Listen to the latest episode of MC Fireside Chats, an Outdoor Hospitality Podcast

In this final episode of MC Fireside Chats for the year 2025, host Brian Searl welcomes a panel of returning industry experts to reflect on the past year and discuss future trends in outdoor hospitality. The group begins by introducing themselves and their businesses, including Kristin Andersen Garwood from Sage Outdoor Advisory, David Byers from Canadian Sleeping Barrels and Cedar Yurts, MacKenzie Whitsell from Wild Ride Mustang Sanctuary, Elizabeth McIntosh from Back Forty Glamping, and industry advocate Sandy Ellingson. Brian sets a festive tone for the December 17th broadcast, noting the upcoming holiday break, before asking the guests to share their most memorable business accomplishments from 2025.

Kristin Andersen Garwood kicks off the reflections by highlighting the significant strides her company made in data collection. She notes the release of their first glamping market report and the expansion of their proprietary database, which now includes hundreds of new properties. Kristin shares that they are currently preparing their Q4 report and an RV market report, with plans to expand their data analysis internationally. Following her, David Byers reveals a major pivot for his business; after 30 years of manufacturing round structures, his company has started building rectangular and square saunas to meet market demand. He showcases photos of his products, including a wheelchair-accessible sauna and sleeping barrels featuring acrylic bubble walls, emphasizing their durability and unique design suitable for heavy snow loads.

Elizabeth McIntosh shares that 2025 was a milestone year for her glamping operation in Ontario, as they completed their site plan by expanding to seven geodesic domes. She details the addition of "magical moments" to the property, such as a library in the forest, and the hiring of managers to allow for more hands-off ownership. Elizabeth discusses the surprising success of winter glamping, noting that social media platforms like TikTok have helped romanticize the "snow globe" experience, making winter bookings sometimes easier to secure than spring dates. She explains that amenities like private hot tubs and saunas are critical for making the cold weather appealing to guests.

MacKenzie Whitsell describes the infrastructure improvements made at her sanctuary, specifically the separation of the wild horse herd to create a walkway for guests. This change allows visitors to walk between the herds to a "pony petting pavilion," enhancing the immersive nature of the experience without compromising safety. Unlike Elizabeth, MacKenzie admits that winter glamping has been a harder sell at her location due to the need for guests to walk outside to bathhouses in freezing temperatures. She emphasizes her commitment to refining the guest experience to ensure it feels truly luxurious before aggressively marketing winter stays.

Sandy Ellingson expresses her enthusiasm for the industry's shift toward data-driven decision-making, moving from reactive to proactive strategies. She praises the younger entrepreneurs on the panel for their focus on engagement and unique experiences, noting a rise in agrotourism where guests, particularly from urban areas, visit parks specifically for equine therapy and animal interaction. The conversation then shifts to the role of Artificial Intelligence in the industry, a topic Brian Searl is passionate about. Brian challenges the group to discuss how they are utilizing AI, suggesting that it can be used for everything from coding interactive websites to enhancing promotional photos.

The group engages in a lively debate regarding the ethics and utility of AI in marketing. Brian argues that using AI to add elements like a sunset or a couple enjoying wine to a photo is acceptable as long as it represents an achievable reality for the guest and does not remove permanent eyesores like dumpsters. Elizabeth confirms she uses AI extensively for social media captions and brainstorming promotional ideas. Sandy adds that she recently used AI tools to remove obstructions from snowy landscape photos, while David mentions using ChatGPT to translate business communications into Spanish for clients in Costa Rica. MacKenzie admits she uses AI for coding in her day job but realizes she has been underutilizing it for her glamping marketing.

Looking ahead to 2026, Elizabeth asks for advice on developing a high-end farm stay, as she is planning a new project on a property with an old mill. This prompts a discussion on "agrotourism," with Kristin suggesting that miniature animals are a massive draw for guests. Brian utilizes an AI tool during the show to generate a blueprint for a high-end farm experience, which suggests focusing on participation rather than just observation. The AI proposes ideas such as guests gathering their own eggs, "consequence stakes" where guests understand the lifecycle of farm animals, and accommodations that serve as unique characters with their own backstories.

The conversation naturally flows into the challenges of food and beverage in remote glamping locations. Elizabeth notes that while restaurants have low margins, they are essential for the guest experience, and she currently utilizes a high-end meal kit partnership to solve this. David adds that art, such as murals on his glamping barrels, contributes to the "instagrammability" of a site, which is just as important as the amenities. The group agrees that while food service might not be a primary profit center, it is a vital amenity that allows operators to command higher nightly rates and increase occupancy.

In a roundtable segment, Sandy asks Kristin about key findings in her recent research. Kristin reveals that approximately 10% of sites in new RV resort developments are now dedicated to glamping, and that units with hot tubs or saunas command significantly higher rates. MacKenzie then shares details about her "mustang gentling retreat," a premium experience where guests pay to spend a week learning to tame a wild horse. This unique offering piques the interest of the group, with Brian jokingly asking Sandy to buy him a ticket for Christmas.

As the show wraps up, the guests share their holiday plans and final thoughts. Sandy predicts that 2026 will be a pivotal year for the RV industry, hoping for a return to 75-80% occupancy levels if parks adapt to new consumer demands. Brian teases upcoming research on Gen Z psychology, hinting that their hesitation to camp stems from a fear of embarrassment and a lack of childhood exposure to the outdoors. The episode concludes with Brian promoting a novelty AI-generated Christmas album for campground owners and wishing everyone a successful year ahead.

Brian Searl: 00:00:45

Welcome everybody to another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

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My name is Brian Searl with Insider

Perks and Modern Campground.

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Our last episode of the year.

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This is the festive, best festive

thing I could do on short notice.

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It's actually been here since last

year, so I didn't do any work.

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It was just sitting in the right

hand side as the background.

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Don't give me any credit

or anything like that.

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But welcome, appreciate it.

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December 17th, 2025.

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We got two weeks off here for

the holidays after this, and then

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we'll be back in early January.

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But before we do, we're going to

have a great conversation here with

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some of these special guests who have

been on our show throughout the year.

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Let's just go around the room

and briefly introduce everybody.

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Do you want to start, Kristin?

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Kristin Andersen Garwood: I sure will.

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I am Kristin Garwood with

Sage Outdoor Advisory.

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We do feasibility studies and appraisals.

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Along with we collect our own market data.

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We have our own proprietary

database across the country.

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That's what we do.

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Brian Searl: Awesome.

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Thanks for being here, Kristin.

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Dave.

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Just want to let you go before you get

another appointment in the showroom.

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David Byers: Yeah.

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Yeah, I'm the CVO, the Chief

Visionary Officer, and I have

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four different companies.

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Canadian Sleeping Barrels

for resorts and Airbnb.

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Cedar Yurts, it's an insulated log

we invented to replace round tents.

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One of a kind, we make barrel saunas.

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And High-R Logs is the

insulated log company.

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Howdy, everybody.

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Brian Searl: Thanks for being here, Dave.

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Appreciate you coming back.

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MacKenzie?

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MacKenzie Whitsell: Hi,

I'm MacKenzie Whitsell.

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I am the founder of Wild

Ride Mustang Sanctuary.

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We're located in Sterling, Connecticut.

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And we offer glamping as a way

to get people out here to see our

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formerly wild horses and our herd

and experience nature and do so in

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a little bit of luxury and comfort.

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Brian Searl: Awesome.

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Thanks for being here, MacKenzie.

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And Elizabeth?

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Elizabeth McIntosh: [No audio]

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Brian Searl: Can't hear you, Elizabeth.

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You seem to, you might be muted.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: Is that better?

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Brian Searl: That's better.

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Yep.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: I'm located up

near Toronto, Ontario, up in Canada.

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And I'm a founder of a four-season

geodesic dome luxury glamping.

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We have seven domes on site.

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We've been open about three years.

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Brian Searl: And you've, has

everybody been here before?

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I know, Sandy, you have to

introduce yourself, but everybody's

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been on the show before, right?

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I'm just old and don't remember.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: Yes.

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Kristin Andersen Garwood: Yes.

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Brian Searl: The only one I wasn't

sure about was you, Elizabeth.

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That's why I asked.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: I think it was back in

the summer with a girl from Cal—Clayoquot?

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Brian Searl: Maybe.

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Now you're even challenging me even more.

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You're just going to embarrass

me more, so just stop.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: Maybe

it was your Canadian show.

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Yeah.

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Brian Searl: Sandy, go ahead, please.

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Sandy Ellingson: I'm Sandy Ellingson.

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I serve as an advocate between

the RV industry and campgrounds.

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My passion is my campgrounds.

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We are, we have been in

the past full-time RVers.

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Now we're on the road about

10 months out of the year.

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And my background's technology.

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So I like to rely on Brian

a lot for the latest in AI.

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Brian Searl: And they're all

Canadian shows, by the way,

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Elizabeth, because I'm in Calgary.

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We just, once in a while

we have American shows.

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All I appreciate you guys all being here.

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Let's start off.

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You've all been on the show before.

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We've all talked a lot briefly

about your businesses and some

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of the things you have going on.

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So tell us, is there something that

you look back on: 2025

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this is a really memorable moment?

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This is something you're proud of that

you accomplished in your businesses or

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your lives that you'd like to share?

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Kristin Andersen Garwood: Absolutely.

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I'm happy to start.

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Thanks.

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We this past year, we put together I would

say at the beginning of the year, we put

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together our first glamping market report.

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We do a free US report and then we do

put together several states reports

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that you can purchase on our website.

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And we're actually about to

come out with our Q4 report.

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We're really probably going to be

starting to blast that out in January.

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And we just recently put out now

our RV market report for the US.

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We also do it regionally.

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It's a free US report that you can

just go to our website and download.

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Not a problem.

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And we're actually been really expanding

our proprietary database even more.

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We've added hundreds of more

properties and units throughout the US.

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So we're continuing to grow that.

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And we're now looking to expand

internationally and put together some data

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internationally for primarily glamping.

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So that's some exciting stuff

we've got in the hopper.

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Brian Searl: Awesome.

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Who wants to go next?

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David Byers: Yeah I'll go next.

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For 30 years we've been doing barrels

sleeping barrels and barrel saunas.

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And for the first time in 30 years,

we're now going to start building

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rectangles and square saunas.

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Brian Searl: Okay.

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David Byers: Which is just totally blowing

the boys out of the water because they've

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never had me ask them to do that ever.

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And one of the things we do every

sale, we ask people to send in

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their pictures and we do a calendar.

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And if anyone wants a copy just send

me your address and I'll be happy to.

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Brian Searl: Is it like a, is

it a fireman's calendar or is

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it like a work safe calendar?

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David Byers: It is one of our products.

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So this here is one page.

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That's a barrel sauna.

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And you can see right here,

that's up at Whistler Mountain.

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There's three up there and they get

about five feet of snow every year.

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Brian Searl: Nice.

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David Byers: I'll just show

you a couple of other pictures

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that people have sent in.

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That's in a person's backyard.

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If you're wondering what a sleeping

barrel is, there is a sleeping barrel.

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So the entire back wall

is a large acrylic bubble.

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And everything now-a-day is

really heading toward ADA.

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So we've also completed a

wheelchair accessible sauna.

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Brian Searl: Okay, very nice.

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David Byers: If you've never seen

what an insulated log is, there's a

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small version of our insulated log.

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Western red cedar on both sides of foam.

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So it makes the building

for a sauna easier to heat.

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Takes a lot less energy.

