Chairman's Report
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Staff Club
Chairman’s Report 2022-2023
Introduction
This year has been truly remarkable for the Club as we witnessed significant growth and expansion. Since April 2023, the Ordinary Membership has been extended to include all full-time staff members of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). This extension has resulted in a significant increase, nearly fourfold, in the number of ordinary members. Thanks go to our existing members as well as new members for their support. Let’s continue to care for the community of PolyU staff.
We take great pride in catering to the recreational and sports needs of our Club Members, with over 11,000 person-times served this year. This represents a significant increase compared to previous years, demonstrating our commitment to providing exceptional experiences for our members.
Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to all the stakeholders who have contributed to the growth and development of the Club. This report will provide detailed summaries of our past events and activities, as well as comprehensive reports on our operations during the year of 2022/2023.
| Fitness and Sports |
Regular Fitness and Exercise Courses
The Club maintains a strong commitment to organizing fitness and exercise classes for our valued members. The Fitness Room Introductory course continues to be the most sought-after offering, boasting an enrolment rate that has surpassed 200%.
To meet the high demand for our services, we expanded the number of exercise classes from twelve to twenty courses throughout the year. Our regular classes, including yoga, pilates, and kick boxing, continue to be popular choices among members. Additionally, we introduced new courses such as K-pop dance and pain release stretching class, offering a wider range of options to cater to diverse preferences. In an effort to provide members with even more choices, we introduced exciting sports activities like fencing, floor curling, and archery tag introductory courses. These new additions aim to enhance the overall experience and satisfaction of our members.
Social Sports Hours
The Social Sports Hours had operated smoothly this year, with new members joining in. In addition to the existing activities, we introduced a new session of volleyball social hours to bring together volleyball enthusiasts within our community during the summer season. This addition has been well-received, prompting us to expand to two sessions per month. We are grateful for the continued support and enthusiastic participation from our fellow members in making these social sports hours another success.
Staff Competitions
The staff competitions have resumed in full swing, featuring a diverse range of sports such as badminton, tennis, basketball, squash, table tennis, and futsal. These competitions have garnered significant participation from staff members, resulting in intense and thrilling matches. Furthermore, the Club actively engaged in various inter-university friendly matches and competitions, underscoring our dedication to promoting sports beyond our own community.
We are particularly proud of our remarkable achievements in the Inter-University Staff Table Tennis Tournament 2023, where we secured the first runner-up position in both the Men's and Women's divisions. Additionally, our exceptional success extended to the Corporate Games 2023 - Tennis Competitions, where we emerged as the champions in Men's Singles, and obtained the first runner-up positions in Women's Singles and Women's Doubles events.
These accomplishments stand as a testament to the talent, dedication, and hard work of our participants, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all those who contributed to these outstanding results.
| Member Benefits and Cultural Activities |
Group Sales and Privilege
The Club organized a Group Sales for members, offering a wide range of accessories, skincare products, and fragrances at affordable prices. Approximately 100 members made an order of around 300 items, allowing them access to high-quality products at relatively lower costs. Additionally, the Club partnered with 28 external business to offer members with more than 242 kinds of discounts and privileges.
Recreation Activities
Turning to recreation activities, the Club not only regularly organized the popular guitar and ukulele courses, but also curated a delightful series of D.I.Y. workshops that have received positive feedback. These workshops include the Lunar New Year Floral Arrangement, Herbarium Bottle Workshop, Zentangle Workshop, Chinese Painting Workshop, and Succulent Bonsai Workshop. Additionally, our collaboration with Hotel ICON has allowed us to continue offering the highly popular pastry classes.
Furthermore, we have successfully resumed local tour, which was a family tour to Sha Tau Kok Station. This tour was met with enthusiastic feedback from participants who expressed a desire for more similar tours that provide an opportunity to spend quality time with their families.
Christmas Party
The Club's Christmas Party took place on 16 December 2023, in the Staff Club Restaurant. With 120 members and guests in attendance, the event featured live band music, exciting group games with prizes, and a delightful buffet-style serving accompanied by wine. The venue was adorned with festive Christmas decorations, creating a joyful atmosphere for members and their guests to socialize and enjoy the festivities.
