Glamping Business May 2018

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Issue 11 May 2018

Expert advice:

How to host a dream wedding plus: Denver Summit Report Treehouses and Planning What do the Facebook Changes Mean?

Gl mping 00 Inspiration and Information for Glamping Operators Business

Welcome to

Hello & Welcome Feature

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Cover photograph: With thanks to Camp Katur www.campkatur.com

International Glamping Business is published by: Upgrade Publishing Registered address: 47 Oliver Close London W4 3RL

Other Publications: Holiday Parks Management www.holidayparksmanagement.com Publishers: Upgrade Publishing Steph Curtis-Raleigh e: steph@upgradepublishing.com Editor: Steph Curtis-Raleigh e: steph@upgradepublishing.com Sales: Kathryn Kelly t: +44 (0) 7575 408580 e: kath@upgradepublishing.com Design: Dean Coulter Design on Tap www.designontap.co.uk

www.glampingbusiness.com

Other Events: The Glamping Show w: www.glampingshow.com e: dan.w@theglampingshow.com

© Upgrade Publishing Ltd. International Glamping Business is pubilshed 5 times a year.

No reproduction of any part of the magazine is permitted, nor storage in a retrieval system without prior consent of the publisher. No commercial exploitation is permitted.

No warranty is implied in respect of any product or trader mentioned herewith. Prizes offered in competitions might be substituted with ones of similar value.

I have come back from our first Global Glamping Summit absolutely buzzing with excitement.

Sometimes looking at things from a different angle can make the picture come into focus. Themes emerged from the talks that we listened to – the primary one being of connection. Glamping makes us connected with nature, connected to ourselves and to each other. Connections were made as delegates networked.

Standardisation – this was another theme.

Ratings schemes were proposed to ensure that guests can find the very best accommodation in every level of the glamping experience, from basic through to ultimate luxury. The concern being that a sub-par experience could put guests off ever going glamping again.

Then there was the theme of size! Everything is bigger in the US and this includes

glamping, so it seems. Speakers urged delegates to “go big or go home”. Sites should have over 20 glamping pitches – the experts had sites of 80 or more. This is a sector where there are over 32,000 US glamping listings on Glamping Hub and that’s a minute fraction of the potential, where the lead time for the average glamping tent supplier is 8-10 weeks already and where, as someone said, “There are 70m wealthy baby boomers about to retire and go glamping for the first time!” If you want a piece of the American pie – I suggest you get yourselves over to California, where we will host our second summit later this year!

This issue is dedicated to the memory of Edith Kelly. Our best wishes to our Kath and family at this difficult time.

Steph

International Glamping Business Editor/Publisher

Contents 05

News

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Products

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Weddings - Kelly Chandler

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Weddings - Camp Katur

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Weddings - Good Knights

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Facebook - Sarah Riley

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Treehouses - Nid Perché

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Treehouses and Planning - Tim Rees

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Surveyors - Colliers Consider This with Kate Morel Playa Viva interview with David Leventhal Global Glamping Summit - Denver Activities - Di Wood Insurance - Are you covered?

Harness Your Assets - Dan Yates Foraging and Drones

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First US Glamping Summit Success – California Event Announced The team behind The Glamping Show and International Glamping Business is thrilled with the response to the first US Global Glamping Summit in Denver, Colorado which took place at the end of April. The event was organised in association with Glamping Hub – the largest glamping online booking resource in the US. The event was sold out and took place over two days. Keynote speakers included Sarah Dusek co-founder of Under Canvas – one of the biggest glamping groups in the US and Peter Mack, Founder and CEO of Collective Retreats – incredible tented camps in some of the most beautiful locations, including California, Colorado, Yellowstone and Governors Island, New York. They were joined by an array of speakers from all over the USA and beyond who kept delegates enthralled over two days.

Such was the success of the inaugural event, that Swan Events and Glamping Hub has now announced a second US Summit, which will take place in California later this year. The exact dates are yet to be finalised, but it is believed that this event will incorporate an outdoor space in order to allow for accommodation to be exhibited.

In addition, an event in New York State is tabled, as well as a return visit to Denver in April 2019.

“This is just the beginning, we are on the cusp of a huge revolution as glamping becomes more widely recognised and popular in the US,” said Ruben Martinez of Glamping Hub at the event.

See the full report on the Denver Summit on pages 39 and 40.

US Glamping Association Announced Sarah Dusek, co-founder and CEO of Under Canvas Inc. a leading US operator of tented glamping sites announced her intention to set up a Glamping Association for the US. Speaking to Glamping Hub co-founder Ruben Martinez during her keynote interview, at the Denver Global Glamping Summit she said, “Glamping is in its infancy in the US, we have a long journey to go and the biggest challenge is that there are so many different expressions of glamping – it’s not like a hotel. Most of my guests are not campers – they would normally stay in a hotel. So glamping forms a bridge – it’s not a fad – it’s the next evolution in travel. That’s why standardisation is so important to meet guest expectations. To help us build clarity we also need a star rating system.

Because if someone has a bad experience it hurts us all.”

“There are 32,000 listings on Glamping Hub,” (the US online booking site) she continued. “But are there any statistics being gathered? That’s why we are setting up a Glamping Association, which will gather the data.”

Slate Caverns Launched in Snowdonia The Slate Caverns at Llechwedd, Snowdonia, is set to launch a unique, luxury adventure glamping site featuring six safari-style glamping lodges.

will feature a king-size double bed and bunks, a comfortable indoor seating area and a wood burning stove with generous log supply. High quality bed linen will also be supplied.

The five-star accommodation will be located on a hillside above The Slate Caverns adventure hub. Guests will enjoy panoramic views across the Vale of Ffestiniog and Snowdonia mountains by day, with some of the best star-gazing in the world by night. The glamping site sits on the edge of the Snowdonia Dark Sky Reserve in North Wales.

There will be four 5-person lodges and two 4-person lodges. They will each have en-suite bathrooms as well plenty of space, furnished outdoor veranda and communal barbecue area. They will be mains electricity connected and supplied with hot water. Two of the lodges will be dogfriendly.

The accommodation is being designed and built by UK specialists Boldscan, who have been working with The Slate Caverns team to create unique luxury interiors.

Each high-specification safari-style lodge

Michael Bewick, managing director of The Slate Caverns, said: “Adventure glamping at The Slate Caverns is going to be an amazing experience. Our lodges will be on the mountainside, so you will get to

experience camping in some of our 2000 acres of rugged Snowdonia landscape but with the luxury you would never think possible from a tent. The best in creature comforts but still under canvas!

North Wales is already the adventure capital of the UK – and we’re now making the adventure a luxury one too.”

The Slate Caverns heritage and adventure hub has become one of the UK’s most popular visitor destinations, with a Deep Mine Tour, off-road Quarry Explorer, zip lines above and below ground, world-class mountain biking and a unique underground trampoline complex. More than 200,000 visitors check into the site every year.

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World of Glamping Previewed in Denver Maja Dimnik of GLAMPro and founder of World of Glamping, unveiled ambitious plans for a global quality certification scheme at the recent Global Glamping Summit in Denver, Colorado.

Maja’s talk at the Summit was standing room only, as she explained the ethos of World of Glamping, which will receive its official launch in May. The World of Glamping concept will categorise glamping businesses along three streams; namely Lodging, Glamping and Scouting. Lodging is the crème de la crème of the glamping world, such as architecturally designed resorts offering the highest standards. Glamping is the middle category, where high standards are expected, en-suite bathrooms and hotel-level service. Scouting is the most basic level of accommodation, still presented to the highest standards, however, facilities may be simpler.

Each stream will offer a maximum of seven stars to be obtained, following an extensive site visit and check list carried out by World of Glamping. As well as awarding stars, World of Glamping will advise sites on how they can improve standards to do even better in future. In addition, if quality standards fall – then stars will be removed accordingly.

“The glamping industry has grown rapidly and encompasses so many different types of accommodation and service that the situation has become chaotic,” says Maja. “We want to introduce clarity for the customer, so that they know exactly

what standard of accommodation they are booking, in the same way as a hotel. Otherwise, we are in danger of letting poor quality in some parts of the industry tarnish the reputation of glamping as a whole. I believe our rating system will raise glamping to a higher level and lay the foundations for a better future.”

The ratings system is just one aspect of what World of Glamping intends to offer to sites. There will be an annual Awards system to recognise the best properties that represent the very top of glamping offer. Any property that obtains the appropriate categorisation will be listed for the award, receive marketing exposure and will be included in the World of Glamping collection on the website.

World of Glamping will also combine the best glamping properties from individual countries into chains, which allows the guest to get to know each country in the most prestigious and imaginative way. The chains include only chosen properties that achieve high standards and are able to offer guests the highest level of service.

World of Glamping can also help in the development of unique glamping sites, at any phase.

“What matters is being different, being unique, standing out,” adds Maja. “Our team of experts will turn your vision into a fairytale.”

EU launches European Capital of Smart Tourism On the initiative of the European Parliament, the European Commission has launched the European Capital of Smart Tourism to recognise outstanding achievements in smart, innovative, sustainable and inclusive tourism by European cities.

The initiative aims to promote the smart tourism offer and showcase innovative, inclusive, culturally diverse and sustainable practices to tourism development by European cities.

Tourism is the EU’s third largest socio-economic activity – it represents almost 10% of EU GDP and supports 25 million jobs. By rewarding exemplary practices of smart tourism, the European Union seeks to encourage innovation at the level of tourism destinations, culturally diverse and inclusive tourism offers and highlight the multi-faceted contribution of tourism to sustainable development.

Two European cities that demonstrate innovation, creativity and excellence in four categories - accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation, cultural heritage and creativity - will be awarded the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism 2019.

Winners of the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2019 will receive expert communication and branding support for a year,

a marketing video, a purpose-built sculpture for their city centre, and tailor-made promotional actions.

In addition, four European cities will receive thematic European Smart Tourism Awards for their outstanding achievements in the categories listed above.

The awarded achievements will be presented in a special exhibition on the occasion of a prestigious Award Ceremony in Brussels on 7 November 2018, organised on the European Tourism Day.

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GlampingFeature News

Turning Dreams into Reality

First Croatian Glamping Supersite Opens Opening this summer is Arena One 99 – the first major dedicated glamping site in Croatia. Formerly known as Arena Pomer, the site was a traditional campsite before it received an extensive redesign.

Arena One 99 is situated a short drive from the 3,000-year-old city of Pula on the sweeping Istrian peninsula, in the picturesque former fishing village of Pomer. A few steps from the aquamarine Adriatic, the site comprises 196 fully equipped luxury tents for couples and families, with a plethora of facilities to satisfy the most demanding customers: there’s an outdoor wellness area with hot tubs and sauna, massage services and

Pilates, spacious relaxation areas and even a deck dedicated to yoga enthusiasts.

The accommodation is designed to suit a variety of guest numbers and pockets, ranging from mini lodges for a couple, to two-bedroom tents and safari lodges for up to six, moving up to premium three-bedroom safari lodge tents. Those who remember rainy camping trips in their youth, forced to play draughts with grimly enthusiastic parents, will find these memories comfortingly erased by air conditioning, wifi, kitchenettes with Illy coffee machines, opulent shower units, LCD flatscreen TVs and Bose sound docking systems.

After nearly two decades, Exclusive Tents believes there is nothing on the market that can compare to the resorts they have dreamed, designed, and developed together with their clients. Exclusive Tents are a leader and pioneer in designing and setting up the most luxury, eco-sensitive, resort and accommodation tents in the world.

They craft each tent to perfection specifically just for you and have supplied tents to some most unique glamping sites all over the globe.

“We bring you closer to nature, and believe life is about being able to enjoy all the simple pleasures that the world has to offer, whilst embracing the small luxuries that we all enjoy. Thoughts.

Become. Things,” says the company’s Brian Grisham. www.exclusivetents.com

Ahead of the summer season, the tourist authorities of Wallonia in Belgium have for the first time defined the concept of glamping accommodation and are inviting recognised operators to apply for grants.

Sites can be recognised as unusual and eligible for subsidies in their entirety, or the recognition can be applied to a specific lodging — such as a yurt in a campsite, a bubble apartment in the grounds of a hotel or a trailer next to a guesthouse.

As a result of burgeoning interest in unusual sites, or “hébergement insolite”, the commissariat-general of tourism (CGT) in the French-speaking southern region has stated that a tourist accommodation is considered as glamping, when it has characteristics contrary to its common use, and is “unexpected especially with regard to its architecture, its use diverted from its original purpose, the originality of its activities and services, and its unique geographical location”.