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And for our Cedar Yurts,

we've married that up with a

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standing seam grain bin roof.

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So we're replacing soft wall yurts

and ours are good for a hundred

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years in all kinds of weather.

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Brian Searl: Dave, will

you send me a sauna?

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I'm willing to do the show

from inside one every week.

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David Byers: Yeah.

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Sandy Ellingson: Me too.

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Kristin Andersen Garwood: Yeah.

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Me three.

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David Byers: Saunas all around, yeah.

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Brian Searl: Thank you, Dave.

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I appreciate it.

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Congratulations on the new products

and the new categories and stuff.

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Who wants to go next?

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Elizabeth McIntosh: I can go.

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I feel like this year was big

where we completed our site plan.

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We started with three domes

and our goal was seven.

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So this was our year that we

finalized our max occupancy.

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And now we're moving towards

creating different magical

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moments around the property.

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So we also opened a library in the forest

that guests can go and explore and enjoy.

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And we also have been focusing

on expanding our staff

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hiring managers this year.

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So as owners, we can be

a lot more hands-off.

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And we're starting to think towards a

second a second project within our area.

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So in the beginning stages of planning

and negotiating a lease for a really cool

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property about half an hour south of here.

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Brian Searl: We all know how terrible

my memory is, so did we talk about how

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far you are from Toronto last time?

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Elizabeth McIntosh: Two hours.

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Brian Searl: Two hours.

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Okay.

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North or northwest?

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Elizabeth McIntosh:

Yeah, like northwest-ish.

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Brian Searl: Okay.

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So how, I'm interested, just talk

to us a little bit about winter.

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Like how did, because obviously you're

not maybe as bad snow wise as Calgary and

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Edmonton are in Toronto, I don't think.

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But maybe, actually you are

northwest, you are, yeah, you are.

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Sorry.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: No, but where

we are—because of the lake effect.

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We're around all the Great Lakes.

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We might have six feet of snow

and Toronto might not have any.

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So snow squalls are very

come and go in our area.

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We're known as the snow belt.

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So it, it actually is great.

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We, our domes are very well insulated

and guests are very comfortable.

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And so I find winter is very busy for us.

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Like it sells out I find

quicker than the spring.

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Like obviously summer and fall are also

busy, but winter is quite easy to sell.

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As people want to experience a

snow globe and experience winter

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glamping done in really comfortably.

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Brian Searl: Is it more difficult or

easier to market an experience like that?

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Because I think the general mindset

of a consumer is like that stuff's,

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the outdoor camping, glamping stuff

is not available mostly in the winter.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: I

have found it easier.

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Like TikTok right now is

loving our winter glamping.

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I feel like it's really blowing

up, which that doesn't always

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happen in our summer content.

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So I find it's actually easier to

romanticize because there isn't as

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many unique things to do in the winter.

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And so it's really standing

out in the algorithm.

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Brian Searl: And is there anything that

you build as part of the experience

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in addition to the accommodations?

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Or you don't need to,

but I'm just curious.

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Elizabeth McIntosh: Like we

have a sauna in the forest.

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Like each dome has a private

hot tub, that obviously helps

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with the winter experience.

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And then like I said, we're just trying

to build different like moments around the

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property that people can go and explore.

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This library that we just opened.

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TikTok also really likes it.

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And I find it really drives bookings.

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When people see an experience that is

really aesthetic that they want to see

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that they want to come and check it out.

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Brian Searl: Awesome.

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Thank you, Elizabeth.

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I appreciate it.

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Who wants to go next?

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We got two people left.

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MacKenzie and Sandy can fight.

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MacKenzie Whitsell: I'll

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go.

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We've done a lot of good stuff this year.

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Getting the kind of infrastructure between

the different areas up and running.

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So we have our horse area

and our glamping area.

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And previously you'd have to walk

back through the parking lot and

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go through the equestrian area.

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So we basically took our big herd of wild

horses and split it right down the middle.

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And made a fence on either side so that

people can walk from the camping area in

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between the two herds of wild horses up

to what we call our pony petting pavilion.

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Which is a wooden round pen

where the horses can come up and

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you can pet them if they want.

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And we do some training

demonstrations there.

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And so that is, is going great.

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And of course we had to do

like the magical lighting.

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And so there's lights hanging throughout

the trail and along, along the path.

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And it really, it's right by

our pond, so it really looks

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beautiful all lit up at night.

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Especially now that we have snow

and it's just very picturesque.

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So that's been really great.

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And yeah, just trying to, it's,

this was our first full season.

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So trying to work out the kinks and

figure out scheduling for oh, how

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often do we need to power wash the

domes and all of the nitty-gritty

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of running a glamping resort while

also taking care of 30 horses.

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Brian Searl: And are you guys

open in the winter or no?

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MacKenzie Whitsell: We technically

are, but unlike Elizabeth, we have

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not had a lot of success so far.

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I haven't really been advertising

it that much because I'm still,

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I want to make sure our guests

have a really great experience.

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And so testing it out myself,

making sure that, even though our

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domes are insulated, they have wood

stoves in them and we've had guests

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comfortable in very low temperatures.

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But little things like walking, we

don't have bathrooms in the domes.

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So you have to walk to the bathhouse.

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In the middle of the night, if it's

10 degrees out, like I don't want

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to sell that luxury experience until

I am confident that people will

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feel like it's a luxury experience.

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But there are, there's definitely

the right demographic out there who's

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looking for, to actually go outside

and to have to go outside, and you

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walk by all the horses to get to the

bathroom and you are immersed in nature.

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And it's a different experience than

the the snow globe where everything

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you need is right in that spot.

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You can sit by your panoramic window

and just watch all the things going on.

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Yeah, I'm trying to dial in the

experience to get it as comfortable as

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possible before I really hammer on the

advertising to get people out here.

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So we've been getting feedback from

the couple of campers that we've had

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that everything's been really nice.

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So hopefully we'll ramp up soon and

get more people in here for the winter

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: 00:13:56

because it is a magical experience

with the snow all around and the

273

: 00:13:59

horses running outside the window.

274

: 00:14:02

Brian Searl: Now you know, you did when

you're ready, TikTok is the answer.

275

: 00:14:05

MacKenzie Whitsell: Yeah.

276

: 00:14:05

Yeah.

277

: 00:14:05

I gotta get on TikTok.

278

: 00:14:08

Brian Searl: All right, Sandy.

279

: 00:14:09

Last but not least.

280

: 00:14:11

Sandy Ellingson: I'm just inspired by

these other ladies here and gentlemen,

281

: 00:14:14

but I love pouring into younger

people, so it's making me so excited

282

: 00:14:18

to listen to some of the younger people

and listen to what they're doing.

283

: 00:14:22

What I do is so much less

sexy than what you guys are

284

: 00:14:25

doing because I'm a data geek.

285

: 00:14:27

And so the excitement on my part is having

worked the last six months towards getting

286

: 00:14:33

us to a place where we're going to be

able to be proactive because of the data

287

: 00:14:36

we have access to instead of reactive.

288

: 00:14:39

And I'm super excited about that.

289

: 00:14:42

I'm really happy to see, Kristin,

I'm happy that you're doing

290

: 00:14:45

some additional research to see

people putting value in that.

291

: 00:14:49

And especially people that know our

industry that are doing the research

292

: 00:14:53

because so often I see people spend a lot

of money with a company who has absolutely

293

: 00:14:58

no idea what we do in outdoor hospitality.

294

: 00:15:01

And the data literally comes back and

it is, it's worthless because they

295

: 00:15:06

don't understand the perspective and the

culture of the guest that we're reaching.

296

: 00:15:11

I'm excited about the data, but I'm also

excited about being MacKenzie's guinea

297

: 00:15:15

pig because I'm a Southerner, so I'm

afraid of anything lower than 60 degrees.

298

: 00:15:20

But I'm willing to chance it for you.

299

: 00:15:22

MacKenzie Whitsell: Awesome.

300

: 00:15:23

Brian Searl: 60 degrees is death.

301

: 00:15:24

I don't know what area of the world

you live in, but the rest of us are

302

: 00:15:28

on Celsius and that's really hot.

303

: 00:15:31

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Oh, wait

I'm on Fahrenheit myself, but I

304

: 00:15:34

live in the Colorado mountains.

305

: 00:15:35

So I can I can take it.

306

: 00:15:37

I can take the cold.

307

: 00:15:40

Sandy Ellingson: And the other

thing I love is seeing the emphasis

308

: 00:15:42

on working with the horses.

309

: 00:15:44

I've worked with two campgrounds in the

last year that are both agrotourism parks.

310

: 00:15:49

And one of them has horses which

they are partnering people to

311

: 00:15:54

come in for equine therapy.

312

: 00:15:57

And it has been the neatest thing

to see how that is happening.

313

: 00:16:00

And what, the other thing that's so

interesting is his demographic when

314

: 00:16:03

he started this shifted from people

within 100 miles of where they're

315

: 00:16:07

located in Florida to now 90% of

his guests come from the Northeast.

316

: 00:16:13

And what the other thing that's so

interesting is doctors are sending them.

317

: 00:16:18

And they are coming because

they've never seen a horse.

318

: 00:16:22

They've never seen a cow.

319

: 00:16:23

They're coming from these densely

populated urban locations.

320

: 00:16:28

And so everything they do at this

particular park is so interesting.

321

: 00:16:31

So I love to see the growth of that.

322

: 00:16:33

Brian Searl: All right, does

anybody else have anything that

323

: 00:16:38

they feel like we should be talking

about before the year wraps up?

324

: 00:16:40

I've got a couple of other questions I can

ask, but I'm just curious if I throw it

325

: 00:16:43

open-ended if anybody wants to bring up

something that we haven't talked about.

326

: 00:16:46

Kristin Andersen Garwood:

Are you all going to be shy?

327

: 00:16:50

Sandy Ellingson: I want you to tell

us what you, what AI says is going

328

: 00:16:53

to happen to campgrounds next year.

329

: 00:16:54

Brian Searl: You don't want me to tell

you that in a pre-Christmas episode.

330

: 00:16:58

Sandy Ellingson: Oh, okay.

331

: 00:16:58

Brian Searl: You do not

want me to tell you that.

332

: 00:17:01

Outwired will talk a little

bit about it in January.

333

: 00:17:03

But it's a really interesting thought

process that we've run through and

334

: 00:17:07

we're going to start releasing some

industry reports, I think, as Outwired

335

: 00:17:10

because I feel like that's a nice, for

those of you who don't know, Outwired

336

: 00:17:13

is my other podcast that we it's

like my uncensored Joe Rogan style

337

: 00:17:16

podcast that I do with Scott Bahr.

338

: 00:17:18

And Ari Smith has been joining us too.

339

: 00:17:19

I don't know if Ari, Sandy.

340

: 00:17:22

He owns a $2,500 night glamping

resort in Northern Vermont.

341

: 00:17:27

And he has a background in, like he

went to MIT and so like he owns this big

342

: 00:17:32

huge AI consulting company that works

on like really high-end corporate stuff.

343

: 00:17:36

So he's been playing with like robot

dogs at his glamping resort and all

344

: 00:17:39

kinds of stuff hasn't worked and...

345

: 00:17:42

Elizabeth McIntosh:

What's his resort called?

346

: 00:17:43

Brian Searl: I don't know.

347

: 00:17:44

Oh no, I do know.

348

: 00:17:45

Ballance Farm.

349

: 00:17:45

Sorry.

350

: 00:17:46

I was testing my memory.

351

: 00:17:47

Ballance Farm.

