CROQUET AND HIGH TEA: PLAN

admin

Ladies and gentlemen of Croquet Queensland,

We am delighted to share the working plan for our “Croquet & High Tea” initiative. Supported by the Queensland Government’s Active Women and Girls Grant, this plan provides the foundation for an event we hope will inspire and bring people together on International Women’s Day, Saturday 8th March 2025.

Our aim is straightforward: to highlight croquet as an inclusive, sociable, and genuinely enjoyable sport. Croquet Queensland will take the lead in marketing to draw visitors to your clubs, while also providing funding to support you in hosting these guests. Each club has the opportunity to make the day its own, welcoming new faces in a way that reflects your unique character and charm.

The day’s purpose is clear. It’s a membership drive, specifically—but not exclusively—focused on increasing women’s participation in croquet. Within this plan, you’ll find practical objectives, strategies, and tools designed to help make the event a success for all involved.

As you review the plan, we kindly ask that feedback be constructive and focused on actionable improvements, potential challenges, or risks that may not have been considered. Thoughtful insights will go a long way in refining our approach and ensuring the event’s success. Of course, we are always happy to hear fresh ideas or perspectives.

##### You can download the plan here: CAQ Croquet & High Tea Plan.pdf Or read it below.

This is a collaborative effort, and your voice is an essential part of the process. Please take some time to look through the document and share your thoughts here in the discussion thread. Together, we can create an event that truly celebrates the spirit of croquet and the wonderful community behind it.

Thank you for your continued support and the care you bring to your clubs. We're looking forward to working with you all to make Croquet & High Tea a meaningful and memorable day.

-CAQ Admin

admin

Croquet & High Tea

Background

In 2024, CAQ successfully applied for a grant under the Qld state government Active Women and Girls Program to fund a project designed to encourage women (and girls) to try croquet. The proposal approved by CAQ is for a single event, Croquet & High Tea, held concurrently in all participating clubs across the state, on International Women’s Day, Saturday 8th March 2025.

The $25,000 grant funding will be used for marketing/promotion, to help clubs with organising and administering this event, and to provide catering on the day.

Acknowledgement

‘The Queensland Government provided $25,000 to Croquet Queensland to Women In Croquet Project to enable Queenslanders to participate in sport and recreation activities.’

Planning

Lead by Penny Verrall from the Brisbane North Region, a small planning group, comprised of volunteers from several clubs, is organising the event. They are being assisted by Wade Hart, whose business automatebrisbane.ai has been contracted by CAQ to help it improve its use of systems and technology.

In greater detail …

1. Objectives

Primary Goal: Attract new participants to croquet through the event, particularly women, in line with the Women’s International Day theme.
Secondary Goals:
- Increase visibility for Croquet Queensland and its clubs.
- Encourage community engagement and test the viability of "high tea @ croquet" as a recurring niche event.
- Drive long-term membership growth for clubs.
- Foster co-operation between CAQ and the clubs

2. Target Audience

Primary Audience: Women aged 55+, particularly those interested in social, recreational, or community activities.
Secondary Audience: Former competitive sportswomen seeking a unique & challenging activity.
Key Characteristics: Community-minded, interested in health and recreation, wanting a low impact competitive sport, responsive to digital media, and drawn to themes like “tea parties” or group social events.

3. Key Messages and Graphic theme

Message:
- A sport for women
- Croquet is more than the game (social/competitive)
- Highlight croquet as inclusive, fun, and easy to learn activity.
Tone: Welcoming, approachable, elegant, and slightly playful.
Visual Identity:
- Colours: Light, pastels
- Imagery: Women enjoying high tea, croquet mallets and balls, outdoor greenery.
- Typography: Elegant but readable fonts.

4. Marketing Channels and Strategies

Online Channels

Social Media:
- Create event pages on Facebook and Instagram.
- Post engaging content: countdowns, behind-the-scenes preparation, testimonials.
- Boost posts with targeted advertising (focus on age, gender, and location demographics).
Internal croquet Marketing:
- Leverage club email lists to invite members and encourage them to spread the word.
- Use newsletters to provide updates, share event highlights, and promote sign-ups.
Website:
- Feature the event prominently on the Croquet Queensland website.
- Include an easy sign-up form or RSVP system.
Online Ads:
- Google Ads targeting “Women’s Day events Brisbane” or similar keywords.

Offline Channels

Local Press:
- Collaborate with local newspapers, magazines, or radio stations to cover the event.
- Issue press releases to highlight the Women’s Day tie-in.
Flyers and Posters:
- Distribute in cafes, libraries, community centres, and local businesses.
- Ensure the design matches the digital marketing assets for consistency.
Community Engagement:
- Partner with women’s organisations or clubs to spread the word.
- Offer exclusive group sign-ups or discounts for women’s groups.