Wallonia draws visitors from all over Europe for its medieval towns, fine cuisine and excellent Trappist beers. Its natural beauty makes it a superb location for campers and glampers, the lakes, rivers, forests and caves of the Ardennes a particular draw.

Once a site is recognised, the operator can benefit from promotional material as a part of 2018 Wallonia Insolite and may be eligible for grants at a rate 10% higher than standard subsidies offered by the CGT. The application procedure leading to official recognition differs from normal authorisation in that it is granted by the minister of tourism rather than the CGT. Requests for recognition should be submitted to the Council of Tourism to be examined before being passed to the minister for his decision. For more information, contact the secretariat of the Tourist Accommodation Department on 081 325 630 or veronique.defrenne@tourismewallonie.be.

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UK’s Largest Glamping Accommodation Directory Launches The UK’s largest online accommodation collection, dedicated only to luxury glamping, has launched.

Glampingly, an all-new website from the company behind the market-leading Cool Camping brand, went live online at the start of April, showcasing everything from floating cabins to luxury treehouses.

Along with a selection of luxury stays in France and wider Europe, the Glampingly website offers a choice of over 800 glamping properties in the UK, all of which can be instantly booked online, with powerful searches available to help users find their perfect glamping destination, filtering for certain features like hot tubs, WiFi or swimming pools.

“Glamping is now appealing to a much wider market,” Glampingly and Cool Camping founder Jonathan Knight told International Glamping Business Magazine. “It’s no longer just the ‘tenters’ being tempted to upgrade to more comfy digs. More and more of us are now considering glamping as an alternative to a hotel, cottage or B&B stay.”

“We’ve always promoted glamping as part of our original Cool Camping collection even before ‘glamping’ was in the dictionary,” Knight continues.

“But its popularity has grown at such a pace that a separate and dedicated online home has become an essential next step. So Glampingly was born.”

Already taking bookings online, the Glampingly website is mobile friendly and focuses on a visual, image-led presentation, with large images throughout the design and a userfriendly booking process. Adaptable to all devices, customers can search and view results on a map or rank their finds in a list, saving favourites, writing reviews and sharing recommended glamping sites with their friends on

Paull’s Matting: Specialists in Coir & Polyprop Matting social media. The website has already been catching the eye of users across the web.

“We’ve had a great response since the website launched”, Glampingly’s marketing manager James Warner Smith told us. “From The Telegraph to iNews, travel journalists have already been turning to Glampingly for recommendations and it has been great to see the industry recognising the need for a focused accommodation website like this.”

By separating glamping from camping and creating a specially designed and dedicated website, Glampingly has ensured quality control across its platform. For users, it distils the accommodation to showcase only luxury outdoor stays, while icons denote accommodation features like meals included, bed linen provided and the number of guests accommodated.

The launch of the new website has, more widely, been seen as a positive sign for the growth of the glamping industry.

In addition to its extensive range of Panama & Herringbone Coir Half Moon & Marquee Matting, Paull’s now exclusively offers Paull’s Polyprop Matting - a durable and washable alternative to the natural coir range but made from woven polypropylene yarn.

Paull’s Polyprop Matting is tough, durable, washable and lightweight, compared with other natural floor coverings. The two-tone yarn gives a coir-coloured finish with the benefit of being non-absorbent, non-rot and incredibly strong.

Demand has been extremely high but limited numbers of 40’s and 30’s lengths and 5m & 4m half moons are in stock.

The company has endeavoured to ensure that Paull’s Polyprop’s appearance is as close to the colour of natural coir as possible, to give a warm finish to any event space. The polyprop is also completely reversible, as is the herringbone coir with its distinctive weave.

The full range includes 50’, 40’, 30’, 20’ and 10’ lengths for marquees, large structures and walkways. The half moon range offers 2m, 3m, 4m, 5m, 6m and 7m sizes for Bell Tents and 4.5m, 5.5m, 6.5m and 7.5m for Yurts and Tipis. Paull’s will also offer two options for 10.3m round Giant Tipis sets.

All of the stock is pre-cut, bound and colourcoded for your convenience. With good stocks held and quick delivery you will not be disappointed by the quality of the service or the appearance of the finished product, which adds a luxury feel to any Bell Tent, Yurt, Tipi Marquee walkway or entranceway.

“Our established website, coolcamping.com, has seen overall glamping bookings this year rise by 50% compared to the same period in 2017,” Jonathan Knight commented.

“It shows that there is still a growing demand for glamping in the UK and the new Glampingly website, showcasing only the very best luxury stays, is well placed to fill that need.”

Price lists are available on request, or alternatively please let Paull’s have details of your requirements and they will be pleased to provide a detailed quote.

www.glampingly.co.uk

www.paullsmatting.co.uk

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Extol Your Unique Virtues

Enhance the Experience with Welsh Dragon Fuels & Stoves Whatever the weather and whatever type of glamping accommodation you provide – your guests’ comfort will be uppermost. With the weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, the need to keep guests cosy and warm, come rain or shine, is essential if you would like to maximise your season. A big part of the experience for your guests will be the opportunity to ‘make fire’ with an interior stove and/or an outside fire basket or barbeque.

Welsh Dragon Fuels and Stoves has identified some exciting new products which will help set your glamping site apart from the competition and create a wonderful atmosphere for guests. The company is proud to announce that it has become the new dealer for wood-fired eco tubs from Swedish Hot Tubs.

Swedish Hot Tubs are a quality range of Swedish-made wood fired hot tubs with aluminium internal or external heaters and eco-friendly recyclable plastic shells. It is no longer necessary to scrub a wooden tub – these hot tubs have been made with safety in mind and are low maintenance all year round. They can be quickly warmed and have been made with high quality materials, giving that authentic appearance. No matter how remote your glamping site might be, your customers can now relax in style within their own back yard. Welsh Dragon Fuels offer a free delivery and also a set up service for your site and can offer an ongoing maintenance package. So, kick your legs up and relax this season.

Welsh Dragon Fuels also supply wood burning stoves, installation, fuel and appliance maintenance, as well as quality fuels. chris@djdaviesfuels.co.uk

The last ten years have been typified by guests seeking experiential stays, with focus on authenticity and uniqueness. Of course, Glamping is the pinnacle of this movement, with everything from Tipis to Boeing 747’s being used to capitalise on the trend. Yet with a market so diverse and distinctive, and guests demanding variety, how then do you qualify the quality of the experience, without marginalising its unique identity?

This was the challenge faced by independent assessment providers Quality in Tourism, who have worked with industry for the last two years to revitalise the outdated quality grading schemes.

They’ve thrown out the rule book when it comes to assessments, ditching the nationally accepted, outmoded ‘quality markers’ and instead developing new criteria which still enable benchmarking and quality assessment of businesses, but for the first time ever places value on the individuality, authenticity and guest experience.

Deborah Heather, Head of Assessment Services, Quality in Tourism comments, “Pre-internet, when guide books were the go-to resource, it was essential that businesses were compared like-for-like and benchmarked against brethren businesses. This gave rise to objective, criteria-based quality assessments which stripped out individual identities, instead providing a reliable, independent indicator of quality in the form of star ratings. That’s just not fit for purpose anymore, and while independent assessment and quality benchmarking still has a role to play in assuring business integrity and public safety, potential guests take this for granted and are more interested in the experiential aspects of the stay.”

She continues, “We’re delighted to launch a series of nationally-accepted assessments and accolades, which of course retain objective, regulatory criteria at their core, but which provide assessors with the opportunity to showcase the personality of each business for the first time ever.

Transparency is key, and the new criteria mean our assessors continue to take responsibility for assessing the ‘mundane’ aspects of the business such as regulatory compliance and cleanliness, but are no longer restricted by an amenities checklist, for example, enabling them to extol the virtues of each individual experience.”

The new schemes, which launched at the beginning of April, are already being well-received by industry. There are two schemes open to glamping businesses; a full assessment service, and a ‘Safe, Clean and Legal’ quality marque which focuses only on legislative compliance for guest assurance.

For businesses, the core benefits of the revamped criteria are that in addition to gaining an independent marque of quality, alongside a lot of impartial, expert advice, there will now be a guest-focussed assessment of the experience and a validation of third-party reviews and opinions. This will in turn support guest marketing opportunities and add a voice of authority to user-generated reviews. www.qualityintourism.com

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Product News Are you ready for Summer burning?

No doubt some glamping sites won’t have closed at all over the winter and so customers will have thoroughly enjoyed the pleasures of cosying up in front or a roaring log fire after a long walk either in the snow, or the cold wet weather. A wood burning stove is guaranteed to provide lots of warmth and a beautiful cosy home.

So, as we, finally turn to Spring, it’s time to think about making sure you have good stocks of summer fuel for those camp fires.

Here is a quick check list is useful to ensure you are ready to go: 1. Wood burning stoves – have they had their annual sweep of the flues and the door seals checked. Have you checked the carbon monoxide alarms?

2. Have you got sufficient firepits for the new season? – are they all cleaned and ready to go?

3. Have you checked any equipment that you provide for barbequing and cooking? Is it all clean, safe and ready to go?

4. Have you got all the relevant safety signs in place and any ancillary fire-fighting equipment (extinguishers etc.) all serviced and good to go?

5. Are you going to be offering your customers who will have the use of a wood burning stove a nice Welcome Pack of kiln dried logs, kindling and flamers – just enough to get them going for the first night or too?

6. Have you got stocks of everything your campers and glampers will need for the perfect fire – Kiln-dried logs, kindling and some Flamers natural firelighters. All these items are revenue earners for your site, so make sure you have the best quality products.

7. Have you provided easy to follow fire lighting instructions as you will be amazed how many people really don’t have a clue as to how to light the perfect fire?

So, if everything is all good to go, but you need to get stocked up with the best British kiln dried logs, kindling and Flamers natural firelighters, give Hayley at Certainly Wood a ring and she will get your sorted. www.certainlywood.co.uk

Meet the Challenges of Mowing Head On STIGA have more than 80 years of experience in producing innovative domestic and professional gardening products. The ultimate combination of raw power, versatility and perfect precision the STIGA Pro range of Front cut, Ride-on and Walk Behind mowers are made to get the job done!

The unique 50:50 articulated steering makes the Park Pro Front cut mowers agile, perfect for large complex gardens where manoeuvrability is tight around rocks, trees, corners and confined spaces. 4-wheel drive, power steering, electric height of cut and a range of other professional features come as standard. Superior mowing with top mulching performance, there is a choice of cutting decks to choose from including the New Combi electric 110cm and 125cm Quick Flip decks.

The RAC Quick Connect system is available as standard on all Park models,

you can switch implements in minutes. No tools are needed – just click them on and off! With a selection of seasonal implements ranging from sweepers, snow blades, flail mowers, rakes and carts these mowers are truly versatile.

Featuring in the STIGA Pro range is the Tornado Pro 9118 XWS side discharge/mulching Ride-on mower powered by a twin cylinder Kawaskai FS691V engine with 4WD; this mower is built to tackle heavy duty tasks and challenging terrain. The cast iron front axle and large heavy duty 121cm cutting deck with three untimed blades has been designed for intensive use. The large 15 litre rear mounted fuel tank gives the freedom to operate for long periods without the need to refuel.

STIGA has been a mulching leader for over 30 years and the Multiclip range is synonymous to the brand. The Pro

Multiclip Walk Behind mowers feature a robust steel deck, aluminium wheels with ball bearing for smoother running and an adjustable handle to make it easy to cut into those awkward areas, close to walls and around obstacles.

The STIGA Multiclip system cuts and recuts the grass into tiny pieces that simply wilt away returning vital nutrients to the soil to encourage beautiful green growth.

With no need to rake up the clippings or empty a grassbox, the grass can be cut 30% faster compared to collecting mowers. The mulching design reduces the noise level to a very low 98dB, certified with the environmentally friendly SVAN label. www.stigalawnmowers.co.uk

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Product News

Waterless toilets?

Now, if you will, stop for a minute and consider a waterless toilet. Why? Well, let’s look at the benefits. The most obvious; there is no water needed, giving you the freedom to locate a toilet almost anywhere outdoors - this allows the designer to place toilets in the more useful areas, rather than trying to minimise sewage pipework.

The greatest benefit however, can be achieved by not putting in a mains connection or septic tank, as the only wastewater produced is grey water and this is easily be disposed of or treated on-site. Not connecting to the mains means water charges are reduced by anything up to a further 60%, as the treatment charge is higher than the supply charge. The typical cost of ground-works, sewage pipes and connection charges can be astronomical So, apart from the culture shock of not using a WC, what are the downsides of ‘going waterless’? There are only a few - currently the range of toilets is very limited; they must be white and plastic (though the better ones have a high quartz content, giving them resilience and colour retention). In addition, there is the occasional need to seal a bin and swap it for a fresh one. The full bin or bio-degradable bag must then be stored or the contents added to a composter for at least 26 weeks In remote areas and on your own land it can be dug into the ground. Gentlemen must sit, but a waterless urinal is also available!

