5 min read

How Your Outdated Event Graphics Impact Member Engagement

Picture of Ed Heil Ed Heil : April 2, 2026

Content Marketing Culture Lead Engagement

Key Takeaways

Most private club event graphics were designed for print and haven't evolved to match how members consume information today.
Stuffing graphics with event details creates visual clutter that competes with itself — and often gets ignored.
A simpler graphic paired with a dedicated landing page gives members a cleaner experience and clubs a better way to track responses.
Photos of actual members at past events can help prospective attendees envision the experience in a way that clip art never will.
The way your club communicates events says something about your club — whether you intend it to or not.

Over the years, I’ve had an opportunity to present to CMAA and PCMA chapters the value of stories in club communications. As part of the talk, I ask attendees in advance to send me copies of their club newsletters as a way of engaging the attendees and making the presentation more meaningful. It gives me a chance to understand how clubs are telling their stories, if at all. What I’ve learned in this time is that most club newsletters look exactly the same. Every once in a while I’m sent a newsletter that stops me in my tracks. Sharp design, pictures of actual members, and a clear sense of the club's personality. Unfortunately, these newsletters are few and far between.

The rest look remarkably similar to each other. Mother's Day brunch, Memorial Day cookout, 4th of July BBQ, etc. Different clubs, different markets, different membership profiles and yet they all have the same basic approach. A graphic layered with event details, clip art, and enough words to scare away many readers. Date, time, location, cost, description, RSVP instructions — all packed into a single image, dropped into a newsletter or an email that is sent to members. Membership directors and communications staffers want to drive attendance and they certainly want to do an outstanding job. However, the methods they’re relying on are outdated and may be, unintentionally, leading to lower levels of engagement.

These Graphics Were Built for a Different World

There was a time that these poster-style graphics for events made sense. Before digital communications, these ads worked well in a printed newsletter, or as print outs that could be picked up at the receptionist desk near the front entrance. In that context, packing in the details was the right call. The member had the physical page they could take home with them, read it and put it on the refrigerator as a reminder.

Somewhere along the way, clubs moved those same graphics into email and eventually onto social media, but the design never changed. It makes sense. Membership Directors and Communications personnel have a lot on their plate and, in most cases, do not have the time to create separate designs for the same event. But the way members consume information has changed almost entirely. Sure, there are clubs with paper newsletters and flyers that sit at the front desk, but most members expect to receive information in the digital mediums they frequent most.

People today spend an incredible amount of time on their phone, swiping quickly, deciding in a second or two whether the content is worth a closer look. A graphic overloaded with text can appear somewhat overwhelming. As neurologists say, our brains are lazy and we don’t want to work hard to understand information. Unfortunately, those graphics look like a lot of work! The eye doesn't know where to start and because the image has all the information, there's no natural next step. Consequently, it becomes easy to swipe and forget.

Making matters more challenging, the same graphic becomes a social media post, where it performs even worse. Social platforms reward clean, high-impact visuals. A print-style poster compressed into a small square makes the text nearly unreadable and the design feels out of place. It wasn't built for that medium.

What Members Actually Need to See

So here’s a question. When a member sees your graphic for the upcoming Kentucky Derby party, can they picture what the event actually looks like? Are there photos from last year’s event that shows women in their derby hats, men in their dapper bow ties while drinking Mint Juleps? Do the images allow the reader to picture themselves at the event this year? Do they show people having an amazing time?

Stock photography and clip art can't, figuratively, bring the reader to the event. Photos from last year's Derby Day can. When members see familiar faces, real moments, and recognizable spaces, the communication changes completely. It goes from being an announcement to an invitation. They can evaluate quickly whether this is something they want to be part of. Plus, you get to put those great pictures from last year to use!

A Cleaner Approach Worth Considering

Do you want proof of this? Look at luxury resorts or experiential venues. They don’t lean on clip art or stock images. They have the visual assets and put them to use, creating a longing and wonder for the reader that draws them closer to their property. Clean, visually compelling images with sharp copy creates interest. Whether in an email or on a landing page, the details paired with a form for easy registration and all of a sudden members are signing up because they can envision themselves at the event.

This approach also gives clubs something the current model almost never delivers: analytics. Your team will know how many people visited the landing page, how long they spent on the page and ultimately who filled out the forms. Your staff will be able to look at conversion rates and glean insights into where you might be losing member interest. When members register through a form, you know who's coming, when they signed up, and whether your follow-up communications moved the needle. That's useful information that will help your club course correct along the way. Today, that data never sees the light of day.

This Reflects on Your Club

When a club sends polished, thoughtfully designed communications that feel current, members notice. Maybe not consciously, but they notice. And the reverse is true. When communications feel dated and cluttered, that says something about your club. Maybe not consciously, but it signals something about club operations, whether you intend it to or not.

Communication is one of the four most important factors of member satisfaction. The clubs that are most intentional about this are approaching member communications with the same level of care they bring to the dining room or the golf course. The tools to do this well are more accessible than ever. The question is whether your club is treating communications as a strategic tool to drive member engagement, or as something that gets squeezed in between everything else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our members are used to the way we've always communicated events. Why change something that seems to be working?

It's hard to know what's working if you're not measuring anything. If members are engaging with event communications and showing up in strong numbers, that's a good sign. But if attendance has been flat or you're relying on reminder calls and personal outreach to fill tables, it's worth asking whether the communication itself might be part of the issue.

We don't have photographers at every event. Where do we get the photos?

Start with what you have. Most clubs have smartphones, and most events have moments worth capturing. Assign a staff member — or a willing member — to take candid photos at your next few events. Over time you'll build a library. You don't need professional photography for every graphic. You need authentic images that feel real, and those are often more effective than polished stock photos anyway.

Won't sending members to a separate page add more friction? We don't want to make it harder to sign up.

A well-designed page can actually reduce friction compared to asking members to call a phone number or reply to an email. A simple form with a few fields and a submit button is faster for most members, especially on a mobile device. The key is keeping the page clean and the form short.

Our club uses a legacy management system for member registrations. Can we still use this approach?

In most cases, yes. A landing page doesn't have to replace your existing registration system — it can complement it. Some clubs use a simple sign-up form to capture interest and follow up directly, then handle formal registration through their existing platform. You don't need a fully integrated system to start communicating events better.

What belongs in the email versus what belongs on the landing page?

Think of the email as the invitation and the landing page as the event program. The email creates enough interest to earn the click — a strong image, a line or two about what makes the event worth attending, and a clear call to action. The landing page is where the full details live: timing, pricing, what to expect, and the sign-up form. Members who are genuinely interested will click through. Those who aren't won't — and that's useful information too.