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View Full Version : How to get more league bowlers and open bowlers In



mjvideo
10-19-2012, 01:46 PM
Hi everyone. The center I work for has gotten a new owner 2 years ago. With the way everything is going with people not spending much and the change of owners we have seen a drop in league bowlers and open bowlers. I am looking for ideas how to bring in new bowlers, first time bowlers, and also to try and fill up more of our leagues up with the way the economy is today. Also we have ran some tournaments in our house but our league base in our center is not a scratch house as well as a sport shot house. We bring those things in and it seems like no one wants to bowl in the tournaments. What has worked in your house for tournaments. Thanks for your help.

TheSheibs
10-19-2012, 02:10 PM
Wish I could help but I don't know much about it. The only thing I can suggest is to get USBC certified, do certified leagues, and tournaments. Also might try giving a really good discount for league bowlers. The place I bowl league offers $1 per games for league members till 5pm.

mjvideo
10-19-2012, 03:29 PM
We do that already. Our league bowlers get $1.25 a game and discount in the pro shop. We are a USBC cert center as well.

J Anderson
10-19-2012, 04:31 PM
We do that already. Our league bowlers get $1.25 a game and discount in the pro shop. We are a USBC cert center as well.

Okay, so then the question is who knows about what great value your center gives for the customers hard earned entertainment dollar? Looks like just the league bowlers and the staff. You need to brainstorm ideas for how to get people in to see how much fun it is to bowl in your center. Maybe an event to raise money for a local charity. The center could provide the lanes at cost, the charity does the publicity. Center gets some new bowlers and positive press, the charity gets much needed funds, everyone (except the tournament director) has fun. A win, win, win situation.

I think that the average league bowler is a bit afraid to enter tournaments. They figure that they're not good enough if their average is low or if they're a really good bowler that they'll get beat by somebody with a high handicap.

AZBowla
10-19-2012, 06:30 PM
Three words: Kids Bowl Free. Free shoes, free games, even throw in a free kid's soda. Max 2 free kids (12 and under) per paid adult, so you don't get a babysitter bringing in 15 kids or something. As a dad of two little ones who love to go bowling with Daddy, I would absolutely love a place like that and would go there whenever I could.

Another idea would be to offer a package deal, such as half off bowling for groups of 5 or more per lane. Say your rate is normally $3.00 per game, well an empty lane is earning you $0 per game right now, whereas the half off deal would earn you $7.50 per game with a group of 5. Most people will bowl at least 3 games so that's 22.50 for that group of 5 to bowl. They'd probably take a couple hours to do that so they're going to get thirsty and possibly hungry so there you go, you've sold them some beer or soda and maybe some food too.

Speaking of food, here's something I'd love - a lunch special. Come in anytime from 11am to 2pm and get 1 hour of bowling plus shoe rental and lunch for $10 per person or something along those lines. Any games played after the first hour are added on at the normal rate. I'd do that at least once a week if not more if someone offered it here in Phoenix (hint, hint).

I get free bowling in your center for giving you these goldmine ideas, by the way. ;)

mjvideo
10-19-2012, 07:24 PM
THis was the first summer that we did the kids bowl free. I got them into it since the other center I worked for that burnt down to the ground did it and I knew what it would do. That got the people in the door. We started calling the kids bowl free people from the data base but we are getting alot of people that do not want to talk to us because they just want something free. That was what we were thinking would help. As we speak im trying to get a car show going for November to change things up to get people in that do not come in to the bowling center, We are going to run $1 game, $1 shoes, $1 hotdog, and $1 md soda. We are going to push our short season leagues during that time and the after school program. Also during that time we are going to bring Jet Bowling in to introduce bowlers to the new equipment plus bring in our sponsors to promote there stuff. I hope to bring in a fire truck and police car with some of there staff because I want to start pushing community related things and hope that pays off.

billf
10-19-2012, 07:42 PM
Do you have a coach on staff or one available to give new bowlers some free lessons? I give free lessons to new bowlers, 3 for adult and 5 for kids. I also coach the Youth league Saturday mornings and the bumper club right after. In return the center owner gives me free open bowling and free soda on Saturdays. This was included on the latest flyers for the local schools to hand out. I was curious how many kids wanted to try bowling but were too embarrassed due to not really knowing how.

MisterSinister
10-20-2012, 09:18 AM
This is the million dollar question all over the industry. How do we get more people in the door, be it open or league bowling. AMF centers do all you can bowl, Sunday night through Thursday night, 9pm to close, for $12 a person. In works pretty well. So well in fact, that my local center, which is not an AMF, does the same thing.

TheSheibs
10-20-2012, 04:36 PM
See if the local schools would be willing to do an event or even bring a class to bowl. When I was in high school, the gym classes spent two days a week for a month at the local bowling alley. The teachers made us keep track of scores on paper. Kind of a way to teach scoring for those who have never bowled before.