The shower units have as standard: a full-sized shower, gas water heater, sink unit and waterless toilet. Shower water and urine is run to ground and is within guidelines if you are at least 10 metres from a water course or 50 metres from a water source.

Demand for these toilets is growing steadily as people appreciate the benefits and realise the environmental harm caused by the WC. Users of waterless toilets are so pleased with their toilets they have no problem passing that enthusiasm on to their clients, especially when they explain the benefits, both financially and environmentally. www.eco-toilets.co.uk

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Brosterfield: Built to Last Brosterfield specialises in the design and manufacture of luxury, commercial quality shepherd huts for the holiday and glamping industry. The huts are constructed with an in-house designed, heavyduty, steel chassis and solid timber frame structure. As standard, the walls, floors and ceiling are fully insulated with 100mm thick foil backed rigid foam insulation, ensuring your hut will be warm dry and durable in all climates and weather conditions.

As the shepherd hut glamping business is an all-year round industry, Brosterfield has designed and built its huts to withstand the letting market for many years to come.

The Brosterfield team has a wealth of knowledge not only in this industry but also in engineering, building and construction, however most importantly the team also owns and runs a busy holiday and glamping site company. www.brosterfieldshepherdhuts.co.uk

BOND: A Name You Can Trust BOND has been designing and manufacturing bespoke glamping structures and marquees for 30 years.

The Safari Tents have been fully tested by engineers, have Structural Reports for wind-loading and meet British and European standards.

With hidden galvanised steel frames, BOND structures are among the most robust on the market. Mike Halliwell, owner of BOND states, “Our clients are investing a great deal of money and time into setting up Glamping sites and so the proven structural performance is a significant factor in purchasing Safari Tents. Our structures are intended to be in place year-round, will withstand the test of time and also the increasing wrath of Mother Nature!”

All structures are made and hand finished at BOND’s factory in Gloucestershire with the highest quality materials, such as heavy-weight PVC roofs and waterproof, rot-resistant and breathable canvas walls - resulting in exceptional quality.

BOND works closely with its customers and is very proud to offer a personal, supportive service from planning all the way to installation and beyond.

Kate Tregonning runs Brownscombe Luxury Camping in South Devon, offering holidaymakers that back-to-nature experience with a high level of comfort and luxury. Kate’s experience with Bond was positive throughout the process; “Right from the beginning, BOND were different from other tent suppliers in the market place. They were competitive on price but what made them stand out was the customer service - changes were made to their basic design to suit my site, the team came to put them up over two visits and they coped with the rain and long hours with good humour. We are based in Devon, which gives us an advantage as it is a tried and trusted holiday destination. The feedback on the finished product has been very positive and I would highly recommend BOND.” www.bondfabrications.co.uk / www.safari-tent.co.uk

Weddings

The World of

Weddings

By Kelly Chandler, Kelly Chandler Wedding Consulting www.kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk

By Kelly Chandler, Kelly Chandler Wedding Consulting - www.kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk What a wonderful melting pot the modern wedding industry is. Have you considered your land and outdoor spaces as the perfect wedding hosting location to sit alongside your glamping business?

You’d be forgiven for thinking that you might not “tick the wedding boxes” but you’d be surprised. Today’s wedding market is all about less conventional spaces and places. I’m going to take you through a whistlestop tour of the major trends appreciated by today’s couples about to enter married life.

It’s Personal Modern wedding celebrations are utterly personal and all about expressing the personalities of the couple marrying; the rule book, conventions and traditions are often set aside by today’s (largely millennial generation) couples. But just because they aren’t opting for receiving lines, top tables, or long photo sessions, it doesn’t mean that they don’t care – far from it, they are choosing to express themselves through lots of effort put into the elements that matter to them and show their tastes, passions and values.

Modern couples want to have FUN with their wedding, help guests to know them just a little bit better and generally don’t take themselves too seriously.

The Ceremony Shake Up Only 27% of wedding ceremonies (in England and Wales) are now in church – wedding ceremonies in licensed venues are by far the most preferred and in lots of cases this allows the use of the outdoors with more and more gazebos, summer houses and al fresco structures being favoured for being outside as much as possible. The ‘all in one’ wedding where the entire day and often overnight is hosted in one location is by far the most desired.

The Blank Canvas You may think that you can’t host weddings if you don’t have any permanent build structures – you can think again. Whilst there are restrictions on legal licensing for actual wedding ceremonies, there is good business to be had by hosting ceremonies led by independent celebrants (non legal but growing in popularity with couples) and more and more couples LOVE the idea of a blank canvas to host their dining and party. Tents and marquees (Stretch Tent,

Tipi Tent, Sail Cloth Tents to name a few) are a huge growth area and the options infinite for the couple keen to personalise the interiors with décor, florals, furnishings and more. And this is not the reserve of the luxury wedding; dressing, styling and attention to detail is vital to all weddings at all price points – customisation is a modern wedding essential.

Making a Weekend of It More and more couples choose to host a longer celebration with their wedding guests in 2018, picking relaxed authenticity where they can kick back and spend proper quality time with their nearest and dearest rather than rushing the celebration in just a few hours of one day. This is therefore a perfect combination in conjunction with glamping, allowing couples to do just that and have one big party for several days to their own brief in their own style and in the open air. More and more venues are moving towards this model of offering weekend or multi-day hire to

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meet this demand. It works particularly well if you do have some group spaces to help with the logistics of hosting multiple guests over multiple days but temporary structures in addition to your usual glamping accommodation can do the job.

Going the Distance The wedding market has shifted enormously in terms of its geographical outlook over recent years too. Couples are much more focused on finding a venue and space that ticks their boxes and feels just right for them (this will always be an emotional purchase) than on necessarily keeping it local to home. They are often willing and keen to travel to find the right space and hosting their wedding 3 or more hours from their home is not unusual and destination weddings have been and continue to be

huge whether that destination is the very popular France or Italy or Devon and Cornwall. This means there is great opportunity for hosting locations to think bigger than being limited to a purely local market and to step up and really showcase what makes them quirky, unique and irresistible as a venue to appeal to those spot-on clients who will come from afar because they have what they want.

Foodies Modern couples are very savvy about all of their choices but particularly their food and drinks. The classic 3 course wedding breakfast meal is for many ‘out of favour’ and couples seek interactivity with their choices and a less formal dining experience. Family style sharing platters, carving stations and themed food stations

such as ‘build your burger’, ‘taste your taco’ are huge as is creating a festival style ambiance with vehicles, carts and popups being highly desirable. These are all options that naturally blend well with land-based celebrations where the outdoors is King! It extends to drinks too with pop-up gin bars, rum stations and pimp your prosecco stands being very much in favour.

So there is lots of detailed research and planning to consider as to whether hosting weddings suits your land, your business and your personal goals and objectives but the wedding market is definitely ripe for more outdoor natural spaces to make its own for special celebrations.

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Camp Katur Weddings

Camp Kátur - Freestyle Weddings

How long have you been providing weddings?

The first wedding was just four months after we opened.

Our initial plan was to look at developing weddings in year two or three once we had mastered our first year of focusing on the Glamping side. However, we were approached by a lovely couple from Manchester who were looking for a venue to have a very chilled DIY wedding.

At the time (February) we were still constructing the site but had started to market the business via our website and social media, months before which is how they found us.

I will never forget our first meeting, they both came alone for the first visit and I spoke through the final plans and pointed my finger around the field to show them the location of where each type of accommodation would be situated, being like-minded they instantly saw my vision and wanted to book in an instant, a surprise to us especially with a few months to go until our deadline opening date of April.

Of course, we happily accepted, in March they returned to show their parents and the field was covered in snow, their faces were quite a picture as the couple informed them of their plans on what was then a snowy, half-built site!!

The wedding was fantastic, all the family were very handson and everyone was relaxed, the sun shone, guests absolutely loved the venue and it was a great test run for ourselves. Since then weddings have become a key part of our business.

How involved do you get with the look and theme of the wedding itself?

We have little involvement with the styling – one of the big attractions of our venue is that it is in part a blank canvas for people to express their wedding dreams and desires. Every relationship is different with its own quirks; so they have the freedom for this to be reflected in the styling, ceremony and entertainment, if they wish. Often, couples have ideas that they but do not know how to put it into reality, that’s when sometimes a professional stylist is hired in, or creative family members and friends are called in to help.

How do you charge for the extra work involved?

International Glamping Business speaks to Kerry Roy, founder of Camp Katur, who took her first wedding booking before her site was even built! She explains the unique joys and challenges of glamping weddings and how she once hosted a wedding for a dog!

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We have different charges, because we offer many variations – including different venue choices such as Orangery Pavilion, Rustic Barn, Pop-Up venue and Woodland area. Initially, we only offered DIY weddings but have realised that some people are daunted by the prospect of organising everything themselves and often cannot afford the costs of a wedding planner, therefore we began to also offer package and special midweek and winter-priced options, which are a good boost for occupancy levels during the quieter off-peak, midweek periods.

Camp Katur Weddings

We also now have our own in-house bar and catering team, which is highly flexible and tailors all food and drinks to whatever the customer requests. Unlike many traditional venues who only offer a select few choices and are strict about styling and entertainment, our venue is very much open to tailoring the day to suit what the bride and groom desires.

Do you have to have any special licences or insurance?

We have a permanent alcohol, event and live music licence for all the permanent venue areas and have to apply for temporary event licences during pop-up venue weddings and other events outside of these structures.

Public Liability insurance is a must and in our contractual terms and conditions with the bride and groom we strongly advise they purchase their own wedding insurance to cover any unfortunate unforeseen eventualities.

Do you use a wedding planner or carry out the work in house?

We do not offer full wedding planning service, as it is in part still very much a DIY venue but we do recommend specific wedding planners, should the couples wish to hire one, but most often they choose not to. We do have an ‘on the day’ wedding coordinator who oversees the whole day and communicates all the couples’ plans prior to the wedding date/s. Previously, we have used an outside contractor for this, who is also our Humanist Ceremonies lady at Celebration Weddings and Ceremonies, but last year we employed a part-time wedding coordinator who now handles all enquiries, viewings, wedding event plans and on-theday coordination, which helps take the weight off our operations manager, Nicola.

Will you do weddings in your location in Italy?

Yes, providing we can get permission for the correct licences it’s a must, as the venue is perfect for it in many ways.

What’s the best part of providing weddings?

Without doubt, seeing two people intensify their togetherness and share their love With the family and friends who mean the most to them. Even while writing this, I have tingles down my spine thinking of the best

parts to all the weddings we provide the venue to, because my favourite part has always been hiding behind a tree in the woodland ceremony area or a corner of the barn and watching the vows!

What should people be wary of when taking on wedding bookings?

Firstly, ensure your venue can hold weddings and get the correct alcohol and music licences. Depending on the location of the venue, some residents in the local area could quickly bruise the business due to noise levels. I know one venue, which is quite isolated, however, when the wind blows in a certain direction the sound of the music can travel long-distance and echoes like an auditorium. Sadly for them, this resulted in a local farmer complaining and putting a ban on weddings. Invest in a decibel monitor, most licence laws specify a maximum decibel of 90.

Also, think about the weather! Outdoor and Pop-Up canvas weddings have fast become the new trend, however, if you have no back-up contingencies for poor weather conditions, the wedding and your reputation could soon be a wash-out. If a ceremony is to be held outdoors and you have no alternative covered structure, I would recommend investing in some tree canopies, small marquees or a few hundred strong large umbrellas and fleece blankets!

Don’t expect ALL the family - especially the parents - to initially love your venue! Often, the couples’ family and occasionally some friends do not share the same love of the great outdoors and alternative offerings. As a venue-owner you may at first take it personally but I soon came to realise that more often than not those disappointed looks will soon be converted into total happiness - with many guests commenting on how it has been one of the best weddings and unique venues attended.

Unless you’re hiring yourself as a wedding planning venue, be careful not to get overrun by bride or groom demands! It’s one of the key things we learnt as a business that not only offers just weddings. You have to set limits to how much involvement you or your staff have with the planning of a wedding, or before you know it you feel like you have quickly become their personal wedding planner and will be expected to answer all questions 24/7!

Brides are often so excited that - even if the wedding is three years away - there is nothing more important and urgent than getting all the answers to the finer details of their big day plans NOW! Of course, it is very important to answer all questions as soon as you can, but you must ensure that you and the couples are clear on what is and isn’t included in the costs of their wedding.

