FOUR SHOWS IN on, promises to be a crowd pleaser at Birmingham’s NEC.
Combining industry-leading exhibitors with the latest products and services for the holiday park sector, with a healthy splash of networking and discussion opportunities from its inspiring speaker programme, Holiday Park & Resort Innovation returns to Birmingham’s NEC this November 2nd and 3rd Together with Farm Business Innovation, Leisure Food & Beverage and the Family Attraction Expo, Holiday Park & Resort Innovation creates an unmissable opportunity to be inspired and equipped to develop your business in 2022 and beyond.
More than 500 exhibitors will showcase their offerings across the two days of the event. Amongst them is Greenspan Projects, whose team is excited to be back at the event. “This is a show that pushes the boundaries of holiday park and resort innovation,” said Greenspan’s Michaela Rowland. “There are always fascinating exhibitors and special guest speakers which leave us feeling inspired and excited to see what we can deliver next for similar clients.
THE SHOW PRESENTS an unmissable opportunity to be inspired and equipped to develop your business.
EXCITING PROJECTS
“This year, we will be talking about our most exciting projects involving zip coasters and high ropes currently underway in the USA, Canada and the Mediterranean, as well as a world first – adventure golf in an underground cavern, recently launched in partnership with ZipWorld.”
CampManager will also be returning to the event to showcase its cloud-based management and booking system. “We recognise the value and quality of Holiday Park Innovation and have made a dedicated effort across several years to attend the show,” said Thomas Drake. “We are itching to get out of the office and in front of potential and existing customers for a good chat.
With over 16 years’ experience in the industry, we are excited to share our top tips with the UK’s growing community of holiday park and campsite owners.” The keynote theatre programme – sponsored by Maxxton and CampManager – includes Luke Hansford from Hoseasons who will discuss the importance of consumer insights in creating valuable holiday experiences for guests and in helping operators maximise revenue.
MORE THAN 500 EXHIBITORS will showcase their offerings across the two days of the event.
Sustainability will be the main theme for Michael Holding of Visit Inverness Loch Ness as he explains how the area became the first carbon neutral business improvement district (BID) in the UK. Other confirmed speakers include Jonny Baird of Bluefield Houseboats and Richard Carroll of Landal Green Parks. Andrew Jones, winner of Diversification of the Year in the British Farming Awards, will be talking about his journey from farmer to glampsite owner and what he has learnt along the way.
David and Felicity Brown of Hoe Grange Holidays will discuss how winning awards helped raise their business’s profile. Sheena Corry of The Forge will explore the business opportunities of wild swimming and retreats. Look for full details of the speaker programme are available on the show website Holiday Park & Resort Innovation returns to the NEC Birmingham this November 2nd and 3rd. Tickets are free and available now at www.holidayparkshow.co.uk
HOLIDAY PARK & RESORT Innovation promises an inspiring speaker programme.
FOLLOWING ITS LATEST accquisitions, Landal GreenParks boasts ten resorts across the UK.
Back-to-nature holiday brand Landal GreenParks has expanded its growing UK portfolio with the addition of a three new holiday resorts, as it continues to be one of the fastest growing lodge holiday brands in the UK and capitalise on the surge in demand for staycation holidays. Welcomed into the group are Landal Barton Pines in Devon, Landal Rockingham Forest in Northamptonshire and Landal Vale of Usk in Monmouthshire – the brand’s first holiday resort inWales – and brings the number of parks to ten across the UK since their launch in 2017.
Landal GreenParks originated in Holland in 1954 and now offers over 100 locations across nine European countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Austria, and the UK is the 9th territory for Landal GreenParks to launch into. “We are delighted to welcome our latest additions to the Landal family,” said Paul Hardingham, Managing Director of Landal GreenParks UK. “When we brought the concept to the UK we were confident it would appeal to British holidaymakers, as there wasn’t anything offering the same experience, but we’ve been astounded by the popularity our current locations.” “The next stage for us was to add more resorts within the UK to build on our successes, so we are pleased to announce plans for three new locations this year and have more in the pipeline for the near future.” “It’s been a challenging 18 months for the industry, but it is evident that holidays which bring guests closer to nature and give them the chance to explore the diverse outdoor space in the UK is exactly what guests want right now.”
