Hey,

We’re almost four months in - time is flying. How is it almost December? We most definitely do not have our Christmas trees up. We're those last minute, throw the tree and decorations up, Xmas eve shopping kind of people (if you can relate, you're our people)

There’s a myth that the winter period is quiet for the sector, but actually, it can be as busy as 'peak', as many operators plan for the year ahead in terms of budgets, strategy, training, capex projects, developments etc, alongside day to day trading.

First up this month is a HPP addition! El joined our team recently to support marketing and CRM. She’s a gem of a human, an incredible talent and we’re super proud that she’s become one of our people. Say hey to her on LinkedIn <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleisha-gott-968620332/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Here</a>.

We’re loving the variety of businesses we’re working with and genuinely, we’re thrilled we have the opportunity to support our partners to explore new opportunities and tackle challenges. More than that, we’re really enjoying being able to provide fresh ideas that are making a difference. Despite the backdrop of 2024, there's loads of investment and innovation taking place in the sector and the general feeling is that advance bookings are positive, which is good news all round!

Whilst supporting our brilliant existing partners, we’ve partnered with exciting new businesses in the last month and it’s got us thinking and talking a lot about the importance of a good fit.

Whatever your business structure or size (independent, family owned, PE backed) when you work with us, we’ll be objective, honest, aim to give a different perspective, provide new ideas or simply provide support for business leaders to take a step back and plan.

For us, it’s so important that our approach, skills, ways of working and personalities are aligned with the people we work with. Whether it’s a short term project or long term partnership, we’re all in. For everyone involved, it needs to deliver results, be brutally honest, but stress free and fun.

We’re working with companies of all shapes and sizes but the one common theme is that they’re brilliant businesses, full of brilliant people and we fit. We feel like part of the team and that enables us to provide the right level of support to deliver results. We don’t just say we’ll roll up our sleeves and get stuck in, we really do mean it.

A great example is <a href='https://ohanamua.co.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Ohana Mua</a>. A new operator in the sector with ambition and huge plans to innovate. When we first met with Paul, we were genuinely buzzing to hear about his goals for Ohana Mua.

Honestly…their energy, boldness, ethos and ambition was music to our ears. From service innovation to customer focused tech, genuine green initiatives and commitment to incredible accommodation standards, <a href='https://ohanamua.co.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Ohana Mua</a> has impressive plans with purpose. In our view, the sector is lucky to have a new operator with this vision and passion.

Equally, the team are just really great people and we instantly felt like the perfect fit. We’re thrilled they chose us as their people and we’re dead excited to support Paul and the <a href='https://ohanamua.co.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Ohana Mua</a> team on their journey as one of their strategic partners. You can follow Ohana Mua on Linkedin <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/company/ohana-mua-holidays/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Here</a>.

When we asked Paul for his thoughts he told us...

"We were looking for partners that would go beyond traditional collaboration, to set new standards in the holiday park sector. When I met with Stacey and Matt, I felt like they properly understood what we plan to achieve. Their energy and down to earth approach is perfectly aligned with our values and their experience shines through in every interaction with them. We really enjoy working with them both, they already feel like part of the team and we’re excited to embark on our journey with the Holiday Park People as one of our strategic partners"

We know it’s been a challenging year and in reality, there’s no indication that things are going to change overnight. So surrounding yourself, your team and your business with the right people to set yourself up for success in 2025 is so important.

Our advice (whether you consider us or not) is that when you’re choosing people to support your business, ask yourself…

<div class="flex justify-center py-6"> <ul class="list-disc list-inside space-y-2"> <li> Are they a good fit for my business, goals and culture long term (even if your partnership is short term). </li> <li> Do they properly understand what my business needs short/mid/long term? </li> <li> Are they the right people to deliver the results for my business, team and customers? </li> <li>Do they have the skills and experience required?</li> </ul> </div>

Also ask your suppliers and trusted peers about the commitment you’re considering in terms of a consultant partnership

If the above leads you to us, we’re probably your people. So let’s have a brew and a chat.

