SOURCE: Caravan Times
Interview Exclusive With CAMCs Head Of Communications And Events
By William Coleman
Last week I ventured up to Manchester to the Caravan and Motorhome show to speak first hand with senior members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club about what they had in store for their members during 2018.
So with both the Scottish and Birmingham NEC Caravan and Motorhome shows only a handful of weeks away I wanted to speak with The Club about how they prepare for the show and what it means to them to have such a presence. As an industry leading holiday provider I feel they do a great job with communicating with their customers, and the public in general. So here is my interview with CAMC’s very own Brian Morgan.
The Club always have such an impressive stand and presence at the shows. How far in advance does the planning start?
It’s an ongoing process, we exhibit at both NEC shows, Manchester and Glasgow, as well as a number of outdoor shows and events throughout the year. We are always in ‘show mode’!
What goes into making sure you have something for everyone at the show?
We make sure we have details of all Club products and services available for show visitors, we can help them from the very first stages with inspiring them to choose the right leisure vehicle for their touring group, to sharing ideas of where they could have their adventures and giving them help and advice along each step of the way and, of course, make their actual holiday bookings for them. Our show staff have such a vast amount of knowledge and experience and they love being at the shows and talking to people. We really do have a great team, not only at the shows but at head office and throughout the site network.
It is quite clear that The Club invest heavily in listening to their members, how can members communicate with you so they are heard?
It’s really important for us to listen to our members to hear about what they want and need from us. We have our Club Together forum with over 400k registered users, our social platforms are a great way for members and future members to interact with us, we carry out regular research and surveys with our members to hear from them – first-hand – about their views. Our Magazine is also a great source of information for members. And, most importantly, we act upon this information we receive. We provide over 60 relevant member offers (everything from discounts on outdoor clothing, fuel discounts, unbeatable ferry offers), our ongoing sites investment programme, we represent the members views through parliamentary channels and other associated bodies such as Transport for London and the FIA to name but a few.
As Matt Allwright said at the Manchester show, ‘there’s nowhere our members haven’t been’ and we are keen to provide the platforms for members to share their knowledge and experiences as they, in turn, inspire others to have great adventures.
At the Manchester show you had Matt Allwright open the show and do a acoustic set with his band ‘The Walnuts’. Will we see Matt again in Birmingham this February?
Yes! Matt will be with us on Club Day (Tuesday 20 February), he will again be hosting a series of informative forums for show visitors. Matt is a Club member and really enjoys getting away with his family in his campervan.
The shows are a fantastic way for members, new and old, to have face to face interaction with key members of The Club. What aspect of meeting the public do you enjoy the most?
You will always find me at the front of the stand, encouraging people to come and say hi to our team. I really do enjoy that aspect of my job. It’s so important to get to meet and talk to people, face to face, you can’t beat it.
And lastly what can we expect from you guys at this years Glasgow or the NEC shows?
We are heading to Glasgow soon, it really is a terrific show. We will be opening the show on Club Day with our Director General, Nick Lomas, the show Director, Jamie Taylor, and there will be a performance for show visitors by a really talented local quartet called the Capella String Quartet, so if anyone is in the area, come and say hi. And then we are at the NEC, Matt Allwright will be with us and we will have an exciting announcement to make, so make sure you are there on Club Day!
Source: Caravan Times
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
