Episodes

Send us a text Glampitect and NC500 Pods co-founder Calum MacLeod returns to The Glampitect PODcast for a third time! In this episode, he talks about common business concepts and principles that can be applied to running a glamping business. These include: Competitor analysis Customer retention Marketing Attend the Farm Business Innovation Show! Links Visit Glampitect's website Check out Glampitect's Facebook page Take a look at Glampitect's Instagram page Visit Glampitect's LinkedIn page Jo...

Send us a text After speaking to hundreds, if not thousands of people at The Glamping Show, we realised that there are lots of people out there who want to start a glamping business but don't currently have the land to do so. So, today we brought in the co-founder of Glampitect and NC500 Pods, Ali Young, to discuss what you should bear in mind when looking for land suitable for a glamping site. As becomes apparent throughout the episode, it's not as simple as just buying a nice-lookin...

Send us a text A common problem faced by many prospective glamping business owners is deciding which glamping units to purchase for their site. This isn't just about which units look prettiest; it's also about how many months in the year you'll be operating; how much you can afford to spend on setup; what your ROI targets are and more. There are so many things you need to consider when deciding on your glamping units, so we brought back Luke Pica, our resident feasibility expert, to run you...

Send us a text Today we're joined by Glampitect's Marketing Lead, Billy Louden. Since joining the company this year, he's been implementing his marketing and branding expertise to grow both Glampitect and NC500 Pods' social media followings and balance sheets. In this episode, we make the distinction between marketing and branding before focusing on the latter. We discuss why branding is important for glamping businesses, how glamping business owners should go about creating a br...

Send us a text Last time we spoke to Morag Sallabanks, she was waiting for it to stop raining so she could start putting her glamping site together. Seven months on, she's the owner of a thriving glamping business that's enjoyed an average occupancy rate of 80-85% since opening this summer. Today we catch up with Morag to find out how she's been so successful in her glamping journey so far, as well as delving into the pros and cons of being a glamping site owner. For those who didn't hear...

Send us a text A theme that has cropped up in many episodes of The Glampitect PODcast is the importance of treating your glamping site as more than just a passion project. To operate a highly profitable site you must treat it like a business, which means doing your research, identifying your target market and providing excellent customer service. Today we're joined by Debbie Cockayne, who's the co-owner of the Bank House Meadows glamping site in Norfolk. She's got plenty of experience in bus...

Send us a text Picking your dream glamping pods; looking for hot tubs; creating the perfect guest welcome package. What do these three things have in common? They're all exciting elements of starting a glamping business. Slightly less exciting is talk of wastewater, drainage and...well...poo. Yet these are absolutely vital parts of setting up a glamping site and they simply cannot be neglected. If your drainage system fails while guests are on site, your glamping dream could be ...

Send us a text Have you ever thought about starting a glamping business but been put off by the costs involved? A lack of money doesn't necessarily signal the end of your glamping dream. Today we're joined by Ken Riley of GTF Event Equipment Financing to talk you through your financing options. Links Visit Glampitect's websiteCheck out Glampitect's Facebook pageTake a look at Glampitect's Instagram pageVisit Glampitect's LinkedIn pageJoin Glampitect's Facebook groupCheck out GTF Event ...

Send us a text Today we're joined by Luke Pica, Research and Reporting Lead at Glampitect. One of Luke's main roles is to oversee our feasibility study programme. A feasibility study is a vital stage of the glamping journey for any prospective glamping site owner, and in this episode we delve into what a feasibility study is, why it's important, what Glampitect offer in this regard, and what you need to do if you're undertaking your own feasibility assessment. Links Visit Glampitect's websit...

Send us a text Today we're joined by the Head of Operations at NC500 Limited, Craig Mills. Craig has played a huge role in growing NC500 as a business, facilitating partnerships with hundreds of businesses along the North Coast 500 route and driving footfall to a once-neglected region of Scotland. There are several parallels between Craig's business and a glamping business, including local business partnerships, the preservation of the surrounding area and the issue of difficult neigh...

Send us a text Today we're joined by Carol Oulton, owner of Newlands Hall Farm and the Weardale Retreat. Weardale Retreat is a glamping offering consisting of a shepherd hut and a hot tub overlooking the Durham Dales, and it's been a roaring success since Carol decided to diversify her farming business last year. If you're a farmer considering diversifying into glamping, this episode is for you. Links Visit Glampitect's websiteCheck out Glampitect's Facebook pageTake a look at Glampitect's ...

Send us a text We've got something a little different for you today! Thus far, our focus has been very UK-centric, but today we're travelling to the Middle East, and Dubai specifically, to speak to Chris Nader. He's an expert in glamping, eco resorts and all things hospitality in that region, so this is a must-listen for anyone thinking of starting a glamping business over there. Alternatively, if you have your sights firmly set on the UK market, you might just glean some information t...

