Little Black Book of Glamping 2022

ADVICE
Popping Up
Setting up a pop-up glampsite with advice
from the creator of Glastonbury’s Tipi Field
The pandemic has affected the event industry
more than most, with small independent
businesses adapting to survive. While larger scale
gatherings, like festivals, were forced to take a
hiatus, one of the areas of growth has been the
glamping sector. Here are my tips for setting up a
pop-up glampsite.
Location is key. For example, capitalising
on existing landscape features – beaches,
forests, local attractions. It could be an already
established holiday destination, a remote area
away from the crowds, or even very close to a
popular urban area with plenty of facilities.
The site-specific elements for setup all need
considering, especially access and water. Other
important considerations include parking,
pathways, drainage, electricity, recycling, waste
and Wi-Fi.
Tent camping is permissible for at least 28
days at one time (56 in 2021, and here’s hoping
for 2022…). However, exceptions exist, including
joining an organisation such as the Camping and
Caravanning Club or using garden land. You can
apply for planning permission for a campsite
licence, although it’s possible to start a temporary
campsite (for 42 consecutive days) with no licence
required.
BUY OR HIRE?
Should you buy in your accommodation or hire
it from a supplier? If you are DIY’ing it, keep
it as simple as possible – a small number of
units to start. Get to know and understand the
accommodation and learn how to maintain it.
For larger sites or something more high-end,
getting a supplier on board can be a great way to
hit the ground running and it allows you to focus
on other key elements, such as marketing or
hospitality.
Get to grips with potential pitfalls and
make sure everything is fully costed up. Under
budgeting overheads and running costs can
be disastrous. Be aware of hidden costs, eg.
transport to the laundry company. It’s easy to
underestimate the cost of staff such as cleaners
for the changeovers. If you skimp on these costs, it
can be inefficient and hurt your reputation.
Don’t rely on full-occupancy revenue as it can
be a crowded market in some areas. Keep an eye
on the competition’s prices and manage customer
expectations so they don’t have a disappointing
experience and leave bad reviews. Make sure
your marketing is clear, with any written text
and pictures. Build community relationships by
using local suppliers and staff to counteract any
complaints.
BOTTOM LINE
To make the glampsite project financially
sustainable, you will need to work out the cost of
your accommodation units, facilities and all the
other overheads. You can then decide what rate
to charge or even reconsider the number of units
available for rent as this will have quite an impact
on the revenue.
For example, if you have a 56-day glampsite
with 12 units with a predicted 75% occupancy
level, then on average eight units are rented out
per night. If the site costs come to £800 per night
then you could consider charging £150 per unit
per night to achieve a revenue of £1,200 per night,
which would be 1.5 times the cost. Over 56 nights
the total sales would be £67,200, the cost of sales
would be £44,800
and the profit
would be £22,400.
Not bad for two
months in the
fields!
Pop-up Glamping
MEET THE EXPERT
Tara Weightman is the founder of Hearthworks, the award-winning tipi and yurt makers who create
the famous Glastonbury Tipi Field. The company has been designing bespoke tipis and yurts in the
heart of Somerset since 1999 and supplies events, festivals and campsites with their structures.
www.hearthworks.co.uk
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