352

: 00:17:48

I think it's Ballance.farm

353

: 00:17:49

is the website.

354

: 00:17:50

And so anyway, Outwired is that podcast,

but I think we want to use it as

355

: 00:17:54

more of a vehicle too, in addition to

the podcast to release some industry

356

: 00:17:57

reports that are intentionally done

with, like thoughtfully and carefully

357

: 00:18:01

with critical thinking, but by AI.

358

: 00:18:04

And almost release like AI's opinion

of things and see what, how close

359

: 00:18:08

AI is to the future and what data

points it can discern and stuff.

360

: 00:18:11

Radically different from the

really strategic stuff that

361

: 00:18:13

Kristin is doing, right?

362

: 00:18:15

But I think Outwired is a good

vehicle for that speculation.

363

: 00:18:19

And it would be interesting to have

that stuff out there if done I think.

364

: 00:18:22

Kristin Andersen Garwood:

Oh, AI is so amazing.

365

: 00:18:23

It really just, we do a lot of still

very hands-on analysis and work.

366

: 00:18:28

But, just having AI give us

some general overview too.

367

: 00:18:33

And we're trying to, incorporate

that, make sure that we don't

368

: 00:18:36

fall behind the times too.

369

: 00:18:38

So we are definitely

focusing too on, on AI.

370

: 00:18:42

We're still seeing and maybe it's all

doom and gloom, I love the idea of

371

: 00:18:47

what MacKenzie and Elizabeth are doing.

372

: 00:18:49

So Elizabeth has been really

utilizing social media, right?

373

: 00:18:54

To get that out there.

374

: 00:18:56

And really that is one of the

items that we stress is marketing.

375

: 00:19:03

Marketing is so important to new or

wanting just to keep up with the Joneses

376

: 00:19:11

for glamping resorts, RV resorts.

377

: 00:19:14

And then also, having something unique

with what MacKenzie is doing with the

378

: 00:19:18

horses and the horse therapy and having

just just something different and unique

379

: 00:19:23

that, you will draw people back again

and again is so key I think to future

380

: 00:19:29

success with a lot of these developments.

381

: 00:19:33

Sandy Ellingson: And you, Kristin, going

along with what you've said, one of the

382

: 00:19:36

things that I've found especially in

communicating in the outdoor hospitality

383

: 00:19:40

industry, because we have so many parks

that are still owned by mom and pops.

384

: 00:19:47

Old model.

385

: 00:19:48

When they hear marketing, they

think I gotta pay for paper clicks,

386

: 00:19:52

I've gotta do, all of this stuff.

387

: 00:19:54

And what I've tried to do is stress

more of what I believe you're doing,

388

: 00:19:57

Elizabeth, which is engagement.

389

: 00:19:59

And when TikTok first came out,

everybody was looking at how

390

: 00:20:02

are we going to monetize it.

391

: 00:20:04

And they still have no real

clear monetization model, but

392

: 00:20:08

they are killing it, right?

393

: 00:20:09

But it's because of the engagement.

394

: 00:20:11

And so I think it's so important and

I think this is where at some point we

395

: 00:20:15

will use AI to kick its butt because

while I know Brian can be very negative,

396

: 00:20:20

I can be very positive because I love

to take AI and twist it and use it.

397

: 00:20:27

In fact, I literally had this

situation this week where I was

398

: 00:20:30

using an AI bot that I've trained.

399

: 00:20:32

I asked it a question and

it happened to be one that I

400

: 00:20:35

absolutely knew it was wrong.

401

: 00:20:37

And I said, you gave me this

answer, it's absolutely wrong.

402

: 00:20:41

Did you lie?

403

: 00:20:42

And it came back and said, I didn't

have an answer so I made something up.

404

: 00:20:45

Literally that was the response from AI.

405

: 00:20:48

I did a screenshot and cracked up, right?

406

: 00:20:50

So it's still, it's coming, but

it's got a little ways to go.

407

: 00:20:54

But I do think there are so many ways

we can use it to improve what we're

408

: 00:20:59

doing, to make it us be able to do

it faster, and to do it on our own

409

: 00:21:03

without paying somebody to do it for us.

410

: 00:21:05

So I, yeah, so building engagement

is where I would say is the

411

: 00:21:09

most important thing we can do.

412

: 00:21:11

Brian Searl: Don't throw

me under the bus too much.

413

: 00:21:13

Like I'm just, I'm a realist.

414

: 00:21:15

I'm really not negative.

415

: 00:21:16

I'm actually optimistic about the future.

416

: 00:21:18

But I'm realist about how we get there.

417

: 00:21:20

Sandy Ellingson: You set yourself

up to make us think you were going

418

: 00:21:22

to give us a negative picture.

419

: 00:21:24

So that's why I said that.

420

: 00:21:26

Brian Searl: I did that, to be fair,

I did that off air before we started,

421

: 00:21:30

like not in front of the whole audience.

422

: 00:21:32

But all I will, we'll release

the, we'll release the data and I

423

: 00:21:35

hope, like I, I hope it's all bad.

424

: 00:21:37

Or I hope I'm wrong.

425

: 00:21:38

I hope I'm wrong about what

the data is what I mean.

426

: 00:21:40

Sandy Ellingson: I have at least

already said too, Brian, that I lean

427

: 00:21:44

on you because I do think you are

one of the forethought leaders in

428

: 00:21:47

AI and have been speaking to this

issue for longer than anybody else.

429

: 00:21:51

And so I do really appreciate it

and I appreciate that you brought

430

: 00:21:55

me along kicking and screaming.

431

: 00:21:57

Brian Searl: All right

let's talk positive then.

432

: 00:21:58

Elizabeth, what's something really

cool and positive you've done with AI?

433

: 00:22:03

For your business or your personal life?

434

: 00:22:05

Whatever you want to talk about.

435

: 00:22:07

Elizabeth McIntosh: I just use AI a

lot for my marketing on social media.

436

: 00:22:10

So making reels, captions,

promotional ideas.

437

: 00:22:14

I find it, it's very

creative to brainstorm with.

438

: 00:22:17

If you're coming up with a promotion

for a season, it helps me like

439

: 00:22:21

fine tune what an idea would be.

440

: 00:22:23

Really good with wording.

441

: 00:22:25

It's basically just like a

marketing assistant writing

442

: 00:22:28

emotion, email promotions.

443

: 00:22:30

I find it's really good with words.

444

: 00:22:32

When you're selling an experience

and an emotion it does that for you.

445

: 00:22:36

Brian Searl: I think it's really

interesting for promotional photos.

446

: 00:22:40

And before you guys attack me

because like obviously you can't

447

: 00:22:42

have a fake photo of your property.

448

: 00:22:44

Elizabeth McIntosh: Oh, yeah.

449

: 00:22:44

Brian Searl: If you take a still photo

of your property, and we've done this

450

: 00:22:48

dozens and dozens of times for clients.

451

: 00:22:50

If you take a still photo of your

property that you had a professional

452

: 00:22:52

photograph, photographer take, like

an empty RV site or the outside

453

: 00:22:56

of a cabin that nobody's therein.

454

: 00:22:57

And you take that into Gemini, into their

new Nano Banana Pro image model, you can

455

: 00:23:02

literally prompt it and say put a couple,

I had a this is the last one I did.

456

: 00:23:05

Put a couple outside sitting

with a glass of wine at sunset.

457

: 00:23:09

And it turned the sky sunset, and it

put the cl—the couple outside sitting

458

: 00:23:13

at the picnic table that was already

in front of the cabin with a wine

459

: 00:23:15

glass, like sitting there naturally.

460

: 00:23:17

To me, that's no different than hiring

a paid actor to come for a photo shoot.

461

: 00:23:22

It is real, it's not deceptive,

because a couple can reserve that

462

: 00:23:26

cabin, go there, sit at that picnic

table, have a glass of wine, and have

463

: 00:23:28

that exact same experience at sunset.

464

: 00:23:32

So those kinds of things I think

are really good use cases for AI.

465

: 00:23:35

Like just push the

limits of what it can do.

466

: 00:23:38

And it's really int—and then you can

take that whole thing and by the way you

467

: 00:23:40

can turn it into a video in Gemini too.

468

: 00:23:43

Elizabeth McIntosh: That's cool.

469

: 00:23:44

Yeah.

470

: 00:23:45

Sandy Ellingson: I

471

: 00:23:47

was just going to say I used that

exact same tool this past week when

472

: 00:23:50

I was in Indiana and it was seven

degrees and we had 12 inches of snow.

473

: 00:23:53

Of course, again, I'm the

Southern girl so I'm like snow!

474

: 00:23:57

And and I was taking

all kinds of pictures.

475

: 00:23:59

And some of them were great except

there was the crappy car that was in the

476

: 00:24:02

way, or there was the telephone pole.

477

: 00:24:04

And so I just said, hey,

remove this, add this.

478

: 00:24:07

And I got some of the best pictures ever.

479

: 00:24:10

I may become a photographer.

480

: 00:24:13

Brian Searl: It's a good idea.

481

: 00:24:14

You should.

482

: 00:24:16

Kristin Andersen Garwood: And hey, the

mom and pops out there, Sandy, really,

483

: 00:24:20

they need to, add better photos to their

websites and, all that kind of thing.

484

: 00:24:25

And it doesn't have to be a super

expensive, type, you don't always

485

: 00:24:28

need a professional photographer

or maybe just come out and do a

486

: 00:24:31

simple shoot and then go from there.

487

: 00:24:34

And I think the advocacy of getting

the mom and pops up to speed on

488

: 00:24:38

some things, can only help them.

489

: 00:24:40

Brian Searl: That's the

win right there, right?

490

: 00:24:41

Like you, like again I'm not

dissing professional photographers.

491

: 00:24:44

Like I used to actually, the beginning

of Insider Perks was me going

492

: 00:24:47

around to campgrounds and KOAs and

taking photos and videos for people.

493

: 00:24:52

So I'm kicking my own

butt when I say this.

494

: 00:24:54

But you absolutely do not need a

professional photographer anymore.

495

: 00:24:57

There's nothing that you need

a professional photographer

496

: 00:24:59

for at a campground.

497

: 00:25:01

Because you can walk around with your

cell phone and even if you're not a

498

: 00:25:04

great photographer and you don't trace

the outsides of the lines, and even if

499

: 00:25:07

the photo is crooked, all you have to

do is take 80 different shots of every

500

: 00:25:11

single site that you have and amenity.

501

: 00:25:14

It doesn't matter who's in it or

what the sky looks like or like

502

: 00:25:17

maybe if it's raining and it

gets all over the lens, right?

503

: 00:25:19

But other than that on a nice sunny

day, just go around and do this.

504

: 00:25:24

And then you can straighten the photo,

you can change the sky, you can put

505

: 00:25:27

people in the picture like I'm just

talking about with wine glasses.

506

: 00:25:29

Not deceptive.

507

: 00:25:31

Do not remove the dumpster

that's next to somebody's site.

508

: 00:25:34

Don't mislead people.

509

: 00:25:36

But if you're authentic with it, it's

no different than doing paid actors.

510

: 00:25:39

And you, there's no reason that you need

a professional photographer anymore.

511

: 00:25:43

You can hand those off to somebody, maybe

your website developer, maybe somebody who

512

: 00:25:47

knows how to use AI really well, and they

can return back to you a suite of photos

513

: 00:25:51

that you can use in so many different

places on social media and marketing

514

: 00:25:55

and blog posts and email marketing

and your website and everywhere else.