Send us a text Ali Young, co-founder of Glampitect and North Coast 500 Pods, returns to the podcast today to discuss the common mistakes he sees prospective and existing glamping site owners making. This is a must listen for anyone at any stage of their glamping journey. Links Visit Glampitect's website Check out Glampitect's Facebook page Take a look at Glampitect's Instagram page Visit Glampitect's LinkedIn page Join Glampitect's Facebook group Contact Email Glampitect: contact@glampitect.co....

Send us a text Today we're joined by Patryk Wargacki, social media coordinator for Glampitect and North Coast 500 Pods. Patryk is a huge reason why NC500 Pods have 33,000 followers on Instagram and 35,000 likes on Facebook. The content he produces daily has built a huge audience, generated lots of engagement and resulted in thousands of pounds worth of bookings for the site. In this episode, he provides us with his top tips for replicating his success through the use of polls, competitions, ...

Send us a text Today we're joined by Christine Maclean, who runs the daily operations of the North Coast 500 Pods glamping sites in Brora and Achmelvich. If you're want to know about the day-to-day aspects of a glamping business, or you're thinking of outsourcing this side to someone like Christine, you should give it a listen. Links Visit Glampitect's websiteCheck out Glampitect's Facebook pageTake a look at Glampitect's Instagram pageVisit Glampitect's LinkedIn pageJoin Glampitect's ...

Send us a text Glampitect and North Coast 500 Pods co-founder, Calum MacLeod, is back for the 10th episode of The Glampitect PODcast. Today, we speak about how to market your glamping business on social media so that you achieve a high occupancy rate as soon as you open. Calum spent lots of time marketing the NC500 Pods site in Brora long before it launched, and this led to guests flooding in once the doors opened. If you're in the process of setting up a glamping site and you h...

Send us a text If you've got any sort of interest in the hospitality and leisure industry, there's a good chance you'll be aware of Bob O'Connor and his work. After starting his career in retail, he went on to develop an acute sense of what works and what doesn't when creating guest experiences. His most renowned project is Port Lympne Reserve, which he transformed from a business losing £3 million per annum to a hugely profitable resort in less than three years. Simply put, he's a hospital...

Send us a text Ali Young, co-founder of NC500 Pods and Glampitect, joins us today. With experience in setting up sites for himself and for Glampitect's clients, Ali is able to provide some great insight into the pros and cons of being a glamping site owner and the lessons he's learned along the way. Links Visit Glampitect's website Check out Glampitect's Facebook page Take a look at Glampitect's Instagram page Visit Glampitect's LinkedIn page Join Glampitect's Facebook group Check out NC500 Po...

Send us a text Today we're joined by Steph Curtis-Raleigh, an industry expert, publisher of International Glamping Business magazine and organiser at Eco Resort Network. As well as wider industry trends, discussion includes what UK glamping site owners can take from the American model; regulations site owners probably aren't aware of and the difference between the glamping industry and the holiday park industry. Links Visit Glampitect's websiteCheck out Glampitect's Facebook pageTake a look...

Send us a text Today we're joined by two environmental experts Pete Wharton and Matt Wall of Wharton Natural Infrastructure Consultants. Discussion includes why glamping site owners should care about protecting the natural areas that surround their site; how they can do this; the financial benefits of creating an eco-friendly site; and the potential effect of the Environment Bill on prospective site owners. If you're passionate about the environment, you'll love this. If you're less passion...

Send us a text Today we're joined by Eden Flaherty of Glamping Advisors. They're a glamping consultancy service based in Portugal, so they're essentially the Glampitect of the Iberian Peninsula. Eden really has his ear to the ground when it comes to glamping and international tourism trends. That allows for some interesting discussion on eco-tourism, adventure tourism, sustainability and more. We hope you enjoy. Links Visit Glampitect's websiteCheck out Glampitect's Facebook pageTake a lo...

Send us a text Today we're joined by Glampitect's in-house marketing expert, Moray Donaldson. With a university degree in International Marketing and experience in social media marketing for glamping sites and other businesses, Moray is able to offer some excellent insight into what you need to do to ensure your glamping site stands out in the online sphere. We spoke about the different content you should be posting on social media, the importance of brand guidelines and the pro...

Send us a text In the third episode of The Glampitect PODcast, we're joined by Morag Sallabanks of Braeview Glamping, which is a glamping site that's currently under construction. She's full of great advice for anyone who wants to set up a glamping site, as she's learned plenty of lessons along the way. Topics of discussion include: The importance of bringing an expert in to help with the planning processWhy you should treat your glamping site as a business investment, and not just a ...

Send us a text In the second episode of The Glampitect PODcast, Jason Devenish of Leisure Design Projects and Enchanted Creations speaks about the importance of creating an experiential destination, as opposed to the traditional 'cookie cutter' approach for your glamping site. If you're someone who likes to think outside the box when creating visitor destinations, this one is for you. Links (tap the text to visit): Visit Glampitect's websiteJason's company - Leisure Design ProjectsJason's o...