European Customer Case: 2-in-1 Tennis Racket Rental & Drink Vending Machine Serves Players Around the Clock

Client Background

A tennis club in Europe with multiple courts and a consistent flow of members and casual players throughout the week. The club wanted to improve the on-court experience without increasing operational overhead — specifically addressing two recurring gaps: players arriving without a racket, and no reliable drink access between sessions when the clubhouse was closed or busy.

The Challenge

Managing racket rentals manually at reception meant tying up staff during peak court hours. Outside of staffed hours, players had no way to rent equipment at all. The drink situation was equally frustrating — no courtside retail meant players had to leave the court area to find refreshments, disrupting sessions and reducing time on court.

The club needed one solution that could handle both problems simultaneously, operate independently, and require minimal day-to-day management.

The Solution: 2-in-1 Tennis Racket Rental & Drink Vending Machine

Our sports vending machine — combining a locker vending machine module for racket rental with an integrated retail vending unit for drinks — was installed courtside, accessible to all players throughout the day and evening.

Results at a Glance

On-Demand Racket Rental — players select and rent a tennis racket through the touch screen, authorize a pre-payment deposit, and collect their racket from the locker compartment in under a minute. Returns are handled via a unique return code, with automatic deposit settlement upon completion.

Courtside Drink Retail — chilled sports drinks, water, and energy drinks are available for purchase through the integrated retail vending unit — no need to leave the court area between sets or sessions.

24/7 Operation, Zero Staff — both functions run simultaneously and independently around the clock. Early morning players and evening sessions are served equally well, with no dependency on clubhouse opening hours or staff availability.

Pre-Authorization Rental Protection — racket deposits are held automatically before the locker opens and settled upon return, protecting the club's equipment inventory without any manual handling or follow-up.

Unified Remote Management — rental activity, drink inventory levels, and transaction data across both functions are monitored through a single cloud dashboard, giving club management full visibility without being on-site.

Promotional Flexibility — the club configured bundle promotions pairing a racket rental with a discounted drink purchase — encouraging higher spend per visit and adding value to the player experience at the same time.

The Outcome

Since deployment, the tennis club has eliminated racket rental queues at reception, captured consistent courtside drink revenue throughout the day, and freed up staff from manual rental management entirely. Player feedback on the convenience of having both functions available courtside has been consistently positive — and the machine pays for itself through rental and retail revenue combined.