Virtual BCLCA Ideas Forum Learning Outcomes - Travel ...

Virtual BCLCA Ideas Forum Learning Outcomes
Members gathered virtually between October 19th – 21st to learn, share, network and
shop at the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association’s (BCLCA) Ideas
Forum.

The Association hosted its Ideas Forum virtually this year due to a small pandemic
called COVID-19, with plans already in the works for a hybrid event in October of 2022.
From the first moment to closing the last day of the conference there were plenty of
takeaways from keynote speakers and the many breakout sessions.

Jumpstarting the Forum was Kampgrounds of America (KOA) CEO and President
Toby O’Rourke discussing how campground and RV Park owners can improve their
business approach to tackle the current and emerging trends.

                   Toby O’Rourke, CEO KOA implored attendees “work on your
                   business, not just in it”. As part of this approach Toby ran through
                   an analysis of how to understand your guest using the data you
                   collect from your property management system. Toby then
                   discussed capital improvements and how to convert underutilized
                   sites into higher yield sites or glamping units. Before tackling
                   updating cabins to increase the yield.

Toby also talked about staffing shortages and how to attract and retain employees and
the need for a training culture. Finally, she touched on WiFi and reliability mentioning
that 25% of campers say availability and quality of WiFi has an influence on their
decision where to stay.

                            The joint breakout presentation by Jim Standen, Assistant
                            Deputy Minister - BC Parks and Conservation Service and
                            Helen Davies, Acting Executive Director Operations, BC &
                            Yukon, Parks Canada discussed their agencies capital
                            plans to expand campsites and infrastructure, accessibility,
                            and working with indigenous peoples to co-manage the
public resource. An example shown was the ʔapsčiik t̓ašii pathway near Tofino
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/visit/visit5/visit8 The agencies also spoke
about their partnership with the private sector to address issues concerning COVID-19,
campers’ behavior, and waste management.

In another breakout session, Real Estate Investor and Pigeon
                        Forge, Jellystone Park Owner, Heather Blankenship and
                        Crystal Cove Beach Resort, General Manager, J.J. Belanger
                        shared the kind of accommodations campers are seeking.
                        They also talked about the unique ways to provide new
                        experiences in cabins, yurts, RV rentals, and other glamping
                        units that park owners can consider garnering profit. The
takeaway glamping is certainly a path that more members should be taking to
maximize their revenue and lengthen the season.

The BCLCA members then gathered for the 78th Annual General Meeting and elected
their new board of directors and approved the upcoming years budget. The new board
for the first time includes five woman and one preferred supplier. The board will elect
the President, Vice Presidents and Treasurer at their first meeting October 28th.

The cracker barrel portion led by BCLCA Vice President’s Marilyn Stone and Jeff
Kirkman saw participants exchanging experiences and insights regarding
accommodation for employees, navigating employee shortages, and the need for
modern amenities. Attendees also talked about WiFi being a utility and the cost of
installing reliable connectivity with more smart devices demanding bandwidth.

There were plenty of networking opportunities among vendors and campground
owners during the Networking Lounge, Vendor “Speed Dating”, Coffee and
Conversation Networking, and the Virtual Tradeshow portions of the event. Members
chatted about attending face-to-face tradeshows vs. virtual video appointments and
shared product demos.

                                    The second day of the forum kicked off with an
                                    early morning coffee and networking where people
                                    speed met for 3 minutes with other delegates then
                                    took in the virtual tradeshow. Thank you to the 14
                                    exhibitors who shared their products and services
                                    with us:

  •   KOA Kampground – https://koa.com
  •   Modern Campground – https://moderncampground.com
  •   Insider Perks – https://insiderperks.ca
  •   Let’s Camp – http://letscamp.ca
  •   PacRim Log Structures – https://pacrimls.ca
  •   Purifyed Systems – https://purifydsystems.com
  •   Furever Clean – https://fureverclean.ca
  •   Western Financial Group – https://westernfinancialgroup.ca
  •   Tex-Pro Western – http://texpro.net

•   Good Sam – https://www.goodsam.com
  •   App My Community – https://appmycommunity.com
  •   Camp Reservations Canada – https://campreservations.ca
  •   Camp Spot – www.campspot.com
  •   Waterfront Recreation Specialists – www.waterfrontsrs.ca

The first keynote presentation on the WiFi Conundrum was delivered by Tim Rout of
AccessParks who talked about setting up broadband in remote areas and the use of
fibre connections as the backhaul. This allows the industry to offer speeds that are
expected by consumers like their homes and work. The issue is the number of devices
download simultaneously known as the contention ratio. Tim supports the use of
wireless solutions to distribute the signal from a fibre hub.

