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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 8 2012, 01:19 PM (7,375 Views) | |
| FlashGordon | Oct 2 2012, 07:28 PM Post #196 |
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You're BANNED!
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Actually I should use you all as my test group for the marketing materials. I am totally gonna be one of those crazies who plasters my business name and website EVERYWHERE. Vinyl graphics on my truck all the way, baby... And Jan the idea about contacting media outlets is a good one too.... I think we are gonna have a huge grand re-opening party next spring so will maybe see if we can get a story done prior to that. |
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| JanM | Oct 3 2012, 03:41 AM Post #197 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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Does the NY Times have a camp issue? They might, or the travel section might be interested. Here's their camp classified listings-I don't know if the price is current, but with the distribution they get it would be worth it. http://listings.nytimes.com/ClassifiedsMarketplace/default.asp?DTab=2 And a NY Times article from last summer., about the special offerings that camps need now. Apparently they do have camp articles a lot, and the regional sections will be looking for stories. Your personal story of how you met, and how you plan to move your family to the camp, and how you're continuing a camp that's been there so long is a great story. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/business/summer-camps-are-facing-new-economics.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Don't be scared by this one. The camps in this article are the pricey specialty camps, and are out of reach for most people. I think your market are the people who want their kids to have fun, get out of the city, have nutritious meals that are healthy, and where their kids will have fun and be safe. There are still plenty of middle class parents that need somewhere to send their kids to be supervised, and the two income or divorced families need this. Edited by JanM, Oct 3 2012, 03:49 AM.
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| Indy | Oct 3 2012, 04:45 AM Post #198 |
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You're BANNED!
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Would it be possible to take a limited number of enrollments before whenever you close in December at a lower deposit rate than you normally would charge? That way you would have an incentive for some people to enroll early and the lower rate would be less for you to refund if everything fell apart. I don't know the legalities of something like that but it could be a way to get people in the door at less risk to them and you. I feel like you do or you used to see a lot of camp ads in COTH. That could be a good place to put an advertisement. |
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| JanM | Oct 3 2012, 07:14 AM Post #199 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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Does COTH have a camp issue? Or a special advertising issue? Before you start doing deposits I would get the state tax and business paperwork ready to go. And you have to get certified by the camping association, and I would have the website ready with information, but not take deposits until closing. How much of the camp is ADA accessible? And isn't there an issue with the lake? You need to find out what regulatory agency will be overseeing this, and find out exactly what needs to be done. A story about coping in a too small house- A friend married a woman with 7 kids, and only 1 or 2 were out of the house, and they all moved into his 3 bedroom, 2 bath place. In the beginning the boys were on bunk beds in the separate dining room until they could build the family room on, and convert the carport to another big bedroom for the boys, until the oldest two boys left home for the military. For a while it apparently looked like a wacked out Brady Bunch with beds everywhere. So if you have to do something funny like make the living room and dining room into bedrooms for a while, and eat with the campers, it'll work. That's the great thing about having a dining hall right there. |
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| JanM | Oct 3 2012, 01:09 PM Post #200 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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Don't forget that you shouldn't make any deals or purchases that might affect your credit until the mortgage company says OK. So plan things out as much as you want, but don't make any commitments or purchases that might louse up your credit. A realtor friend said that is the major reason deals don't happen. |
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| Trialbyfire | Oct 4 2012, 05:34 AM Post #201 |
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You're BANNED!
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Seems like I always hear about summer camps in March. Maybe the sleep away camps are advertising earlier than that, though? But if you have everything ready to go as soon as you close, you could start advertising in December and then hit it hard in January? PS my kids are disappointed they can't come NOW. They have told several people they are going to camp next summer already. On that note, how do you run the camp sessions? By age, riding ability, or are they all mixed? Do you have campers that have never ridden? Do you have any campers that don't want to ride? Just trying to figure out which of our friends might be interested. Oddly enough, you might remember that my younger dd gave up riding about 7-8 months ago. She had a bad fall about a year and a half and lost all confidence, then we found another barn I thought she would love and it made it worse and she stopped riding altogether last fall. I always knew she might want to ride again but decided it was best not to push her....and two weeks ago out of the blue she asked to ride. Now she is taking lessons again here on my paint mare, who isn't the easiest ride but she suddenly has the confidence for it. Our new trainer was shocked when she gave her a lesson - she had no idea that she knew how to ride! And has the best natural seat of all of us. Anyway...she must have known a riding camp was possible for next year. Not sure you widely you advertise but there are a few places in my area to advertise for homeschooled students; probably same out there. Let me know if you want and I'll send you a list of links. |
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| FlashGordon | Oct 4 2012, 07:02 AM Post #202 |
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You're BANNED!
