Clubs win over the crowds with RYA Midlands event trailers
Sailing clubs have been on the road with RYA Midlands event trailers to raise awareness about their activities - winning prizes and potential members along the way!
The RYA Midlands Regional Volunteer Team has two event trailers available free of charge to clubs and centres in the region, each containing an RYA-branded gazebo, posters, flags and leaflets, to support clubs hosting open days or attending high footfall events.
One of the trailers also has a Fusion dinghy mounted on a swivel stand to inspire visitors to ‘try sailing’, and Burton Sailing Club recently towed it to this year’s Staffordshire County Show for an eye-catching stand along with their own windsurf simulator.
Joined for the show by Blithfield Sailing Club, the enthusiasm of the two clubs and their interactive display impressed the judges to win 1st prize for the best stand.
Interactive stand
Among the volunteers running the stand was Ted Kurcaba, Honorary Secretary of Blithfield SC, who said: “Our stand was praised with all the ‘i’ words – innovative, interesting, inviting, informative and interactive. We’ve never been ‘best in show’ before, it was really amazing!
“The event trailer takes a little time to set up but it’s handy for ducking in and out of the rain and it certainly helps to attract attention. When we chat to people, we find they haven’t heard of our reservoir and the club, so it’s really worthwhile to make your name known and keep plugging away with events like this to get the public interested.
“If you do it with two or three other clubs you can share the workload and take it in turns to look around the show, and it’s an opportunity to network and share ideas with each other – we really enjoy it and we’re looking forward to doing it again next year!”
Pictured top: Adam Kenney, Commodore of Burton SC receiving the coveted 1st prize award from Mr Richard Williams, chief executive of Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society.
Captive audience
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Following the Staffordshire County Show, Rutland Sailing Club then took the trailer to the Rutland County Show and also won a prize – claiming 2nd place in the ‘best stand’ competition.
Organiser David Wilkins from the club said: “The trailer is really useful, especially with the gazebo and all the promotional materials, and the boat simulator is excellent. It’s a fantastic draw for people and it entices them into a conversation.
“One of the reasons we won second place was the fact we were going out into the pathways, reaching out to people and gently encouraging them to visit the stand and have a go on the boat. It was good fun and a great atmosphere.”
The club often coincides attending the Rutland County Show with holding their open day a week or two later. This year the club sold 26 half-day taster sessions at £25 each to individuals, couples and families, handed out flyers offering discounted membership within six weeks of the show, and captured the contact details of 64 people who entered a prize draw for a free course.
David added: “Attending an event like the Rutland County Show is a great way of attracting people to the club. To me it’s a no brainer if you’ve got a show like this near your club. People don’t just find your club, and when you attend a show you’ve got a captive audience of potential members.”
Borrow a trailer
Find out more about the RYA Midlands event trailers or to borrow one, contact RYA Midlands Regional Volunteer Team Secretary Peter Smerdon with the name of your club/centre and the date and details of the event you are hosting or wish to attend.
For a wealth of additional resources clubs, event checklists and promotional materials visit the RYA Discover Sailing hub.