Retreat Insider

As BLOG moderator and manager of All About Retreats’ website, I have been in more frequent intimate and fact finding conversations with our Members and a record number of potential Members this month. What I have been hearing is info that all of our Members and potential members can benefit from as new marketing budgets are being developed.

Without a doubt, there are more church affiliate retreat and conference centers on All About Retreats than ever. A close second are the camp-style venues. The managers and staff at these places are telling us that their bookings are good and that more groups are contacting (and booking!) them because of their low cost relative to the larger meeting hospitality market. Some of these venues are modest in their amenities and accommodations, others are slightly more refined and upscale.

GOOD NEWS

If you are marketing or managing a church affiliated non-profit retreat … All About Retreats is a GREAT place for you to list your facilities. Here’s why: Continue Reading »

Now that nearly every high profile living room elephant across the land has been revealed, many of which were not really a surprise (were they?), are you wondering when the next shoe will drop? Are you glued to your TV, waiting? Or do you begin your day with newspaper headlines guaranteed to make you wish you could spend the day under the covers, hiding out?! Bad news affects our psyche and our thoughts, which can be worrisome, anxious and worst of all, NOT true. I don’t know about you, but when I attach to some of my thoughts, I am in a bad neighborhood or running on a gerbil wheel of discontent. Times being what they are, there’s no time like THE PRESENT to seek a remedy … but keep your helmet handy “just in case” …LOL… Continue Reading »

Autumn is a good season at All About Retreats! Historically, more retreat or conference center owners, managers, and marketing mavens are browsing the web for new marketing feeds and discover AAR through it’s high website rankings on Google, MSN, and Yahoo! AAR’s webstats show that traffic increases by 23% between October and Thanksgiving, with another higher upsurge mid January through April. Centers evaluating what works and what doesn’t in their marketing mix, as reflected in their YTD revenues and bookings for the coming months, make marketing budget decisions.

Even as the downturn of our economy has made a noticeable impact on some meeting hospitality venues, others are well-positioned and enjoying level, and even increased business activity compared to recent years!

What are the factors that can make the difference?? Continue Reading »

Whether you are a business owner or someone who gets a paycheck from and employer, if you are responding ably to the economic shift now firmly underway, you review your income versus the costs of living. Lifestyle changes such as joining (or initiating!) a carpool, increasing (or beginning) home vegetable and herb gardening, supporting local farmers and small businesses, are just a few of the householder conversations heard in our community. Perhaps the greatest concern about the immediate near future here in the north country is what our heating costs will be this winter, even though near term gas prices are down from the highest ever in our history!

Business owners are undoubtedly feeling the effects of “the way we do things around here” for good or for better. There is always untapped potential when we evaluate and indeed question our habits - a change of mind, a shift in perception can almost instantly improve the bottom line! Here’s how … Continue Reading »