SouthpawTRK
10-23-2012, 04:11 AM
I am really new to bowling, but things that would attract me to a bowling center would be an event like a demo day. I was navigating through a bowling center in my area and they had a demo day for bowling balls. I would also say that if the bowling center has an easy to navigate website, that could draw more customers. A decent food selection can also bring new customers in. Some of my coworkers go bowling at a center that not your traditional looking bowling center, but the food and drink menu definitely draws a crowd.

americantrotter
10-23-2012, 11:19 AM
My center's Rock N Bowl is there most popular league. It's low cost high fun, handicap league. Makes it easy for folks to break in. It's intimidating to folks to join leagues who havent before. They play music have contests several times a season.

Make it easy to ask and easy to join. Bowling looks like a clique to newcomers. My only other thought would be to follow the demand. If there is a larger group of bowlers who like low stress bowling you should cater to them. Don't let an aggressive vocal minority dictate your centers terms. (hardcore bowlers can be obnoxious and skew your view of what the demand really is.)

Ball99999
10-28-2012, 05:45 AM
I'm surprised how much and how often I see people saying "bowling is dying! our business is dead!" Etc. But then I go in to local alleys and see prices... $5.95 for a game. WHAT...THE...F.

Ball99999
10-28-2012, 05:47 AM
This is the million dollar question all over the industry. How do we get more people in the door, be it open or league bowling. AMF centers do all you can bowl, Sunday night through Thursday night, 9pm to close, for $12 a person. In works pretty well. So well in fact, that my local center, which is not an AMF, does the same thing.

It surprises me how it's taking them this long to see how much they need to lower prices across the board.
Get them in the door then they buy concessions.

AngeloPD
10-29-2012, 01:30 AM
Use social networking sites to advertise if you havent done that already

CeKnauss
10-29-2012, 01:46 PM
The bowling alley I now work for offers a ton of different options.
1. Discounts for local schools with ID (possibly with advertising at the school)
2. Agreements and discounts for local church groups
3. Birthday packages
4. League discounts
5. Free game cards at many local businesses for having made a purchase. (advertising as well as an offer)
6. Display in the local mall (unfortunately the mall is all but a ghost town)
7. Cafe and Bar
8. Dollarmania on select nights ($5 for a wristband, and $1 thereafter for shoes, per game, certain food items, drinks, etc)

At some centers, they offer other options, such as:
1. Hourly rates per lane as opposed to per game
2. Theme nights (Such as decorating the center for a holiday and having colored pins giving prizes for getting strikes when it is the head pin, or offering discounts if people dress up)
3. Print coupons in the local newspaper

75lockwood
10-30-2012, 01:05 PM
I'm surprised how much and how often I see people saying "bowling is dying! our business is dead!" Etc. But then I go in to local alleys and see prices... $5.95 for a game. WHAT...THE...F.

I Couldn't Agree more!

Bowling is getting way to expensive, there is this one bowling ally i went to (never again) that charged 6.50 per game, when i went up to the counter i asked how much for 6 games (3 for 2 people) was told $42 + shoe rental, and i walked out.

HughScot
11-17-2012, 07:34 PM
I was in a new, for me, bowling center today and it was crowded with people. I looked around a little and the owner has poured money back into the place in terms of other activities, and they are in good with the local High School as the school offers bowling as a gym class. Here's a link to the site for ideas: http://pinstationbowling.com/ It was also clean as a pin including the men's room.

AZBowla
11-17-2012, 08:01 PM
AMF's $8 all you can bowl pricing from open to 5 is a great idea for filling the lanes during the workweek - I had fun yesterday for about 3 hours (would have gone sooner but I had to get my new ball drilled down the road from there first) plus I got $2 off that price for me my GF and two of the kids we brought. That's the kind of pricing that gets ME to walk in your door because I like to bowl a TON of games when I go and I ain't payin' by the game if I don't have to.

Ball99999
11-17-2012, 08:16 PM
Local league is expensive and full of old people with really bad hygiene. Tough sell

kmf
11-18-2012, 12:58 AM
Local league is expensive and full of old people with really bad hygiene. Tough sell

Did you accidently sign up for a seniors' league? How did you end up in this league? By that I mean, did you research the available leagues at all or ask around or just sign up for what was convenient? I wanted to do more leagues this season but couldn't get all my questions answered to my satisfaction. So I waited and have visited the lanes during these leagues to gage whether they are a good fit for me. I worked at the bowling alley in high school so I was more aware of the possible horrors than most people would be.

Ball99999
11-18-2012, 11:38 PM
Did you accidently sign up for a seniors' league? How did you end up in this league? By that I mean, did you research the available leagues at all or ask around or just sign up for what was convenient? I wanted to do more leagues this season but couldn't get all my questions answered to my satisfaction. So I waited and have visited the lanes during these leagues to gage whether they are a good fit for me. I worked at the bowling alley in high school so I was more aware of the possible horrors than most people would be.

Uh no.. it's just that some people obviously don't bathe. Like at all.