You have to set ground rules – you can simply provide specific terms and conditions that the couple then sign upon booking your venue. This should also include notification of a ‘refundable deposit’ during the wedding event. We charge £1000 deposit, which covers any unfortunate damages, nuisances and vomiting accidents inside the accommodation.This is of course fully refunded if none of the above occurs.

What was your favourite wedding held at Camp Katur?

The wackier the better and wow there have been so many! For me, it has to be the hoedown cowboy theme in the Rustic Barn.

It was costume bliss, from the bride and groom’s attire, to the American Mustang Car that the groom drove in with to surprise his wife, which a few minutes later wouldn’t start!

Then we had a Gothic-themed wedding in large Kata Tents with a lovely biker chick and biker boy couple who were very creative with their styling and had fire, ice and water during their ceremony in the woodland and a wedding for their Dog afterwards, who had several of his own Doggy guests!

What seem to be the current trends for weddings in 2018?

Barns seem to be the trend in the UK, with new venues opening all the time. Kata Tents are still hugely popular but often invite higher costs due to extras required, such as generators for power, seating, bar structures and so forth. Mixologist bars and Gin Bars are becoming a large swizzle favourite.

Thanks to Pinterest: DIY upcycling props and favours seems to be a key trend for alternative venues.

Street food, quirky vendor motors and outside dining are also desirable but sadly not always possible in the great British weather but we will certaily be offering more al fresco styled weddings in Italy.

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Glamping Wedding

- medieval style

Interview with Daniel Smith of Good Knights Entertainment Ltd, Alberta, Canada When was your first wedding?

Our first wedding was last June - the weekend after we opened. We had been busy building and developing the site for the previous six weeks - including trenching in all of our power and water lines And on the Friday before the wedding, we had the biggest rain we’ve ever had and the whole site was a muddy mess with ponds in places that we did not want water. So, we built some boardwalks and laid out lots of straw in the mud and proceeded with having a great wedding!

What are the rules on hosting weddings in Canada - do you need special licences?

There are no special licences required in most rural areas of Canada - but I can only really speak for Alberta (our province). However, we do need a permission from the county. We ran into a snag with them earlier this year, as we have been really promoting our medieval weddings. They informed us that weddings were not allowed under our land-use zoning - something to do with intensification of use or change of use.

Our zone allows us to have a campground or a recreational lodge and

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that sort of thing, but we found out that they wouldn't allow us to host weddings without some sort of special permission from the county. Because glamping is so new here, the zoning bylaws don't really allow for it. We are not really a campground in the normal sense of things and we are not really a bed and breakfast (which is not allowed in our zone ether). We are looking into rezoning our lands.

Do you supply all the costumes as well as the food and drink?

Because we are a themed venue we supply costumes for all of our guests - including weddings. We have over 250 costumes and we have a costumer in town who can make more, and she also has a good stock of costumes too.

We have two feast halls on site - one holds about 80-100 people; the other one about 40 people. We also supply the feast for the wedding as part of the package.

We also do breakfast for our guests. We run our accommodations on a bed-andbreakfast basis, so if you staying overnight you get breakfast included. The other meals are negotiable - we can do the lunches or other meals such as a reception dinner for smaller weddings or the full

out medieval feast for the whole wedding.

We are limited to mid-sized weddings of up to 100 people, but we can do the food for that many.

What is the most ambitious wedding project you have worked on?

Our most ambitious wedding is one that is coming up in a couple of years. We have a lady who is already talking to us and planning a very ambitious and amazing medieval wedding here in 2020.

She has all kinds of ideas and we are working with her and with our wedding planner to realize her dream wedding.

Weddings

What do glamping operators need to be wary of when they host weddings?

over the entire site and we have to close off all other bookings - we cannot run a wedding with other guests staying on site.

As a glamping operator and hosting a wedding you would need to be wary of all the extra traffic that is coming to your site for the day. Normally, with our glamping operation we have only 20 plus people on site. So having upwards of 100 people or more on site is a lot more to deal with for access, parking, activities, shelter (from the sun or rain), etc.

As a glamping operator, we are in the business of providing accommodations and experiences. Working with the brides and all those details that need to be attended to is another whole business. So, we work with a wedding planner who does all those detail arrangements with the brides and deals with all of those lastminute questions and details that have to be attended to. I encourage everyone to work with a wedding planner unless you’re doing a lot of weddings.

You have to have the extra parking space.

Most glamping operations have a few spots for parking. We are fortunate that we have a parking lot which can hold maybe 60-80 vehicles. Make sure that you can handle the extra parking and access to the site, and signage.

Also, there’s the weather. Glamping sites are all-weather kind of operations, but for a wedding you need to have contingencies for indoor and outdoor options for weddings. If it rains you need to be able to ensure that there is shelter, if it’s too hot, you need to provide shade.

Mud and water are another issue we have contend with, as well as site damage during wet weather with a lot of extra people on site. We have a contract to get a roll of red carpet brought out if there’s wet weather so that the bride can get to and from our hall without getting her dress all wet.

What plans have you got for future weddings?

We have lots of plans for weddings - this year and in the future. We are doing a lot of promoting at wedding shows and there is lots of interest. Obviously, for weddings there are normally long lead times, so it takes some time to get the bookings and

to plan things out. We want to limit our weddings to one per month. That way, it does not really interfere with the themed experiences that we provide.

What have been your favourite moments?

My favourite wedding moment is still from our first wedding. We had a medieval - motorcycle club wedding; with hard-core bikers and hard-core medieval reenactors attending. My favourite memory is of this big biker guy named "Bear", who was sitting in his electric scooter because he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident, wearing a little pink princess hat and just laughing and having the greatest time of his life. He is still was bragging about this amazing wedding to everyone and he is one of our biggest supporters. It was amazing to see these bikers and medieval people came together, and we were all pretty sceptical at first but they all had a great time. Yeah, that was that was my wedding moment!

Wedding are a good revenue source, but they are not our core business. They take

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Sarah Riley is a professionally qualified coach, trainer, and consultant working in the unique accommodation industry. She has developed the internationally acclaimed, ‘The Ultimate Glamping Business Guide’ and The Marketing Masterclass, on www.InspiredCourses.com, tailored for unique hospitality and glamping businesses to become visible, make bookings and get more heads-inbeds, using techniques few are currently taking advantage of in this industry.

In January Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook was about to introduce the biggest changes ever made in its history. At the time of writing this article the exact details weren’t clear, however, what is clear is that this will have a huge impact on anyone using Facebook to publicise their business and gain customers.

Mark Zuckerberg explained: “As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.”

Facebook stated the overall reason for these changes was to bring communities closer together. As philanthropist Mark explains, “Our focus in 2018 is making sure Facebook isn’t just fun, but also good for people’s well-being and for society.

We’re doing this by encouraging meaningful connections between people rather than passive consumption of content.”

I am a business coach, trainer and consultant in the unique accommodation industry and I have been using Facebook as an effective tool for publicising my business for over 8 years. In that time, I have witnessed a dramatic reduction in the amount of organic (non-paid) reach my business pages get. With the new changes, Mark explains this is expected to get worse. “… by making these changes, I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down.”

From my research, I am going to summarise what we know now and what we can expect in the future. I will also highlight a number of actions you can take to counteract these changes and continue to drive interest to your business through this platform.

Facebook have been surveying their users over the past few years and the results have shown they want more in their feed from family and friends. In other words, for their personal profiles to have more priority over business feeds. But, as a business itself, this gives Facebook a dilemma. How to keep the individual user happy without turning away businesses. Mark explains, “…recently we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other.”

So, since October last year they have been running tests in selected areas where they offer an ‘Explore’ space in a users feed for businesses to interact with them. This is a space users have to click over to, resulting in a dual feed. One for personal, friends and family interactions and one for the

businesses they follow, or are paying to have their adverts placed there.

Early results show that organic reach dropped by two thirds and businesses experienced four times less engagement in their posts.

It’s clear that if you are a personal user of Facebook then you are going to love the changes. However, if you use Facebook for your business then the changes will have a big impact on your page and how much it is seen by those who have already chosen to follow it.

Facebook is an amazing platform for a huge number of reasons, but for small businesses, research shows that customers who interact with them are on Facebook 62%, Pinterest 12%, Twitter 11% and Instagram 9%.

Research also shows that 60% of those interested in a small business will visit their Facebook page before visiting a bricks and mortar location. Eighty per cent are more likely to purchase from them if they find a credible Facebook page and 62% say Facebook is the most important and useful social media channel to research small businesses.

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Finally, it’s worth noting that 58% of Facebook users are currently interacting with adverts in their newsfeed, so this strategy is successful.

Facebook remains one of the most comprehensive, specific and targeted advertising platforms out there. Nothing like it exists anywhere else. You can specify if you want to have your advert put in front of a 35-year old female living in London who likes surfing, yoga and organic food, or a 65 year old male who is retired and loves walking his dog and fishing.

To walk away from that kind of resource is crazy and businesses know it. This was highlighted in research by the social media platform, Buffer, which revealed 94% of businesses have invested in advertising on Facebook; and 67% of businesses intend to increase their social media advertising budget in 2018.

topics, current affairs or weather items.

These will be further boosted by Facebook depending on how may likes and shares they generate. They will also be prioritising those sharing ‘Stories’ as Mark explained, “We expect Stories are on track to overtake posts in feeds as the most common way people share across all social apps. That’s because Stories is a better format for sharing multiple quick video clips throughout your day.

The growth of Stories will have an impact on how we build products and think about our business, including WhatsApp and Instagram, which are the #1 and #2 most-used Stories products in the world.”

Well, its best to start with what Facebook says it will give preference to and focus on that. This will help maintain your organic reach within the dual feed when it is eventually introduced.

Your Essential Strategy

Post Content

All posts must generate a positive response by the users, so anything that encourages them to click negatively on the ‘sad’ or ‘angry’ buttons, report posts, or click away will be penalised. They will also be focusing on information shared by trusted and high-quality sources. As Mark explained, “The second update we announced is about making sure the information you see on Facebook comes from broadly trusted and high-quality sources, in order to counter misinformation and polarization.”

Instead they will be looking for authentic and timely posts, which include things with immediate interest such as trending

Something to look out for at the same time as the dual feed, is the new features Facebook has promised to encourage audience engagement with businesses.

Undoubtedly, this will require a fee to be paid, but it will enhance how a business is seen. Mark explains about one such feature, ‘Watch’ and ‘Watch Party’, “Over the next three years, we know video will continue to grow, so our job is to build video experiences that help people connect with friends, family, and groups. That’s why I’m excited about Watch as a place to connect with people who have similar interests, and it’s why we launched Watch Party where friends can watch a show together.”

However, it is worth noting that not every paid feature is worth investing in.

For example, boosting posts is unlikely to help your business become more visible with your audience. This only targets people who are on Facebook at that particular time and not your ideal customer.

So what can you do to react to the changes?

They are asking for posts and videos that are not over-promotional or requesting users to click away from the platform.

This means third party links and language such as ‘click here’ or ‘enter our contest today’ will be lowered in priority by the Facebook algorithm.

Paid Content

Video Content If you use videos to promote your business then Facebook will also be promoting those with high completion rates – watched at least halfway through – and are uploaded directly onto the platform, rather than shared via YouTube or Vimeo. They will also be focusing away from viral content. As Mark noted, “Already last quarter, we made changes to show fewer viral videos to make sure people’s time is well spent.”

Scheduling Content If you are considering scheduling posts on your page, only use the Facebook tool and not a third party platform as that will not be as effective. This is so Facebook can keep its users on its own platform and maintain overall control. Mark reminds us of their overall goal, “… these investments will help us build a stronger community over the long term.”

Every business should have their own marketing strategy and Facebook is one platform that should feature highly within it. However, it is not the only way a business can improve their marketing, drive traffic to their platforms and customers to their booking portals. In fact, with regular and focussed effort to get the right message in front of the right people at the right time, businesses can make huge gains.

For unique accommodation businesses it is important to focus on the most cost effective actions to maximise customer attraction but not distract from the main business of the day. This is why I simplify the whole process in The Marketing Masterclass, to allow businesses to step up like never before, increase their occupancy and generate more income.

If you know you need to stretch and grow, reach more people, increase your occupancy, get organised, understand more about online and offline marketing, get strategic and know your numbers inside-out when it comes to return on investment, then a highly-focused marketing strategy is what you need.

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Nid Perché

The Nesting Rémi Becherel, the founder of Nid Perché has been fascinated by wood since he was a teenager. He travelled through France with the apprenticeship scheme, the Compagnons du Devoir, which enabled him to hone his carpentry skills, before returning to his native region of the Dordogne to set up his own carpentry workshop.

