RYA simplifies events with Sailia

About the RYA

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the national governing body for water sports in the UK. It supports clubs, training centres, and instructors nationwide - running hundreds of courses and events each year, from grassroots initiatives to national coaching conferences.

Across the UK, the RYA’s regional teams use Sailia to simplify event management, bookings, and operations. From major training weekends to instructor development sessions, Sailia provides one connected platform to manage every aspect, all in one place.

This case study spotlights RYA Cymru Wales, one of the RYA’s most active regional teams, and how they use Sailia to deliver their events.

The Challenge

Running multiple large events across the UK means dealing with thousands of bookings, last-minute changes, and complex schedules.

Before Sailia, the RYA’s teams found that traditional booking systems didn’t offer the flexibility or ease-of-use required for multi-activity, multi-day programmes. Updating sessions, managing communications, and ensuring a smooth participant journey was time-consuming and often inconsistent across regions.

They needed a single system that could:

• Handle large-scale, multi-activity events across different regions.

• Allow regional organisers to edit, update, and manage bookings easily.

• Deliver a professional, intuitive experience for participants.

• Be backed by a responsive, reliable support team who understand the sector.

The Solution

The RYA adopted Sailia across its regional operations, using it to run events of all sizes - from instructor training to national gatherings.

One recent example is The Big Weekend, hosted by RYA Cymru Wales a major practical training and networking event involving hundreds of instructors, coaches, and volunteers.

Using Sailia, the team were able to manage registrations, schedules, and communications all in one place.

Key advantages included:

• Seamless Booking Flow

  Attendees could register and pay through a clean, visual interface described by organisers as “way more approachable as a customer.”

• Easy Editing & Control

  Staff could make live updates to sessions, participant lists, and event details with no technical friction.

• Consistent Experience

  Whether booking a workshop in Wales or a conference in England, attendees enjoy the same intuitive flow and professional presentation.

• Exceptional Support

  “We can just WhatsApp or phone them and get a reply straight away - we haven’t worked with another team like them.”

The Results

Sailia has become the RYA’s go-to platform for managing regional and national events - saving time, improving communication, and providing a consistently excellent experience for both staff and participants.

At the Big Weekend in Wales, organisers reported their smoothest and most successful event to date, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees on how easy the process was.

What once required multiple tools and manual updates is now managed end-to-end through Sailia, freeing up the RYA’s teams to focus on delivering great on-the-water experiences.

Testimonials

“We haven’t found another booking system that lives up to what Sailia has done. The visual feel looks way more approachable as a customer - and it’s been so easy for us as well.”

— Haty, RYA

“This is a lot easier to use in terms of editing things in the background, and for customers it’s dead simple. The team have been amazing - we can just WhatsApp or phone them and get a reply straight away.”

— Sarah, Performance Manager, RYA

Why the RYA uses Sailia

• Built for multi-activity environments - perfect for sailing events, instructor training, and conferences.

• Scalable and consistent works seamlessly across all RYA regions and event types.

• Beautifully simple - intuitive for staff, members, and participants.

• Unmatched support - personal, responsive help from a team who understand the sport.

Ready to streamline your events like the RYA?

Join the RYA and hundreds of activity organisations using Sailia to deliver seamless, professional experiences - on and off the water.