With the right tools and the right strategy, you can supercharge your off-season months into busy revenue drivers. In this webinar recap, Mike Harrison from CRR Hospitality joined Matt Christensen from the Campspot team to discuss the different tactics your campground can use to take your calendar from empty to full!

Fall Into New Bookings Through Event Planning

“Fall events are a great way to draw a crowd to your campground in the off-season months,” said Ellie Burke, a senior marketing manager at Campspot. From Halloween to Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving, there are many opportunities to get creative with fall event planning—whether around a specific holiday or otherwise. 

Invite a local celebrity chef to host a community cookoff. Organize a turkey trot-themed 5K. Run a pumpkin carving contest. These event ideas and more will tempt classic campers and new glampers alike. 

When shaping your events calendar, consider your core audience, too. Think kid-friendly events if you regularly cater to families. If you want to attract a less familiar audience segment, such as couples, tailor your events to their preferences instead. 

Leverage Astrotourism All Autumn Long

Beyond the well-known holidays and festivities of fall, you can also leverage the many celestial events taking place from September through December. Astrotourism is on the rise and perfectly aligned with the spirit of the outdoor hospitality industry. If you’re unsure where to begin, we recommend following the moon phases for an easy entry point. For example, your astrotourism program can be structured around new moons when stargazing conditions are ideal, or full moons where the extra light aids in night time hiking. 

For more event ideas, upcoming celestial dates, and astrotourism tips, be sure to watch the shoulder season webinar recording below. 

How To Optimize Campspot’s Grid Optimization Rules Differently

“Campspot remains the only campground reservation system today that has real-time grid optimization,” said Matt Christensen, head of strategic accounts at Campspot. Grid optimization is a powerful tool that directly correlates with guest experience, park value, and calculated rule management. But during the shoulder seasons, we recommend you think differently—yet still strategically—about using this feature.

For example, during slower periods, it’s generally better to be less restrictive. Allow for grid gaps in order to enable more available sites to surface for a guest’s choosing. You may also want to change the minimum site night requirements for a weekend during the shoulder season, even though this is counterintuitive to peak-season logic. To understand the full discussion about these suggested rule changes as well as how dynamic pricing changes the game, dive into the recording below. 

Forecasting Amidst Industry Shifts to Seize Opportunity 

Mike Harrison of CRR Hospitality is a multi-park operator who presented during our webinar. “I think the main point of this webinar is really that business isn’t just going to come to you,” said Mike. “You’ve got to be aggressive and use the tools you have at your disposal to work on driving revenue through some creative methods.” 

Rather than stressing over creating demand, think instead about how you can leverage the tools at hand within the given circumstances. One such tool is Campspot Analytics and specifically its Heat Map report to visualize your highest performing sites by revenue. This insight can then inform your decision to adjust rates or run limited time promotions for certain site types, for example. 

Data analysis is the gateway to prompt the key questions that will ultimately shape your campground management strategy for the better. “With their Revenue Report, you can see exactly what Campspot is generating for you,” said Mike. “One of our properties that’s a large property is worth 5 to 7% more revenue than if we didn’t have Campspot…that is considerable revenue.” Learn more about how Mike’s team utilizes Campspot Analytics and what other reports he recommends following to track the health of your business. 

Year-Round Support from Campspot

While they require different attention, strategizing, and rule setting than your peak seasons, shoulder seasons are still an incredibly important factor in your business equation. Rather than viewing them as a loss or burdensome period, take these tips and the time to understand how to make the most of your shoulder seasons. Odds are that extra revenue is up for grabs, and Campspot is here to help you optimize your revenue potential year-round. 

Haley Dalian is a lifelong Michigander who takes advantage of recreation throughout the state’s changing seasons—from snow skiing to scuba diving in the Great Lakes. A former Campspot marketing manager, Haley holds a B.A. degree in public policy from Michigan State University and an M.S. degree in sustainability from the University of Michigan. She is passionate about environmental stewardship, exploring the outdoors, and has never met a potato she didn’t like.