Like most social clubs in the past, the price of membership acts to gatekeep against "casuals", and creates a sort of commitment ("I pay this much, so I might as well use it"). For the latter point, like gym memberships, the model probably relies on 100% of the people rarely if ever showing up or taking part. In that way the attendees are treated to an event or occasion that is worth more than the sum of the contribution of the attendants, in principle.
https://shop.specialprojects.jp/products/kissa-by-kissa-3rd-...
Like those get rich quick real estate seminars. Yea the person talking is wealthy, but it's from subscriptions and entry fees to their talks not actual real estate investing.