Landal’s seven other sites are spread across the UK including the Peak District, Kielder Water & Forest Park, the Cornish coastline and Scottish countryside. The company offers 15,000 holiday homes, has 3,000 employees and provides 14.5 million overnight stays to 2.8 million guests per year.
Landal GreenParks offers more than three million visitors a back to nature experience…
ABOVE: Landal GreenParks support the local economy by pro-actively promoting local areas.
More than three million holidaymakers chose one of Landal Green Parks’ 31,000 places to stay last year – a far cry from its origins in 1954 as an insurance company offering employees holidays in natural surroundings. A little bit of that ethos still holds true to today as Landal GreenParks is still committed to providing the perfect balance between getting away from it all, getting back to nature and enjoying life’s luxuries.
Landal GreenParks UK, one of the UK’s fastest-growing resort groups, was established originally in Holland and is now seen as a leading destination brand, not only in the Netherlands but across Europe. Part of Awaze - Europe’s leading managed vacation rentals and holiday resorts business, Landal GreenParks has over 90 locations across ten countries in Europe. It offers wide range of parks catering for every holiday experience with units ranging from 50 – 600 across different locations.
Venturing overseas to the UK, Landal GreenParks noticed a gap in the market for holidaymakers to get back to nature and basics, whilst enjoying high-quality accommodation and amenities in some of the UK’s stunning counties.
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ABOVE: Landal GreenParks boasts ten UK locations and is believed to be the country’s fastest growing holiday operator.
ABOVE: Landal GreenParks visitors enjoy high-quality accommodation and amenities in some of the UK’s stunning counties.
ABOVE: Landal GreenParks receives high numbers of overseas holidaymakers not just visitors from the UK.
ABOVE: Landal GreenParks want guests to get away from it all, while enjoying life’s luxuries.
FASTEST GROWING
The first two UK parks opened in 2017 and three years on, is one of the fastest growing park businesses in the country. Paul Hardingham, Vice President of Portfolio at Awaze UK believes the reason behind its success is down to the unique locations and beautiful surroundings with 2020 bookings for June to August up by 39%.
With holiday resorts in Northumberland, Cornwall, Peak District, Scottish Highlands and Lincolnshire, families, friends and couples can enjoy a UK staycation in luxury woodland lodges, with hot tubs, restaurants, spas and activities all on site along with indoor pools to extend the season. Paul says: “What makes us different to other UK holiday providers is that we are committed to introducing people to the local areas around the parks and supporting the local economy and community.
We encourage a pick-n-mix approach to facilities and activities, so guests can do as much or as little as they like. In every lodge, we provide guests with guidebooks and inspire them to experience something different each time they visit, whether it’s a new walking route, new attraction or hidden gem.” This approach builds up great brand loyalty among the guests, who then decide to swap and try out the different destinations to experience something new each time. Not only do guests visit from the UK, but Landal GreenParks also receives high numbers of overseas holidaymakers and vice versa who are reassured by the familiar brand that they know from home.
Landal Piperdam in Scotland is currently the most popular region for inbound guests from the Netherlands whereas, Landal Gwel an Mor in Cornwall welcomes the most holidaymakers from Germany. Customer service plays a huge role within the brand and business, with every employee undertaking ‘Hostmanship’ training to ensure they make a positive difference to the guest’s stay. The success in this training is evident with Landal GreenParks positive reviews and the range of awards they have been nominated.
ABOVE: Unique locations and beautiful surroundings have seen 2020 bookings for June to August up by 39%.
ABOVE: More than 1.75 million holidaymakers chose one of the company’s 31,000 places to stay last year.
