Planning guide

A well-planned and well-managed event is much more successful at keeping new members. Using this guide, along with your own experience, will help you organise an effective event and get the best results.

What can discover sailing do for your venue?

Generate awareness of your organisation
Increase the number of members or customers
Align with a national sailing brand identity
Benefit from a national and regional promotional campaign run by the RYA.

Why run discover sailing?

The purpose behind your event will shape how it’s planned and delivered:

If the goal is to engage with the local community:

- Expect more visitors.

- Focus is on creating a fun, welcoming day with opportunities to get on the water.

- Less emphasis on follow-up or converting visitors into members.

If the goal is to increase club membership:

- Requires more detailed planning.

- Likely to attract fewer people, but with higher potential for joining.

- Needs dedicated volunteer time for follow-up activities to support new members.

Key takeaway:

Decide early whether your event is about community engagement or membership growth, as this will guide your approach.

Total visitors = number of volunteers x 4 x number of sessions

Increasing club membership��

The primary reason over 90% of clubs and centres run Discover Sailing/open days is to increase membership at the club. Planning is the key to success in retaining your visitors.

Who are you targeting?��

By identifying your target audience it will help with understanding:

Where and how you will promote the event

The type of activities you run on the water and on land during your event

The activities/programme you will offer to keep your visitors coming back

Understand what your visitors would like from their day/sailing session

Volunteer numbers impact success.

Research shows that:

Events with fewer than 100 visitors tend to have higher retention rates.

A visitor-to-volunteer ratio of at least 4:1 is ideal.

More volunteers can support a better experience and increase the likelihood of visitors joining or returning.

Tip: Use the suggested formula to estimate how many volunteers you’ll need based on your expected visitor numbers.

Keep it small and enjoyable

Smaller events often lead to a better experience for both visitors and volunteers — and better results!

Key planning questions

Boats available

How many boats can you use?��

Are they club-owned or member-owned?��

Volunteer numbers

How many volunteers do you have available on the day?��

Visitor kit

What clothing or equipment will visitors need?��

Can you provide it, or should they bring their own?��

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How many qualified people can help run sessions?��

Safety boat cover

Do you have enough safety boats and drivers to support the activity safely?��

Think about how accessible your venue is for people with disabilities. More information can be found in Club Zone under Inclusion and Equality or on this link.

How many new members can your club look after in their first year of membership?��

It’s much easier to keep current members than to attract new ones, so having a plan for new members before your event will help your organisation retain them.
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Training: What “learn to sail” options can you offer, or can you partner with a local training centre?��

Next Steps: What regular sailing opportunities will you offer after training?��

Social Events: Plan plenty of social activities to help new members feel welcome.

Volunteering: Make it easy for new members to learn about and get involved in volunteering.

Orientation: Help new members understand how the club works and who to contact.

Offers & Payments: Consider special offers (like temporary membership or family discounts) and make joining easy with card or online payments.

You can use the Participation Pathway diagnosis tool��(This needs to be built in the website) to help you plan how you will cater for your new members to ensure they become integrated into club life.

Pre open day planning

Risk assessment��

Ensure you have suitable risk assessments in place

Promotional resources

Ensure your promotional resources are displayed in a prominent location at least one month prior to your open day.

Kit & boats��

Clean boats and ensure they are in full working order. Ensure all sailing kit is clean and working effectively.

Crowd control

Managing your visitors well will improve their experience:
Pre-booking: Letting visitors sign up in advance increases retention and helps you manage numbers.��

Spread Out Sessions: Ask visitors to pre-book specific sessions to avoid crowding and know how many to expect.��

Welcome Desk: Have more than one person at registration and set up a separate desk for membership or course enquiries.��

Stagger Activities: Schedule activities so visitors don’t have to wait too long.

Social activities

Think about who your event is for and choose shoreside (on-land) activities they’ll enjoy.
Remember, the social side of club life is just as important as the sailing itself.

Is your club looking its best?

A clean clubhouse/centre, tidy changing rooms and freshly mown grass will all help to make that positive first impression. Make sure your “join your club” page on your website is easy to find and inviting to look at.

Registration & data collection

Setting up a good registration system helps you follow up with visitors after the event, which can boost membership.
Include photo permissions and follow GDPR rules so you can contact attendees and use event photos online.
Advance booking (via website, phone, or email) helps you plan better, manage numbers, and improve retention.. See Legal Guide for more information.

Post event 911��Ʒsurvey��

As well as using the feedback from clubs to help develop future planning the 911��Ʒuses this information as part of our reporting to funding partners and the 911��ƷBoard. There are five key questions which we ask:

1. How many people attended your Discover Sailing event this year?��

2. How many people went on the water?��

3. How many volunteers have supported your Discover Sailing Event?��

4. How many new members signed up to the club as a result of your Discover Sailing event?��

5. As a result of Discover Sailing how many attendees signed up for follow on activity?��

On the day

Brief your team��

Gather volunteers before the event to walk through the plan.

Make sure they know their roles and speak positively about the club.

Share info about follow-on activities and club details.

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Use clear signs and banners to guide visitors to your club and registration desk.

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Inform neighbours in advance and plan enough parking.

Have friendly volunteers help with parking and welcoming.

Personal touch

Ensure every visitor is greeted warmly.

Volunteers should approach anyone who looks unsure.

Club t-shirts help visitors identify volunteers easily.

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Collect key details (name, email, interests, etc.) for follow-up.

Include photo permissions and risk acceptance.

Snap It, share It

Take photos for future marketing and visitor memories.

Encourage visitors to check your website or social media for their pictures.

Post event plan

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Send a follow-up email or call within 48 hours to build on the excitement.

Extend special offers to encourage sign-ups.

Upload event photos to your website quickly.

New member packs

Send out welcome packs and course info within a week, if not given on the day.

Invite new members to an event where they can meet each other and be introduced to other opportunities to get on the water

Thank volunteers

Show appreciation with a thank-you note or a social event like a barbecue.

If the event was on a race day, consider awarding average points to volunteers to encourage future support.

Why not nominate your team for an 911��ƷImpact Award?��

Welcoming participants on the day

Registration Desk Essentials

The registration desk is one of the most important roles on the day with calm, friendly, and well-informed volunteers on hand to welcome your visitors.

Every participant should be booked in using a booking form. This acts as a contract and should include:��

Contact details

Emergency contact

Risk acceptance

Photo permissions

Cancellation terms

Data protection and medical declarations

The booking form for an event or activity represents a contract between the organisers and the

participants. In addition to collecting basic information on the participants which will be used by the

organisers in running the event (e.g. name, email, telephone number of participants and next of kin) the booking form should also set out the responsibilities of each party.��

It is important that they are given ample time to read the form and to raise any questions they may have. They should sign the form which should be kept by the organisers as a record of their attendance and acknowledgment of the risks involved.

If an organiser is holding a particular event/activity to which the contract of admission is gained at the point of entrance, it should state that it forms a contract between the parties and highlight the fact that admission is on the basis of the terms printed on the document. In addition, the organiser should have copies of the relevant terms prominently displayed at the point at which the parties are to form their contract as well has having copies available to hand out to participants.

Parents/guardians must sign on behalf of children (i.e. under 18s) in order to confirm their consent for their children to participate.

Liability for an event not taking place or a participant being excluded from an event also needs to be addressed. Accordingly, it is also recommended that cancellation terms are included for all events. Example cancellation terms are also included in the model booking form��

Again, before using these terms organisers are recommended to consider whether the suggested clauses are right for the event.

Other clauses that might be needed for event booking terms such as data protection consent notices and a medical fitness declaration can also be found Guidance notes for template booking form

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