515

: 00:25:59

Sandy Ellingson: Yeah.

516

: 00:25:59

And the cool thing is so much

of this technology is free.

517

: 00:26:03

And then on top of that, it

truly is just talk to it, right?

518

: 00:26:08

You don't have to know coding language,

you don't have to speak in a certain way.

519

: 00:26:13

You just sit down and say,

hey, this is what I'm thinking.

520

: 00:26:17

This is what I want to have.

521

: 00:26:18

And the more you can just have a

conversation with it, the better

522

: 00:26:21

the results are going to be.

523

: 00:26:22

And pretty much everybody can do that.

524

: 00:26:25

Brian Searl: The easiest way you can do

this, anybody who's listening to this or

525

: 00:26:29

anybody who's a guest on the show, the

easiest way you can do this, go to Gemini,

526

: 00:26:32

or go to ChatGPT, or go to Claude, which

is the best one in my opinion for coding.

527

: 00:26:38

Go there and just say, I want your

help coding game, website, app,

528

: 00:26:44

to-do list, task, calculator, sliding

website thing that compares properties

529

: 00:26:49

in Texas, like whatever else.

530

: 00:26:52

And have it say and come up with a prompt

that you want to design and say improve

531

: 00:26:56

this prompt, make it better for me.

532

: 00:26:57

Like I don't want you to execute, I

just want you to improve the prompt.

533

: 00:27:00

And then at the end say use Canvas or

select the tool, they all have Canvas.

534

: 00:27:05

Gemini has a Canvas tool, Claude has a

Canvas tool, ChatGPT has a Canvas tool.

535

: 00:27:09

And say code it for me.

536

: 00:27:10

And it will code it for you and it

will preview it on the right hand side.

537

: 00:27:13

And you can play the game in

your browser or you can play, you

538

: 00:27:15

can navigate the sliders on an

interactive website in your browser.

539

: 00:27:19

We had the whole team do this morning

as part of our AI, like we have

540

: 00:27:21

weekly AI training with the team.

541

: 00:27:23

And we all vibe coded together for

an hour and a half this morning.

542

: 00:27:26

And they made super cool like to-do task

lists and memory matching games and half

543

: 00:27:31

these people have no idea how to code.

544

: 00:27:33

But the amount of eyes that will open

in your brain like, wow, if I can do

545

: 00:27:37

that, if I can create my own video

game, I can do almost anything with AI.

546

: 00:27:44

So that's what I would do first if you

were trying to get people involved.

547

: 00:27:48

Who else has done something cool?

548

: 00:27:49

Dave, what have you done

with AI at your business?

549

: 00:27:51

David Byers: We were doing some marketing

in Costa Rica and I sent off a reply

550

: 00:27:56

but I put it through ChatGPT first.

551

: 00:27:59

And AI actually asked me if I

wanted it in Spanish as well.

552

: 00:28:05

And I, it was just mind blowing

because I hadn't even thought of that.

553

: 00:28:08

And I'm in marketing and sales.

554

: 00:28:11

Brian Searl: Yeah, the amount of

things that I do every day that I

555

: 00:28:13

don't think about, that AI is like.

556

: 00:28:15

That's why I put, in my AI I

put use the Socratic method.

557

: 00:28:18

And at the end of it, it'll always

ask me like three questions that

558

: 00:28:21

I didn't think about before.

559

: 00:28:23

Oh, I had no idea that I

should ask that, right?

560

: 00:28:26

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Oh,

that's a great idea, Brian.

561

: 00:28:28

I'm going to start us—I'm

going to steal that.

562

: 00:28:30

Brian Searl: Yeah, it's really good.

563

: 00:28:31

MacKenzie, anything fun you've done?

564

: 00:28:34

MacKenzie Whitsell: I, you know what, I'm

listening to all you guys and I'm totally

565

: 00:28:37

slacking on the AI because and it's crazy.

566

: 00:28:40

I use it at work, my day job.

567

: 00:28:42

So I have a day job as a business

consultant and software developer.

568

: 00:28:47

And I'm not even mad that AI

is going to replace my job of

569

: 00:28:50

writing code because it's I can

get so much done so much faster.

570

: 00:28:55

I'm like, hey, write these, this

subroutine or my terrible messy code and

571

: 00:28:59

I just put it in there and hey, can you

make, refactor this and make it better?

572

: 00:29:02

And it just rewrites everything

and comes up with the, these

573

: 00:29:05

ideas that I didn't think of.

574

: 00:29:06

And it's magic.

575

: 00:29:07

And now I'm realizing I'm really missing

a lot of opportunities to use it to

576

: 00:29:11

market the glamping because even just

the pictures do you know I, I always got,

577

: 00:29:16

have my phone with me and I'm out there

like trying to catch the perfect image.

578

: 00:29:20

And oh no, I, my battery is at 3% and I'm

like, wow I could have just had a computer

579

: 00:29:27

get the perfect image out of the very many

plain photos of here are the domes and

580

: 00:29:33

make it sunset, make it snowy, add people.

581

: 00:29:37

So yeah, I gotta get on that

because I do rely heavily on AI

582

: 00:29:41

for lots of things, but I'm not

not using it to its full potential.

583

: 00:29:45

Brian Searl: It's really interesting

to me how some people view this

584

: 00:29:47

because there's for sure like this,

there's two sides of people everywhere.

585

: 00:29:50

The "that is not authentic, that's

a lie, people, if you add photos,

586

: 00:29:54

if you change it with AI," right?

587

: 00:29:56

But to me like, again, I've

mentioned the actors already.

588

: 00:29:59

But like you can have a professional

photographer do the same thing with

589

: 00:30:01

real guests if they're at your property.

590

: 00:30:03

But still anybody who comes after

those guests is never going to

591

: 00:30:07

have that exact same experience.

592

: 00:30:08

The weather's not going to be the same.

593

: 00:30:09

The horse is going to

be in the same position.

594

: 00:30:11

It might be happy, it might be sad.

595

: 00:30:12

It might be muddy, it might not be.

596

: 00:30:13

They, like it might be cold or warm.

597

: 00:30:15

Like they're never going to

have that exact experience.

598

: 00:30:17

So I think as long as you're making

sure that they can have that, like

599

: 00:30:22

they can still see the horses, they

can still get in that position, they

600

: 00:30:25

can still, walk that way or experience

the glamping domes or whatever, right?

601

: 00:30:29

As long as it's authentic.

602

: 00:30:30

As long as they can replicate 95%

of the experience in your photo and

603

: 00:30:34

none of it's deceptive and there's no

dumpster gone like I talked about, right?

604

: 00:30:37

I think it's fine.

605

: 00:30:38

I, obviously that's my opinion.

606

: 00:30:39

Lots of people argue with me, but I

don't see any problem with it whatsoever.

607

: 00:30:43

Sandy Ellingson: I've got a friend that,

he's a technology person, has about 200

608

: 00:30:47

people working for him out of Chicago.

609

: 00:30:49

And one of the things he's doing

just so that people will know the

610

: 00:30:52

difference, and he's also really big

in AI, is he's chal—he's created his

611

: 00:30:57

own AI bot and his name is Ricardo.

612

: 00:31:00

And so if he does an image or a

video or anything like that, he signs

613

: 00:31:04

it and says Spencer and Ricardo.

614

: 00:31:07

And so that way people know, and

that Ricardo had a part in this.

615

: 00:31:11

Or if they want to know they'll ask.

616

: 00:31:13

But he can always say, look, I am

defining all of my AI with a signature.

617

: 00:31:19

And so I thought that

was a pretty cool idea.

618

: 00:31:23

Brian Searl: All right, Elizabeth, what's

something you're excited for: 2026

619

: 00:31:26

you're going to do new or different or

you're looking forward to accomplishing?

620

: 00:31:31

Elizabeth McIntosh: Yeah, like I

said, we're starting another project.

621

: 00:31:33

So what that may look like.

622

: 00:31:35

I've been, I'm curious if Kristin has

any insight to like farm hospitality.

623

: 00:31:41

I've seen a little bit on Instagram

that like really elevated high-end farm

624

: 00:31:46

hospitality is trending over in Europe.

625

: 00:31:50

For this like high-scale experience

except there's yeah, micro

626

: 00:31:54

ag—agriculture and goats and sheep

involved and things like that.

627

: 00:31:59

So this property that we

have is like an old mill.

628

: 00:32:02

And there is a couple acres in the back

up underneath like the big escarpment.

629

: 00:32:07

So it is very beautiful.

630

: 00:32:10

So yeah, and I'm just trying, we're

just trying to brainstorm the vision

631

: 00:32:15

of exactly that would look like.

632

: 00:32:16

But yeah, what have you heard about

agrotourism and more on a high-end scale

633

: 00:32:22

than a more in the glam than the not.

634

: 00:32:26

Kristin Andersen Garwood: I definitely

think it can very much go hand in hand.

635

: 00:32:29

Especially if you put anything

mini in your on your farm.

636

: 00:32:34

Mini donkeys, mini goats.

637

: 00:32:37

I'm not kidding.

638

: 00:32:38

Anything mini and people just...

639

: 00:32:39

Elizabeth McIntosh: miniature.

640

: 00:32:40

Kristin Andersen Garwood:

Yeah, and people eat that up.

641

: 00:32:42

And I mean I eat it up.

642

: 00:32:43

I'm a sucker for it myself.

643

: 00:32:45

And people really want to see, where's

the food coming from or and just even

644

: 00:32:50

having say some moments like some

areas here and there where people can

645

: 00:32:54

just sit and relax and be with the

farm or the agrotourism and just enjoy

646

: 00:32:59

it and really truly, understand it.

647

: 00:33:01

I think is great.

648

: 00:33:01

But quite honestly, yeah,

anything where people can be

649

: 00:33:05

involved with cute farm animals.

650

: 00:33:08

It's very successful.

651

: 00:33:10

Yeah.

652

: 00:33:10

And sets itself apart.

653

: 00:33:11

It's more unique.

654

: 00:33:13

And it's fun.

655

: 00:33:14

Elizabeth McIntosh: So yeah,

looking forward to maybe

656

: 00:33:15

developing that vision more.

657

: 00:33:16

I think 2026 will be the year that

we build it and hopefully opening in

658

: 00:33:23

2027.

659

: 00:33:24

Brian Searl: I put this into, I put this

into Claude in case you're interested.

660

: 00:33:26

I said, how do you build a

high-end glamping experience?

661

: 00:33:28

I'm about two hours northwest of Toronto.

662

: 00:33:30

Need 20,000 foot view, like

a abstract view, right?

663

: 00:33:33

Not details.

664

: 00:33:35

Highlights, ways to be really different

and unique and immersed in it.

665

: 00:33:37

Blueprint for not the

same high-end farm stay.

666

: 00:33:39

Is that fair?

667

: 00:33:41

Elizabeth McIntosh: Sure.

668

: 00:33:42

Brian Searl: Okay.

669

: 00:33:43

So it says, the core thesis, sell

transformation, not accommodation.

670

: 00:33:46

Every glamping operation

sells luxury and nature.

671

: 00:33:49

That's table stakes.

672

: 00:33:50

The ones that survive the coming

contraction will sell identity and story.

673

: 00:33:54

Experiences guests can't replicate

and can't stop talking about.

674

: 00:33:58

Four pillars of differentiation.

675

: 00:33:59

Working farm as a theater, not backdrop.

676

: 00:34:02

Most farm stays treat the farm as scenery.

677

: 00:34:04

Flip it, make guests participants

in the living production.