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TBF, you are right, that March is a big month for sleepaway camps. Usually registrations start coming in around January and peak around March/April. Here's a little more info about our program. Much of it is modeled after the program we ran previously, so we know it works!!! We will be running 4, two week sessions, plus a one week "Advanced Riders" clinic which will happen at the beginning of the summer. Check-in for the two week sessions is on a Sunday afternoon and the closing ceremonies for each session are on a Friday afternoon. We will accept kids ages 7-17, and riders of all levels. From our experience, you really do get a great mix of kids in terms of ability and experience. Everything from kids who do the rated circuit to kids who have never sat on a horse before... and really a good mix of ages in each level. We teach kids to the level they are at-- so kids will be broken up into riding groups that are appropriate for their skill level. For our two week sessions, there will be two programs-- Equestrian and Accelerated Equestrian. The Equestrian kids will ride once a day (so either 9:30 - 12 or 2 - 4:30) and the Accelerated Equestrian kids will ride twice a day. Most kids will be in the Equestrian program, and we will only accept 10 or so into the Accelerated Equestrian program. Honestly, spending half the day in the barn is usually more than enough for most kids.... even the most horse-crazy ones! You'd be surprised how many kids sign up for riding 2x a day and then want to skip lessons to hang out with their friends doing other, non-riding activities! We aim to have approximately 50-60 horses on site so we have enough to rotate without burning any out. Most will be QH types, some TBs, and potentially some WBs (you'd be surprised.... camp is a really good place for retired show horses!) Most will be the kind that can W/T/C and jump 2'-2'6 courses, not super fancy but safe and sane... think the type of horse suitable for a decent local circuit. We will own about 2/3s and borrow/lease the other 1/3. Horses are carefully selected and get a lot of riding by counselors prior to camp opening. We will lease most of our own horses out during the off-season. This allows us to keep a string of reliable, safe horses year after year. Half our staff will come from the UK and hold certifications from the British Horse Society or Pony Club. American staff will have to meet similar standards (though obviously we don't really have governing bodies like the BHS here...) Instructor to Camper ratio will be 1:3. We will also offer guest clinicians for the more advanced riders. We will have some counselors who are "sports counselors" and thus have a sports/recreation background as opposed to a riding background. We will also have an RN on staff 24/7. We will also be hiring as many counselors as we can that have education degrees/backgrounds/certifications. All staff are thoroughly screened and background-checked. When they are not riding, they will be able to participate in a series of electives which include activities like kayaking, hiking, arts and crafts, cooking, and various sports. We will also offer an additional "horsemanship" elective which will be on-the-ground sessions focused on equine management and care. In the evenings no one will ride, and we will run camp-wide programs like karaoke, talent shows, dances, group games, movie night, things of that nature. Occasionally, there will be a horse-related session (demonstrations, guest speakers, etc.) Every evening will close with a campfire. Camp will close each session with a Riding Demonstration for parents that allows campers to showcase what they learned during their stay. The week-long Advanced Riders clinic will be an intensive riding experience featuring guest clinicians, and will run at the very start of the summer. We will only take 15 campers aged 10-17, and we will need a recommendation from their trainer. We will probably accept some non-riding kids if they would like to come-- often these kids are siblings of kids who DO ride. There are plenty of non-riding activities to keep them busy, and they will have the opportunity to ride occasionally if they so choose. We may also have some one week slots available (within our 2 week sessions, if that makes sense) depending on how things fill up. In terms of amenities-- up the hill on the wooded campsite, there are 15 cabins with electric as well as a mini-lodge. They are rustic, but clean. There is hot/cold running water (sinks and showers) on the immediate campsite, but currently only outhouses. We are looking into having septic installed on the campsite... I suspect it has not been done yet because it is on the side of a hill and I can imagine it will be a big project. However the campsite is just a short walk to the main lodge, where there are locker rooms with flush toilets, hot/cold showers, sinks, lockers, etc. The main lodge also has an infirmary, library, and arts & crafts room as well as a large dining/gathering room. The barn is pretty neat.... the middle is tack/feed storage, with an aisle of stalls on either side. The walls are removable so the aisles can literally be opened right up like a shedrow in the summer. Indoor, two outdoor rings with good all-weather footing, two grass riding fields (one of which we are turning into a hunt course) and TONS of trails. The eventing trainer I ride with coaches a pony club that is all homeschoolers, she said most of her kids will be very interested in attending. So, maybe your kids can meet some other homeschoolers from across state. ![]() We are hoping to keep sessions around 60-65 campers. At that size, everyone knows everyone and it is easy for us to keep tabs on kids on a personal level. Edited by FlashGordon, Oct 4 2012, 07:08 AM.