ABOVE: Being part of a big group like Awaze brings benefits to owners, including a huge customer database.
ABOVE: Landal GreenParks builds great brand loyalty among its guests.
NATURE BREAKS
With the brand encouraging back to nature breaks, it only seemed right for Landal GreenParks, along with their European counterpart, to strengthen its sustainability and green credentials by launching their own green initiative. By working closely with each park owner, Landal GreenParks UK has launched their Green Pledge demonstrating how Landal GreenParks UK is investing in a brighter, cleaner future and committing to offer unforgettable natural getaways with a positive impact on the environment.
Paul Hardingham said, “We are working closely with our resorts and partners to ensure a sustainable future; however, this pledge will further our actions and impact enabling us to reach our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. We are dedicated to raising further awareness of sustainable travel and driving positive change among our resorts and customers.”
The holiday resort company have also been awarded the prestigious Green Key accreditation, an eco-label awarded to accommodations and other hospitality facilities that promote a culture of sustainable development and environmental awareness, whilst taking steps to reduce their own level of consumption and carbon footprint. Working closely on this initiative highlights the close relationship the Landal team has with each of its owners. The Landal GreenParks group is a franchise model allowing independent park owners to retain their parks whilst being part of a much bigger international organisation benefitting from all the experience and knowledge that comes with it.
Paul continues: “Owners are vital in the success we have we the Landal brand. That’s why we have dedicated teams to look after, guide and advise both our existing owners and our prospective ones” The key members of the Landal GreenParks UK team alongside Paul include Robbie Davies, Business Development Director and Ryan, Senior Marketing Manager, all of which have years of experience having previously worked on sister-brands such as Hoseasons and cottages.com.
Robbie says being part of a big group like Awaze brings benefits to owners, including a huge customer database, a dedicated marketing machine and a trusted reputation.
ABOVE: Landal GreenParks has over 90 locations across ten countries in Europe.
PARK OWNERS
He says: ‘We work very closely with our each one of our park owners sharing insights and knowledge from our many years of successful operation across different brands as well as countries. We help owners to get the most out of their parks, for example by sharing data and insight to help them maximise the lodge rental return and the on park spend opportunities.” Three years on since the first UK resort opened, Landal GreenParks UK is looking to expand its portfolio and grow further across the UK.
Owners, management companies or developers interested in working with Hoseasons should contact the Business Development Team, email joinus@hoseasons.co.uk
Having been with Hoseasons for eight years as director of lodges and parks, Simon took over the role as managing director in March last year. His responsibilities include overseeing the ongoing growth of the company’s UK portfolio, travel trade relationships, contact centre operations and new product development...
How do you see the UK holiday industry at the moment?
Demand for UK holidays remains high thanks to monumental investment by holiday park owners in accommodation, facilities and food and beverages. This has kept satisfaction levels high and secured repeat customers as well as attracting lots of new ones too.
What are the main challenges facing the industry?
In a world of social media, when we occasionally do get it wrong, it is imperative that issues are resolved as quickly as possible to avoid any reputation damage. Conversely, when customers receive outstanding service they are also quick to promote and recommend.
What is the most crucial aspect to the success of your business?
Recruiting and retaining the right people has to be up there as the most important aspect of our business. We invest heavily in ensuring Hoseasons is a great place to work and that our team is motivated, energised and committed to delivering exceptional service to our customers.
What has been your stand out experience in the industry?
We have a sister company based in Holland, Landal Green Parks, who now operate over 70 parks across Europe and I have been very fortunate to spend time out with the team in the field learning how they manage their parks. There is a lot we can learn and that will translate into the UK market.
What does a typical day in the office for you entail?
I am an early riser so I tend to get in at 7am which gives me chance to plan out my day and most importantly review the previous days’ trading. I like to spend an hour a week with my direct reports so a large proportion of my day can be spent in meetings, but the thing I love most about working in travel is that no two days are the same and you never really know when you walk through the door what the day is going to entail.