678

: 00:34:07

Scheduled farm rhythms.

679

: 00:34:08

Guests can join, not just pet a goat.

680

: 00:34:10

6:00 AM egg collection, evening

animal feeding, seasonal harvests,

681

: 00:34:15

cider pressing and cheese making.

682

: 00:34:18

Elizabeth McIntosh: That's cute.

683

: 00:34:18

Brian Searl: Consequence stakes.

684

: 00:34:19

Let them name a chicken they helped raise.

685

: 00:34:21

Send them updates.

686

: 00:34:23

When it becomes dinner six months

later, they understand food differently.

687

: 00:34:27

Seasonal scarcity.

688

: 00:34:28

Different experiences generally

unavailable at different times.

689

: 00:34:31

No fake always available menu.

690

: 00:34:33

March lambing is March lambing.

691

: 00:34:36

The goal is guests leave with a

skill or story, not just photos.

692

: 00:34:39

Elizabeth McIntosh: Right.

693

: 00:34:39

Brian Searl: You want more or are we done?

694

: 00:34:41

Is that interesting?

695

: 00:34:41

Elizabeth McIntosh: No, that,

yeah, that does make sense of.

696

: 00:34:44

Because yeah, that's what we've learned

too is like people come back because they

697

: 00:34:48

have a story to tell when they leave.

698

: 00:34:50

And it wasn't just a nice

place to sleep, right?

699

: 00:34:53

Brian Searl: Accommodations

700

: 00:35:03

as characters.

701

: 00:35:35

Stop

702

: 00:36:40

thinking tent types and start thinking

named experiences with personalities.

703

: 00:36:44

Each structure has a name, a

backstory, and a design philosophy.

704

: 00:36:48

One might be a restored 1890s

grainery, another a modernist

705

: 00:36:51

glass cube overlooking a meadow.

706

: 00:36:53

A third an underground earth shelter.

707

: 00:36:55

No two should feel interchangeable.

708

: 00:36:57

Guests should debate about

which to book next time.

709

: 00:37:00

Design for the arc of the day.

710

: 00:37:01

Morning light, afternoon

reading spot, evening fire

711

: 00:37:04

ritual, and night sky framing.

712

: 00:37:06

Commission local artists to create one

of a kind installations at each site.

713

: 00:37:10

The accommodation is the art.

714

: 00:37:13

Kristin Andersen Garwood: I, I would agree

with that to a point where you do need

715

: 00:37:17

to have some kind of scale like maybe

you have a few of those, a different

716

: 00:37:21

say I'll call them premier units.

717

: 00:37:24

But then you also have to make sure that

if you say have more than a few units

718

: 00:37:29

or, less than 10, you want to make sure

that your cleaning crew can get through

719

: 00:37:34

there and easily flip them and turn them.

720

: 00:37:36

So you need some consistencies

with at least some of the units.

721

: 00:37:40

But I very much agree with that

like you want to have people to

722

: 00:37:44

come back and enjoy an experience.

723

: 00:37:47

You're right.

724

: 00:37:47

Not a tent.

725

: 00:37:49

Or, a unit and that's it.

726

: 00:37:51

It's an experience.

727

: 00:37:52

David Byers: It's funny you mention

that because one of the things that

728

: 00:37:55

we're we've been doing that's very

successful is we have a muralist.

729

: 00:38:02

And we're doing murals on the

front of our sleeping barrels.

730

: 00:38:07

Brian Searl: Nice.

731

: 00:38:07

David Byers: And basically guests

don't take pictures of mattresses.

732

: 00:38:12

They take pictures of experiences.

733

: 00:38:15

And this way the campground

is becoming a photo gallery

734

: 00:38:18

and it's very instagrammable.

735

: 00:38:21

And the guests are coming back.

736

: 00:38:22

Last time they slept in the

sleepy the surfer girl barrel.

737

: 00:38:27

Now they want to sleep in the mud

room or the dancing bear barrel or.

738

: 00:38:33

Each one is has a story.

739

: 00:38:35

So they're immersed in the story, not

just a mattress and a place to sleep.

740

: 00:38:41

Brian Searl: Will you have

any food service, Elizabeth?

741

: 00:38:45

Elizabeth McIntosh: In

our at our new place?

742

: 00:38:46

Brian Searl: Yeah.

743

: 00:38:47

Were you thinking about it?

744

: 00:38:48

Elizabeth McIntosh: Yeah, like we don't

have any experience in restaurant.

745

: 00:38:52

And anything I hear about the

restaurant industry sounds awful.

746

: 00:38:57

Or just like it's not very lucrative.

747

: 00:39:00

Brian Searl: Just hard.

748

: 00:39:00

Elizabeth McIntosh: No, just really hard.

749

: 00:39:02

Really hard, not very big margins.

750

: 00:39:04

But I also know food is a

huge part of the experience.

751

: 00:39:07

Right now we ha—we don't have any food

on site at Back Forty, but we do a

752

: 00:39:12

partnership with a restaurant that's

local and they do meals for our guests.

753

: 00:39:17

They've come up with like really good ways

to preserve because everything is frozen

754

: 00:39:21

that we have on site, but they've come up

with really good ways to preserve these

755

: 00:39:24

like high-end meals that are so good.

756

: 00:39:27

And so basically it's like a

Hello Fresh kit, but with like

757

: 00:39:30

less steps for our guests.

758

: 00:39:32

So it comes already made, but there's just

like a one step either reheating method

759

: 00:39:37

or combining method that they have to do.

760

: 00:39:40

So they still cook a little bit in

the dome but it's like very minimal.

761

: 00:39:44

So obviously we already have that

model for this location to be able

762

: 00:39:48

to replicate it at the next one.

763

: 00:39:50

But if we're going to lean

into farm tourism, I'm sure a

764

: 00:39:54

restaurant has to do with that.

765

: 00:39:56

Just a matter of, I find it's like

we built Back Forty just like me, my

766

: 00:40:01

husband and his brother and sister.

767

: 00:40:03

And I feel like it's one thing to

do business with family, but now

768

: 00:40:06

when we're branching into finding

business partners with people with

769

: 00:40:10

expertise in other areas, obviously

feels a little bit more daunting.

770

: 00:40:15

Brian Searl: Food is interesting to me.

771

: 00:40:16

Like I, I went to Ireland probably a

month and a half ago, two months ago now.

772

: 00:40:21

And we went to a glamping resort

called Finn Lough and it was on a

773

: 00:40:24

lake and they had like just your

like bubble domes and some cabins.

774

: 00:40:28

But it was on a massive property,

like I don't know how many acres.

775

: 00:40:31

And we, but you could walk to dinner

and they had a high-end like five star

776

: 00:40:35

chef that was like, it was a really nice

upscale restaurant with $150 bottles

777

: 00:40:40

of wine and stuff like that, right?

778

: 00:40:42

But that, like in the, they

were in the middle of nowhere,

779

: 00:40:44

so it helped them a little bit.

780

: 00:40:45

But that's basically like they

had 30, 40 accommodations.

781

: 00:40:48

They had almost guaranteed

dinner every night.

782

: 00:40:51

And that, it really elevated

the experience for us.

783

: 00:40:54

There was a lot more to do

there, but that was a big part.

784

: 00:40:55

Elizabeth McIntosh: Yeah, I guess

you need to have higher unit numbers

785

: 00:40:59

to be able to fuel a restaurant.

786

: 00:41:00

Brian Searl: Yeah.

787

: 00:41:01

Yeah.

788

: 00:41:01

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Yeah.

789

: 00:41:02

And you also have to look at really F&B

really, you, it sometimes can even lose

790

: 00:41:08

a little bit of money, but if you don't

have any say services say in a five to

791

: 00:41:13

10 minute drive, it's really more about

consider it another amenity, right?

792

: 00:41:18

It's going to drive people to want to stay

there and come back because they're not

793

: 00:41:23

wanting or to maybe cook or do anything

like that, but it's just another service.

794

: 00:41:28

And so you know we see

this time and time again.

795

: 00:41:31

So many people, so many developers

are like, okay, you know what

796

: 00:41:33

kind of, what kind of net profit

can I really see from F&B?

797

: 00:41:38

And quite honestly it's minimal.

798

: 00:41:40

But what it can do is it can raise your

rates and it can raise your occupancy.

799

: 00:41:44

And so that's somewhat what offsets it.

800

: 00:41:47

Elizabeth McIntosh: So I guess it's

figuring out what your business model

801

: 00:41:50

is with that partnership though.

802

: 00:41:51

Because obviously if they're not

going to make any profit, your

803

: 00:41:55

food and beverage partner, like

they're obviously going to want to

804

: 00:41:58

share in your accommodation profit.

805

: 00:42:01

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Definitely.

806

: 00:42:01

Brian Searl: This is what AI says.

807

: 00:42:04

This is where farm stay becomes

unassailable competitive

808

: 00:42:07

advantage is the food.

809

: 00:42:09

Radical transparency.

810

: 00:42:10

Guests see the animal, the

field, and the process.

811

: 00:42:12

Dinner isn't farm to table,

it's that lamb you helped move

812

: 00:42:15

to the pasture this morning.

813

: 00:42:17

That would be dicey, but.

814

: 00:42:19

Chef residency.

815

: 00:42:20

Elizabeth McIntosh: That's quick.

816

: 00:42:21

Brian Searl: Rotating notable

chefs who design menus around

817

: 00:42:24

what's available that week.

818

: 00:42:25

Participatory dining, not

cooking classes, overdone.

819

: 00:42:28

Think guests forage with a guide and

chef incorporates it into dinner.

820

: 00:42:32

They contributed to the meal.

821

: 00:42:34

And preserved scarcity.

822

: 00:42:36

Some things can only exist here.

823

: 00:42:37

Heritage breed pork you can't buy.

824

: 00:42:40

Cheese aged in your root cellar.

825

: 00:42:41

A specific apple variety.

826

: 00:42:43

The wealthy don't want nice dinner,

they want unreplicable provenance.

827

: 00:42:49

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Very true.

828

: 00:42:50

I would agree with that.

829

: 00:42:53

And it's just a matter of too is

there a restaurant say in the area

830

: 00:42:56

where possibly they can help you

out and it's like a win-win, maybe

831

: 00:43:02

they and it's maybe they make enough

margin on what they're providing you

832

: 00:43:07

and you just break even potentially.

833

: 00:43:11

Elizabeth McIntosh: I'm still listening.

834

: 00:43:12

I'm just going to turn off

my camera to feed my baby.

835

: 00:43:14

But I'm still here.

836

: 00:43:18

Brian Searl: What do you think, MacKenzie?

837

: 00:43:20

MacKenzie Whitsell: I was just thinking

about this because that is one of

838

: 00:43:22

the biggest challenges that we have

is like there's no food near here.

839

: 00:43:28

And we don't provide it.

840

: 00:43:29

So guests sometimes ask ahead of time,

oh, what do you recommend for food?

841

: 00:43:33

And it's bring a cooler

full of grillable meats.

842

: 00:43:36

And we've got, barbecue stations and

fire pits and whatnot, but that's pretty

843

: 00:43:40

much, I, there's one pizza restaurant

right down the street and we actually

844

: 00:43:44

do collaborate with them quite a bit

and they help us host fundraisers

845

: 00:43:48

and do bigger scale stuff like that.

846

: 00:43:50

But we're in the middle of nowhere.

847

: 00:43:52

And it's, I'm trying to think of

good ways to elevate that experience.

848

: 00:43:57

In the past we've worked with a

company that does like the take and

849

: 00:44:01

bake meals that are like higher end.

