AGM Questions - Some relevant to CLs

I have a CL nearby which is old style “caravanning in a field”. The only pressure to change which the owner may perhaps feel is because hardly anyone goes there. There was one review in 2012 and two more in the nine years since then.

There may be a group of older people on here who nostalgically prefer that sort of site, but the majority of members are voting with their wheels. They don’t take high tech, expensive, modern, computerised caravans into farm fields - and they certainly don’t take motorhomes.  

So does that show that the club value the weekend campers over those that can and want to book longer stays. Which will provide the bigger income?

Harry, the shorter a stay on a site the greater the profit the club makes from the site fees, so yes they would value weekenders over longer stayers, provided of course that they can fill the pitches.

NTH

Surely the bigger profit comes from the more paying customers. I don't understand how a business works out what profit margins it requires over running costs but the maths tells me £25 × 4 nights gives a higher return than £25 x 2 nights. 

Only if people can actually stay for four nights rather than two, which is the case, more people work a 5 day week than not? Hence the fuller sites at weekends?

So there may be more staying at weekends and that will make it a more profitable time? A crude example is that a 50 pitch site full at weekends (2 nights) will make the same as 20 pitches during the rest of the week. 

Personally I didn't take the  A weekend booking is very important for many members who cannot take longer breaks to mean for the club at all just that it was important for many members, which when I worked it certainly was.

The comment that people are looking for club site facilities at a cheaper price would indicate that there is a view that club sites are over-priced.

As for ET's statement "They don’t take high tech, expensive, modern, computerised caravans into farm fields - and they certainly don’t take motorhomes."  I would respond, it being nearly that time of year "Oh yes they do"

Harry

I think I would look at it another way. The Club come in for a lot of stick from people who want to book full weeks but find that difficult because weekends are, naturally, very popular. Some have expressed the thought that full week bookings should take priority over weekends. There is also a lot of conjecture about whether weekends tend to be booked speculatively which adds to the problem. So I think all the club is doing is pointing out that weekends are equally important to members as probably we all remember from the time we were in full time work?

David

"I have looked at High Breame CL and it clearly demonstates another of my irritations with some CLs etc. The main page shows eight fantastic photos but none of them relate to the CL. Anyone can find stock photos of birds, deer, helicopters etc and my instant response is "What are they trying to hide?". One CL I would discount for that reason."

Slightly off-topic, I accept - but I wonder if that's the reason why it's permanently full???? We booked in January and the earliest John could accommodate us was  a couple of weeks ago! - and they're friends of ours!!

Yes, here we are on a farm CL this year, note the space! There were five vans there including a huge Concorde van, £6 per night, £1 for the dog. Sea view and great village pub.

Couldn't agree more CY.

First CL this autumn in a farm field on grass there was 3 brand new caravans, large ones at that, all new owners or returnees and a few days later we were joined by a brand new Burstner Motorhome that would normally be found abroad according to the owner and sole occupant (unfortunately recently widowed). This has been replicated throughout this  year and not uncommon in most years.

But that's not what I was referring to. As I said provided the pitches are filled the greater profit comes when a members are coming and going on a short stay rather than spending extends periods on a site, as the latter will be using more electric and water per day than short stayers. Hence It is better to have those weekenders, arriving late on Friday and leaving early on Sunday compared to someone who is using power from Friday morning to Sunday evening.