Themed Weekends
For Campgrounds
Convention 2005
Speaker - Lori Severson
Getting Started
Breaks
Share as much information as you are comfortable.
Take home information along with new idea
generation.
Get yourself in the right mind-set.
Be able to adapt ideas to your campground.
Earn Your Tickets Sheet
Jot down ideas or thoughts you can actually put to use.
Steal ideas from others.
Jot down thoughts you want to remind yourself of.
As we go through the day, you’ll earn tickets for each
idea.
You must ask a person to be your buddy.
They must confirm & check to be sure they have the number you
requested open.
Your number & their number should match.
You should fill all 6 slots with different people if possible.
Try not to select “used” buddies.
Buddy checks are quick, when I call the number of your buddy, find the
person & talk about the topic. You will have only a short time so get right
to the task.
When you hear the signal buddy check is over.
What We Will cover
New ways to develop theme weekends
Vary the ideas
Trends
Partnering
Mixing fun & profitability
Generation Y perspective
Interactive practice on theme ideas
Specialty groups
Donations
Why do a themed weekend?
Benefits
Brings more people into campground
Makes it a memorable experience for the campers
Gives campers incentives to camp with you
Give you options in new markets
Generates ancillary income
A B C Activity
Experience the activity
Earn WACO Bucks!
Practice making it work in your environment!
BRAINSTORMING SESSION
Use a whiteboard or a wall
Have some sticky notes (Post-its) available
Write down all ideas and stick them on the wall/whiteboard
After you have about 50 or more ideas – start to prioritize
Put the ones that are the favorites to the top
Have everyone commit to the ones picked
Put someone in charge to see they happen
How to market Your Themed Weekend
Do a mailing to your customer database listing all events for the year. Could be
followed up monthly with another mailing
Post your list to your web site
Make Posters with year activities to hang at your campground
Consider Partnering with a charity
News releases
Telemarketing – Could start with those who recently visited your campground
and ask them if they were satisfied with their stay – then lead into upcoming fun
weekends
Ask your regulars to pass some flyers to their friends
Partner with other companies
Use Media partners
Making it happen – Things to have in place before
season starts
After you have selected your themed weekends go
through each one and make sure you have:
Supplies to do each one
Staff to do each one
Agenda (time schedule) for each one
Prizes
Safety checks
People Power Options
Charities
Seasonals
Schools: Community Service
Scouts and Church Groups
Internships
Create a mailing or calling volunteer list
Volunteers
Expect 50% to show up – Schedule accordingly.
Have reserve areas to use people in if they all show up.
Create “roving” positions.
Schedule volunteers for 3-4 hours unless they really
want to stay.
Move them around to keep them excited about what
they are doing.
Volunteers
Send out a letter or hold a meeting explaining exactly what to
wear & what level of service you need.
Provide a break area stocked with water & snacks…not
necessary, but makes the volunteers feel appreciated. Have this
area off limits to the public.
Track the names & numbers of your volunteers. E-mail is a
great meeting organization tool.
Working With Charities
Choosing a charity
Determine what your goal is with the event.
a. Exposure
b. Publicity
c. Bring overnight guests to your park
d. Bring in day business to the park
Charities- Questions to Ask
What ties do you have with the media?
What is the number of people on the committee or
board.
Meet the group…are they a “working” group.
What contacts do they have as a group. Find out where
they work-what they have access to.
Charities
Notoriety is important if you want to have the charity
draw from a wider area.
Local charities create community exposure and can
help you distribute future information.
Ask for the charities annual report. Look for excessive
administrative numbers along with reputation.
Charities
Partnering With Companies
Attraction organizations
Other vacation spots that want to advertise
Organizations with lunch rooms
Speedways
Shopping locations
Places who have a great customer count & are within
your target market.
Free Mascots
Happy Joe’s Pizza – Happy Joe Dog
McDonalds – Grimace & Hamburger
McGruf Crime Dog
WPS – Louie the Lightening Bug
Cousin’s Subs – Subby
Hardee’s –Hardee’s Star
Wendy’s – Wendy
Library’s
Baseball teams
Trends
Getting ideas
How to keep on the cutting edge
Contests with employees
Game shows
Using education & crafts together
Groups
Go through your assigned theme weekend
Be prepared to explain it to the group
Talk about variations & how you could customize it to
your campground….keep in mind size.
