We were engaged by Padel Social Club at the beginning of its entry into the London market. With existing courts at Babington House – part of the Soho House Group – Padel Social Club was able to utilise the existing members there to raise its profile. The challenge in London was then to build an organic membership sign up. On the eve of its official launch of its new club in Earls Court – inclusive of bar and hospitality services as well as six courts – we were posed the question: ‘how do we bring in a younger, more gender diverse audience to the club?’. There are a few ways, we replied, let’s start with dating.
We came up with Play Dates, a dating event which would centre around rotating games and randomised partnerships so that 40 London singles could meet their match. The premise was simple, and elevated through a few atmospheric touches: a live DJ and a cocktail bar operated by partner tequila brand Pimentae.
To devise the guest list, we also partnered with a small south London based dating event founder and agreed a strategy. This event would not be opened to the public, instead, only friends of friends of a particular sport-loving demographic would be invited. The results were instant – we sold out in under five days, and achieved a guest list of young, gender diverse and like minded individuals. After the event ended, many went on to commence their first date that very night. We’d call that a success.
In addition to a knock out event, we were also in the market for some great press. Due to the exclusive nature of the guest list, we did not promote Play Dates on social media until after the event to avoid any surprise guests, instead we carefully curated attendance of the Evening Standard following a pre-event press trip to the courts and lounge. Two pieces of coverage later, we have developed a fantastic and ongoing relationship between the paper and Padel Social Club.