A meeting with a hotel manager and a commission for a cabin gave him the inspiration to create his own company Nid Perché (perched nest) designing tree houses and cabins. Thirteen years later, the company is a leading cabin constructor in France with over 750 projects completed, employing a team of 60. Rémi also runs his own magical glamping site, Chateaux Dans Les Arbres – featuring 6 castle-like structures with spa pools, in the canopies of the trees in the Domaine de Puybeton, Dordogne.

“The company is successful due to Rémi’s determination, perfect organization, tireless self-confidence and a lot of

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patience,” says Baptiste Gaillard, from the company’s commercial department. “The company is now focusing on projects in the UK, including one in Kent which is currently under construction.”

Nid Perché’s inspirational treehouses can be built around a supporting tree (Oak, Beech, or Chestnut for example) provided that the health of the tree is good enough, its roots are secured, it has a diameter of around 90cm, and it is not exposed to unfavourable climatic conditions. Cabins can also be supported by several trees at the same time.

Nid Perché makes every effort to build in a way that respects trees and the environment. “The wood we use for construction (Douglas, Larch) are untreated and PEFC-certified,” adds Baptiste. “The fixing system we use protects and guarantees the development and natural growth of the tree. A phytosanitary inspection is carried out by a forest expert every year to guarantee the health of the supporting carrier tree, and safety for users. This same inspection is carried out every two years,” he adds.

If customers do not have the correct diameter and/or the right kind of tree,

Nid Perché can construct the tree house on stilts and arrange it so that it sits framed by the branches of the tree. In this layout – the tree is more decorative, than actually supportive. Other options include floating cabins – it all depends on the customer’s wishes and the layout of the site.

The company charges an initial fee for consultation of just Euros 450 which includes quotation and plans. This fee can be deducted from the final bill if an order is placed. A site visit is carried out to review the land, spaces and infrastructure and to issue advice and project guidance. Once a quotation has been accepted, construction normally takes between three and five weeks, depending on how elaborate the project is. A security check of the construction site is carried out by an independent body before the accommodation is opened to the public.

It takes on average about three weeks to build an unfurnished cabin of 20m2 (can you use the small squared symbol), on stilts or hanging in a tree. The construction of a bigger area (40m2) or great, fully fitted with bathroom and kitchen would take around five weeks.

Nid Perché

The cost depends on the kind of the cabin you choose (hanging in a tree or on stilts, classical or luxury), how it is accessed (spiral staircase, rope bridge, suspended walkway, caged ladders), its facilities (furniture, mezzanine, canopy) The average cost is between €1300 and €1500per m² excluding tax for an unfurnished version, and between €1800 and €2000 per m² (excluding tax) for a fully furnished version and €2500 (excluding tax) for a luxury version. The lifespan of a treehouse is approximatively 30 years, depending on the position, the weather and the wood.

Rémi has developed his own site: the "Puybeton" estate which is 1km from the production site. “The Chateaux Dans Les Arbres, not only acts as a great showcase of the talents of the company, it has also taught us how profitable tree houses can be for site owners!” says Baptiste. “Rémi’s customers book their accommodation a year in advance. It has proved to be a great benefit to the estate of Puybeton, making it more attractive for visitors and expanding the existing accommodation.”

Today, Nid Perché is actively involved in projects in more than eight different countries and is looking to expand its presence in the UK market. Baptiste is currently based in the UK, liaising with new customers and exploring leads.

For more information contact the company at +33 (0)7 84 18 67 59 or a.gilbert@nidperche.com/ contactunitedkingdom@nidperche.com

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HETAS approved to install stoves and flues and fully experienced in the particular safety needs of the Glamping industry, we can offer a bespoke supply and fit service across the UK and access to a comprehensive range of stoves. Every stove/flue installation receives its own unique HETAS certification and is backed by an ongoing maintenance package.

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01269 842620 info@djdaviesfuels.co.uk or find us at www.facebook.com/welshdragonfuels

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Treehouses

A (Not-So) Short

Treehouse Planning Tale Once upon a time, a boy wanted a treehouse.

A reasonable request for a dreamer. Somewhere outside of the confounds of reality, where he could manifest his ambitions.

It all began a long, long time ago, in the year 2011. The boy; a man – myself – started a glamping agency called Quality Unearthed and soon we began working with the guys behind Bensfield Treehouse.

At the time, their tree house had been used as an office and through discussions with us, they converted it into a successful tree house holiday let. At the same time, we were working with other canvas-based glamping structures but the income from the various other structure types was not a patch on the income from a tree house.

This got us thinking. Could we build some treehouses?

The first barrier to overcome was the land (and the trees!). We live near St Davids in Pembrokeshire, a wind-blown county with a shortage of suitable trees. It surprises many to learn that having the perfect tree is not necessarily a prerequisite, as most modern treehouses are structurally supported by the ground, not the tree itself. We invited out a company to advise and quote on construction of two tree houses on our land.

The site had two main issues; firstly there is a mainline electricity cable that feeds

By Tim Rees, Founder of Quality Unearthed www.qualityunearthed.co.uk

the north of the county running perfectly at eye level of any potential treehouse.

Not the aesthetic we wanted. We asked for quotes from Western Power to put the cable underground, which came back with a not so modest price tag of £157,200.87. I have never understood why the 87p! This cost scuppered tree house project Version 1.

Every cloud has a silver lining though, as the location in West Wales wasn’t perfect.

Most of our guests were based on the South East, and with an average length of stay of 2.8 nights, it was a long way to travel.

At this stage, I decided to place a small advert in Farmers Weekly. Those guys have land, right? In some of the most beautiful places in the UK, right? But would anyone want a strange dreadlocked man to come along and sequester their trees for a hair-brained idea of building luxury treehouses? Probably not, but the ad was cheap, so place the ad we did.

Much to my surprise, we had dozens of responses from land owners ranging from early adopters of glamping, to large estate owners and small holding famers. We

vetted a shortlist and subsequently visited the locations. Our brief was to find somewhere within two hours of a major conurbation, London ideally, with a south-facing aspect, beautiful views and if possible, an element of water such as a river or lake.

We settled on a beautiful estate in West Sussex. The estate had high sustainability credentials and a forward-thinking management team who were relaxed and indeed enthusiastic about the idea. What appealed to the landowner was the fact that these treehouses would be very high quality, aesthetically suited to the estate, and provide an extra accommodation option to service the weddings already taking place. Also, there was good income potential from renting a patch of land that was otherwise generating very little. A win/win situation.

The agreement, in summary, was for Quality Unearthed to pay a land rent of £3,000 per annum, inflation-linked, plus service costs, on a 20 year lease with break clauses after 10 years. The landowner’s responsibility was to help with planning, though not the costs, and to provide electricity and water to the tree house.

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Treehouses

We submitted final plans in mid 2016. The plans were deferred from the planners to committee, which is essentially a gathering of local councillors, where you are asked to present your case.

Planning for a treehouse is much like planning any other structure. We required ground surveys, environmental surveys, tree surveys; from which we were able to get to the exciting bit of designing the tree house itself. We had our application ready to submit, and then came the news. Connection of electricity was going to cost over £30k. The bulk of this was payment to the local electricity board for the physical connection.

Understandably, this was not financially viable for the estate given our terms, and so the project was pulled at the 11th hour.

Enter treehouse site version 3 and some new characters to this tale. As well as Quality Unearthed, I am also director of Quality Cottages and through this role I came to meet Nick House, former Managing Director of Rural Retreats and Wow House. With his extensive knowledge of the holiday let market, we decided to team up in our hunt for a new location. Plans also developed to build 7 tree houses, as the returns become more exciting, indeed viable where we could share the infrastructure set up costs across multiple units.

Through Nick we engaged an estate management company responsible for oversight of multiple high-end estates across the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire who pointed us in the direction of Cornbury Park Estate.

The estate is just outside of Oxford, has beautiful land, good access to

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London and other midland cities, the area has existing tourist demand and the landowner was amenable to alternative uses of his land.

The first thing to get clear when going down this route are heads of terms, i.e. the general agreement as to what a contract would look like if planning is passed and the land developed. During this process, we also engaged a land survey to give a view on two potential sites we were considering. One site was ruled out due to weak root structure of the trees. The second site had been used by the American Military in WW2, and provided a brown field site, despite its appearances of green field, which we also reasoned would be more attractive to planners.

Dealing with the Oxfordshire Council Planning department went relatively well from the start, partly due to an existing good relationship with the land owner.

However, it was a very slow process.

Surveys were done, only to be told the time of year for the survey was wrong, so had to be re-done in the summer, this cost us nearly 6 months. Owing to the woodland location, we also had to plan for access for a fire engine and for fire hydrants for their hoses.

Therefore, we carefully planned the location of the tree houses such that each one does not look upon another, yet they are all reachable by fire brigade hoses.

Nick and I, Nick being the far more respectable in appearance, scanned the room to suss out the jury. A collective of grey-haired gentleman, who all seemed to relish the responsibility and certainly found a smorgasbord of complaints during the preceding applications to ours. This didn’t bode well.

When the time came we presented our impassioned argument for the tree house project, from both a business case and a personal case.

Six years of my life had already gone into this…

When an elderly and very well-spoken councillor stood to speak, a sudden jolt of fear ran through me, what was he going to say? He stood and proceeded to give an equally impassioned defence of our project, insisted this was excellent for the county, and that should we be required to conduct any additional environmental surveys (as was being sought by the planners) he would himself conduct them, walking stick and all!

The councillors voted unanimously for the project.

It has taken a year and half still since the councillors voted for this. The delay has been mostly down to legal wranglings over our responsibility to move a footpath, at the request of a neighbour, so as to avoid noise. However not owning the land of the proposed new path, our hands were a tad tied. Thankfully now complete.

So it’s taken nearly seven years from concept to being able to break ground, which is expected after the summer. We are looking for investors to join us on this journey, so if getting involved with seven luxury treehouses appeals, but the planning process doesn’t, feel free to get in touch.

My advice to others; treehouses continue to be as popular as ever. Manage expectations when it comes to pace of progress and enjoy the journey.

Advertorial

Masters

of all they survey Robert Smithson, surveyor, parks agency, alternative markets at global real estate advisors Colliers International As experts in the holiday park and leisure sectors what trends are you seeing related to the rise in glamping?

owners is that the outlay to obtain the unit and undertake the groundwork required to locate the unit is a lot less – generating the benefit of quicker returns on the investment and pay back periods.

Over the past year alone, the specialist parks and leisure team at Colliers International has witnessed a marked rise in the number of enquiries from interested parties seeking to acquire glamping parks or traditional parks with an element of glamping or space in which to develop a glamping product.

For existing park owners and operators looking to expand, glamping therefore provides a relatively quick, lowmaintenance and low-cost offering, which can be operated easily alongside an existing camping business.

This increased interest emanates partly from the wide range of invaluable sources that we can access – be it new entrants to the market seeking a lifestyle change, existing operators looking to expand or larger groups wanting to take advantage of the growing market. Consequently, we take great pride in being able to sell a leisure business on average every three weeks.

How are park owners benefiting from the growth of glamping?

The income available per glamping ‘unit’ continues to impress and can provide a better return than that from traditional camping pitches. Although still less lucrative in some cases than a traditional touring caravan pitch, static pitch or lodge pitch, the potential upside for park

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The rise and rise of glamping has also allowed smaller and seasonal parks to become all-year round operations, subject to planning consent, thereby generating greater profits from increasing customer numbers and the retention of good staff.

What service can you offer to readers looking to buy or sell a glamping site?

In the past three years, the parks team at Colliers has valued £1bn of parks, marinas and sports-related leisure assets. We provide expert consultancy to investors and operators on the sale, acquisition, disposal and valuation of glamping parks.

As one of the few dedicated specialist leisure property teams in the UK, Colliers’ offers a bespoke service with our expertise and experience in these very specialist markets providing a growing number of

clients with a distinct and clear strategic advantage. For example, we boast extensive operator contacts and clients on the valuation panels of all the major UK banks. We’re members of the BH & HPA (British Home & Holiday Parks Association) and National Caravan Council. Crucially, we have genuine management experience from working hands-on in park businesses. This background enables us to fully understand the business and property asset, from staffing the clubhouse to keeping the drains flowing.

All instructions given to Colliers are led by the person you meet on site and we pride ourselves on being able to deliver a highly professional, commercial service to private clients, corporate operators, funds and private equity, banks, insolvency practitioners, developers, investors and local and central government.