Planning
Date
Time
Theme
Budget
Site
Coordinator
Planning
Draw a layout of the site & activities
Evaluate for safety, flow, and access
Determine supplies & equipment needs
Gather & organize the items
Organize volunteers if available
Contact other organizations for help
Organizing
Create a master list of everything that needs to be done.
Delegate any tasks that can be done.
Write down who has been delegated to what task & the time
frame to complete task. Important when using volunteers.
Prioritize the list weekly & make a weekly to do list.
Organize the list as to where items will be purchased, donated
or borrowed.
Organizing
If materials need to be ordered, order at least 6 weeks
in advance.
The month before the event, prioritize the “to do” list
by what needs to be done each week.
Two weeks before the event, write up daily to do lists.
Procrastination
The more you do it….the better you get at it.
Set aside just 15 minutes every day to work on your
promotions.
Notebook – computer all the same
Write it down-
Purpose
To Educate
To Entertain
To Provide a unique experience
To Celebrate
To Create excitement
To Raise Money
Components
Be easily accomplished by a large number of people in a short
amount of time.
Depending on your park…some activities will work great.
Others not so great!
Require easy-to-find and inexpensive supplies.
Do not require special equipment or liability insurance.
Interesting to a range of ages
Safe…& of course fun!
Developing a Theme Weekend
Pick topics out of basket
As a team develop your own theme weekend coming
up with as many ideas as you can think of!
Prioritizing
Prioritizing is the ability to concentrate on your tasks
long enough to identify the key items that will give you
the best results.
Prioritizing The Daily Action List
Which items will best help achieve my long-term goals?
What will help yield greatest long-term results?
What will give the highest payoff?
What will happen if I don’t do each of these projects today?
Who will it affect? Will anyone suffer?
On a long-term basis, which items will make me feel best to
accomplish?
Prioritizing Your To Do List
Only 7 A’s even for superman or superwoman!
Remember to ask for help as soon as you see the A’s
are overwhelming.
Under plan verses over plan!
When you delegate, follow-up before your must have
date!
The 5 Minute Plan
5 minutes before you leave the workplace figure out
what needs to be done the next day.
Write down your action plan for the next day.
Gives you a feeling of being in control & more
organized.
Make Use of Bits of Time
Break your projects down into 5 or 15 minute pieces.
Start your projects by working backwards.
What is your finish date?
Plan during a low peak time so you are ready to hit the
A’s during your peak time.
Procrastination
You also get the added benefit of letting your creative
subconscious work on your task.
You’ll soon discover unexpected resources and new
ways to streamline your tasks.
You begin to think more creatively when you break the
project down into bite size pieces.
Procrastination
Grab 5 method:
Each and every day of the week commit to taking 5 minutes to
work on a selected task. Be sure to use a watch with a minute
hand and devote a “full” uninterrupted 5 minutes to the task.
You may go over the 5 minutes, but Never go under the 5
minutes. This method is great for people who have a difficult
time breaking down the task.
Procrastination Busters
Work with a buddy.
Make yourself accountable.
Post your progress. Use a visual.
Reward yourself.
Analyze why you are procrastinating.
Identify your highest priorities.
Clear your mind and area to focus on the highest priority.
Recognize what procrastination does to
your self-esteem and stress level.
Projects
Start & end time.
Clarify and add a sense of urgency.
Divide and conquer.
Handling boring tasks.
Focus on benefits not difficulties.
In today-out today.
Self-talk
Keep an “idea” folder
Work Backwards
What projects do I have in the future?
Draw out a timeline working backwards that helps you
understand how much of the project needs to be done each
day to meet or exceed your deadline.
Analyze each project, to determine if the value of the project is
worth the investment of time and effort.
Make appointments with yourself.
Swiss-Cheese Approach
Breaking down projects into bite size pieces.
Start “making holes” in the project.
Work backwards, by thinking I need to do this but first I have to
do ____.
Think about what you can do today.
Put the end date on your piece of paper & work backwards, by
estimating the amount of time each piece will take.
Plan-o-gram
Way to brainstorm ideas & plans on paper without
having to have an order to it.
Clustering
Index card method
Creative & visual way to brainstorm.
Networking for fun & profit
What’s the first thing that pops into your
mind when you say small talk?
