1 February 2012 | Tennis Victoria

The East Malvern Tennis Club has been able to run successful Club Open Day’s for a number of years now, which has been critical in maintaining their strong membership numbers.

They identify the following keys to success:

Planning

• Run the Club Open Day in January to leverage off the enthusiasm and excitement of the Australian Open. Running it in January means that all preparation needs be done well in advance due to the holiday period, meaning it forces the club to be proactive
• Ensure the club coach runs an MLC Tennis Hot Shots activity to allow juniors the chance to try tennis in a fun environment on the day
• Engage Tennis Victoria to obtain their generous open pack, radar gun, extra racquets and tennis branded signage to spruce the place up; and
• Contact the local Leader newspaper to advertise the day a week prior

On the day

• Set up a welcome desk with participant registration sheets
• Ensure coaches are on hand to direct those who want to play to the courts and those who want to join the club to the club house
• Use Tennis Victoria’s radar gun for a speed serve competition
• Provide a raffle door prize and a BBQ
• Provide introductory membership offers on the day, including waiving joining fee

The result

Each year the club has approximately 50 – 60 new members join, with a number of those usually progressing to play competition.  It is important to follow up with new members to see if the club is fulfilling their membership needs. But overall, holding a Club Open Day is a team building exercise for the committee and is always well received.  Planning is critical and review of the results a must!