07776 103 785 john@makesportfun.com

Global Games
One way to recruit new members for sport is to host an event. This type of event is an opportunity for people to come and try
equipment, classes, or other aspects of your sports organisation
without the financial commitment typically associated with joining a
club. It is therefore great for recruiting new members.

To learn how best to do this I interviewed sports events experts Global Games. Global Games design, build, operate and manage participation sports events and provide an opportunity for fans of sports to come and have a go themselves. Their clients include McDonalds, the Get Fit Foundation and Saracens Rugby Football club.

Global Games top ten tips

  1. Promotion. You have two options. Firstly choose somewhere with
    high footfall, but in areas where people are after fun (e.g. not a
    Tesco supermarket car park). Secondly get started early with your
    promotion. Good ways are flyering local schools and businesses.I recommend the areas with high footfall.
  2. Cater for all groups. Make sure there’s enough to do for all age
    groups attending, not just one group. It ruins everyone’s time if some
    people are bored.
  3. Food. Catering is very important, so make sure this is taken
    care of. It tends to be a burger van, so look into some healthier
    options – maybe even organic or vegetarian.Tailor your refreshments to
    suit your event. Look into getting either a retaining fee or promo rates if it’s a local
    company/ vegetarian company.
  4. Transport. If there are a large number of people and cars then you’ll need to manage the traffic flow. It might be worth setting up shuttle buses.
  5. Health and Safety. First aid, you’ll need food and water if there might be diabetics. If you have more than 180 people then you’ll need a paramedic
  6. Backup plan. Many facilities tend to have indoor/ outdoor options so take advantage of that in your planning. You can’t cover everything, but make plans for how to cover what you can. And if you have to cancel then make sure you are able to let everyone know!
  7. Target market. Assess your target market and then go after them.
  8. Branding. Brand up what’s there. Use banners to give everything a cohesive look and make it look good.
  9. Follow up. Capture the contact details of people who come, get either their email or their mobile number. Get their business card. Then do something with it – let them know how about any special offers for joining up.
  10. Learn. Make sure to learn from what happened. Ask what people thought, and use this information to make it better next time.

To download the full report, including the steps you need to go through when planning an event go to https://www.makesportfun.com/Howtoguides/tabid/249/language/en-GB/Default.aspx and scroll down to the bottom.

To get a quote from Global Games to come and run an event for you email enq@globalgames.co.uk, call 07789 278 043
or go to www.globalgames.co.uk and click on contacts.