From Camper Care training to discussions on future campgrounds, reviewing employee policies to a deep dive into the software they rely on, there was an ambitious syllabus for the attendees of Spacious Skies Campgrounds’ first-annual Spacious Skies University (SSU) earlier this month, according to a press release.
Staged at Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn., the company’s 10th campground acquisition, a group of 31 campground managers and headquarters team members participated in the multi-day retreat. The participants came from as far away as Maine, where the company has two campgrounds. Several participants stayed in their own RVs, while others stayed in the campground’s cabins and glamping accommodations, as well as the Bluff House, a multi-bedroom rental house.
The group embraced the opportunity to learn, connect with their peers and have some fun after many intense months of growth. Over the past 20 months, the company has expanded to 13 parks located in a variety of states in the east.
“Spacious Skies University was a measure of how far we’ve come to achieve what we refer to as ‘the intangible’ – the magic that must cure through months and months of dedication to the shared goal, the spirit that simply cannot be manufactured,” said Ali Rasmussen, CEO and creative director of Spacious Skies Campgrounds. “It was a display of our efforts to build something special within the community of our organization at the leadership level, which should trickle down to our onsite team members and, more importantly, to our camping guests.”
Topics included advanced training on the company’s reservations system – Campspot – as well as Camper Care, the Spacious Skies category of customer service and guest communications. The group also discussed company performance in 2022 and new locations in the pipeline in 2023 and beyond. SSU provided the perfect forum for in-person human resources training as well, and the opportunity to announce the exciting launch of a new website and loyalty program in early 2023.
“The headquarters team poured so much thought and effort into the preparation and execution of this inaugural event,” added Rasmussen. “Our campground managers jumped right in, arriving engaged and ready to learn, participate and connect with their peers. It came together in such an exciting, productive way. We are all energized as we head into 2023.”
Outside the conference room, participants also toured Spacious Skies Belle Ridge, hiked the on-site trails to Bridal Falls and participated in a highway cleanup project as part of the Keep Putnam County Beautiful Clean Commission, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Evenings were spent gathered around campfires.