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I'm looking for suggestions or comments on growing a gaming club

The club I'm current part of is fairly small maybe 12-15 people on an average club night, with the odd dip for school holidays etc, but we usually cover the hall rental cost, and have limited reserves to cover slow weeks

But we don't seem to be attracting new members, we have a fairly active FB page and the local GW has been helpful in handing out business cards with club details, but to no avail

I'm kind of stumped as to what to do, personally I'm not too bothered as we mostly break even and the club is drama free, but I think some growth would be nice

Have at it Dakka's

Well, my thought is that by advertising in GW and on a Facebook, you really aren't reaching much of a broad audience. Odds are most of the people who are at those places are already members, or have made their decisions.

My advice would be to broaden out where you are posting the information. Schools could work, but I'm not sure what your local area is like.

Play some games in the local GW.

Handing out cards is one thing. Personal, face to face invites are another. Especially to attract an older crowd.

See, some people aren't keen on gaming in-store because it's usually filled with teenagers. Nothing against teenagers individually, but as someone with a busy work life, I don't fancy that on a Thursday evening. And many may consider or worry that your club is just more of the same.

So set up some events - perhaps stuff GW stores can't easily offer. Blood Bowl events are easy and very accessible, and it's a popular game. Then promote that in-store (manager can likely pick up internet terminal sales to boot). Give people a reason to come visit. Show your club off at its best

Have a nice enviroment. Throw away toxic people.

It can be worrisome when the "old guys" go away because they aren't really good people for a healthy community, but you'll see that they are easy remplacable by much better gamers.

The most popular gaming club/store in my town is a strictly PEGI 3+ enviroment and like 70% of the gamers are women. The owner is a ex deportists with two little girls that play regularly in the store, and I have seem him throw away more than one guy because he was being socially stupid or just a creep.

Also I run a Wargaming club. Every two saturdays we do open-doors sesions of tabletop and wargaming for children. We hace contacted to our Council and we are officially helped by them now. Normally we hare 5-6 tutors teaching to game to very different games childres between 6 and 12 years.

You end very tired, but the children of today are the gamers of tomorrow. We have some 15-16 years old that are regulars now, very nice teenagers, that began coming to our open sessions.

EDIT: Mad Doc GrotsnikMade has basically say the opposite thing. It all comes down to what do you want. We don't only teach kids how to game, we teach them how to game properly and be respectfull. I have encounter much more socially inadaptable adults or young-adults that teenagers and childres, to be honest. Is not about the biological but the mental age.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Play some games in the local GW.

Handing out cards is one thing. Personal, face to face invites are another. Especially to attract an older crowd.

See, some people aren't keen on gaming in-store because it's usually filled with teenagers. Nothing against teenagers individually, but as someone with a busy work life, I don't fancy that on a Thursday evening. And many may consider or worry that your club is just more of the same.

So set up some events - perhaps stuff GW stores can't easily offer. Blood Bowl events are easy and very accessible, and it's a popular game. Then promote that in-store (manager can likely pick up internet terminal sales to boot). Give people a reason to come visit. Show your club off at its best

Yep the shreikey teenage frothers is part of my aversion to visiting my local GW except for emergency paint supplies (one of the previous managers being a 5 star fupwit didnt help but new guy is decent), but like you say I might have take one for the club and actually go there

Also being outwitted by multi-quote so

@ Galas

Sadly due to insurance and the UK's (thankfully) strict requirements for activities that include minors the club is limited to 18+, the club is pretty free from drama and toxic behaviour

@ curran12

Maybe, guess there's no harm in seeing if the local geek friendly business' will take a poster or flyers, besides the GW the lack of a nearby FLGS is a real bind, as for schools thats unlikely as I said above

Run demos at local non-GW stores - and hand out cards there.

Ditto for conventions.

Heck - if folks play in a demo or at a convention, give them a card that can be used for a one or two week trial membership.

The Auld Grump - it's what I did for Kings of War

I'd do a simple webpage and do some search engine optimization with it. When I moved to where I am now, I had a devil of a time trying to find game and hobby stores here; it took a lucky Facebook hit to get me in.

Is there another club that meets near yours? Maybe look into merging with a smaller or similar sized club.

 Hückleberry wrote:
Is there another club that meets near yours? Maybe look into merging with a smaller or similar sized club.

not really, there are a couple of other clubs but all of them are at least an hour's drive away on mostly subpar rural roads, and public transport pretty much stops around tea-time

I'd still recommend turning up to them if you can jut to see if some members are actually equidistaant between the pair of you I'd also recommend running demo games at events as well. Also it shouldn't be 18 and up only but 16 and up only without a responsible adult. If parents can take their kids it will encourage mature gamership and allow far more members.

Set a trap, lure them in with the promises of free pizza and once they step in the door, bar and lock it shut behind them. Repeat as many times as needed until you have enough people.

It plays 40k... or gets the hose again.