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A GUIDE TO RUNNING A
SUCCESSFUL OPEN DAY
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Why Run An
Open Day?
A
well run Open Day is a fantastic way to:
1.Attract new and returning players, volunteers and supporters to the club.
2.Engage with the community.
3.Share the great experiences you provide with as many people as possible.
If it’s just about putting up a few posters around town and then preparing some tea/
coffee and some biscuits, then don’t bother!
There has to be a genuine, widespread desire throughout the club to open the doors
to new members and the community. Commitment and enthusiasm are prerequisites
to have a great open day. Don’t try without them. Got that? Then, let’s get going:
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Before the day
Some people within your club will probably know some people at those
organisations; use them.
Remember to send your invitations out to give people plenty of notice before the day.
PLANNING YOUR OPEN DAY
5. What activities are going to happen on the day?
Make it FUN! There are a number of incredibly boring so-called Family Fun Days
or Open Days. Make sure you have opportunities for them to ‘have a go’ without
feeling embarrassed.
1. Why are we doing this?
Write down and get agreement from everyone what you want to achieve on the
day. We recommend a maximum of three points. More and the whole event gets
confused.
2. Choosing the date
When deciding upon a date for your event check that it doesn’t coincide with a
major sporting or local event, half term or Bank Holiday weekends.
Remember, just because you want to include a specific activity in the open day
because you like it, does not mean it’s a good idea. A great experience for 7 year
old kids will look very different to a good experience for ‘back to Rugby League’ 30
year olds.
3. What’s your story? What are you for?
Develop a really good story as to why people within your community should want to
join your club. One suggestion could be ‘to be the friendliest sports club in the area’.
It looks and sounds simple; however, it must be a serious and lasting commitment to
really work.
Don’t forget that by involving local schools, scout groups/ girl guides they will bring
with them parents, friends and therefore prospective members. Plan your day in
line with your target audience. If you are inviting children/families to come along
organise games, face painting etc.
If your activity is planned outside, make sure you have a back up plan in the event of
bad weather!
4. Who do you want to come?
Be clear about who you want to attend. Are you targeting families, school children,
students, or community partners? Whatever groups you decide to target make sure
you can a) reach them b) give them a great experience on the day - experiences that
are right for them.
6. Be a good neighbour
Do let your neighbours know that you will be holding an event, when it will be and
the time it is taking place. If you are situated near a school/community centre they
may even be happy to allow you to use their facilities such as the kitchen or parking
area or they may want to come along and join in the fun.
Kids bring parents, sisters/brothers, friends = more potential players
Your open day could also be a great way of engaging with potential and current
community partners from schools, housing, health, community groups, youth services
etc. These non-sport organisations can become great partner but firstly, they must get
to know you. Invite them to your open day and show and tell them about how you
are making a difference to the local community. So remember to invite:
• Local schools, colleges and universities
• Local council and housing associations
• Community groups and youth clubs.
•Police
• GPs and other health representatives
• Local businesses
• Local MP or Councillor
• Local media
• Local celebrities
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7. Getting the right volunteers to do the right jobs
Identify what tasks need to be allocated to you club volunteers. It is always a good
idea to have a few extra volunteers on hand acting as floaters so that they can
quickly be deployed to help where they are needed, and its a good idea to have a
trained First Aider on site just in case they are required.
8. Parking and Directions
Make sure people know how to get to you! You may want to consider including a
simple map of how to find your setting on any promotional material you send out,
particularly if it’s difficult to find. Have a designated member of staff in charge of
your parking area - don’t forget to identify overflow parking.
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ON THE DAY
9. Promote your open day
There are lots of things you can do to promote your open day. Here are a few
suggestions:
HOW TO DELIVER YOUR OPEN DAY
a)Start with getting all existing members behind the event - both to support on the
day and with spreading the word to all their contacts including on social media
sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc.
1. Allocate roles for the day
Make sure all the roles are allocated on the day and that volunteers are well prepared
and understand their duties. Give all volunteers a briefing including the emergency
action plan.
b)Produce and print a flyer promoting the event including an email version - sell the
benefits of attending and not just list the activities you are running. What’s in it for
people to come along?
