Open Air Business February 2017

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FAMILY MATTERS 5A SPRINKLE OF MAGIC Now and then I walk onto a glamping site and it’s there… sometimes I can’t even see it, but it’s definitely there. That essence of atmosphere sets some places apart; all of a sudden, you feel totally relaxed. It can be as simple as the way the owner saunters over to say “hi”, or the history, the character, or the features and accessories used. Sometimes, to be honest, it’s just the little things that site owners create, think of, and do for their customers that are above and beyond. And I absolutely love glamping for that. I know this isn’t going to apply to every glampsite offer, but if you’re aiming to create something special, different and unique then this could be a way to do it – what might your ‘sprinkle of magic’ be? REVENUE OPTIMISATION Let’s move from magic to numbers or, hopefully, magic numbers! Optimise your glamping revenue by adding different streams of income via services, facilities, activities and products relevant to your glampsite. › Service: This could be as simple as offering a laundry service, or babysitting (do check out child minding legislation). › Facilities: If your site is big enough this could be an on-site café or, if not, maybe hold a weekly chargeable, communal pizza night or barbecue – parents might welcome a night off from cooking. › Additional facilities: Whether worked into the holiday fee or charged as extras, additional facilities will make a site more appealing and add revenue. Hot tubs are an obvious option here. › Activities: Chargeable, organised activities could be provided by you or your staff, or bring in external companies on a commission basis. I’m not quite sure whether renting a chicken ark fits in here, but some places do charge an additional fee to have one put by the tent. › Products: Maybe your site would suit a shop selling basic supplies, wood for log burners/campfires, outdoor games, or branded souvenirs? A friend of mine sells branded T-shirts, baseball caps and mugs on his campsite, which contribute very nicely to the annual turnover. The editor, Tally, and I absolutely love ‘Jolfi Bears’ – a little bear with a backpack that contains a journal in which children keep a diary of their adventures: now there’s a bit of magic right there. If they don’t suit your target market, maybe stock branded children’s notebooks and pens in the on-site shop. Another, perhaps less obvious, way to optimise revenue is to create something ABOUT THE AUTHOR Glamping guru Kate Morel has spent years working closely with landowners and tourism organisations, visiting locations and providing advice and support. This, along with experience in marketing, property restoration, design, and hospitality, gives her a unique set of skills and perspective on creating glamping accommodation. Kate can be contacted at kate.morel24@gmail. com super special that guests cannot get anywhere else – a mega, uber, super-duper USP. Sometimes all this requires, frankly, is imagination. To be fair, it can also require a degree of boldness, but there is no other holiday accommodation business that has the potential to generate as many ‘bucks for your bang’ as glamping, and no, I didn’t get that the wrong way around. By adding uniqueness, we add value, because in a world of homogenised products and services, originality has worth. A great family glamping site does a lot of things, for both host and guest. For some site owners, it’s a need to diversify, for others it also allows them to share their passions and educate. For guests, it provides quality family time (their guest book comments are inspirational) and improves their children’s confidence and skills, showing them things that no classroom can teach. At its very simplest, it creates happy memories. You might be thinking, “That’s all very nice Kate, but what about my profit?” and I hear you. However, I sometimes feel we can get so lost in number crunching, branding, marketing, SEO and website traffic that we might overlook the fact that glamping is about people, whether it be corporate or grass roots. People stay in different styles of accommodation for different reasons, so we need that business plan and marketing, but we also want our guests to have a great time. We want them to recommend us to their friends and families, post their holiday photos on social media and, ultimately, book again. In this type of hospitality, the most poignant measure of success is the amount of recommendations and percentage of repeat bookings which families, more than any other type of guest, are likely to do. And that, is the bottom line. 38 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
