Creating a welcoming facility

When it comes to choosing a club (and choosing to stay there), many people rate appearance and atmosphere among the key factors in their decision.

A lot of people no longer tolerate old décor and poor lighting or play squash in lifeless spaces – they’re after inspiring and inviting environments. Below are some of the things your club could do inside your facility to make your members feel at home, create an impact and retain them for longer:

• Update your carpets and lighting to create a sense of movement and energy.
• Place furniture to compliment the area – ensure there is enough space for people to be.
• Remove clutter and use dead zones to store equipment, maximise floor space and make things look neat and tidy.
• Reflect the vibrancy at your club by repainting the walls with a few striking colours to highlight or accentuate the area.
• Display laminated posters in strategic areas to support the colours and lighting - swap with new ones regularly.
• Utilise floor tape and stickers to guide people to the courts (and highlight changes in height such as steps).
• Put images, patterns, shapes and motivational messages on the walls to inspire people to do more.
• Use music to create mood – make sure it is not too soft or too loud!
• Add plants and flowers which gets rid of odours and saves money in the long-term.
• Ensure all courts have great lighting, adequate wall conditions and visible floor markings.

How your club can approach this:

Start by thinking about who your club is, what your story is, what experience you want to offer your members and where you want to take them.

• Decide what you want to keep and what you want to change.
• Figure out how much you can spend on facility renovations.
• Work from a plan that details where you are and where you want your club to be with its new design. This may mean renovating in stages.
• Determine what should be done first. Go for the most impact for the dollar (the more people to see it the better).

By transforming your facility you’ll change how your members feel about being in it. This will make them more likely to come back for more and more likely to bring their family, friends and colleagues too.

For more information on improving your facility click here.

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