850

: 00:44:03

So we've done that in the past, but it's

not like a very seamless experience.

851

: 00:44:09

So trying to figure out the best

option because I think that is one

852

: 00:44:13

of the barriers to having people book

is okay, but if we come there for a

853

: 00:44:17

weekend bringing all the food that we

need in and all of the cooking stuff.

854

: 00:44:21

We provide some basic pots and

pans and grilling tools and things

855

: 00:44:25

like that, but it's a challenge

that we are have to deal with.

856

: 00:44:30

Brian Searl: I think you know,

and we know the answer now, right?

857

: 00:44:32

Like it's AI, but it's iterating

with AI like we just did.

858

: 00:44:35

AI is not always going to be right.

859

: 00:44:36

It's not going to be perfect.

860

: 00:44:36

It's not always going

to have the best answer.

861

: 00:44:38

But it's going to spark a discussion

just like we did where Kristin will

862

: 00:44:41

add to it, MacKenzie will add to

it, Elizabeth will add to it, Sandy

863

: 00:44:43

will add to it, Dave will add to it.

864

: 00:44:45

And then we'll come to a

oh, this is perfect for me.

865

: 00:44:47

Now I've got, right?

866

: 00:44:49

I've gone back and forth with it.

867

: 00:44:50

I've refined it.

868

: 00:44:51

That's the beauty of it.

869

: 00:44:52

And you said you already

know it for your work, right?

870

: 00:44:54

So there's, the answer to your

problem will come out of it

871

: 00:44:56

if you iterate with it enough.

872

: 00:44:57

MacKenzie Whitsell: Yeah.

873

: 00:44:58

Brian Searl: All right let's do

our last our kind of new segment.

874

: 00:45:00

Sandy, you haven't been

a part of this yet.

875

: 00:45:02

For the last 15-ish minutes we typically

do now a kind of roundtable where

876

: 00:45:08

we'll say like, all right, each person

can ask one other person a question.

877

: 00:45:11

So Sandy, if we pick you first, you can

ask anybody here the guests, Kristin,

878

: 00:45:15

MacKenzie, Elizabeth, or David, a question

that you would like to hear them answer.

879

: 00:45:19

Once, if you pick David, Sandy, then

nobody else can ask David a question,

880

: 00:45:23

then David asks somebody else a question.

881

: 00:45:24

We'll do process of

elimination all the way down.

882

: 00:45:27

Sandy Ellingson: Okay, I want

to ask Kristin a question.

883

: 00:45:29

Kristin Andersen Garwood: All right.

884

: 00:45:31

Sandy Ellingson: What were the top two

things that you saw in the research

885

: 00:45:33

that you just did that just blew

your mind and everybody should know?

886

: 00:45:37

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Oh, great.

887

: 00:45:38

Okay.

888

: 00:45:38

I actually had pulled up our report.

889

: 00:45:40

And this is I'm just going

to talk about our RV report.

890

: 00:45:43

We do have a separate glamping report.

891

: 00:45:46

But, some of the big things okay, we're

seeing, and this is our sample size which

892

: 00:45:53

again, doesn't include everything, it's a

large enough sample size that we can get a

893

: 00:45:57

really good indicator of what's going on.

894

: 00:45:59

So right now we're seeing about 10% of the

sites or units are going to be glamping

895

: 00:46:06

is what we're seeing right now at RV

resorts or parks across the country.

896

: 00:46:11

And, but and we are seeing

that starting to shift more.

897

: 00:46:15

So as the new ones get built, we

are seeing glamping become more

898

: 00:46:20

important because it's becoming an

alternative if not everybody has, an RV.

899

: 00:46:26

And it's just makes it a much more

seamless process to get say the

900

: 00:46:30

groups together or other people.

901

: 00:46:32

And we're seeing some of the big

developers focus on this more.

902

: 00:46:36

So that's one piece of data we're seeing.

903

: 00:46:41

And I just want to see and then there's

a substantial say average rate difference

904

: 00:46:48

between concrete pads and loose gravel.

905

: 00:46:50

That's not nothing new.

906

: 00:46:52

But that's over 10%, about

15% that we're seeing.

907

: 00:46:57

And we're also seeing how having hot

tubs or saunas specifically at units

908

: 00:47:05

and having that component can really

boost your rates compared to, other

909

: 00:47:11

developments or projects out there too.

910

: 00:47:13

So that's what I'm seeing.

911

: 00:47:20

Brian Searl: Your turn, Kristin.

912

: 00:47:21

Ask anybody a question.

913

: 00:47:22

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Okay.

914

: 00:47:23

Let's see.

915

: 00:47:24

I would love to hear a little bit more

about if, David, are you still there?

916

: 00:47:32

Brian Searl: Okay.

917

: 00:47:33

MacKenzie.

918

: 00:47:35

Kristin Andersen Garwood: I would love

to hear a little bit more about how your

919

: 00:47:38

guests stay involved with the horses.

920

: 00:47:40

I know you mentioned the feeding.

921

: 00:47:42

Is there any other ideas that

maybe you had in mind to use the

922

: 00:47:45

horses to bring in more people?

923

: 00:47:48

MacKenzie Whitsell: Yeah, so we

have a lot of different experiences

924

: 00:47:51

that we offer with the horses.

925

: 00:47:52

We offer wild horse hiking, which is where

we hike the trails inside their habitat.

926

: 00:47:58

And so it's really a one of a kind

experience because our herd is made up

927

: 00:48:05

of horses that are ranged from totally

wild and you can't touch them to like

928

: 00:48:10

very friendly beginner lesson ponies.

929

: 00:48:13

And they're all mustangs.

930

: 00:48:14

And so it's always a fun surprise

when like our wildest one, Hank, comes

931

: 00:48:20

up to the group slowly and some, and

someone reaches out a hand and he sniffs

932

: 00:48:24

it and that happens once in a while

and it's such a magical experience.

933

: 00:48:28

So we have the hiking with them.

934

: 00:48:31

And we also have a wild horse safari.

935

: 00:48:33

So we like this idea because

it's great for accessibility too.

936

: 00:48:37

So if someone can't really hike through

the trails we have a Land Rover like

937

: 00:48:42

your typical safari with the open back.

938

: 00:48:44

And they we can have people pile in the

back and do the same thing but from the

939

: 00:48:49

safety of a vehicle, which is also great

if you're afraid of horses because they

940

: 00:48:53

can't really climb in there with you.

941

: 00:48:54

So it's great because you can

reach right out and pet them.

942

: 00:48:58

So yeah, we have a lot of different

experiences that we offer and letting

943

: 00:49:02

people learn how to train the mustangs.

944

: 00:49:04

So our biggest feature every

year is our one week intensive

945

: 00:49:09

mustang gentling retreat, which

we're planning for this year.

946

: 00:49:13

And that's for people who want the

experience of taming a wild mustang

947

: 00:49:18

that no one has ever touched.

948

: 00:49:20

And so we pick up a load of mustangs and

bring them back and we put these people

949

: 00:49:24

up in our domes and then it's a whole,

so we start out with yoga and breakfast.

950

: 00:49:29

We have an onsite yoga studio, which

is a clear geo dome in the forest.

951

: 00:49:33

And then we go and work with the horses

and do some training demonstrations and

952

: 00:49:37

do some like arts and crafts and stuff.

953

: 00:49:40

So that is a really cool immersive

experience that you really can't get many

954

: 00:49:44

places of oh, I have no horse experience,

but I'm going to tame a wild mustang.

955

: 00:49:49

Brian Searl: I want to do that.

956

: 00:49:50

Kristin Andersen Garwood: I know.

957

: 00:49:51

Brian Searl: How much does that cost?

958

: 00:49:53

How much does it cost, seriously?

959

: 00:49:55

MacKenzie Whitsell: I think the, it, it's

thr—thr—about $3,000 for the full package.

960

: 00:50:03

Brian Searl: Sandy, will you buy me one?

961

: 00:50:04

I don't have enough money.

962

: 00:50:06

Sandy Ellingson: Yeah.

963

: 00:50:07

I'm going to send it to you for Christmas.

964

: 00:50:08

Brian Searl: Thank you.

965

: 00:50:09

I appreciate it.

966

: 00:50:09

Okay.

967

: 00:50:10

Kristin Andersen Garwood: That would

be a great TikTok experience to do

968

: 00:50:13

some filming on and get that out there.

969

: 00:50:15

I could see that going viral in a second.

970

: 00:50:18

MacKenzie Whitsell: Yeah.

971

: 00:50:19

Brian Searl: Yep.

972

: 00:50:19

Yeah.

973

: 00:50:20

All right, MacKenzie, your turn.

974

: 00:50:21

Anybody but Kristin, you

can ask a question to.

975

: 00:50:23

MacKenzie Whitsell: Okay.

976

: 00:50:24

Let's see.

977

: 00:50:25

David, I have so many questions

for you, but most of them are,

978

: 00:50:28

what, how can I make one of your

beautiful saunas affordable to me?

979

: 00:50:32

Because I would love to have

something like that on the property.

980

: 00:50:35

So I'm trying to think of how

do I put that into a question

981

: 00:50:38

that helps our audience as well

of like, how about price points?

982

: 00:50:43

Do you have like fancier

versions or more basic versions?

983

: 00:50:47

Or are they all basically the

same shell and same price point?

984

: 00:50:51

David Byers: No, we have two different

diameters, six foot and seven foot.

985

: 00:50:54

And we start off in lengths

at eight feet and go up to 16.

986

: 00:50:59

The price points in Canadian dollars the

small one is six foot diameter by eight

987

: 00:51:05

foot with a heater is 8,500 Canadian.

988

: 00:51:10

Brian Searl: That's not bad.

989

: 00:51:11

David Byers: That's about

6,500 US or 7,000 US.

990

: 00:51:15

And then it goes up to 20,000 from there

depending if you want two-tier seating,

991

: 00:51:20

if you want the bench in the bubble.

992

: 00:51:23

A lot of women on a nice warm winter day,

they just go out and use it as a she shed.

993

: 00:51:28

They just lay down in the

bubble and read a book.

994

: 00:51:32

And we also have backrests.

995

: 00:51:34

You pull the tabs out and they

convert into a sleeping insert.

996

: 00:51:39

So you can put people up overnight

or unexpected company shows up

997

: 00:51:44

or you like to do hot yoga or

just lay down while you sauna.

998

: 00:51:50

MacKenzie Whitsell: Sounds amazing.

999

: 00:51:51

Brian Searl: Is that as expensive as you

thought it was going to be, MacKenzie?

: 1000

00:51:55,869 --> 00:51:59,369

MacKenzie Whitsell: It's hard running

a business and running a nonprofit

: 1001

00:51:59,369 --> 00:52:05,179

mustang sanctuary because whenever we

get funds in, it's so hard to not put

: 1002

00:52:05,489 --> 00:52:07,519

them immediately to all the mustangs.

: 1003

00:52:07,559 --> 00:52:12,179

So it's a balance I need to strike because

the glamping is what supports the mustang.

: 1004

00:52:12,179 --> 00:52:15,799

So if I invest in the glamping

and have more of a secure revenue,

: 1005

00:52:16,129 --> 00:52:17,659

it's going to feed the mustangs.

: 1006

00:52:18,159 --> 00:52:19,729

But it's this week I need a load of hay.

: 1007

00:52:20,109 --> 00:52:21,869

So that's where all the money's going.

: 1008

00:52:23,519 --> 00:52:24,089

Brian Searl: Goes right

out the door to the horses.