The parks and leisure team is a genuinely national offering with offices in London, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Belfast – providing access to all the regional buyers allowed by that network on the ground. Combining dedicated parks sector expertise with the strength and scale of a global top three property consultancy, Colliers has more than 60 years of leisure sector experience and a high success rate. www.colliers.com

Consider This

With Kate Morel

David and his wife are based in San Francisco and were working on a conservation project, when they first thought of establishing a luxury ‘glamping’ eco-resort in Mexico. It was 2006, when the pair purchased a 200Hello welcome to my new which style acre plotand of land in Playa Icacos, which has a little more space to column had its own mile-long stretch of ocean. sharewere tipsclear and information, as wellthey as on their objectives, They exclusive offers an now andwhere then -guests the first wanted to create oasis is in become this piece.

Thank you to everyone could immersed in nature, who wrote in toturtle say how usefulwithin they volunteer in the sanctuary last year’s Q&A column, I really anfound environmentally conscious resort that doonly appreciate your feedback as it helps not does not harm its surroundings to shape articles for you, keep – me it helps themfuture to thrive. it coming!

“Play Viva is where your vacation meets Thisvalues,” monthsays we’reDavid, goingwho to look at bed your spoke at linen basics, because of all the thingsinwe the recent Global Glamping Summit put into ourhave accommodation, therooms, one Denver.

“We 12 Eco Luxury thing oura guests are going have each with beachfront view,toincluding personal contact with, is the bedding. our new oceanfront treehouse.

Every There’s one operation phrase thatattempts I wouldtolike aspect of our goyou to keeplow-impact. in mind whilst reading this and beyond We are continually that is ‘horses foroncourses’, our improving, based what webecause learn from chosen bed linens need to be being immersed in this appropriate toEach the level environment. year, of hopefully, Playa accommodation we offer, and the prices we charge. Some of this might seem common sense, but believe me, it’s not always common practice.

Mattresses Even in ‘economy class’, reasonable quality mattresses are a must, and the further up the scale we go, the better they need to be. High count pocket springs with plush paddings provide an especially smooth, comfortably supportive mattress. Avoid overly hard or soft mattresses, and add a ‘topper’ if you want to create extra luxurious comfort. Toppers can turn an average mattress into something very comfortable, and are a must at the luxury end of the market.

One of the most common guest complaints is about mattresses - too hard, old and lumpy, springs close to the surface, and rightly so, if they go home more tired than they arrived, it’s hardly ‘a break’, is it? Let’s ensure sure we send our guests home raving about how well they slept.

Duvets & Pillows Feather and down are considered the most luxurious fillings, but might also

Viva gets better and more resilient. This comes from constant feedback loop from guests to staff and listening to the response of the natural systems. We build to the highest environmental standards.”

I was interested to know if David’s plan create issues guests allergies, so for Playa Vivafor was fullywith formed from the using feather and down, do if you’re start, or whether it evolved over time. mention thisof inour yourideas website (N.B. genesis was copy the desire “The hypoallergenic products are now to build green,”F&D he says.

“The design of available).

For glamping especially, Playa Viva started with the regenerative rather than using oneAyrie heavy duvet, These layer concepts of designer Cunliff. the bedding so guests canincontrol their were then executed upon the natural comfortofand temperature during the designs building architect Michel night. Construction I use three layers - a flat the Lewis. details weresheet, added duvet, an easy-wash, warm blanket by localand craftsman who each placed their nicely folded the bottom of the fingerprint onacross the finished look and feel. bed. Always provide derive two pillows per Fixtures and finishes from local person, one one softer,from giving artisans.

Thefirmer Masterand Plan evolves guests the choice. learning from the local landscape.”

Duvet & Regenerative Pillow Covers Ayrie Cunliff, Design Articles swooning over threadand architect, took those key‘high principles count’upcotton bedlinens and came with the conceptabound, of rooms built they certainly belongconstructed in high-endon palm as Living Treehouses accommodations.

Theythe are,coconut however,grove a trees transplanted from devil I’ve received epic ‘facials’ on sitetotopress, the beach front. These palm whilst steaming them into something resembling a smooth finish. Try to choose the best quality you can, without making too much work for yourself, after all, who really needs two to three facials a week!

A few ‘Top Tips’:

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Save money by buying bed linens and towels from a contract supplier rather than expensive department stores.

Even at budget level you’ll get a better product for the money, plus they are made for high levels of wear and laundering. Exceptions: exclusive accommodations might still want to offer designer linens that co-ordinate with an interior design scheme.

Plan for Laundering. If you intend using a professional laundry service and ignored tip number, check that they’ll process bed linens with buttons or poppers, many won’t, and they won’t take small volumes, either. If you’re doing laundry ‘in-house’, allocate enough time for it in your weekly schedule, depending on the number of beds and your washing facilities, it can be time-consuming.

Protect your expensive mattresses, as well as reassuring guests of good hygiene practice, by using a breathable,

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Kate provides advice and support to landowners and businesses who want to create successful glamping sites. She also offers contract consultancy support to related companies and tourism bodies. If you want to know about your site’s potential, or need advice on which structures to choose, or planning permissions, Kate can point you in the right direction. Get in touch for a chat, and put your glamping offer up there with the best: Phone 07849 514588, Email info@katemorel.com www.katemorel.com For free, community minded support, join Kate’s Facebook Group ‘Glamping Business Link’. waterproof protector, I can’t trees wouldmattress then form living piers believe how the many placesdunes. still don’t reinforcing coastal Phaseuse One mattress protectors, they are an construction was ledreally,

by Mexican absolute architect,must.

Lewis and his team of local Extra builders. sets, always buy an absolute craftsman Construction bare included minimumlocally of 3 sets of linens materials harvested (and towels)woods per bedsuch – one on, oneand in sustainable as Bocote laundry, and a good back-up stock Guapinol and Bamboo.

Palapa roofof spares.

Trywere to stick to oneright styleon or the Playa materials gathered supplier, or you’ll be fiddlingfaucets about and Viva property.

Hand-hewn trying to match up odd duvet covers, pillow cases and towels for each unit (unless of course it’s shabby chic, or ‘random’ is part of the look).

Pillows, even the ‘washable’ ones don’t wash well and end up lumpy.

Always use pillow protectors and wash regularly. They also add another layer of comfort, and reassurance, to guests.

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And finally, I have cheekily asked one of my suppliers, ‘Star Linens’, www.starlinen.co.uk to give us an exclusive offer, and they kindly agreed to give a 15% discount on first orders from ‘International Glamping Business’ readers. All you need to do is quote ‘Glamping Business Magazine’ when placing your order. Do note that the offer ends on 31st July 2018, and excludes beds and ‘Clean’ brand products. I usually speak to Nathan, so if you’re setting up and need advice on choosing bedlinens and towels, try him as a first ‘port of call’, he’s knows his products, and is a helpful, friendly chap to boot.

Here’s to another successful season.

Till next time,

Kate Gl

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Mexico

Playa Viva: A Deeper Connection

By Steph Curtis-Raleigh

For David Leventhal and his wife Sandra Kahn, who created Play Viva, their ecoresort is about establishing a delicate balance between the accommodation itself, the surrounding area, the nature, the local people and of course the guests. This ethos can be summed up as Whole Systems Thinking, which is where the separate elements influence one another within a whole, just as the sun, soil, air, plants and animals do. It’s about interaction and support and how that ultimately leads to regeneration.

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David and his wife are based in San Francisco and were working on a conservation project, when they first thought of establishing a luxury ‘glamping’ eco-resort in Mexico. It was 2006, when the pair purchased a 200acre plot of land in Playa Icacos, which had its own mile-long stretch of ocean.

They were clear on their objectives, they wanted to create an oasis where guests could become immersed in nature, volunteer in the turtle sanctuary within an environmentally conscious resort that not only does not harm its surroundings – it helps them to thrive.

I was interested to know if David’s plan for Playa Viva was fully formed from the start, or whether it evolved over time.

“The genesis of our ideas was the desire to build green,” he says. “The design of Playa Viva started with the regenerative concepts of designer Ayrie Cunliff. These were then executed upon in the natural designs of building architect Michel Lewis. Construction details were added by local craftsman who each placed their fingerprint on the finished look and feel.

Fixtures and finishes derive from local artisans. The Master Plan evolves from learning from the local landscape.”

“Play Viva is where your vacation meets your values,” says David, who spoke at the recent Global Glamping Summit in Denver. “We have 12 Eco Luxury rooms, each with a beachfront view, including our new oceanfront treehouse. Every aspect of our operation attempts to go beyond low-impact. We are continually improving, based on what we learn from being immersed in this environment.

Each year, hopefully, Playa Viva gets better and more resilient. This comes from the constant feedback loop from guests to staff and listening to the response of the natural systems. We build to the highest environmental standards.”

Ayrie Cunliff, Regenerative Design architect, took those key principles and came up with the concept of rooms built as Living Treehouses constructed on palm trees transplanted from the coconut grove on site to the beach front. These palm trees would then form living piers reinforcing the coastal dunes. Phase One construction was led by Mexican architect, Lewis and his team of local craftsman builders. Construction materials included locally harvested sustainable woods such as Bocote and Guapinol and Bamboo. Palapa roof materials were gathered right on the Playa Viva property. Hand-hewn faucets and

Mexico

fixtures were sourced from the nearby town of San Miguel de Allende, copper fixtures from Santa Clara del Cobre and tableware from the tiny village of Capula.

The resort design made very few demands on the landscape – apart from the replanting of the palm trees and this turned out to be one of the biggest challenges. “The trees did not thrive in their new location and this was quite worrying initially,” says David. “In the end, the solution turned out to be very simple – we were just not watering them enough!”

For David, the infrastructure of Playa Viva truly came together when the treehouse was constructed, which was 7 years after the original suites were built.

“The treehouse represents everything we wanted to achieve in terms of sustainable design and luxury,” says David. “It is our most popular accommodation, often chosen for honeymoons and it forms the core of the resort.” The treehouse is truly spectacular, raised six feet above the

ground and perched in palm trees overlooking the ocean. It features a king size bed, private bathroom, and small lounge area with in-floor hammock. “I would go so far to say this one iconic building has completely revolutionized our endeavour,” says David.

because of an outbreak of swine flu. In Mexico – tourism accounts for almost 10 per cent of the economy and in 2009, the US advised against non-essential visits.

Hotels were forced to close and this caused mass redundancies across the country.

The initial treehouse design was the creation of Kimshasa Baldwin of Deture Culsign based in Chicago. Kimshasa came recommended as part of Boutique Design Magazine's 18 Rising Stars. Her innovative design provided Playa Viva with the now-iconic bamboo cylinder also nicknamed ‘Tiki Airstream’ or ‘Bamboo Skylab’. The unique shape, infloor hammock and use of natural and local building materials helped it win Hospitality Design ‘Best of Show’ and earn the moniker, ‘The wave of the future 2016’.

Thankfully for Playa Viva – a local woman, Julia Garcia, who had lost her job in one of the bigger hotel chains walked onto the site and introduced herself. “She was from the nearest village and she had heard that we were setting up a resort. We hired her on the spot. It was like a gift from the gods!” says David.

“Julia is still with us and as well as doing an excellent job of managing Playa Viva, she also helps to strengthen our links with the local area. We are now the biggest local employer and this has helped to regenerate the local village and stop so many of the young people from moving away to find work.”

Playa Viva was opened for guests in 2009, which was a difficult time for a new venture. The recession was biting and tourism in Mexico was decimated

Playa Viva is also engaged in education, health, and economic development

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Mexico

within the community and has a dedicated staff member for social and environmental impact, and baseline study for impact. The resort also carries out vital environmental work, involving a turtle sanctuary, mangrove and coastal forest restoration and a drone mapping project.

“We look at every aspect of our influence and do so much work in this area – it is really core to our story,” says David.

“From engaging with local universities to creating a local, resilient and sustainable food system from farmers, ranchers to fishermen – we look at sustainability and the ecosystem. We even make our own soaps from local essential oils. When we first envisioned Playa Viva we were excited about all the possibilities. We talked of, ‘driving our veggie bio-diesel van to pick up guests and making our own soap from the glycerin byproduct’. It took a few years, but we have even achieved that part of the vision.

Yes, the soaps in Playa Viva are made locally from waste, yet they are amazingly regenerative for your skin.”

Despite the homespun values behind

Playa Viva, the resort manages to exude its own brand of high-end, if simple, luxury. “Luxury is not gold-plated faucets and marble floors,” says David. “Luxury is about attention to detail in design and service. An old tree branch can be crafted Into a sustainable and luxurious towel rack. Making sure that you have a sun dried organic luxurious bath towel handy that was washed from water sourced from a bountiful well on site, cleaned in a washing machine powered by solar energy, and waste-water that flows to an onsite natural waste-water treatment facility for cleaning and discharging back into nature to replenish the water table now that is sustainable luxury. This is how luxury and sustainability coexist.”

