Facilitated Discussion Groups – Marketing Feedback QUESTION 1 What BGA support does your club need and want? 1. Dummies Guide to marketing 2. Aimed at young people 3. School liaison 4. What is gliding 5. Links between BGA & club websites 6. Road show for smaller clubs 7. Presentation front end 8. Grand Prix type coverage 9. Access to a library of photos and videos free to use and communicated 10. Professional looking video produced by BGA 11. Encouraging people to contribute 12. Guidance - How best to promote what messages (tied in with BGA produced video and materials) 13. A “This is Gliding” video 14. Exhilarating needs to be balanced to set expectations 15. A typical day at gliding clubs 16. Pushing social side of gliding, eg. BBQs and chatting 17. Video round Junior Gliding - Young people being involved - TNG type video clubs can use to show at local school, colleges, youth groups 18. Library of clubs by activity/specialisation/relevance 19. A patron who still flies, eg. Bear Grylls “I follow the bear” 20. Gifts - Clubs doing individually - Can/does the BGA talk to gift organisations, eg. Virgin, Into The Blue, etc. - Can the BGA negotiate en masse? 21. Instructors filling in logbooks at trial lessons and printed material 22. Working with local groups on a regular basis 23. Getting gliding into the aviation magazines and general magazines 24. Websites/sales websites 25. Experts from other clubs to come and help - Description of open days 26. Leadership of BGA in differentiating sort of people who will come into gliding - market segmentation - Sell how ‘easy’ it is to glide - Critical mass – national members rather than individual clubs 27. National coverage (“What gliding is”) 28. Poaching from other airsports, eg. Hang gliding, power, model 29. Contacts with other local airsport clubs, etc. 30. Wider awareness - Useful facts - Everyman vs elites - Affordability – reality vs appearance 31. Secret shopper 32. Assist in replicating good ideas but accept that clubs are very different 33. Set realistic expectations - Not just racy white gliders - Also vintage, local, etc. 34. Need expert marketing advice on filling the gap between juniors and retirees 35. Product focus for club implementation 36. EASA assistance is vital (also other regulatory issues) 37. Better support to build relationships with Air Cadet Organisation QUESTION 2 How does your club convert trial lessons? 1. Groupon type less likely to convert 2. 3 months membership – promote 3. Spotting potential converts - de-brief - whole experience 4. Follow up on trial lesson 5. Rapid progress is possible 6. It is achievable 7. Buddy system - mentoring 8. Make club more sociable/open 9. Incentives on membership 10. Make sure they get a good experience 11. Feedback 12. Membership pack 13. Checklist – Yvonne 14. De-briefing - Instructor sitting down offering training card - Inviting them to learn CBSIFTCBE for next time 15. 3 months membership (usually come back towards the end) - Fly at club rates - 1 month - Come back sooner (fly at club rates) 16. Card designed specifically - Give card, logbook (6 spaces) (instructor signs), ideas about gliding, types of membership and costs 17. Take photo (Facebook) - Ask them to post on Facebook too 18. Take e-mail address and follow up - Membership secretary to write letter reminding about membership and costs 19. Open days (August to late May) – 3 months membership goes over the summer 20. Open day signage locally and at the roadside 21. Editorial (fills page) 22. Keeping trial lessons in proportion 23. After open day have more instructors including instructor capacity to cater for returners 24. Electronic boking for trial lessons 25. Trial lessons having a time and day 26. Booking for club flying 27. Getting involved fairly early on (“What can you offer the club?”) 28. Introduction to gliding - Daily briefing (expect people to be there) 29. Training lectures after briefing 30. Driving at 15 31. Identifying people who are pilots and follow up 32. TALK TO PEOPLE AND SMILE!!! 33. Trial lesson cossetting (false shop window) - Commitment to full days gliding 34. Structure of flying days, eg. Site checks only early/late in day - Allocation of one 2-seater to basic training (others do trial lesson checks, etc.) - Post solo syllabus - Mention of Aim Higher programme – clubs not aware of it 35. Need help for clubs from BGA for post-solo, EASA licensing and qualification for license 36. BGA help with syllabus to license (post-solo) 37. Get ‘just qualified’ pilots to look after new members 38. Please can we learn those French lessons? 39. Linking expectations - Trial lesson pupil vs normal pupil 40. Segment market - Trial lesson – joy ride or one day course or another course? 41. Mentors 42. Follow-up trial lesson customers by e-mail 43. Focus on courses 44. Triage on participants - Thrill seekers (no effort) vs prospective students (lots of effort) 45. NOTE – even thrill seekers can recruit others 46. Need better metrics : What is a conversion? QUESTION 3 How is your club supporting members through FCL conversion? 1. Clear, consistent message 2. Appoint a champion 3. Some FAQs on forms received by BGA 4. Workshops 5. Download latest forms 6. Information - Not many have read it 7. Medicals - Cost is an issue or is it? - Perception is an issue 8. Club workshops/clinics - People come in with log books - They will get advice on what to do and how to do it - Got to take them individually 9. CFI calling membership together to increase understanding 10. Create a folder which gathers together physical and web-based information 11. Human touch - Have a licensing champion/guru 12. Club discount in local areas publicised through Google group 13. A process that works for own club 14. Look at getting more straightforward pilots through early 15. Post AGM clinic 16. Are we all re-inventing the wheel (there is the step by step guide) 17. What are the French and Germans doing? 18. Pay (paid) professional CFI to do process vs members can do it on their own 19. Tug pilots doing it first and encouraging BGA members to do it next 20. Winter lectures on the process 21. Presentation on process, etc. at AGM and follow-up general group sessions for doing procedures 22. Get relationship with local GP to look after members at favourable rates in exchange for GP having club membership and reduced rate flying 23. Links for club website to BGA information 24. Evening meetings to discuss and help people through the process 25. BGA could ask clubs for templates on specific topics (eg. Operational stuff and various aspects of management) 26. Still confused - So confused that the free market price is £45 - Advice is simple once you find it - Pro-actively sending conversion form and notes to every glider pilot - Cloud flying issues 27. BGA could encourage GP uptake 28. Need better guidance on LAPL(S) vs SPL 29. Concern about losses to gliding where conversion perceived to be unattractive 30. Note that ‘how-I-dunnit’ accounts on conversion experience may actually deter others 31. Beyond FCL - Concern about inspectors- could we co-operate with LAA on courses for repair techniques? 32. Real concern about costs of instructor training.