Glamping Business Conference

We will be working on the 2020 conference program in the upcoming months.Please check back for updated information.

We recognize the need in the outdoor tourism industry to share, learn and solve business challenges in an interactive and engaging format.

Our mission is to provide a superb line-up of speakers who are running successful outdoor tourism businesses. Join our next The Glamping Show USA in Denver to learn about all aspects of setting up and running your own business. Topics covered include:

  • Regulations and standardization
  • Successfully running a seasonal business
  • Marketing and exposure for your site
  • Latest and emerging trends
  • Hospitality and customer service
  • Learnings from other tourism sectors

Choose Your Conference Track

The Glamping Show USA makes this information relevant to all levels of business owners by creating two distinct tracks:

Track 1

Discovery:
For those starting out

Taking those first steps is exciting, but can be daunting. Come and chat to like-minded explorers questioning these very steps. Share your ideas, share your concerns, share your tips. A Glamping business can feel isolating (literally!) and the opportunity to sense check yourself against your peers could be just what your business plan is missing.

Equip yourself with the tools to make those early decisions. How do I navigate the permissions process? What financial tools could be available to me? How do I get people to my property? Where is my marketing spend best used? Have I considered every possible scenario of what could go wrong? Or do I just need a little encouragement and inspiration to take the final step and sign on the dotted line? Whatever it is, we've got you covered.

Track 2

Growth:
For those looking to grow and diversify

You are up and running – now what? Whether you are newly launched or have been running for some time, there is always plenty to learn. How do you hire, train and retain the very best staff? Is bigger necessarily better? How do you attract mid-week bookings and prepare for low season? Hear from industry leaders and successful site owners who have measurable and valuable case studies to share.

We're currently building our line-up of speakers. Check back with us soon to see what exciting content we have in store for you!

Glamping Conference Program

The 2019 conference program was filled with expert speakers and actionable takeaways – In the upcoming months we will be working on the 2020 program. Check back for updates.

While the two-tracks are designed to address topics of special interest to new glamping operators (Track A: Discovery) or experienced business owners (Track B: Growth), you may select sessions from either track to customize your own program.

DAY ONE – 2019

10:00am - Registration & Exhibition Opens

Track A
Discovery

11:00am - 12:00pm

Home Truths: Things I Wish I’d Known When Starting My Glamping Business

Every business owner has a story to tell. These stories are bursting with mistakes, successes, assumptions and disregards. In this session, Sarah talks through measurable tips that new business starters can take on and use to take through their journey into the Glamping world.

Learn: Hear real stories and advice from business owners across the world who have learned what works in this industry. Take away valuable tips that will radically transform your new business, save time and help you avoid the mistakes and pitfalls of others.

Sarah Riley, Inspired Camping & Inspired Courses

Track B
Growth

11:00am - 12:00pm

Events and Pop-Ups to Maximize Your Revenue

How do you make the very best of your site when it comes to hosting events? What are they key do’s and don’ts? Could short term pop-up events also be an option?

Learn: Top ways to add revenue that you may have never thought possible. Calculate the size and new customer base you could attract by adding events to your site. Understand the levels of commitment involved whether they be short term, seasonal or year round.

Brittany Dosdall, By Design Collective

12:00pm - 1:00pm - Break

Track A
Discovery

1:00pm - 2:00pm

How to Select the Best Structure for Your Business

There are a wide range of structures available to glamping businesses---tents, tipis, yurts, wagons are only some of them. What do you need to know to make solid, well-informed decisions in selecting a structure? Are you adding inventory or buying from scratch? On this panel, hear answers to the most frequent questions buyers have when choosing structures. Come along to an engaging discussion with tips from those who make it happen.

You will: Leave armed with a checklist of questions to ask your supplier when exploring the suitability of a product. Know what to ask BEFORE you make that investment.

Host: Ruben Martinez, Co-Founder, Glamping Hub Panel Members: Gary Flaks, Bushtec Safari; Will Marquardt, Davis Tent, Kelda Bassett, TruDomes

Track B
Growth

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Great Guest-pectations: Glamping without Differentiations

Let's open up the conversation. With a focus on innovation, this session will explore how we grow the industry while addressing factors that could stall such growth. How do we ensure our guests aren't feeling duped in an industry with so many variations? This is a market talk for those looking at what's next.

Learn: Be on the same page with other site owners and market players about the future of the industry.

Steve Hurst, Managing Director, The Resort at Paws Up

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Break

Track A
Discovery

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Integrating Glamping into your Campground Offering

Are you a campground owner looking for an opportunity to elevate your site? KOA (Kampgrounds of America) share their insights into what makes their grounds and RV parks perfect canvases for glamping facilities. This session also looks at ways you can market the glamping experience to traditional campers.

Learn: Factors you need to consider when deciding whether to add Glamping to your existing site. Figure out whether you have the potential customer base, site and space for specific amenities to make it work.

Toby O’Rourke, CEO, KOA

Track B
Growth

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Growing Unique: The Future of Alternative Accommodation

Our panel looks at the growing impact of partnering with landowners to protect land for future generations. Unique isn’t just in design and appearance but the effect and purpose it can bring to communities. Hear how new disruptive and innovative creations are shaping the hospitality market.