Two breakout sessions followed, one delivered by John Barber, CEO of Canada’s Best
Apps who explained the cost of App’s is now affordable using a subscription model and
can be used to communicate with your guests. Apps can be used to push notifications
to guests and have them book or reserve amenities at your park.
                          Jamie Cox, Resort Manager, Gallagher Lake Resort - a
                          Parkbridge property and Sherry Lu, Education and Learning
                          Project Lead at BC Parks together they ran through the
                          elements of the Camper’s Code. The Camper’s Code first
                          launched on June 24th this year, consists of nine simple
                          messages to inspire a sense of shared responsibility and an
understanding of appropriate behaviour. Campers are encouraged to take an online
pledge and to help inspire a camping culture that is rooted in common sense, respect,
and sustainability.
                        The afternoon began on the main stage with a keynote on
                        Which Reservation Software is best for me? A panel of
                        reservation software providers talked about what you need
                        and don’t need in a software solution. Moderated by Brian
                        Searl of Insider Perks each panellist answered questions
                        about their software product. The panel of speakers were
Casey Cochran, Campspot; Renee Anseenw, Camp Reservations Canada; Michael
Yasieniuk, Let’s Camp and Nick Luke, Good Sam/Campground Booking.
In one of the afternoon breakout sessions delegates heard from Chris Rhodes, Director
of Operations, Parkbridge Ontario, who discussed, how to set your rates. Chris
covered key factors that influence your rates, the process to determine your rates,
implementation and maximizing revenue with items such as dynamic pricing and lock
fees.
The other breakout featured Jeff Kirkman, Vice President Lodging of BCLCA and
developer of parks. Jeff looked at low yield sites and what can be done to improve

revenue yield. The session focused on static rentals, yurts, super sites and adding
cabins/fixed roof to achieve higher rates and lengthen the season.
                           Back to the main sage where Mark Koep, Founder/CEO of
                           CampgroundViews.com and Outdoor Business Pros and
                           Charity DeVries of Grateful Glamper had an open
                           discussion on full time RVers. They touched on why
                           COVID-19 has led to some full timers abandoning the
lifestyle. The emergence of people living in RVs as a necessity as they cannot afford a
home creating a new mix of campers from wealthy to poor. The problem with
campgrounds WiFi is that it is not reliable enough for people who work on the road.
And addressing the increasing cost of RVing from the perspective of overnight rates.
After a short break the final breakout sessions of the day started at 4:15 pm one
hosted by Joss Penny, Executive Director, BCLCA who discussed the principles of
marketing, how marketing analysis provide business insights, and then gave attendees
ten valuable marketing tips to takeaway.
                                      The other breakout session led by Brian Searl,
                                      Insider Perks covered geeky analytics and
                                      provided some insights on what guests do on
                                      your website and social media platforms. Brian
                                      went into real time analytic screens and used the
                                      tool UberSuggest and how to creep your
                                      competitors to capture their business tactics and
                                      learn how you can improve. He then walked
                                      through analytics on Google My Business,
                                      Google Analytics and Call Tracking.
To close day 2 there was a Networking Lounge and attendees discussed and
dissected the day’s sessions.
Day 3 started with coffee and networking and followed by the first keynote presentation
Managing Your Online Reputation with Angela Hylton, Project Manager, Insider Perks.
The session discussed the fact that consumers are finding information about your
campground on multiple different sites, so making sure you pay attention to your online
presence is crucial. Angela talked about replying to negative comments, the need to
reply to all reviews uniquely and not use a standard script. Angela also provided
best practices and advice on how to respond to your reviews.
The first breakout session Managing Your Risk was an insurance discussion about
commercial and liability risks. Jason Wallace, Director, Western Financial Group and
Craig Bolt, Kaerus Group Risk Solutions Inc. discussed the tools, techniques, and tips
to ensure you receive the full benefit of your policy in the event of a loss or disaster
and provide a brief word about the ever-increasing prevalence of cyber crime and how

it is impacting hospitality businesses. There was an explanation on co-insurance and
an offer to approach either broker with questions about your business.
                             The other breakout session Be My Guest: Knowing the
                             Difference Between a Tenancy and a Temporary
                             Occupancy led by lawyer Lisa Mackie, Alexander Holburn
                             LLP. Lisa discussed the two laws that govern tenancy and
                             provided tips on how to operate to avoid having people
                             dispute eviction. The BCLCA has developed a licence to
occupy agreement for use by members who rent longer than one month but less than
six months – i.e., seasonal both winter and summer. The rentals are not their
permanent address but used on a vacation or temporary basis.
The morning keynote was the Destination BC Presentation. Richard Porges,
Destination BC’s President and CEO provided an update on provincial destination
marketing and development work in support of industry recovery from the COVID-19
pandemic. Richard shared industry stats and trends, and insight into Destination BC’s
strategy to help BC’s tourism industry build back better for 2022 and beyond
                            The last session of the Forum - Cancellation Policies
                            discussed the disturbing trend of guests who cancel for
                            whatever reason, and then push back using social media,
                            expecting a full refund, despite acknowledging the
                            cancellation policy at the time of booking.
                            This session was hosted by BCLCA Directors Barry Burko,
Whispering Pines RV and Tent, and Tammi Midgley, Sheridan Lake Resort. They
covered why have a cancellation policy, the components of a policy and how to
effectively implement and apply the policy. Lastly, they briefly discussed business
interruption insurance and the use of the cancellation policy as insurance (revenue
stream) against people changing their minds.
Jamie Cox, President, BCLCA wrapped up the Forum at 1:00 pm on October 21st and
thanked all speakers, delegates, and exhibitors. In lieu of gifts for speakers a donation
was made on their behalf to Care Camps of Canada, with a matching donation from
Brian Searl, CampCon and a surprise $100 donation from John Barber, Canada’ Best
Apps led to a $1,300 donation to be made to Care Camps from the BCLCA Ideas
Forum.
After the conference, attendees can watch recordings of all the sessions for a further
30-days. For those who did not have the chance to attend the live virtual agenda,
sessions will be available for purchase at a later date.