At the turn of the pandemic one of the few luxuries Canadians could engage in was outdoor activities, camping included. Gordon’s Park quickly overhauled their business model and approach to focus on how to provide a safe place for people to vacation and an experience that was peaceful and improve people’s wellbeing.
Gordon's Park is an eco park featuring a campground with amenities and dark sky preserve. Regular eco programming and astronomy weekend events are also offered.
The emphasis of the Park's activities changed exclusively to providing a safe vacation space and event opportunities that minimized worry and amplified wellbeing.
Policies and processes were shifted to reflect the new goal, with changes like self checkin and private eco experiences/events. Additionally a robust external communications plan was implemented that highlighted actionable measures they were taking to provide safety, their new policies and processes, as well as their new genuine focus on people's safety and enhancing their wellbeing.
By focusing on, and leading with, social impact, we successfully created a place people felt safe visiting that supported their wellbeing. We also introduced new people to camping and provided amenities to help them be successful. Private events and campsites were sold out for most of the summer and with this new model, the Park saw a surplus in revenue over the previous year, which was pre- pandemic.