What Would a UK Club Type Aire Look Like

I don’t think the Club consulted Members before it decided to close 5 sites at the end of the coming season, so again, what we are discussing isn’t likely to go to a Members vote, should any interest at HQ be shown. 

As for will it work, Unless it’s trialled we will never know. My own thoughts, despite putting forward a few ideas, is that there won’t be the impetus to do anything at the moment. Status quo will prevail. 

Nevertheless, I worked in a background of time and space leisure resourcing, and what was anathema was having time sensitive resources under performing and under sold. As I said earlier, if you don’t get the income in, you won’t manage to keep facilities operational. The Club is currently trying all sorts of special offers to attract and keep Members. Utilising discounted, unbooked pitches is simply another method, and it’s something a section of the Membership might be interested in. 

I’ll just say that we have been Club Members 40 years as well, all our touring done in UK. We have used big sites, little sites, remote sites, city sites, grass sites, hard standing sites, sites owned by the Club, sites leased by the Club, sites affiliated to the Club. Brand new sites, sites so old they are no longer available, sites with lots of staff, sites with two and a dog running them. Sites with volunteers on helping out. We use sites for a single night, we use sites for long stays, we even included two sites for our honeymoon! Sites that that have tents, pods, cottages, cafes, pools, etc…

But we mix it up as well, so know what touring life is like away from Club Sites, what else is attractive and available, and above all value for money for the type of stay we want. The three factors that drive our choice are location, resources we need and then value for money. If we are using Club Sites less, then those three aspects are why. 

It has to said and conceded that those asking for this provision, cheaper sites prices, arriving after 6... are not club sites users or use them sparingly and have said so, therefore firstly actual club site users should be surveyed in some way 

You want to exclude those members who may benefit from the introduction of such a service. There I was thinking, obviously mistakenly, that this was an inclusive club.

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I think it didn't need to consult members about clearly failing sites that members hadn't been using, over some years with evidence, while other sites with much better facilities like HS and EHU... have good occupancy rates, what would be the consultation - these sites are losing money, no one uses them so shall we keep them open? Does that sound like good financial sense to you as a member? Even it did go to a vote what do you think the result would have been?  Even some of those that have lamented their going posted they hadn't used them? I suppose the club did consult - by how much memory the sites are making. The ultimate consolation.

In any case surveys are different to consultations and votes. I've had a few surveys as I posted, the last one about getting rid of site leaflets. Before money is spent of something that even the proponents of this on here can only say it might be of interest and we'll never know till we try it. Hardly a good way to spend money and cause potential inconvenience.

The club has a good track record of giving the members exactly what they want, tours, glamping, SP... that doesn't just happen by accident, they know what will sell and they must find that out somehow?

Again I can't follow that, where did I say exclude anyone? I think you've jumped in too quickly?

I posted that it should include present members that currently use club sites, and if you read my post carefully WN, I said firstly. Why jeopardize current high income from these members for something that might work, or might be of interest, may be of benefit. Is that good business sense to you? I never said anything about excluding anyone, only those that use club sites first. I can only assume you missed the firstly? 

After that then perhaps a survey as I've just posted, to see if there really is this big demand from members then the club will have to do it's homework to see if it's at all viable, which no one can appear to answer. As I said in my previous post, which pretty well sums it up:

The club has a good track record of giving the members exactly what they want, tours, glamping, SP... that doesn't just happen by accident, they know what will sell and they must find that out somehow?

And once more it is inclusive, once joined and of course actually using club sites everyone has the chance to use whatever is on site, no one is excluded. That's the true definition of inclusive, at least the one I've used in my working life.

Corners, what you actually said was…..

”those asking for this provision, cheaper sites prices, arriving after 6... are not club sites users or use them sparingly and have said so, therefore firstly actual club site users should be surveyed in some way”

Not quite sure whether you would include the likes of me into any survey, now being an infrequent user, hence why I posted to give an indication of my Club Site background. It does rather sound like you meant only actual users, not all Members should be surveyed.

With a marketing hat on, if you don’t ask all Members, then it’s going to be a skewed result. The reasons why Members don’t use Club Sites are equally as important as those who are perfectly happy. It could be argued that barriers to participation are of greater relevance to moving a business forward, so that every available market can be tapped. Existing customers, and the Club’s future, new/returning customers.

But as I have said. Decisions are made without much Member consultation nowadays.

I'm not sure how what I posted can be read any other way:

those asking for this provision, cheaper sites prices, arriving after 6... are not club sites users or use them sparingly and have said so, therefore firstly actual club site users should be surveyed in some way”

Why is firstly being omitted? Yes first survey those who use club sites first. They bring the income in,  I would not upset that. Then as I posted above others.

 Who is omitting firstly? I didn't and Ttda didn't. So who did it?

The club is inclusive. If they want a survey undertaken then that should include all members. 

The question is irrelevant anyway because they won't conduct a survey. They may trial somewhere and then ask participants and members who were already on site what they felt but a general survey would be a first for the club, AFAIK.

Doesn’t CAMC still do site surveys when people have stayed on sites?

Also, I’m sure we’ve all been invited to take part in surveys from time to time both by email and via CT.

Yes, CAMC is fully inclusive and that means either offering discounts to all or charging them all the going rate. If prices were to be slashed for drop in arrivals after, say 9pm, I can visualise nearby lay-bys emptying and queues forming at the site gate as the witching hour approached. 

None of this matters to me personally and whichever way CAMC goes won’t affect me but it saddens me to see so many people striving to save a few £s as if that’s the most important part of their holiday. Sorry if that offends anyone but it truly is the impression created.

Well you did and Tda, you replied that I was excluding some members, when all I clearly wrote that the club should firstly survey those who use club sites, nothing about excluding anyone else. Just (for the last time) those that use club sites first. If something is done first then something is done second in my book. I'm sorry I think you missed that firstly otherwise what you posted doesn't make sense to me.

Tda posted : It does rather sound like you meant only actual users, not all Members should be surveyed

Again Tda has missed, or omitted to note, the firstly.

And yes it should survey all but firstly, in my view and I'm sticking to it, those that use club sites should be done first for the reasons I gave earlier. I think I alluded to that in another post about the club getting its new projects to be so successful.

And you're certainly wrong about surveys, I was surveyed about site leaflets being discontinued after staying on a club site recently just last month (I assume because I actually stayed on a site - perhaps they should ask all those that didn't but I can't see the logic in that) and there have been surveys discussed many times on here, they are by email and one was on the deposit system before it was introduced, reliability survey, and another very recently on something I cannot know remember. As I said they are by invite through emails.