Award-winning dive club shares its member retention secrets

2019 Heinke Trophy winner Chester Sub-Aqua Club shares with us their top tips to keeping their members active and involved in club life.

• Warm welcome - First impressions make all the difference, a good tour and explanation about what you do to keep those new members coming back, and staying, will go a long way. Retention starts when you’re recruiting.
• Communication - Weekly announcements, an active club forum, and updated social media pages of club events keep members informed and part of a community.
• Active diving calendar - We go diving, a lot, and it’s varied! Local dives using club boats, as well as longer trips away both in the UK and overseas.
• Teamwork - Inclusivity is key, as it makes all those involved feel a part of the club. That includes involving non-diving partners and family members!
• Varied & social – We keep busy year-round: summer is diving, but in winter we train. There's the club quiz night, Christmas Chinese and raffle, Scouts and Try Dives. There is always something to do, both in Chester when we aren’t diving and on the many trips we do.
• Positivity - There's a general air of 'can do' in the club, there's nothing like success to promote success.
• Individual progression - We have a lot of active instructors and trainee instructors which helps us encourage everyone to try something new, keep building and growing.