CL entrance signs

Personally I would have thought a far more effective way would be to have a photograph of the entrance to your CL on your website in the How to Find Us page and perhaps a plan? If people know what they are looking for in advance they would then be able to recognise the current sign. Some councils are a bit sniffy about road side signs so do you have to take that into account?

David

 I think that's a really good idea David. Go to the top of the class 😉. As chief navigator I'd be happy to check it out before we go and  as we approach.  Good instructions are a great help too. 

SuperTractorMan - I'm firmly with you on this - it is a great idea to ask for ideas from our clients.

DavidKlyne - we do have a website which has a photograph of our entrance, but not all of our guests use the internet or plan in advance. 

In 2011 we put CL signs on the main road for the first time since the CL opened in 1982. Our bookings went up by 199 pitch nights that year, which proves that effective signage is important.

We are fairly close to Lady Margaret's Club Site and some larger commercial sites. We get a lot of drop-in visits from passers-by staying at those sites who see our signs and pop in to see what our CL is like, perhaps booking a future visit.

A similar trend we've noticed is people booking single nights at Club-owned Sites, and using the Club Site as a base to find a nearby CL. Due to varying standards of CL, they prefer to view the CL first-hand rather than booking far in advance. Good signage helps 'casual' guests like this to find us.

In my 15 years experience of running a busy CL, I find that Motorhomers are more likely to arrive unannounced than caravanners - we are a convenient stop-off for a North-South journey and are sign-posted from the nearest 'A' Road.

As a CL Owner, we benefit from local recommendations. Our recommendations often come from non-CAMC members - local people tell friends & family to stay with us whilst visiting them in Ellesmere. The proposed CL sign is not large enough and is not recognisable nor obvious enough, particularly to non-members.

If the CL Signs issued by the CAMC are not good enough, we would be silly not to invest in our own signs, and emphasize the 'formerly known as Caravan Club'.

Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Holiday@BirchHill.co.uk
www.BirchHill.co.uk

Birch Hill Farm – a multi-award winning hideaway in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club

Read the reviews - look at the photos.

Number 1321 in the 2017/18 Sites Directory
Number 1398 in the 2015/16 Sites Directory

Ian

In fairness I was replying to the OP of this thread who does not appear to have a photograph of his entrance on his website. If you are referring to the picture of the sign in the snow whilst it a nice picture it does not provide me with any sense of where it is in terms of the road your CL is on. On the issue of signage I think we have to accept that the Club have re-branded and time will tell if the new signs are enough to get people to recognise where the CL is. There is always the opportunity to give the Club feedback direct if it turns out to be a problem. I have to say that I have  driven past dozens of CL's with the old sign and it's only been a confirmation from my wife to the question, was that a Cl, that we realised that indeed it was. There is of course a difference between looking for a specific CL and just noticing one as you pass. 

David

Dave FL2 I do like the sign and it really stands out, plus I have the room to install a decent size sign. A small sign with an arrow at the last cross roads would be a plus.   We are on the test route for the local caravan dealer so many people trying a van may well look for somewhere to stay the night to get in early for their Habitation check or Warranty work and with the name visible even if they don't remember at the time, the handbook entry jogs the memory.

I note David about a photograph from the road and could modify my photos to include this, but such a large number of our visitors do not use the net, so its probably best to cover all angles.

David

Thanks DavidKlyne,
good point about the photo of our sign - I had copied it from a previous post where we were discussing the idea of showing the name of the CL on the sign.

For those who do use the internet, here is another photo of our lane entrance - I'll be updating it in due course.  We also have a video to show the driving directions as written in the Sites Directory.

Not only are we active caravanners, we have 15 years experience of running a busy CL and are former national winners of the CL of the Year.  I feel that we know our business and are well-placed to offer a constructive opinion.

The fact remains that many Club members do not use the internet and roadside signs can be very helpful.  My evidence for this is a jump of 199 pitch nights in the year we put signs on the junction of the nearest 'A' Road.

I'm under the impression that the new entrance signs have not yet been manufactured.

CL Owners have been sent a picture of the design and many of us are hoping that it can be changed before distribution to something that will help us through the transition so that we do not lose the advantage of the widespread recognition afforded by the old branding.

I do not object to the change of Club name - I am just concerned about loss of business and guests getting lost because of the new entrance signs not being clear enough.

The proposed sign is shown below.  I don't think that it will catch the eye of a passing motorist as well as the old signs.  I suggest that:

- the logo and lettering is made larger, and
- we have a transitional entrance sign that makes reference to The Caravan Club.

In terms of recognising the need for transitional arrangements, the Club website now reads 'previously the Caravan Club' on the home page and entering the URL of www.camc.com defaults to www.caravanclub.co.uk - there is a genuine need for CL entrance signs to make a similar link with the previous brand.

Ian Kelly
01691 622951
Holiday@BirchHill.co.uk
www.BirchHill.co.uk

Birch Hill Farm – a multi-award winning hideaway in the beautiful lake-lands of Shropshire - exclusively for members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club

Read the reviews - look at the photos.

Number 1321 in the 2017/18 Sites Directory
Number 1398 in the 2015/16 Sites Directory

I think the sign just needs to be simple and obvious.  It doesn't need a lot of info - club name and logo - CL name.  More important is the placement.  Far to often I find that existing signs are hidden or placed so that you can only see them at the last minute.  A sign that says "CL in 100m on the left" or similar would be really useful.

This is one of the better ones we have come across:

The signs indicating distance to entrance is very welcomed by the driver. Just like a notice of a pub car park in plenty of time makes up the drivers mind to stop.

I suppose it's not straight forward to erect a sign outside of your land boundary for direction, so signage before your site would depend upon permission I assume. That's why something that stands out is a must at the entrance.