Learn: How land stewardship and how partnerships can create good for all. Discover the possibilities that are out there without actually owning land.

Host: Steph Curtis-Raleigh, Publisher, International Glamping Business Panel Members: Will Beilharz, Founder, Artistree; Michael D’Agostino, Founder, Tentrr; Robin Staten, Tiny Urban Escapes, Todd Wynne-Parry, Chief Growth Officer, AutoCamp

5:00pm - 6:30pm - Networking & Hospitality in Exhibition Area

DAY TWO – 2019

8:00am - 9:00 am - Continental Breakfast for Conference Delegates

Track A
Discovery

9:00am - 10:00am

Regulations: Getting the Basics Covered

How is the regulation of the glamping industry sitting within the world of camping? Come and hear how local jurisdictions can help you navigate those first steps. Subjects will include zoning, licenses and health and safety.

Learn: Develop an awareness of what the NFPA 1194 (Standard for Recreational Vehicle Parks and Campgrounds) is and how to use it, what an AHJ is, possible permitting & zoning requirements, ADA requirements and health and safety. Know where to go to get the information and support you might need to proceed.

Jeff Sims, Senior Director of State Relations and Program Advocacy, ARVC

Track B
Growth

9:00am - 10:00am

Winning Over the Millennial Customer

Who is the customer of the future and how do you capture them while maximizing revenue? The rules of engagement are changing and this session talks you through the nuts and bolts in the areas of booking systems, rate yielding and how to market using the millennial language.

Learn: How to utilize revenue management and rate yielding to capitalize on the younger generation of campers, and why ease of booking online is important when targeting this market.

Kathleen Walsh, CEO, Advanced Outdoor Solutions

10:00am - Main Exhibition Opens

Track A
Discovery

11:00am - 12:00pm

Your Land Use Options: Becoming A Micro Entrepreneur

You’re a landowner with a driven nature. What options do you have to maximize your land use? do you already have ‘amenities’ in place to make it happen? What are the different investment models available?

Learn: Opportunities for private landowners. Understand the risks, the basic requirements, but also a step-by-step guide to making it happen.

Michael D’Agostino, Founder, Tentrr

Track B
Growth

11:00am - 12:00pm

Environmental Sustainability: Cornerstone or Afterthought?

How do you engrave sustainability into the core of your business? How do we as a glamping community drive these issues forward and create the right impact? How do we continue to grow our businesses on green platforms? This session explores the opportunities out there that result in positive changes that influence our guests, our communities and the hospitality industry as a whole.

Learn: Practical ways to reduce cost and waste, which you can implement in your next season.

Sarah Dusek, Co-Founder and CEO, Under Canvas

12:00pm - 1:00pm - Break

Track A
Discovery

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Marketing for New Business Owners

Whether you are signing on the dotted line, or weeks away from your debut opening season, this session preps you with some savvy marketing tips to get that buzz going before you open for your first guest.

Learn: A comprehensive, strategic plan of action that you can implement from the word go. Get your content in order and feel confident knowing you can impart the right messages to your brand new and captive audience.

Robert Frisch, CEO, Firelight Camps

Track B
Growth

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Customer Attraction Strategies Nobody is Talking About…Yet!

Revolutionize your customer marketing strategy with innovative techniques no one is talking about. Keep your finger on the pulse of what's hot in the industry by learning new ways to make a big impact quickly and turn your passion into profits.

Learn: Customer attraction techniques of the future and take away 6 new and exciting ways to connect with your audience and turn them into customers who send you referrals.

Sarah Riley, Inspired Camping & Inspired Courses

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Break

Track A
Discovery

3:00pm - 4:00pm

An Eye for Design: What it Takes to Create a Successful Site

Design is not just about the visual. It is about the feeling you get when you immerse yourself in the surroundings you are in to make a connection. How can impart these feelings onto your guests?

Learn: Design tips and tricks both big and small that you might be able adopt, add on or take inspiration from.

Will Beilharz, Founder, Artistree

Track B
Growth

3:00pm - 4:00pm

The Evolution from Glamping to Outdoor Luxury Hospitality

Collective Retreats CEO and Founder, Peter Mack, shares the lessons and the journey he and his company have had in growing from a single 10-tent retreat in Vail, Colorado, to four locations across the country that deliver luxury outdoor experiences and a rapidly growing pipeline of future retreats around the world. At which point does Glamping become something more?' This is a session for operators who are looking at taking guest experience to the next level.

Learn: Keys to delivering a luxury experience to customers with high expectations. Evolving your product based on a test and learn strategy and customer feedback. Operating a high-end experience in the outdoors.

Peter Mack, CEO and Founder, Collective Retreats

Close of Day 2

“This is our first time exhibiting and we have met some interesting people and we have got some good leads. I have enjoyed talking to the participants but also to the other vendors too – we have learned from each other” – Ivy Fife, Colorado Yurt Company

Our Partners