Strategic plan for a school camps and adventure activities group on the Costa Brava
Summary
ST strategy is supporting the group in developing its strategic plan by business unit.
School camps with language immersion and outdoor activities are a mature market, but increasingly competitive and demanding. Schools compare offers, prices and terms, and client acquisition can no longer rely on word of mouth alone.
AdventureCamps* is a family group with three decades of history on the Costa Brava, made up of three activities: school stays and summer camps with English immersion and water activities, the hiring of native-speaker instructors, and adventure activities for tourists.
ST strategy is supporting the group in defining its strategic plan and its business plan for the coming years.
A long track record
Reactivating school acquisition
Organising the group to grow
The full story
Opportunity
Despite its track record and service quality, the portfolio of active schools was shrinking. Acquisition relied on word of mouth, with no defined sales function, and the digital presence had become outdated.
Payment terms were straining cash flow, and flows between the group’s three companies were not clear enough for decision-making.
A strategic vision for each business unit and a shared plan for the whole group were needed.
Axes of change
With the trust of management, ST strategy acts as the group’s strategic adviser. After analysing the market, competitors and the accounts of the three companies, several axes have been defined, including:
- Commercial reactivation and channels: Creation of a sales function, CRM, a renewed website and social media, and presence at fairs and parents’ associations, testing new markets.
- Alliances and prescribers: Agreements with town councils, educational travel agencies and English academies to broaden acquisition.
- Group economic model: Analysis of intra-group flows, review of payment terms and a five-year consolidated business plan.
Recommendations
Early recommendations include:
- A new payment schedule to ease cash-flow pressure.
- Hiring a dedicated sales profile.
- Expanding the activity offer with new water and adventure experiences.
- Organising invoicing between the group’s companies.
- Remuneration and role proposal for the management team.
* The confidentiality of our clients is a priority of the company. Although we have changed their names, the information is real.