It is a formula that certainly works with the guests – Playa Viva achieves an enviable occupancy rate and actively targets groups. “Most of our bookings come from groups who we have attracted with our environmental activities and our yoga courses,” says David. “The resort is ideal for groups – we all share a large table for dinner, for example. We have found social media to be a fantastic way to reach guests, organisations and

individuals who come and teach activities.

“It sounds trite to say we are creating a community of like-minded individuals, but that is what we are trying to do. So, what are these individuals like? They are like you, they are part of families that are interested in making this world a better place. They are involved in interesting activities, they are smart, they want to be healthy, they believe that we suffer from ‘nature deficit disorder’ and want to participate in creating community,” adds David – who spends around a week a month at Playa Viva himself.

“In the many years that we have operated Playa Viva, what surprises us most and brings us the most joy is the response that we get from guests who meet people they never knew before staying with us and have maintained those new friendships long after their stay. Playa Viva, self-selects a very special type of person, the type of person you want to meet and with whom you want share this experience.” Once again, Playa Viva provides the connection! www.playaviva.com

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Global Glamping Summit

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERY SEE YOU IN CALIFOR

Denver, Colorado International Glamping Business magazine was thrilled to be part of the first US event, organised by our colleagues at Swan Events and online booking giant Glamping Hub at the end of last month.

Glamping in the US is highly developed in some ways and yet still in its infancy in others. Camping in cabins and tents as part of the leisure and hiking/hunting experience is part of the culture, however, it is only fairly recently, that the term ‘glamping’ has been introduced to the US. “We have shown our tents at hunting and outdoor shows for years and fairly recently I started to decorate them in a glamping style. The initial reaction from some of the guys was horror, but then they brought their wives over to see the tents, saying ‘You have got to see this!’

We knew we were onto something,” said vendor Laurie Womer, from Denver Tent Co. “We are at the forefront of a huge wave in the US – glamping is going to be huge and we are positioned to be swept along with it. This event is fantastic because it is dedicated purely to glamping and people who are involved in the business.

There is nothing else like it – glamping is still a term that many people have not yet heard of – but that will change!” she added.

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The excitement at the event was palpable, with a full capacity of delegates who travelled from all over the world to attend. Operators from Canada, the Caribbean, all over the US and Australia, joined speakers from Europe and the US in an informal two days of networking and information swapping. The event got off to an inspirational start with a keynote presentation by Cameron Brown from The Thriving Collective, who has embarked on a global initiative, shedding his possessions, and travelling the world to talk and create music about environmental projects he has been involved in.

Glamping Hub co-founder Ruben Martinez then welcomed Sarah Dusek from Under Canvas Inc. to talk about her incredible success with safari tent style glamping – she founded Under Canvas with her husband and has now established camps on the outskirts of almost every major US national park.

Under Canvas has on average 50-80 tents in each of its 7 locations and enjoys great success with its off-grid approach. Sarah surprised delegates with the news that she intends to start a US trade association in

order to create standardisation within the sector.

Delegates then streamed off into various seminar options, featuring a number of inspirational speakers, including Sarah Riley of InspiredCamping.com who gave two seminars – one on social media and the other on ensuring that guests return.

Richard Otten of Glamping.nl also brought a European perspective to his talk about what the US Glamping market could learn from Europe.

On day two – the keynote speaker was Peter Mack, Founder and CEO of Collective Retreats, the experiential luxury hotel brand. His inspirational talk on connecting guests with land, communities and themselves, summed up the main themes of the Denver conference.

Environment, regeneration and reconnection – as well as standardisation were all explored in various ways by speakers. The opportunity to create experiential travel for guests, which treads lightly on the earth and gives back to the community was definitely the message

Global Glamping Summit

ONE FOR MAKING OUR DENVER 2018 SUMMIT SUCH A SUCCESS NIA LATER THIS YEAR AND IN DENVER IN APRIL 2019

that delegates took away with them.

Beyond that – it was interesting to hear the mantra “think big or go home” repeated several times over the two days by those in the know.

Resort, Vineyard Glamping Chateau Ramšak and Glamping Olimia Adria Village.

With Europe embracing both boutique and resort concepts with successful businesses relying on just a clutch of accommodation – it was interesting to hear the experts in the US urge new operators to expand their offer from the get-go. “I started Playa Viva with just five rooms because the recession was biting and Mexico was in the grip of a swine flu epidemic,” said David Lenventhal during his interview with Steph Curtis-Raleigh of International Glamping Business on day two. “But my advice to anyone starting out would definitely be to think bigger and go for more accommodation.”

You can read a more in-depth interview with David in this issue.

Maja used the Global Glamping Summit to preview an exciting new project – she is founding a global certification scheme called World of Glamping (worldofglamping.com) which will classify glamping along three different streams; namely Lodging (top-end), Glamping (luxury/hotel standard) and Scouting (quality, does not necessarily have en-suite). Up to seven stars will be available in each category and World of Glamping will offer advice on improving standards, an awards scheme and marketing in the form of the creation of ‘chains’ of glamping sites in different countries which will promote the best of glamping to customers worldwide (offering themes such as gastronomy, wine, adventure etc.).

It was ‘standing room only’ when Maja Dimnik from GLAMpro gave her talk on taking a site to the next level. GLAMPro have been involved in some truly inspirational projects worldwide including Garden Village Bled (recognised as one of the top 5 glamping resorts in the world), Herbal Glamping

The Global Glamping Summit was held in the comfortable surroundings of the Renaissance hotel in Denver and encompassed an afternoon session on day one, an evening drinks reception and a morning session on day two – with breakfasts and lunches included for delegates, as well as several coffee breaks

to allow delegates to network and to do business with the table-top vendors who were exhibiting. These included: Bushtec, Lotus Belle, Exclusive Tents, Woodytent, Freedom Yurt-Cabins, Denver Tent Co., Stout Tent, Shelter Designs, Reliable Tent & Tipis, Davis Tent and Leanto – and of course Glamping Hub. Swan Events and Glamping Hub have already announced plans for a second Global Glamping Summit this year in California. This will be held at an outdoor/indoor location to allow for exhibitors to bring accommodation to pitch so that US customers can – for the very first time – see a selection of glamping products ‘in the flesh’ in one place.

“Glamping in the US at the moment appears to be very tent-orientated with hardly any pods, domes or huts. We are unaware of any glamping franchises in the States and the options for operators remain fairly limited. The possibilities for manufacturers of glamping accommodation, booking systems and accessories is incredible. I anticipate the California summit will be a whole lot bigger again,” says Steph Curtis-Raleigh.

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Activities

Give Your Guests Something To Do and Double Your Income Once your guests arrive, it is easy to think that the accommodation is occupied, so the job of creating income from your site is done for the moment. However, if you look at it another way - you can double your income and give your guests an even more memorable experience by providing activities for them to do.

Market The term ‘activity break’ used to be used to describe adrenaline junkie holidays of white water rafting and abseiling. Today, activity breaks are sought after by a much wider market audience.

There are the pre-family twenties/early thirties with disposable income and spare weekends looking for experiences rather than possessions.

Further along the life-course, there are also the eco-families not wanting to fly, preferring staycations where they can enjoy a positive break together, creating memories rather than carbon footprints.

In fact, the fastest growing and largest segment of the activity break market is what we call the ‘active greys’. As our ageing population stay healthier for longer and have significant spending power, we see the activity break encompass yoga, art, crafts, cycling and more.

Guests of all ages are looking for activities that promote health and wellness and which are gentle on the earth and the body – so there is massive interest in holiday extras, such as yoga, massage, hot tubs and healthy eating.

This trend was noted by Visa Europe back in 2016 – who reported that people’s

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priorities are changing, with spending on ‘recreation and culture’ rising 8 per cent, year on year, while spending on goods, such as clothing and gadgets was down and the trend is the same across the globe.

Increasingly, the traditional camping holiday for Europeans is being replaced with activity glamping breaks. People everywhere are wanting to connect with nature and experience new things but with their creature comforts around them. Combining glamping with some kind of nature-based activity fulfils this cross-age, cross-global need.

If you can do on-site activities - should you offer the activities yourself or bring in an activities provider?

A google search of ‘your activity choice’ plus ‘your locality’ will net you at least a couple of activity providers who will be happy to come to you. Ensure they are insured, negotiate a discount for regular referrals and list them on your website as an activity provider. You can then allow the enquiries to go to them direct so that you get nothing out of it but customer satisfaction or you can take the bookings, add on a bit and then pay your service provider.

However, this will not double your income, the most effective way to do this is to become your own activities provider.

What could you offer yourselves - do you have any hobbies? Remember you only have to be the level above the beginner to provide someone with a meaningful learning experience, you do not have to be an artist/expert.

What could you offer in house? How about family members - does your son like archery or drumming? Does your husband like golf or cooking curries?

Next, consider employing someone on the payroll who already has an interest or is willing to learn, so the activities are technically still in-house. This is a bit more of a minefield than buying-in an existing service provider with their own insurances, risk assessments etc. but obviously you keep more of what you charge your customers.

We were once quoted £150 an hour plus travel and accommodation for someone to come and teach spoon whittling, whereas if you use your own casual staff you can pay £20 an hour (I use government adult education teaching rate) so your business can net more of the activities fee your customer pays. You need to be insured and have risk assessments for anything you offer in-house and ideally membership to any accreditation schemes who will guide you through the safest way to offer this activity and give you a badge to show customers you are meeting their standards.

Activities

Another point to note about offering activities yourself is that you can take your skills to other Glamping sites who don’t have their own activities. I offer foraging, natural crafts and instinctive archery at other holiday accommodation, often running several sessions in different places at any one time as a lucrative side income to our glamping and on-site activities. If you are a newbie, why not become an Accredited Wild Harvest Activities Provider where you get full training, all the paperwork and insurance you need?

The HSE lists only certain activity provision as needing regulation, these are climbing, caving, white water rafting and mountain trekking. Everything else has no governmental regulation - just voluntary membership of associations to reassure customers you are subscribing to a set of standards concerning safety, equipment and training.

Most people book their activities in advance of arriving - make this as easy as possible with an online booking facility we have an activities shop where, after booking, guests are directed to add on which activity they want. They pay in full with no deposits. It gets too hard to administer in the busy season; but if you are just starting, you can take deposits to make activities more accessible. Do NOT take bookings without taking a decent deposit though, as customers can change their minds and you will be left having bought resources or booked staff.

Finally, If you personally don’t have anything to offer guests in the way of activities - does your environment? Are you in a woodland or do you have a field where you can do a treasure hunt, It’s A Knock Out obstacle course or zorbing?

Even just a picnic area for a Mad Hatter’s tea party!

Insurance and Risk Assessments As an in-house activities provider/ glamping accommodation business - it can be difficult to find one insurance company willing to insure your wide range of activities, accommodation and possibly feeding people, selling products and having open fires. We now offer a solution to this via our own insurance provider, a specialist insurer for activities

and unusual business combinations who we have found very reasonable and reliable.

You will also require a risk assessment. If you haven’t done one already; it is a piece of paper – typed or written – that states all the potential hazards and associated risks that exist or could exist when doing your activity. You should really have one for your venue anyway, but definitely for every activity you offer. Being a qualified teacher, I also create a session plan for every activity and attach the risk assessment to this.

To begin with, offering activities may sound daunting – but you will soon find that you grow in confidence. Even if you simply offer a nature ramble to show off your local area, an Easter Egg hunt, or a pizza making evening – your guests will love it. Activities break down barriers and get guests from different groups mixing together. Guests are on holiday and want to have fun – so they are unlikely to be too critical of your efforts. Importantly, activities are what will make memories and set your glampsite apart from the rest – as well as being a valuable extra source of income.

About the author: Di established Wild Harvest as an activities provider fourteen years ago; teaching wild food foraging and rural skills. Identifying the potential for a larger market for her courses by adding accommodation, she initially allowed customers to camp over in the garden, then five years ago started offering glamping facilities.

Wild Harvest increased the radius customers were willing to travel for the activities from 1.5 hours to nationally and now internationally with customers coming from as far as China and Dubai.

The combination of glamping and activities saw Wild Harvests business quadruple. In her new book How To Set Up a Successful Glamping Site and Get Fully Booked she gives you the exact formula for the Wild Harvest model, together with templates, checklists, branding information, planning tools to get set-up including a letter to help you win over the planning department. www.glampingsitesuccess.com For info on becoming a Wild Harvest Activities provider or Wild Harvest TimberTipis and Activities Franchise email hello@wildharvest.org • For more info on Insurance for glamping and activities through Wild Harvest visit: www.wildharvest.org/insurance/

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Insurance

Cover Up: Make Sure You Get the Right Insurance The essential insurance needs of Glamping – worth reading this as many Glamping covers are set up incorrectly and so the insurances do not respond to claims!

