GLAMPING BUSINESS AND RETREAT EVENT SUCCESS

You know that feeling when you’ve poured your heart into planning a retreat, you’ve booked the venue, dreamed up the perfect theme, imagined your guests having those “aha” moments... and then… nothing?

You post about it, send some emails, and cross your fingers. Maybe one or two spots get filled, but the numbers don’t even come close to covering your costs. Panic sets in:

What if I have to cancel?

What if nobody comes?

What if this was a huge mistake?

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common struggles retreat leaders face. The problem usually isn’t your passion, your theme, or even your price tag... it’s something else entirely.

Why Retreats Stay Empty

Here’s the hard truth: retreats don’t sell out just because they’re amazing.

Most retreat leaders do things backwards. They spend months locking in a venue, building the schedule, designing all the little details… and only then do they try to find people to fill the spaces.

It’s kind of lik...

Hosting retreat events can have a profound impact on both attendees and the host, creating a ripple effect of positive change. "It's just like when you drop a pebble into the water and it sends out a whole host of ripples." - Laura of WelSummer Camping

In our recent podcast episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Laura from Well Summer Camping. Laura shared her experience of hosting a retreat event at her glamping site. She mentioned that the event exceeded her expectations, with attendees forming deep connections and experiencing emotional breakthroughs. This highlights how retreats can provide a space for individuals to let go, find peace, and connect with nature and themselves.

The ripple effect of hosting a retreat extends beyond the event itself. Laura mentioned receiving feedback from attendees who continued to practice activities they learned at the retreat, such as foraging and herbal medicine, with their families. This demonstrates how the positive experiences and knowl...

How To Host A Retreat And Make Money: Planning a retreat business can be a great way to share your expertise, connect with like-minded people, and make a profit. However, organising a profitable retreat event that successfully attracts the number of attendees you want requires careful planning and attention to detail.

There is nothing worse for the host of a retreat to start their event realising arrangements are falling through, they have forgotten to organise a few vital things and they are distracted from fully focusing on their retreat guests. They are the host after all!

In the sections below we'll cover everything you need to know to ensure your retreat is not only rewarding but also profitable and how you can organise everything ahead of time to make sure everything goes smoothly on the day. We also cover new ways to use AI to help you build your retreat in half the time, how to get sponsors involved in your event and our selling-without-selling strategy for filling the spaces...

How do you plan a retreat business successfully and what steps are involved? People host and run retreats for a multitude of reasons. For some, it might be they have a passion for helping people improve their health, de-stress through mindfulness at wellness retreats or improve their flexibility through yoga retreats. They might have a skill they want to share in craft retreats or they might be leaders wanting to organise spiritual retreats. Maybe they have retired recently and are looking for a lifestyle business idea that can supplement their pension. Others might be more business-focused and want to improve the occupancy of their hospitality business during the quieter shoulder months or run corporate retreats, which can be quite lucrative. Whatever the reason, deciding to host retreats may be the perfect career path for you into your own lifestyle business that reignites your inspiration and allows you to start something as a stand-alone business, an extra service to help you ride ...