies were rated as the most important and the most frequently used managerial competencies. These results are consistent with previous research in other segments of the hospitality industry. Practical implications -This study provides club managers with information on which competencies are important and frequently used to manage private clubs. By measuring the importance of individual competencies, managers can show how critical they are within a particular profession. It is also important to see how often competencies are used in a particular job. The results of this study should help managers and educators identify a list of skills that should be developed in future private club managers through training programs and curriculum offerings. Originality/value -Previous studies on management competencies in the private club profession have only addressed managers' administrative and technical competencies. This is the only known study of its kind to examine Sandwith's conceptual-creative, interpersonal and leadership competency domains for private club managers.

Service innovation positions an organization to create and deliver anticipatory service that exceeds member expectations and ultimately strengthens relationships. However, service innovation remains one of the most under-researched topics in hospitality. This study begins to fill that gap by exploring the strategies and factors that drive service innovation in the private club industry. Drawing insights from approximately 700 critical incidents reported by private club general managers/chief operating officers, we examined the common strategies and factors that assist clubs in developing and launching new services and products. Moreover, we also categorize pressing issues in the industry that are ripe for future innovation. The findings may have implications not only for the club industry but also for the hospitality industry in general.

Purpose -The purpose of this study was to update previous studies conducted on important managerial competencies used by private club managers by examining the importance and frequency of use of management competencies applied to the private club industry. Design/methodology/approach -A sample of 800 randomly selected private club managers was used for this study. The study included only active members of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA). Findings -The results indicate a change in what club managers do between 2002 and today. Except the added competency domains, results are very similar to previous studies. Accounting and finance, human resources and food and beverage competencies remain highly important as well as the most frequently used. The overall importance rating of the leadership domain was categorized as an essential competency with a mean score over 4.50. The other competency domains/clusters overall ratings were categorized as considerably important managerial competencies with mean scores between 3.50 and 4.50. Practical implications -This paper will help clubs provide appropriate training programs for management staff and also provide a basis for CMAA to develop new professional development programs that would meet manager needs for developing competencies needed for the future. Originality/value -Managerial competencies are viewed as a snapshot in time in a sense that these studies must be updated over time to incorporate new roles and trends within the industry. The results of this study were compared to previous studies conducted on club manager competencies to see if important managerial competencies changed over time.

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