Pre-Xmas for us is all about sales strategies for winter and 2025, holiday sales plans for 2025, training, brand development and ongoing marketing support for our partners. We're helping our partners start 2025 with confidence and a plan that perfectly suits their business and goals.

If you'd like support throughout the winter, a fresh pair of eyes on your 2025 strategy, or help with creating your 2025 strategy in terms of sales, holidays, process or team engagement or anything else, let’s have a chat and see if we fit.

As always, thanks for following and supporting our journey so far. We’ve absolutely loved it and we remain grateful that our partners choose us to support their businesses and people

Til next time

Stacey & Matt

Ps. If you’ve made it this far, you get to know we’re working on something REALLY exciting that we can’t wait to share with you soon, If you’re not on our mailing list and want a sneak peek, stick your email address in <a href='https://www.holidayparkpeople.co.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Here</a>.

Hey,

We’ve answered that question a few times throughout the last month. A consequence of us having an idea and running with it full steam ahead? Most likely.

We’re those ‘100 miles an hour’ type of people and we know that all may not have been clear from the start.

So, where do we start? What a whirlwind couple of months it’s been.

When we decided to start our journey as consultants for the holiday park sector, we honestly had no idea what to expect. Nerves, excitement, drive, genuine passion and belief that we could make a difference in the sector - we had all that and some.

Those from within the sector will know that launching anything other than a marketing campaign in ‘peak’ can be tricky territory. Coupled with the fact Matt was navigating moving house and a 5 year old on school holidays. Not to mention a load of rain, the HPP website launch, spending quality time with our extended holiday park people (who have been super supportive), traveling to meet park operators, dogs, the Oasis ticket saga and well, general life.

It’s certainly been a busy time. 7(ish) weeks on, we’re as excited as we were on day one. Have we learnt a lot? Hell yes. But we’ve enjoyed every minute, and if anything, we’re more passionate about the sector than ever before. Here’s why…

<b>The people</b> - Honestly, we know it might sound cheesy, but this sector is just full of brilliant, talented and genuinely good people. From calls offering us support to meetings with suppliers and park operators, the people are just brilliant. We’ve absolutely loved getting out on the road meeting park operators, suppliers we’ve known for many years and new suppliers. ‘Our people’ network will be the best of the best in the sector and we can’t wait to share this network with you soon.

As an example, we had an ace chat with Helen from <a href='https://lichfields.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Lichfields</a> about planning last week. We gained so much insight from Helen as we discussed how the sector can build trust with local communities and planning departments and how we can innovate to support planning consent that benefits parks, local communities and the wider economy. We’re no planning experts, but they certainly are and we’d strongly recommend that any operators considering park developments or future planning get in touch with them. A great bunch that really know their stuff and genuinely care. Definitely our kind of people.

<b>The innovation</b> - we attended the Great caravan, motorhome and holiday home show in Harrogate. It was our first time attending an event of this nature as the Holiday Park People and it was ace! In particular, we absolutely loved catching up with <a href='https://www.abiuk.co.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> ABI</a>, <a href='https://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/caravans/' class='underline text-blue-500 ml-1' target='_blank'>Swift</a>, <a href='https://carnabycaravans.com/' class='underline text-blue-500 ml-1' target='_blank'>Carnaby</a> and <a href='https://www.victoryleisurehomes.co.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500 ml-1' target='_blank'>Victory</a>, hearing about everything that’s going on in the manufacturing space and seeing their ranges.

We’ve worked in this sector and with these manufacturers for such a long time and it simply blows our minds how they and their talented teams continue to innovate, push boundaries, change the historical preconception of a caravan or lodge and adapt to meet and exceed consumer wants and needs. They’re also brilliant people that care and their passion for the sector and the people in it inspires us.

Having spoken to lots of manufacturers, operators and suppliers at the show it’s clear there’s green shoots out there and that makes us feel excited for the year ahead.