Spring Dinner
The Club held its Spring Dinner on 11 February 2023, at the Silver Ball Room in Hotel ICON. With approximately 270 attendees, including senior management of university, staff, and members, the event offered a delightful banquet with delectable food and fine wine. The evening was brimming with excitement, featuring a captivating lion dance performance that delighted the audience, along with traditional Chinese acrobatics and juggling. Adding to the thrill, a grand lucky draw was held, creating an element of anticipation and surprise for everyone in attendance.
| Staff Club Restaurant |
The Staff Club Restaurant reopened on 14th April 2023, under the new name 'U.Green’, right after the long-waiting relaxation of pandemic constraints.
From the very early planning stage, the Club was jointly planned and coordinated with the University and Hotel ICON to ensure the high expectations from members were met. Since the reopening, U.Green has made several changes to its menu. Initially, it offered a Business Set Menu with 5 main course options and an Executive Set Menu with 3 main course options. And now, the menu has expanded to include over 30 main course items, providing a wider variety of cuisine choices for members. During the summer season, which corresponds to non-peak periods, U.Green offered a special 10% discount.
Furthermore, in September, we conducted a user satisfaction survey and we were truly grateful for all the comments and feedback received from our esteemed users. U.Green aims to continually enhance its services and offerings based on the valuable input provided by members. We sincerely hope for your continued support of U.Green.
| Membership Number |
As of June 2023, the numbers of Ordinary Members and Associate Members of the PolyU Staff Club were 6,653 and 77, respectively when compared the figures of 1,684 and 138 in 2020/2021. This notable change can be attributed to the recent inclusion of all full-time staff of PolyU as eligible for Ordinary Membership, resulting in a significant increase in the number of Ordinary Members.
| Office Staff |
The journey of this year wasn’t smooth, partially because several colleagues left during this year. But our dedicated team and EXCO proved their commitments to the Club and members. The office team has been effectively managing the daily operations of the Club with great efficiency. At present, the Club is supported by three full-time staff members and several part-time helpers. Additionally, we are in the process of hiring one more full-time staff member to further strengthen our team. With such an outstanding and devoted group of individuals, we are highly confident that the Club is more than prepared to serve the significant increase in Ordinary Members and deliver exceptional experiences to all.
| Special Thanks |
First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to all the Club members for their unwavering support and enthusiastic participation in our activities and events throughout the year. We deeply value the genuine interest and unwavering confidence they have in us.
We would also like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the senior management of PolyU for their invaluable funding support and resource allocation to the Club. With the continued financial backing from the University, we are able to provide dedicated services to our members and the PolyU community.
Equally important to the Club's accomplishments has been the outstanding support from various units within PolyU, including the Finance Office (FO), Campus Facilities and Sustainability Office (CFSO), Campus Development Office (CDO), Information Technology Services Office (ITS), Communications and Public Affairs Office (CPA), Human Resources Office (HRO), Alumni Affairs Office (AAO), Catering Committee, and Student Affairs Office (SAO). Their assistance, both in major and minor matters, has been invaluable. We are confident that this excellent relationship will continue to thrive.
As the Chairman, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all the Committee Members and Sub-Committee Members for their immense dedication and unwavering support in overseeing the Club's operations, as well as for their valuable advice throughout the past year. I am also grateful to our co-opted members and ex-officio member for their guidance and encouragement. Additionally, I would like to thank all the Sports Coordinators for revitalizing the Club.
Notably, we extend our gratitude to our exceptional office staff for their outstanding support. They have faced numerous challenges with dedication, actively communicated with members, and fostered collaboration.
Lastly, we sincerely hope to continue receiving support from our members, enabling us to organize diverse activities that promote and encourage social interaction within PolyU, as well as between PolyU and the wider community. Moreover, we hope that this annual report serves as a means to appreciate the contributions of the EXCO, members, and staff, while inspiring further growth and development of the Club.
Thank you.
Ir Dr TL Yip
PolyU Staff Club Chairman
on behalf of the PolyU Staff Club Committee
November 2023