Word of Mouth

Encourage existing members to invite friends and family.
Provide promotional kits to clubs (e.g., templates for social media posts, email invites).

5. Budget Allocation

Marketing/promotion: $10,000

Design and Branding: $2,500
Digital Ads (Google and Social Media): $2,500
Media Coverage (influencers/website features): $3,000
Print Materials (Flyers, Posters): $1,000
Sundries**:** $1000

Administration, systems, technology: $5,000

Come’n’try “funnel”
Registration processes
Post-event management processes
Communications, incl Club Hub

Clubs: $10,000

Catering
Sundries

6. Timeline

8 Weeks Before: Finalise key messages, designs, and marketing assets. Launch Club Hub.
6 Weeks Before: Begin social media and email campaigns. Share the first press release.
4 Weeks Before: Distribute flyers and posters. Boost social media ads.
2 Weeks Before: Send reminders, ramp up engagement posts, and release a teaser video.
Event Week: Post daily updates and reminders, and share participant testimonials during the event.

7. Success Metrics

Website and social media engagement: clicks, likes, shares, and event RSVPs.
Attendance numbers on the day.
Feedback forms from participants.
Increase in organisational knowledge and skills
Post-event engagement (new members, follow-up session attendance).

patriciahabner

That is a well-considered plan.
In terms of club budgeting, will the $10,000 be split equally between the clubs participating, or will it depend on the size of each club?

PennyVerrall

Good question Pat (and a warm welcome to the forum).

The answer is actually neither of these options!

Approximately $10,000 of the $25,000 grant has been allocated for clubs' catering costs. (As per the Plan, separate funding is available to cover clubs’ printing & other promotional costs, as well as providing for graphic design, centralised marketing, administration & systems development.)

The idea will be that clubs have their high tea costs covered by the CAQ/Queensland Govt grant. So while the size of the clubs in itself won't be a determining factor, it might be that the bigger clubs expect to host more people.

The philosophy underpinning the allocation of catering funds to clubs is to acknowledge/reward participation & commitment, if a club promotes the event in their local community and expects a large attendence, they will get more funds to help host their guests.

We will have a clearer idea once we know how many clubs are taking part, and can estimate what costing/head is reasonable.

From a housekeeping point of view, the acquittal of the grant needs to include receipts, so clubs will be asked to keep records of expenditure so that they can be reimbursed and CAQ can fulfill its obligations.

patriciahabner

My question was concerning the $10,000 for catering only.
I think that committing to the event is more important than size of club.

Kylie Dwyer

It would be really helpful to know if we have a budget to work with when planning our catering, even if it is a minimum 'run the event' budget and then a per-person attending top-up if that is the way it is going to be distributed

Wade Hart

You are correct Kylie, a final locked in plan for this event is needed and has proved difficult to do with widely differing views on what this event should be.

Plans have been amended to accommodate clubs not able to do the organised CAQ event. This requires a tweaking of our plan and budget.

This event is a sharp learning curve for everyone in the organisation. There will be plenty for the feedback report at the conclusion of the project.

For now though, please be patient- if you are 'all in' begin brain storming any marketing ideas, both internally and externally you have so they're ready to go next week.

If you are thinking of going independent, think about the way you are going to align with promoting women to play croquet (my fav easy idea is to have every female member invite 2 or 3 friends and have the men run the day).

It is a membership drive. Centrally we would know which clubs were expecting what numbers and could allocate funds accordingly, but that has changed with independent events.

So please, suggestions like yours are most welcome as we nut out the best way to make the changes required over the next week.

PennyVerrall

As the CAQ lead on this project, I can only echo Wade's remarks. Yes, CAQ has $25,000 in state govt grant funds to spend on "getting women & girls active". Our proposal is designed to get them active in croquet. To do this we need to plan & organise (admin), attract attention (marketing & promotion) and we need to provide a great experience when they come (high tea & play). We know that clubs are strong supporters of raising the profile of out sport and attracting members. Even those that feel they are close to capacity know that numbers wax and wane, so keeping our clubs in the community's collective mind has to be a good thing. We also know that clubs will understand that for this to be a successful initiative, we need to be well-organised. Some clubs may feel that $25,000 divided by 40-odd clubs equals over $600/club to spend as they like, but this is not the proposal that the CAQ Management Committee agreed to. We plan to get more bang for (taxpayer) buck than simply fund afternoon tea for members & guests. We need to be seen to be actively promoting our sport to the target audience within our communities in a way that ensures longer-term interest.