Making An Impression
First impressions count
Look the part
Start with a firm handshake
Make eye contact
Use good body language
Use your voice correctly
Stay focused
Which of these is the hardest for you???
Great Connections
Tell too many details.
Brag
Interrogate
Insist on One-upping
Seek free advice
Interrupt
Refuse to play
Give advice
Converting
Inappropriate jokes
Networking
Building relationships.
Commitment.
Enjoying the game.
Discovering opportunities.
No mystery…no manipulation.
Networking Strategy
Showing up is 90 percent of
the success factor.
Talk to your buddy about
what keeps you from
showing up….
Networking Greats
What actions, behaviors,
attitudes, do people who are
great networkers have?
What do they do?
How do they act?
What do they say?
Brainstorm Organizations
Example: Bicycle obstacle course as a part of race week:
Law enforcement
School Crossing Guards
McGruff the Crime Dog
Local bike stores
Agenda’s
The things you want to give and get in life form your
agenda.
Without an agenda we lose focus.
Your agenda is information you have that you would
be willing to share along with information you are
looking for.
Have to give….Want to get
Material things.
Knowledge.
Information.
Ideas.
Mentors.
Related to goals.
Press Releases
Concise
Well-written
Factual
Honest
Timely
Press Releases
Questions to consider before you write:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Who is your preferred audience?
What do you want readers to take away?
What does your release provide: Invaluable information or just an
offer?
What is the tone of your release?
Are you aware of the pitfalls or areas to avoid?
What do you want to accomplish?
Press Releases
Does the release’s (Opening) address or answer the basic
tenets of journalism:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
Headline Tips
Must convey a benefit or intrigue the customer.
Speak as if to one customer not a group.
Write your headline in news style.
Feature the price.
Announce the offer.
Begin with How to, why, which, you or this.
Judging The Effectiveness
Does our headline communicate a clear and compelling
benefit?
Have I made the reader an offer that’s hard to refuse?
Am I easy to do business with?
Is the vocabulary I’m using a good match for my readers?
Can I use a guarantee to add credibility.
Is the copy lively enough to keep the reader with me?
Every Marketing Program Needs…
Amazement=You need an element of this in every part of your marketing
process. Make it different. Think cutting edge. Copy & twist to make it
different and unique.
Measurement=Measure every piece of promotion you do. Ask every
customer how they heard of you. The more information you gather, the
better. Allows you to eliminate strategies that don’t work.
Difference between success & failure is market planning & implementing.
Themes need time to “catch on” 5 – year plan!
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Networking
Making it easy for customers to buy from you.
Using coupons, rebates, gifts, samples.
Improve your personal sales ability.
Offer in-person demonstrations of your product and
service.
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Offer premiums in exchange for leads.
Canvassing.
Personal letters.
Telemarketing.
Outdoor signs.
Advertising in the yellow pages.
Radio.
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Newspaper advertising.
Sponsoring events.
T-shirt ads.
Word of mouth advertising. (Planned)
Direct mail.
Classified ads.
Upgrades, up sells, add on sales.
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Questionnaires/surveys.
Focus Groups
Improving your product or service.
Using newsletters.
Conducting seminars.
Using Testimonials.
Trade Shows.
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Using gift certificates.
Business cards.
Brochures.
Studying the competition.
Listening to customers.
Using reminder postcards.
Asking customers for repeat sales/follow-up ideas.
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Asking customers for referrals.
Setting up take one displays.
Bulletin board marketing.
Press releases.
Partnering with businesses.
Work with charities.
Track referrals and thank the source.
Tent Cards
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Create an awesome logo.
Use window displays.
Website marketing.
Magazines.
Bill stuffers.
Post cards.
Open houses/Special events.
Value cards.
Marketing Strategies To Choose From
Interview shows.
Groups and organizations.
Loss leaders.
Advertising specialties.
Sandwich boards.
Handouts.
Employee incentive program.
Placemats
Donations
Give organizations the option to help.
Find out what media you will be included in.
Can you donate enough to make a difference?
Can the organization help you – help for another event or this
event – Sell X number of camping certificates for you for a
certain weekend & you donate a percentage.
Other Fun Activities
Poker Run
Dice Game
Envelope Game
Duck Races
Questions
Questions, comments, ideas & thoughts.