: 1009

00:52:24,089 --> 00:52:25,039

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Well,

MacKenzie, you can raise your

: 1010

00:52:25,039 --> 00:52:26,839

rates if you get a sauna on site.

: 1011

00:52:26,859 --> 00:52:30,309

So that should offset it because that's

what our, that's what our data shows.

: 1012

00:52:32,909 --> 00:52:33,199

MacKenzie Whitsell: Yeah.

: 1013

00:52:33,619 --> 00:52:33,969

Wonderful.

: 1014

00:52:34,039 --> 00:52:35,119

David Byers: I'll work

a good deal with you.

: 1015

00:52:35,859 --> 00:52:36,189

MacKenzie Whitsell: Yeah.

: 1016

00:52:37,309 --> 00:52:37,899

Brian Searl: All right, David.

: 1017

00:52:37,909 --> 00:52:41,579

You can ask anybody but Kristin

or MacKenzie a question.

: 1018

00:52:43,029 --> 00:52:44,789

We got Elizabeth or Sandy.

: 1019

00:52:44,829 --> 00:52:46,719

Maybe Elizabeth, I don't know

if Elizabeth can talk or not.

: 1020

00:52:48,939 --> 00:52:50,756

David Byers: No if I have no questions.

: 1021

00:52:51,036 --> 00:52:54,396

If anybody is interested

in any information or

: 1022

00:52:54,396 --> 00:52:56,136

whatever, just email me or...

: 1023

00:52:56,186 --> 00:52:56,656

Brian Searl: we'll do that.

: 1024

00:52:56,656 --> 00:52:59,736

But ask a question that you want to know

the answer to from Elizabeth or Sandy.

: 1025

00:53:00,256 --> 00:53:01,326

Anything you want to ask them.

: 1026

00:53:01,716 --> 00:53:04,006

David Byers: Where's the basement

in a three-story building?

: 1027

00:53:07,606 --> 00:53:09,106

I don't have any questions.

: 1028

00:53:10,756 --> 00:53:11,566

Brian Searl: All right.

: 1029

00:53:12,406 --> 00:53:14,396

All right, Elizabeth, do you

have a question for anybody?

: 1030

00:53:14,496 --> 00:53:15,286

Or for Sandy?

: 1031

00:53:15,286 --> 00:53:16,436

Or for D—yeah, for Sandy.

: 1032

00:53:17,066 --> 00:53:17,636

That you can think of?

: 1033

00:53:19,056 --> 00:53:19,746

Elizabeth McIntosh: Huh.

: 1034

00:53:19,746 --> 00:53:22,326

I'm trying to think about RV life.

: 1035

00:53:23,546 --> 00:53:30,196

I can't say it's my expertise, but do

you see any trends happening with the

: 1036

00:53:30,196 --> 00:53:37,316

younger generation trying to get like

trendy RVs and doing the Airstream thing?

: 1037

00:53:37,336 --> 00:53:43,006

Or do you find RV resorts are still mainly

your retired demographic or families?

: 1038

00:53:45,846 --> 00:53:46,336

Sandy Ellingson: Oh, no.

: 1039

00:53:46,346 --> 00:53:46,676

We're seeing a lot of, and I see it on

: 1040

00:53:49,396 --> 00:53:52,926

both the glamping side as well as the

RVing side because I do work a lot with

: 1041

00:53:52,926 --> 00:53:55,174

the glamping association here in the US.

: 1042

00:53:55,346 --> 00:53:56,356

So I do see both.

: 1043

00:53:56,466 --> 00:54:00,386

Because, the campgrounds are doing some

glamping inside of the campgrounds.

: 1044

00:54:00,566 --> 00:54:05,466

But one of the things we're really

following and watching right now is the

: 1045

00:54:05,886 --> 00:54:09,706

onboarding paths to RVing to begin with.

: 1046

00:54:10,106 --> 00:54:12,976

And why the manufacturer

should be interested in that.

: 1047

00:54:13,016 --> 00:54:18,156

And so for instance, you might think

of glamping as being in competition

: 1048

00:54:18,266 --> 00:54:22,816

to a campground because campgrounds

take RVs and glamping units do not.

: 1049

00:54:23,206 --> 00:54:28,806

However, that's not necessarily true

because we consider somebody going

: 1050

00:54:28,806 --> 00:54:34,676

and staying in a glamping unit as a

gateway drug to out—to the outdoors.

: 1051

00:54:34,936 --> 00:54:39,406

And so they may stay at a completely

just glamping location one time.

: 1052

00:54:39,686 --> 00:54:43,706

They may stay at a glamping location

inside a park the next time.

: 1053

00:54:44,186 --> 00:54:47,426

And then they may see that

RV that's across the way and

: 1054

00:54:47,526 --> 00:54:49,136

go, oh, that's a great idea.

: 1055

00:54:49,416 --> 00:54:52,496

And one of the biggest things that

we've seen happen over the last

: 1056

00:54:52,826 --> 00:54:58,116

really three, 30 years in the RV

industry is the loss of gateway drugs.

: 1057

00:54:58,116 --> 00:55:00,896

Because it used to be every

campground had tent camping.

: 1058

00:55:01,416 --> 00:55:04,456

And almost everybody

could afford to tent camp.

: 1059

00:55:04,576 --> 00:55:09,176

So it was the entry level for somebody

to get into an outdoor experience.

: 1060

00:55:09,896 --> 00:55:12,486

And so we've lost a little bit of that.

: 1061

00:55:12,486 --> 00:55:17,716

And so if statistically if you look,

in a lot of areas geographically,

: 1062

00:55:17,716 --> 00:55:22,876

not like the industry as a whole, we

have more people exiting an outdoor

: 1063

00:55:22,876 --> 00:55:27,026

hospitality stay than we do coming

in because of the price points.

: 1064

00:55:28,486 --> 00:55:32,446

So we've got to create some of

these, more affordable ways of

: 1065

00:55:32,456 --> 00:55:38,256

bringing the Gen Z and the some of

the Gen Ys into outdoor hospitality.

: 1066

00:55:39,216 --> 00:55:40,516

Brian Searl: I don't think

it's just price point.

: 1067

00:55:40,516 --> 00:55:41,486

I think that's part of it.

: 1068

00:55:41,966 --> 00:55:44,026

Sandy Ellingson: Oh,

that is one piece, Brian.

: 1069

00:55:44,026 --> 00:55:44,616

You're right.

: 1070

00:55:44,786 --> 00:55:47,686

Brian Searl: Scott Bahr and I are going to

do some research on this in early January.

: 1071

00:55:47,736 --> 00:55:50,526

We've done a whole deep dive white

paper into the psychology of Gen

: 1072

00:55:50,526 --> 00:55:54,176

Z for both glamping and RVs and

outdoor hospitality in general.

: 1073

00:55:54,766 --> 00:55:56,316

It's really interesting and eye-opening.

: 1074

00:55:56,386 --> 00:55:58,396

It's not the same stuff you

hear everybody talk about.

: 1075

00:55:58,396 --> 00:56:00,166

Like we all want to stay connected,

we all want to have Wi-Fi.

: 1076

00:56:00,166 --> 00:56:01,666

That has nothing to do with it at

: 1077

00:56:04,316 --> 00:56:04,446

all.

: 1078

00:56:04,446 --> 00:56:04,449

Sandy Ellingson: No.

: 1079

00:56:04,449 --> 00:56:04,646

You're right.

: 1080

00:56:05,766 --> 00:56:06,666

Elizabeth McIntosh: What

does it have to do with?

: 1081

00:56:07,146 --> 00:56:08,516

Brian Searl: Like it's

the way they were raised.

: 1082

00:56:08,516 --> 00:56:09,466

It's their mindsets.

: 1083

00:56:09,476 --> 00:56:11,796

Like you're teaching me, you're

testing my memory again, which

: 1084

00:56:11,796 --> 00:56:12,936

we all know is a bad idea.

: 1085

00:56:12,936 --> 00:56:13,736

We've established that.

: 1086

00:56:14,166 --> 00:56:15,926

But it's mostly how they were raised.

: 1087

00:56:15,926 --> 00:56:19,716

They were raised as disconnected,

solo, social media people.

: 1088

00:56:20,156 --> 00:56:21,466

Like they were raised on social media.

: 1089

00:56:21,466 --> 00:56:22,986

They don't get together

with their friends as much.

: 1090

00:56:22,986 --> 00:56:24,246

They don't have connected experiences.

: 1091

00:56:24,246 --> 00:56:25,926

Their parents didn't take them camping.

: 1092

00:56:26,236 --> 00:56:29,016

They haven't had the entrance into

the outdoor hospitality market

: 1093

00:56:29,016 --> 00:56:30,216

like Sandy was talking about.

: 1094

00:56:30,816 --> 00:56:31,966

And so they're very nervous.

: 1095

00:56:31,966 --> 00:56:34,476

So if if you've ever heard of

Earl from Black Folks Camp Too.

: 1096

00:56:35,256 --> 00:56:38,606

His new company I think is

broader and all-encompassing.

: 1097

00:56:39,146 --> 00:56:41,796

But his one of his main things was

that the, Black folk have never

: 1098

00:56:41,796 --> 00:56:44,386

been introduced on the camping

lifestyle and how to go camping.

: 1099

00:56:44,386 --> 00:56:47,336

And so it's, they're scared of

the woods because of the history

: 1100

00:56:47,336 --> 00:56:50,646

of Black people and also because

they've never experienced to it.

: 1101

00:56:51,176 --> 00:56:54,516

But this is a lot of the same

parallels with Gen Z is they

: 1102

00:56:54,516 --> 00:56:55,616

don't like to be embarrassed.

: 1103

00:56:55,636 --> 00:56:56,656

They like to be confident.

: 1104

00:56:56,676 --> 00:56:57,696

They like to know everything.

: 1105

00:56:57,696 --> 00:57:01,356

And so they're nervous to go try camping

because they don't know how to set

: 1106

00:57:01,356 --> 00:57:03,716

up a tent and they don't want to be

embarrassed and they don't want to fail.

: 1107

00:57:03,716 --> 00:57:06,136

And there's a lot of really

stu—interesting stuff that

: 1108

00:57:06,136 --> 00:57:08,406

our research has uncovered

that we'll present in January.

: 1109

00:57:09,136 --> 00:57:12,176

It's, yeah, it's quite, it was quite

fascinating to read some of it.

: 1110

00:57:12,656 --> 00:57:16,016

And how to appeal to Gen Z because it's

not at all what you've heard in the

: 1111

00:57:16,016 --> 00:57:17,606

narrative from anyone else that I've seen.

: 1112

00:57:19,106 --> 00:57:19,866

All right, final thoughts.

: 1113

00:57:19,866 --> 00:57:20,666

We're going to wrap up here.

: 1114

00:57:20,666 --> 00:57:23,466

Kristin, any final thoughts and then

where can they find out more about Sage?

: 1115

00:57:23,526 --> 00:57:26,126

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Final

thoughts is yes, I think moving forward

: 1116

00:57:26,126 --> 00:57:31,916

connection is really the foundation

to camping and outdoor hospitality

: 1117

00:57:32,046 --> 00:57:33,696

I think in the future too, Brian.

: 1118

00:57:33,726 --> 00:57:37,706

And we have a very

all-encompassing website,

: 1119

00:57:39,766 --> 00:57:40,586

sageoutdooradvisory.com.

: 1120

00:57:41,776 --> 00:57:42,066

Brian Searl: Awesome.