<b>Doing what we love</b> - we’ve taken on some incredible clients since launching and that makes us super proud. From day one, we said we’d only work with people that were a great fit and we’d only work with businesses when we believed we could genuinely make a positive difference for them. The variety of businesses we’re working with is amazing for us on a personal and professional level and no two days are the same, which we love. From system implementations to sales and marketing planning, part exchange support and training, it’s the reason we started this business. We’re genuinely proud when we get to work with new clients and their teams. We love being able to support and we’re absolutely up for a challenge.

<b>Doing our bit</b> - we recently launched our partnership with <a href='https://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/' class='underline text-blue-500' target='_blank'> Walking With The Wounded</a>. An incredible charity that is close to our hearts and aligned with our values. We’re thrilled to be working with them and believe we and our sector can do loads to support this charity. We love that we can be a mechanism to drive this support and we will shout about it loads because it can really help.

We’ve just signed up for our first fundraising event which is a CEO sleep out on 28th October. We’ll share more throughout the coming weeks and we’ll share our experience of the event on our social channels if you’d like to follow along.

We’re well and truly in Autumn now (as if Summer even happened) and that means focus on autumn/winter part exchange, end of season events, holiday sales planning for next year, 2025 CAPEX project planning and winter training programmes for most. If we can help you with any of that, or anything else, we’re here and we’re your people. Don’t hesitate to get in touch for a chat and a brew.

Til next time

Stacey & Matt

Hey,

We’re off! Welcome to blog number one.

We’d love you to follow us on our new journey as The Holiday Park People. We promise to share honest insight into our world, we’ll shine a light on the UK holiday park sector and we’ll have a right laugh along the way.

We know ‘caravans’ may not seem sexy to the outsider, so if you’re new to this space, stick with us (we’ll convert you in no time). A sector that we’re dead passionate about, the UK holiday park sector is so much more than the stereotypical perception of ‘caravan holidays’.

Now don’t get us wrong, the nostalgia of that traditional caravan park experience is beautiful, and one we both experienced first hand as kids. But nowadays, UK holiday parks offer the very best in terms of service, standards, self catering accommodation, facilities, dining, spas, outdoor experiences and much more. The list goes on and on and we’re here to shout about it from the rooftops

The sector generates £12.2bn in visitor expenditure, equating to £7.2bn Gross Added Value (GVA). UK visitors continue to support local economies and the length and breadth of the nation. The sector supports c.227,000 jobs across the UK, accounting for 5% of the tourism GDP of £21.4bn. Visitors to UK holiday parks stayed up to 82% longer and spent 12% more than the national tourism average in 2023 [1]. Amazing right?

Above that, it’s a sector where incredible career opportunities lie, lifelong friendships are created and a load of innovation is taking place. Speak to anyone within the sector, from park operator, to park employee, manufacturer or supplier, they’ll all say something similar. This sector is truly unique, weirdly addictive, challenging at times, but rewarding as hell.

Ultimately, it’s full of wonderful people, and they’re the secret sauce. They really are what make the industry so special.

If you stick with us, you’ll get to know us (Stacey & Matt), we’ll share practical tips and advice in terms of sales, marketing, strategy, training and much more and we’ll take you on our journey as a UK start up.

But more than that, we’ll shine a light on the UK holiday park sector and all its glory. We don't know about you, but we think the incredible places that are literally right on our doorstep can be overlooked. We’ve been guilty of it, then we go out on the road and we end up starry-eyed and feeling like we're on holiday whenever we’re somewhere new.

Alongside supporting holiday & residential parks throughout the UK, we’ll put a spotlight on some of the unbelievably talented people that work in this sector, and provide insight into the career opportunities it offers. We’ll share our own experiences of working in the sector too.

Finally, we’ll wax lyrical about the innovation taking place, in terms of manufacturing, technology, environmental and much more. There’s honestly so much to drill into and we’re over the moon that we get to help tell the story.

Whether you’re involved in the sector or not, please say hello via email or our social channels. We’re a friendly pair and we love to chat. We’d love for you to become part of our community and be our people.

We’ve been super busy launching The Holiday Park People, visiting parks, supporting new clients and juggling school holidays so there’s plenty to share with you soon.

Til next time

Stacey & Matt