It would be fair to say that for most, setting up correct insurances is not the most exciting thing in their lives, and as a result many insurances are set up in a hurry and the wrong cover is put in place.

The big problem with insurance is that you only find out how good that bit of expensive paper is when you come to claim, and of course if the cover is wrong it is too late to put it right. These problems become more likely if you do something a little different, such as own a glamping site.

So, to help you get things right, listed below are the main things to be aware of when setting up or renewing your glamping insurance covers.

Firstly, make sure you have made a fair presentation of risk to the insurer – because if you have not – your cover could be completely invalidated. For example, if your insurer or broker has listed you as either a camping or caravan park (because they did not understand glamping) then your policy may well be useless in the event of a claim.

The onus is on the commercial insured to correctly include all the details of a risk and if the insurer or broker does not understand glamping, they may well place the policy on the wrong basis.

Beware in particular the words ‘nonadvised’. Almost all direct insurers and quite a few brokers, arrange cover on this basis, which means that the law assumes you are now the insurance expert and their role is merely to take instructions, meaning, if you are not well versed in insurance you will effect the wrong cover and no one will advise you against this action.

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To avoid the nightmare of incorrectly setting up wrong covers, go to a broker who sets up insurances on an advised basis and – better still – one who actually understands the word glamping!

Once you have presented your risk correctly, the main covers you should make sure you have in place are as follows:

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All Risks cover on your buildings and contents (this description will cover all the glamping equipment you own) Do make sure you get ‘all risks cover’ as opposed to restricted perils, such as fire, lightning and explosion only, and do make your broker aware of any periods of unoccupancy; for instance dates when you may close the park.

All Risks cover is not as open as the name implies; as it will exclude gradually operating causes such as wear and tear, but will provide a wide range of protection including fire, flood, storm and theft. Unlike your household policy, accidental damage will automatically come as part of your protection under an all risks wording. Do make sure your sums insured are correct, because otherwise the insurer can apply average (which is insurer speak for a pro rata reduction in your claim). If you insure for 50% of the correct value you will only get 50% of any claim.

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Business Interruption Cover This provides protection for your consequential losses following the occurrence of an insured peril such as fire

or flood. The policy will pay all your fixed costs such as salaries to your employees so you do not have to make them redundant following a fire, it will cover your bank loans, rent, rates, utility bills and all other costs you incur in running a business, your loss pf profit will also be paid. As you are providing a service rather than selling a product, the policy is likely to be set up on a gross revenue basis. The important thing with business interruption cover is to make sure the indemnity period is long enough.

Many insureds only pay for the basic twelve months cover and the problem here is that following a fire or flood, your business nearly always takes longer to recover than this period and it is worth noting this insurance will continue to pay out even after the property is fully repaired, because if customers are not coming back because they could not rebook with you then any shortfall in income will still be paid. This is why you should have a minimum indemnity period of 24 months.

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Employer’s Liability cover If you employ anyone, you have a legal requirement to take out Employer’s Liability cover – this is not optional! This cover protects you against your legal liability, should one or more of your employees be injured or contract a disease through employment-related activities.

Almost the whole market issue policies at a limit of indemnity of £10m for any one occurrence. While most claims would not exceed this amount, there are occasions where this could be breached; so consideration needs to be given on whether you want more than this figure.

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Public and Products Liability cover This cover protects you against your legal liability should a member of public (including customers) be injured or suffer property damage. For example, a child could get injured in one of your play parks, which was found not to be set up properly, a third party vehicle could get damaged due to a large pot hole on one of your paths – solicitors are quick to apportion blame against business owners and you need to protect yourself with a good limit of indemnity.

Many policies issue Public Liability cover of £2m, this may sound a lot but most certainly is not and you should be thinking in terms of a minimum here of at least £10m if not higher. Remember if your insurance limit is not enough; you have to make up the difference out of your own funds. The law suit is against you, not your insurer, and they never pay more than the limit of indemnity. To put a context here, the highest damages settlements in the UK are running at over £25m and these relate in each case to a

single injured individual. Due to a certain legal change known as ‘Ogden’ the topend claims are set to rise well above this £25m level!

large excesses and it is often the case that ‘glamping ‘ as a business description is not available from the drop down box; so are you now properly covered?

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If you do have any queries following reading this article then please do call Marc Loud at Park insurance on 0117 955 6835. Park is an independent broker on an advised basis and Marc fully understands the word glamping! – so your covers will be set up correctly and you can sleep sound at night because after all that is what insurance is for to take away the worries of unexpected events.

Director and Officers cover This protects all individual directors and managers should they be sued or prosecuted in their personal capacity as the above-mentioned liability covers only protect the company. An example here is that a lawsuit is run against an individual director; or the HSE look to prosecute that same individual because a child has been badly injured on your play park.

This policy would respond in providing legal protection and in the event of a civil lawsuit would also pay for any damages awarded against you.

Motor insurance cover This is a legal requirement and if the vehicle is of any decent value, comprehensive cover should be put in place. Beware buying online with this product, as the online providers insert

Other covers There are a number of other covers a business should consider; such as cyber liability, environmental liability and commercial legal expenses. Again, this is why you should approach a broker who is on an advised basis and who understands the term ‘glamping’ as they can take you through these other covers and allow you to make an informed decision.

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PitchUp

Harness

Your Assets

Until about 20 years ago, camping was mistakenly regarded by some as the preserve of twitchers and tourists who couldn’t afford a bargain break on the Spanish Costas. Kate Moss staying at Glastonbury enshrined the idea of ‘glamping’ into UK popular culture, and today there are only six times more searches on Google UK for “camping” compared to “glamping”, versus 22 times more in 2012.

By Outdoor accommodation specialist Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com The evolution of glamping into a significant accommodation sector, embracing everything from safari tents to cabins, farm stays to forest retreats, has well and truly busted the old clichés, and redefined what it means to enjoy an outdoor holiday.

Glamping - particularly ‘fixed’ types of accommodation such as pods and cabins - continues to rise in popularity in Great Britain, but for our European neighbours revelling in the natural splendour of the great outdoors (whether in in a tent, yurt, cabin or motorhome) has long been part of wider holiday culture.

In countries such as Denmark, Sweden and France, outdoor accommodation’s share of total nights is more than double the EU average*. Here in the UK, registrations of motorhomes, the embodiment of embracing the freedom of the open road and great outdoors, rose 14 per cent year-on-year in 2017, according to The National Caravan Council. On Pitchup.com, bookings for UK tent, static caravan, motorhome and touring pitches have made up 24 of the top 25 selling options so far this year, showing that whilst glamping remains something of a poster child for outdoor accommodation, it’s far from the only option. Figures from VisitEngland’s Great Britain Tourism Survey show that glamping represented 3% of overall domestic camping and caravan trips in 2016.** So, what must UK glampsite owners do to ensure their business is sustainable, especially in a market where what’s on trend - and what’s not - can shift season to season with major impact on the bottom line?

Owners can look to our European neighbours, especially Italy, France and the Balkans, to see what is working well and what keeps customers happy. In recent years, domestic holidaymakers have

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woken up to the breadth and quality of tourism experiences here in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with outdoor accommodation providing the ideal holiday solution for every type of traveller.

Capitalise on the unique nature of your location and offer an authentic, memorable stay - it’s that simple.

This summer sees the first ‘glamping supersite’ opening in Croatia boasting top-drawer facilities - Illy coffee machines, Bose sound systems and on-site cinema. That speaks volumes about how glamping is maturing. In Slovenia, sites such as Boutique Camping Ljubljana provide a remarkable way to stay in the capital city: tents in a private garden within walking distance of the centre and hosts who’ll happily help with tours and advice. Firepits, sauna pods, ecoworkshops and connectivity with the local community and environment are just some aspects of an outdoor holiday that Pitchup.com customers rate highly.

Pitchup.com now offers over 3,000 locations in 45 countries, with stellar spots such as a Slovakian naturist site and Botswana’s Grassland Bushman Lodge with wildlife viewing towers exemplify what makes a successful glamping business: a memorable experience complemented by a sense of place, without compromising on comforts. The government of Wallonia agrees, having recently created a definition for glamping in the southern Belgian region that hinges on the accommodation being remarkable and in a unique geographical location.

To remain current, ensure viability and sustain your glamping business, it’s imperative to harness the power of the assets you enjoy such as proximity to tourism sites or natural habitats, and provide guests with an experience that they recognise offers more than ‘posh tents’. It may not require coffee makers and state-of-the-art sound systems, but glamping does need to offer something a little bit special.

Flower Power As we bounce through spring we’re finally starting to see the amazement and abundance of wild vegetables growing all around us. Suddenly the worlds alive, leaves sprout all over our gardens, woodlands and field edges.

One of the blessings of being a forager is that you no longer look at an unkempt lawn with a shudder, or as yet another chore in waiting. No, instead it is a land of opportunity and gastro delights waiting to be explored.

We’ve been trying to persuade everyone we work with to hold on to a couple of wild and un kept spaces, not only is it good for the insects, it can also supply a valuable and exciting food source for anyone who’s willing to learn and pick.

Currently, I have a healthy population of turbo charged Lady’s Smock, which gives a lovely chilli kick to a salad and works especially well as a beef garnish. Beautifully flowered Dandelions and Daisies will be used in preserves and salads, and the full-flavoured salad leaf Chickweed is being used in a side dish with almost every evening meal.

For more information on all of the plants mentioned above visit our site at: www.totallywilduk.co.uk to discover detailed information and recipes.

James Wood is a renowned experimental wild food forager running wild food cookery and foraging courses throughout the UK and is author of “The Foragers Cookbook” www.totallywilduk.co.uk , @totallywilduk james@totallywilduk.co.uk

Dandelion Flower Fritters These fritters are a brilliant way to use up dandelion flowers sprouting throughout your garden edges, simply pick fresh, give the flowers a shake to allow any insects to fly away, dip in the batter, fry and enjoy. Even better if you keep the flowering top attached to the stalk you can use the stalk like a handle.

Ingredients: (To easily make 10 dandelion fritters) G 10 dandelion flowering tops (stalks still on) G 50g plain flour G 1 egg G 130ml milk G A dusting of icing sugar Method: 1. Sift the flour in to a large mixing bowl, crack the egg in to the middle (removing the shell) and whisk in. it will be very thick for now.

2. Add the milk in small amounts (25ml at a time) and whisk until you reach the consistency of thick cream 3. Place a little oil in a frying pan and bring up to heat 4. Simply dip your dandelion flowers in the batter and fry for approx. 12minutes until golden brown. Remove and place on some kitchen roll.

5. Allow to cool for a minute then dunk in a little icing sugar and enjoy.

Take to the Skies Content shot from the air enables your potential guests to gain a unique perspective on the venue. It shows them who you are, what you are about and what you can offer. But before you rush off and buy a drone, there are a few things you should know. The first being that using a drone for commercial purposes (like shooting an aerial video of your site) requires a legally qualified professional to shoot it, if not, it will be illegal footage.

Here’s a guide as to what you should look for

1.Permissions from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Permissions from the CAA, are not much to look at. They look like a photocopied sheet of A4, but what they mean is that your operator has qualified and met the minimum safety criteria necessary to have ‘Permission for Commercial Operation’ awarded from the CAA.

2.Insurance that meets EC 785/2004 You chosen partner must be able to present you with an insurance certificate that meets these criteria. You should also ask what their level of cover may be, and decide if it is suitable for your project. Typical levels of cover can range from £1,000,000 upwards.

Is the level of liability of your chosen operator sufficient? Consider carefully!

3.Do they know their subject matter?

Is your provider knowledgeable on where they can, and cannot fly? Are they asking you questions about the area where the project is to take place, public access, what file formats you require?

4.Are their names on the list!

If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in! The CAA produces a list of PFCO holders and updates it once a

They say that if a picture is worth a thousand words then a moving picture must be worth a million. When people view your content they want to be told a story. Cinematic content is the most powerful sales tool in the world, and content shot from the air can really bind the fabric of that story together. month (http://www.caa.co.uk/ Consumers/Unmanned-aircraft-anddrones/). If your supplier is genuine they will be on it, if they are not then they won't.

Ian Titchener is the Managing Director and Senior Pilot at Ely Aviation, which uses the latest cutting-edge drone technology to provide aerial surveys, 3D mapping and videography. All his drone operators are qualified to Civil Aviation standards and are fully insured. Ely Aviation holds PFCO status from the CCAA and is certified to operate throughout the UK. www.elyaviation.co.uk

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