: 1121

00:57:42,066 --> 00:57:43,006

Thanks for being here, Kristin.

: 1122

00:57:43,056 --> 00:57:43,536

MacKenzie?

: 1123

00:57:44,756 --> 00:57:45,176

MacKenzie Whitsell: All right.

: 1124

00:57:45,476 --> 00:57:46,326

Final thoughts.

: 1125

00:57:46,486 --> 00:57:48,946

I guess just check out our website.

: 1126

00:57:48,976 --> 00:57:51,976

It's wildridect.org.

: 1127

00:57:52,116 --> 00:57:56,926

And you can see what we have available

in terms of our glamping domes and

: 1128

00:57:56,926 --> 00:57:59,016

our experiences with the horses.

: 1129

00:57:59,116 --> 00:58:03,506

And yeah, that's we'd

love to, come on down.

: 1130

00:58:03,686 --> 00:58:07,326

And we love playing host and

showing our herd to everyone.

: 1131

00:58:07,326 --> 00:58:08,886

And giving them a really great experience.

: 1132

00:58:09,976 --> 00:58:11,036

Brian Searl: I guess

I should ask this too.

: 1133

00:58:11,036 --> 00:58:12,506

What are you going to do

for Christmas, MacKenzie?

: 1134

00:58:12,716 --> 00:58:14,266

Since it's our last show

before the holidays.

: 1135

00:58:14,316 --> 00:58:15,796

What's your plans for

Christmas if you want to share?

: 1136

00:58:17,006 --> 00:58:18,796

MacKenzie Whitsell: I

have no plans right now.

: 1137

00:58:19,146 --> 00:58:19,656

We'll see.

: 1138

00:58:20,226 --> 00:58:20,716

Brian Searl: All right, Kristin.

: 1139

00:58:20,726 --> 00:58:21,116

How about you?

: 1140

00:58:21,116 --> 00:58:21,876

Any plans for Christmas?

: 1141

00:58:22,016 --> 00:58:22,396

Are you excited?

: 1142

00:58:23,206 --> 00:58:24,493

Kristin Andersen Garwood:

I'm super excited.

: 1143

00:58:24,493 --> 00:58:26,836

We're going to hit the ski hill up here.

: 1144

00:58:27,456 --> 00:58:28,726

Do some of that fun stuff.

: 1145

00:58:29,046 --> 00:58:29,796

Playing in the snow.

: 1146

00:58:30,906 --> 00:58:31,466

Brian Searl: Very cool.

: 1147

00:58:31,576 --> 00:58:32,236

All right, Sandy.

: 1148

00:58:32,246 --> 00:58:35,526

Final thoughts, Christmas plans, and where

can they find out more about your work?

: 1149

00:58:35,526 --> 00:58:38,906

Sandy Ellingson: We have

planes flying over right now.

: 1150

00:58:38,906 --> 00:58:39,636

I apologize.

: 1151

00:58:40,256 --> 00:58:43,526

I'm down in the area of Pensacola

where the, those special

: 1152

00:58:43,536 --> 00:58:44,806

flying guys, they come over.

: 1153

00:58:44,846 --> 00:58:45,436

But anyway.

: 1154

00:58:45,676 --> 00:58:47,726

I am just looking forward to: 2026

: 1155

00:58:47,726 --> 00:58:50,986

I think it's going to be a very

pivotal year for both outdoor

: 1156

00:58:50,986 --> 00:58:53,066

hospitality and the RV industry.

: 1157

00:58:53,396 --> 00:58:58,466

feel more positive going into: 2026

than I have any of the years post-COVID.

: 1158

00:58:59,356 --> 00:59:02,341

Brian Searl: What's your prediction

for the percentage up or down of the

: 1159

00:59:02,426 --> 00:59:05,976

RV industry, of RV parks in: 2026

: 1160

00:59:06,666 --> 00:59:10,656

Sandy Ellingson: I think that if RV parks

find the right voices to listen to they

: 1161

00:59:10,656 --> 00:59:16,086

have a significant opportunity to increase

their occupancy through some of the

: 1162

00:59:16,086 --> 00:59:17,806

creative things that are coming through.

: 1163

00:59:18,116 --> 00:59:22,246

It's the challenge is going to be getting

them to listen to the right voices.

: 1164

00:59:22,276 --> 00:59:25,476

And there's also going to be a

couple of regulatory things that are

: 1165

00:59:25,476 --> 00:59:28,496

coming out that we're watching, but

I'll speak to that at another time.

: 1166

00:59:28,496 --> 00:59:29,426

Brian Searl: All right.

: 1167

00:59:29,436 --> 00:59:30,296

Guess a percentage.

: 1168

00:59:30,296 --> 00:59:31,526

I'm going to date you and record you.

: 1169

00:59:32,946 --> 00:59:36,216

Sandy Ellingson: I would like to

see all of my parks reach an annual

: 1170

00:59:36,216 --> 00:59:40,196

occupancy of 75 to 80% again next

year, which is nowhere near where

: 1171

00:59:40,196 --> 00:59:41,426

we're going to land for this year.

: 1172

00:59:42,156 --> 00:59:44,336

Brian Searl: So you

think up 10% next year?

: 1173

00:59:44,396 --> 00:59:45,046

As a whole?

: 1174

00:59:45,376 --> 00:59:45,756

Okay.

: 1175

00:59:45,836 --> 00:59:46,266

All right.

: 1176

00:59:47,036 --> 00:59:47,556

Elizabeth.

: 1177

00:59:47,566 --> 00:59:50,421

Final thoughts and where can they find

out more about Back Forty Glamping and

: 1178

00:59:50,496 --> 00:59:51,596

Christmas plans if you want to share?

: 1179

00:59:52,546 --> 00:59:54,726

Elizabeth McIntosh: Yeah, we're

actually shutting down this Christmas.

: 1180

00:59:54,786 --> 00:59:59,156

I feel like a huge part of our success has

to do with our staff loving their jobs.

: 1181

00:59:59,706 --> 01:00:02,876

So we wanted to be able to give

everyone a break over those three days.

: 1182

01:00:02,886 --> 01:00:05,616

So we are closing, which I think is great.

: 1183

01:00:05,706 --> 01:00:08,436

And my family, I have

a bunch of young kids.

: 1184

01:00:08,436 --> 01:00:12,056

We like to go to the resort when it's

closed so that we can use the hot tubs.

: 1185

01:00:12,066 --> 01:00:13,346

So we'll be doing that.

: 1186

01:00:14,716 --> 01:00:14,856

Awesome.

: 1187

01:00:15,076 --> 01:00:17,766

And yeah, follow along on

TikTok and Instagram for

: 1188

01:00:17,766 --> 01:00:19,976

some a lot of winter content.

: 1189

01:00:20,436 --> 01:00:21,746

It'll be coming in pretty heavy.

: 1190

01:00:21,836 --> 01:00:23,866

And it looks quite magical.

: 1191

01:00:23,876 --> 01:00:25,536

So you can find us there.

: 1192

01:00:26,296 --> 01:00:26,616

Brian Searl: Awesome.

: 1193

01:00:26,616 --> 01:00:27,286

Thanks for being here.

: 1194

01:00:27,286 --> 01:00:28,186

Last but not least, Mr.

: 1195

01:00:28,186 --> 01:00:28,706

David Byers.

: 1196

01:00:30,236 --> 01:00:30,726

David Byers: Yes.

: 1197

01:00:30,866 --> 01:00:33,076

We're going to be not traveling this year.

: 1198

01:00:33,126 --> 01:00:36,026

We usually go to Costa Rica

for Christmas and New Year's.

: 1199

01:00:36,846 --> 01:00:38,956

But I'm going to just

keep the open sign on.

: 1200

01:00:39,526 --> 01:00:43,336

We just came back from the British

Columbia Campground and Lodges

: 1201

01:00:43,946 --> 01:00:49,856

Association Ideas Show where we

sold 15 of our sleeping barrels.

: 1202

01:00:50,156 --> 01:00:50,816

Brian Searl: Nice.

: 1203

01:00:50,826 --> 01:00:54,636

David Byers: So we're going to be

doing a lot of work over the holidays.

: 1204

01:00:55,386 --> 01:01:06,221

If anybody's interested in our

saunas, go to www.oneofakindcw.com.

: 1205

01:01:07,211 --> 01:01:10,781

If they're interested in

a sleeping barrel, it's

: 1206

01:01:10,791 --> 01:01:17,121

www.canadiansleepingbarrels.com.

: 1207

01:01:18,041 --> 01:01:22,251

And if they're interested in

replacing a round tent, a soft wall

: 1208

01:01:22,251 --> 01:01:29,151

yurt, go to www.cedaryurts.com.

: 1209

01:01:30,301 --> 01:01:30,671

Brian Searl: Awesome.

: 1210

01:01:30,671 --> 01:01:31,611

Thanks for being here, Dave.

: 1211

01:01:31,611 --> 01:01:32,181

I appreciate it.

: 1212

01:01:32,561 --> 01:01:34,631

All right, that wraps up another

episode of MC Fireside Chats.

: 1213

01:01:34,641 --> 01:01:37,031

For the rest of you guys aren't

sick and tired of hearing my voice,

: 1214

01:01:37,051 --> 01:01:40,991

I will be on Outwired live with

Scott Bahr and Ari Smith in about

: 1215

01:01:41,061 --> 01:01:43,631

53 and a half minutes from now.

: 1216

01:01:44,011 --> 01:01:46,181

For our two-hour kind of episode

where we're going to wrap up the

: 1217

01:01:46,181 --> 01:01:48,951

year, talk about all the things AI

and automation like we usually do.

: 1218

01:01:48,951 --> 01:01:51,314

And if you want something fun, all

of you here or if you're watching

: 1219

01:01:51,411 --> 01:01:54,561

the show, to do over the holidays

I'm, you can follow me on LinkedIn.

: 1220

01:01:54,671 --> 01:01:55,671

I put out a post today.

: 1221

01:01:55,971 --> 01:01:59,271

We created the first AI

generated Christmas album for

: 1222

01:01:59,281 --> 01:02:00,641

outdoor hospitality owners.

: 1223

01:02:00,961 --> 01:02:03,781

And it is on Spotify and Apple

Music and all the places you

: 1224

01:02:03,781 --> 01:02:04,951

can find music right now.

: 1225

01:02:05,311 --> 01:02:08,921

There are 11 tracks like "All I Want

For Christmas Is A Five Star Review,"

: 1226

01:02:09,181 --> 01:02:12,491

"Grandma Got Run Over By A Golf

Cart," and all kinds of other fun

: 1227

01:02:12,491 --> 01:02:14,321

stuff just for the campground crowd.

: 1228

01:02:14,321 --> 01:02:16,511

So if you want to check it out please do.

: 1229

01:02:16,551 --> 01:02:18,631

Otherwise we'll see you next year.

: 1230

01:02:18,701 --> 01:02:19,641

Almost said next week.

: 1231

01:02:20,141 --> 01:02:21,861

On another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

: 1232

01:02:21,861 --> 01:02:25,731

Thanks for a great: 2025

of success to all of you next year.

: 1233

01:02:25,971 --> 01:02:26,571

Elizabeth McIntosh: Thank you.

: 1234

01:02:29,251 --> 01:02:29,424

Thanks so much.

: 1235

01:02:29,424 --> 01:02:29,428

Sandy Ellingson: Merry Christmas.

: 1236

01:02:29,428 --> 01:02:29,441

Kristin Andersen Garwood: Merry Christmas.

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