2. Get contact details for every visitor
Set up a registration desk and make sure you have a form where you can write down
the name, mobile number and email address of the visitors. You then put that on your
database so you can stay in touch to offer them a taster session or invite them to your
next event. Make sure people have the opportunity to sign up or become a member on
the day.
Make sure your flyer contains a phone number and email address so that they
can contact somebody for further information.
Decide where will you display these and how many will you need? Consider all
places within the community e.g. shops, community centres, doctors.
c)Remember to invite everyone you have contact details for including parents of
registered children.
3. Clean the club
Make sure that everything and everywhere is clean and tidy, from toilets to notice
boards. Remember your club is on show.
d)If your club is facing a busy road, produce a big sign promoting your open day.
To save money for the future, design it in such a way that it can be re-used in
future years simply by changing the date.
4. Be welcoming
Make sure that you place ‘your friendliest members’ at the entrance to welcome people
when they arrive and wish them a ‘safe journey’ when they leave.
e)Make sure your club website is up to date and use this and your Facebook and
Twitter to spread the word. Avoid using lots of text. Keep it short, sharp & simple.
5. VIPs
If you are having a local dignitary attend the event you will need to follow any
protocols, be ready to meet and greet and generally have someone look after them for
the whole of their visit. If they are opening the event or carrying out a ribbon cutting
ceremony, think carefully about timing and location.
f)Contact your local media, such as newspapers and radio; tell them about what
you do and your aspirations. Offer prizes or incentives to come along.
Remember that just because you have invited the local press it does not mean that
they will attend. It is a good idea to arrange for a photographer to attend so that
you can submit pictures to the local press for publication after the event. You can
also use the photos for future marketing material.
The more exciting your open day is, the more likely you are to attract
media coverage.
g)You could link up with a local charity and raise money for them in connection
with the open day. It demonstrates your community spirit, adds engagement
through them and provides you with the opportunity of linking up with their
supporters and perhaps even a local celebrity who is supporting the charity. A
picture of a local celebrity trying out Rugby League raising money for a local
charity is much appreciated by local newspapers.
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AFTER THE DAY
You have done all the hard work and run a successful open day it can
be tempting to relax. However, don’t stop now.
1. Clearing Up
Do remember that you will need your staff and volunteers to help clear away at the
end of the day.
2. Tell the world about the excellent work you’ve done
Take photos and record videos and put them on your Facebook page and website
and send them out via Twitter. Make sure you send your photos and a brief write up
to your local media and the Rugby League papers.
3. Contact everyone that came along
You have created a higher profile of your club within your local community and made
many new friends. Now is the time to recruit those new members and volunteers and
follow up with potential partners, while the great experiences from the open day is
still fresh in their memory.
Make sure you fulfil all your promises to your new members and send those follow-up
emails and texts; try assigning a buddy to each of the new members.
4. And finally…
Thank all your volunteers who helped run the event. Over a cup of tea or, perhaps even
something stronger, sit down with your colleagues and discuss what worked really well
and where there are areas where you could improve for the next Open Day.
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Your Open Day
Checklist
BEFORE THE DAY
Have we agreed the reason we’re doing it?
Have we chosen the date and time?
Have we produced an invitation list?
Have we planned the activities that will take place on the day?
Do we have a bad weather plan?
Have we allocated roles amongst the club volunteers?
Have we informed and invited the neighbours?
Have we informed all our club members?
Have we produced promotional material?
Have we sent out the invitations?
Have we updated our website and Facebook page?
Have we contacted the local media?
Do we have a registration form ready for the day to capture visitor information?
Have we got a photographer or volunteer to take photos?
ON THE DAY
Is the club clean and tidy?
Have all the volunteers been briefed?
Have we set up a registration desk or data capture point?
Are our friendliest people on the door to welcome people in?
Are we ready for our VIPs and do we know who is in charge of looking
after them?
AFTER THE DAY
Have we cleaned up the club?
Have we written up the story for our website and facebook?
Have we sent photos and a story to the local media and Rugby League papers?
Have we contacted everyone that came on the day to invite them to join?
Have we thanked everyone who helped make the day possible?
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