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Arch, having someone who already stays on Club Sites (primarily) stay a bit longer is a small positive, but has to be weighed normal price v discounted price to get a true increase. Persuading someone who doesn’t use Club Sites to come and stay as opposed to going elsewhere is the real winner, and will put money in the coffers if it can be maintained. You, happy with the Club (I think😁) are not the true intended target, but add a little bit of a positive. The Club gets a bit, you get a lot. Other way round is what the Club wants👍

I also question the idea that the club doesn't know its membership?

From past data the club will know exactly how many members book 'early' that is over 14 days in this case and when they do it. It will know exactly how many book (and have booked) over the three week half term period (from all the Uk schools) and with parents or grandparents. It will know many how people are booked on these sites and for how long. I would suspect this is more than those who cannot go away at short notice for other reasons.

When I was working full time I would have loved to have this sort of offer on over half term. When I went PT I still would have loved it. I think it's great now it's just a shame that the sites I've got booked in Scotland and Northumberland are not there (mmm I wonder why?) but it will get me to book one of them in the lakes. The others are a bit too far (am I being discriminated by distance - surely the club knows where I live?). Win win. Thank you club.

Because those few realise they made a mistake but that mistake has nothing to do with the way some MH-ers tour.

The offer we are discussing is aimed to increase site occupancy. That’s all there is to it. CAMC will be happy if occupancy increases on the well used sites as well as the lesser used sites. 

Corners, you are not the intended target market of these offers, other than you will use a different Club Site. Nothing wrong with this, it is to your benefit, and in a smaller way also the Club. But looking at all the offers, sometimes two a week, and the email from the DG, from a marketing perspective, evidence would suggest that the Club is seeking to increase its usage and attract more or lapsed Members back onto Club Sites.

It’s happy time for those who love Club Sites, lots of offers, money off prices that they already find good value, T&C’s that have no problems, and I have no doubt that there are probably a lot of existing Members like you currently reaping the benefits of something that suits and you enjoy. That’s good.

But can the Club survive on this? That’s the underpinning issue, and why I suggested it’s not the happy customers that the Club needs to reach, by all means keep them happy, but it needs to get more wheels, either brand new or returning onto pitches to maintain at a level that is not going to mean more or earlier site closures, or increasing prices. Telling folks to go elsewhere if something doesn’t suit, will not ultimately stop the empty pitch nights. So, knowing more about those who don’t come, is just as important as retaining those who do. And 🤞 it might just be a few simple things initially, but finding out is key. 

What has returning to caravanning from having a motorhome, got to do with how often they spend time on a site?

I have said for a long time that the club should be surveying members who don’t use club sites. Visit a club site and you get a survey afterwards. Don’t visit one for a year and you don’t get asked. 

I can sort of understand why the Membership of MH owning, and caravan owning numbers is important, as we certainly don’t tour in the same way with either outfit.

We would stay longer on a site (of any kind) with our caravan, than we probably would with our MH, as we would hop from site to site more with the MH, rather than going back and forth each day.

Those who move to a MH from a caravan might just find life a little bit more restrictive not having a vehicle to go off site with, and might need sites within walking distance, cycling distance, or on a bus route, if they choose not to go out in their MH daily. Hence, this question of type of outfit might have some bearing in terms of pitch take up and why the site isn’t achieving its target take up. Location? Access to public transport? Enough to do directly from the site? All questions to ask potential users.

Totally agree. The Club knows it’s Membership reasonably well. But it’s equally important to try and find out why new outfit owners don’t join, or why existing users have stopped using Club Sites so much. I’m sure they will be doing something in this respect.

So if long stays are important in maintaining a healthy income for sites to survive, why would you want long stays to get a discount and reduce it's income and risk the survival of a site. You can't have it both ways.