Surviving the pandemic

As I pen this message, we are still experiencing the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. What does this mean for the Labour Movement (LM), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) members, and the way we live, work and play?

This pandemic has transformed our business, social and recreation landscapes, and Club has been severely impacted. We need to face these challenges head-on to survive, and through transformation, remain relevant to NTUC members.

During the early phase of the pandemic, D'Resort was converted to a Community Care Facility to house clinically well COVID-19 patients. I am very proud of the way Club has responded to the needs of the nation. Many staff came forward to volunteer at the frontlines - at D'Resort and to support the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS). To show appreciation for our front-line workers, our nEbO and U Live communities did their part to distribute care packs to them. The engagement with NTUC members and our stakeholders turned digital and proliferated in the form of online content and live streaming. Indeed, the tight-knit LM communities continue to find new ways to engage, energise and inspire NTUC members during this period.

The heart of NTUC Club

Notwithstanding the pandemic, Club has made great strides over the past four years. The core of our renewal remains key - ensuring that NTUC members continue to enjoy affordable yet quality offerings.

Since our last general meeting, Club continued to improve the products and offerings for NTUC members. The Refreshing Downtown East project commenced in 2012 and was fully completed in late 2018. The lifestyle destination now has more attractive offerings for NTUC members including the new D'Resort, the expanded Wild Wild Wet, and Market Square, which now has more retail, entertainment and F&B choices.

In late 2019, Club took over from Singapore Labour Foundation the ownership of Orchid Country Club (OCC) and Aranda Country Club (ACC). Besides savings through economy of scale, the acquisition of OCC and ACC would also result in better services and offerings for NTUC members.

We continued to make progress in our engagement efforts for NTUC members in scale and scope. U Live's collaboration with the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office led to the inaugural Smart Nation & U event, which focused on the nation's call towards digitalisation. The event put our active agers in the media spotlight for exemplifying passion towards lifelong learning. nEbO continues to develop our youths through new programmes aimed at providing them a competitive edge before heading into the workforce.

Preparing to surge forward

Prior to this global crisis, Club had already started its transformation journey to adapt to the changing operating environment and the needs of NTUC members. The changing membership profile and the advent of digital services have seen NTUC members and guests shifting away from traditional brick-and-mortar retail and entertainment outlets. The COVID-19 pandemic has just accelerated the urgency and pace for this transformation.

Even as we work towards business sustainability, we have to stay true to our mission - caring for the well-being of NTUC members. In a post-COVID-19 world, we will continue to leverage on technology to better deliver our services, allowing a merger of both virtual and physical engagement. We can expect improved experiences in terms of service delivery and participation. Many new lifestyle products and services such as esports may become mainstream. Club would need to keep itself abreast with such developments to stay relevant to NTUC members.

Club's transformation will need to be multi-pronged. Many of our current business models may need to be updated, and strategic partnerships to leverage on external expertise could be the way forward. To stay ahead, technology will take the forefront in the creation, enhancement, and delivery of our offerings. To this end, Club has begun the transformation journey through the formation of several project teams to deep dive into these issues.

Of course, we can look forward to achieving our next milestone, 'Downtown South'. Announced by the Prime Minister in the 2019 National Day Rally, 'Downtown South' is a recognition from the Government to the workers' contributions toward Singapore. It also underlines the Government's care for the welfare of our workers. While still in our master planning stage, I have utmost confidence that Club will undertake the challenge with innovation and excel at it.

All in, it is going to be an uncertain and yet exciting future. I am confident, with the support of the unions and tripartite partners, we can together build our future and emerge stronger.

Appreciation and gratitude

On behalf of the Club, I would like to thank all the unions for the support given to Club over the years. My appreciation to all the members of the Management Council and Advisory Committees for their commitment. Special thanks to Brother Chun Sing who was the Chairman of NTUC Club Management Council for three years and Brother Khee Leng for his nine years of service as the CEO of Club. Let us continue to build on what you have contributed and achieved. I trust that this passion will continue with us in the many years to come.

Mr. Ng Chee Meng

Chairman

NTUC Club Management Council

Key Highlights

The past four years have been exciting. We saw the completion of the $200m Refreshing Downtown East Project. From a simple chalet in 1988, the refreshed Downtown East now boasts of a 387-room D'Resort, a four-hectare Wild Wild Wet and the newly built Market Square with over 100 retail, entertainment and F&B outlets. Some prominent brands include Uniqlo, Threeppy by Daiso, Have Fun Karaoke, Obar and Cathay Cineplex.

Another significant milestone was the acquisition of Orchid Country Club and Aranda Country Club from the Singapore Labour Foundation. The transfer was completed in late 2019. With these additions, Club now manages 18-hole and 27-hole golf courses, my golf kaki (an estate-less golf club) and the U Golf interest group. This is part of our continuous efforts to expand our offerings for the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) members. We can also expect better synergy and cost savings from the acquisition.

As part of our social objectives, we have also scaled up NTUC member engagement efforts through our nEbO, U Live and U Sports communities. Some notable initiatives include the partnership with the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office to upscale the U Live Symposium, and the upcoming launch of nEbO's Headstart Initiative to prepare our youths to be work-ready and life-ready.

Together as one

Club is ultimately about people and thus, we have chosen "Thread That Binds" as the theme for this quadrennial report. Just like how a craftsman weaves various fibres into one piece, we have, through our offerings, engaged NTUC members and our guests to bond and create purposeful communities.

I am proud of my staff who are always ready to go the extra mile to connect with NTUC members. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many staff volunteered to help NTUC members affected by the crisis. Some assisted in the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS), while others mobilised our communities to distribute care packs to support our frontline workers. Despite social distancing measures, engagement efforts of our communities continued through online platforms so that NTUC members remain socially engaged during this difficult period.

Challenges ahead

Looking ahead, the main challenge Club will face in the coming years would be to stay relevant in the midst of a rapidly changing environment. Technology and digitalisation have changed the way we work, live and play. We would need to adapt or risk becoming irrelevant.

Club has begun its transformation journey. Partly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are conducting a critical review of our business models. Our engagement model may have to evolve to a hybrid of online and offline experiences. We are engaging our stakeholders, including staff in various workgroups, to brainstorm and share ideas on how Club can move forward, and to assess the feasibility of venturing into new businesses.

Regardless of the outcome, our mission remains the same, which is to engage NTUC members and the communities through quality and affordable leisure and lifestyle choices.

Towards a brighter future

In the near future, NTUC members and our guests can look forward to continuing enhancement of Downtown East. Plans are afoot to bring in new services such as surfing experiences and Gallop Stable (horse riding). The retail mix in Market Square will also evolve with more experiential offerings such as rock climbing, mixed martial arts, with more coming soon!

In the longer term, we are excited about new projects such as 'Downtown South'. Thanks to the Government, we have been offered land in the proposed Greater Southern Waterfront (GSW) to develop a new 'Downtown South'. We have already started engaging NTUC members as part of the visioning exercise for this project. Many other projects are also in the pipeline as we attempt to stay relevant for them.

Our progress today is a culmination of efforts over the years, and is only possible with the support of the Labour Movement (LM) communities and our tripartite partners. I am also thankful for my team of dedicated staff who work tirelessly for NTUC members. But most importantly, they have the heart to serve.

With our common vision and values, I am confident of the future of Club. We will continue to strive to bring joy and laughter to NTUC members and their families as we build a strong LM community.

Mr. Lim Eng Lee

CEO

NTUC Club