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| FlashGordon | Oct 4 2012, 07:05 AM Post #203 |
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You're BANNED!
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Whew that was the longest post ever. I am hoping to have the website up soon, as well as the marketing collateral printed. |
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| Trialbyfire | Oct 4 2012, 07:17 AM Post #204 |
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You're BANNED!
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![]() Love it. So jealous. Wish I was a kid again!! ![]() I will spread the word in the Capital Region........
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| Indy | Oct 4 2012, 07:29 AM Post #205 |
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You're BANNED!
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That sounds like so much fun FG! I wish I was a kid so I could spend the summer with you guys
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| MayaTy02 | Oct 4 2012, 07:32 AM Post #206 |
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That is super awesome FG and I love how you have it all planned out. Sounds exhausting to manage but hey for 8-10 weeks out of the year, I'd do it! SOOO exciting. I wish I could get Maya to commit to a sleepaway situation, maybe by next year and if TBF's kids are there
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| FlashGordon | Oct 4 2012, 07:33 AM Post #207 |
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You're BANNED!
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Yay! I am sure we will be hitting up some camp shows early in 2013 out your way, too. And as soon as I have some material printed and we are ready to start marketing, I will send it to you. I am totally going to do an Adult Camp in spring and fall.. I was thinking maybe Thursday - Sunday so people didn't have to take a ton of time off work. 2 sessions - one weekend of more leisurely trail/hacking and then another weekend for more intensive training. It may be a year or so down the line, but I want to make it a regular part of our offerings. And of course we have to have our TOC weekend!! And MT... YES it is hugely exhausting while camp is in session, LOL. But it is So Much Fun you don't realize how tired you are. And because we have a lot of experience, I think we won't suffer some of the same growing pains you might going into this blind. Of course, the first few years will be a learning process but I know we will be able to offer a quality program right from the get-go. The place is like horsey heaven-- the pasture is absolutely amazing, especially for around here. So that alone makes things a whole lot easier, as the horses will be comfortable and will be able to primarily live outside during the summer season. Edited by FlashGordon, Oct 4 2012, 07:35 AM.
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| Fish Cheeks | Oct 4 2012, 08:30 AM Post #208 |
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You're BANNED!
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WHEW! That sounds exhausting...but fun! Wish I were a kid again so I could go to horsey camp! |
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| Trialbyfire | Oct 4 2012, 08:35 AM Post #209 |
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You're BANNED!
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That would be awesome - would love to have my kids there the same week as a bunch of other homeschoolers! I'm sure the answer is yes -- but is it boys and girls? Just making sure it's not a girls-only camp before I tell anyone with boys! |
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| FlashGordon | Oct 4 2012, 08:50 AM Post #210 |
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You're BANNED!
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TBF, we talked about going all-girls but ultimately decided against it, at least for now. We will most likely offer two co-ed sessions, and two all-girls sessions. The advanced riders' week will also be co-ed. |
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