Next course 22nd March Learnings from Starting a Glamping <strong>Business</strong>? Save Money. Save Time. Learn from real experiences. “Save yourself a fortune and get a guru!” Thomas Noel, The Gathering inSpire, enaBLe, Succeed learningsfromlonglands.co.uk • 01271 882004 We can help you maximise your potential • Look and Feel • Logos • Websites • • Photography • Styling • Promo items • Give us a call for a free no obligation chat about your venture helen@maro sholmes. co.uk www.marosholmes.co.uk Phone: 01905 828377 THE LITTLE HUT CO. Shepherd hut now on sale for only £8,500 One of a kind, personal shepherds huts and pods The Hex Pod Providing a unique space, the hex pod offers the opportunity to co-design and create builds. Using local sustainably sourced wood, high quality insulation and state of the art 12v lighting systems, the hexagonal pod is just one of the ranges of designs to offer an adaptable unit or multiple units that fit together. This modular aspect of the design gives a flexibility of construction, to enable extra pods as required. nick@classicpodcompany.co.uk www.classicpodcompany.co.uk 07971 869058 • All of our huts and pods are built using quality, locally sourced materials and this ensures they will remain comfortable and in great condition for many years to come • Built in our workshop in Bedfordshire, each hut and pod is tailor made and no two will be alike. We use local craftsmen for certain aspects of each hut, and quality is built in as standard • We can theme Nest Pods with bespoke chainsaw sculptures to create a one of a kind, extraordi nary space. Check out www.chainsaw-carvings.co.uk Bespoke ‘Nest Pods ‘also available! Bespoke Chainsaw Carvings By award winning international chainsaw artist Will Lee 07763 055151 www.thelittlehutcompany.co.uk WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 39
Page 1: ISSUE 7 | February 2017 | www.opena
Page 4 and 5: INSIDE Contents ISSUE #7 | February
Page 6 and 7: The latest news from the world of o
Page 8 and 9: HAE EHA - improving benefits and su
Page 10 and 11: INDUSTRY TALK GETTY IMAGES consulta
Page 12 and 13: FUNCTION VENUES CASE STUDY Hounslow
Page 14 and 15: FUNCTION VENUES HOLLY CLARK PHOTOGR
Page 16 and 17: FUNCTION VENUES Isabel Smith shares
Page 18 and 19: FUNCTION VENUES “AS YOU MAY HAVE
Page 20 and 21: FUNCTION VENUES The ‘Away Days’
Page 22 and 23: FUNCTION VENUES of firms that desig
Page 24 and 25: FUNCTION VENUES Pop Up Accommodatio
Page 26 and 27: FUNCTION VENUES Gemma Thorogood & C
Page 28 and 29: ACCOMMODATION CASE STUDY BEN CARPEN
Page 30 and 31: ACCOMMODATION MATT SWEETING PHOTOGR
Page 32 and 33: ACCOMMODATION WILD CAMPING IS a mos
Page 34 and 35: ACCOMMODATION LEFT: The Secret Camp
Page 36 and 37: ACCOMMODATION Family Glamping Targe
Page 40 and 41: ACCOMMODATION Landscaping for Glamp
Page 42 and 43: ACCOMMODATION incorporate an advent
Page 44 and 45: ACCOMMODATION MARK SCOTT Having ide
Page 46 and 47: EVENTS CASE STUDY HIDDEN ART Cornwa
Page 48 and 49: EVENTS HIDDEN ART HIDDEN ART As far
Page 50 and 51: EVENTS Open Air Cinema Open Air Bus
Page 52 and 53: EVENTS SKYLIGHT CINEMA plus a six k
Page 54 and 55: EVENTS Events on Your Land Whether
Page 56 and 57: EVENTS Possible things the organise
Page 58 and 59: EVENTS Entertainment Entertainment
Page 60 and 61: EVENTS Shelley Eckford, partner Tro
Page 62 and 63: ADVERTISING FEATURE Spot light A ro
Page 64 and 65: CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY Classified Dir
Page 66 and 67: PERIWINKLE NEW YEAR RESOLVE Periwin

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