Last time, we talked about preserving and protecting your investment from the beginning of the season until the last guest leaves your gates

One of the biggest challenges for a venue that uses a corn maze is to make sure that it lasts until the end of the season. Most venues are o

It is easy as small business owners to get tunnel vision or a jaded perspective on what our guests want, what is working well, and where we need to improve. It is also easy to get complacent in areas that are not our passions or areas of expertise and since they are working “well enough” they don’t get the attention they sometimes need. A fresh perspective from our guests can help us to see any blind spots that need our attention. The best way to do this is through a survey

It's that time of year again where we look back on what we accomplished the previous year and set some goals or resolutions for the 365

It’s not always easy and sometimes it’s not even feasible, but animals can be an important part of an agritourism venue. Since we as a society have moved so far away from the farm and even further from interacting with certain live animals, many venues use animals to create important memories as well as what we like to call “teachable moments”. Animals provide the link between the world we live in and what is behind that world. They allow people to understand the origin of so

This can be a tough one to navigate. Should you charge for the 85-year-old grandmother that is just there to watch her grandchild open presents at a birthday party? Should you charge for parents that are there to help with the field trip? What about someone that is physically handicapped and won’t be participating in any activities? These are all tough scenarios to navigate while keeping your customers happy but let’s talk through some of the options you have. Insurance F

Long lines are one of those things we consider a “good problem to have”. Unfortunately, long lines can be a frustration for your guests and not a good way to start their fun day at the farm. Here are some tips to keep those lines moving. 1. Good Signage Be sure you have easy-to-read signs at your check-in area. Not just at the cash register but in several places that can be easily seen from the lines so customers can be more prepared when it is their turn to pay. 2. Limite

Last week we talked about how to be intentional about customer service and we focused on being relational. I was thinking about how that skill is sometimes easier for some than it is for others. Some people come by it naturally when others have to work at it. We recommend instructing your staff and maybe even role playing how to implement this quality. Let’s face it. Some of our guests make it very difficult to be relational. Confrontational maybe, but not relational! But our

As Agritourism owners we find ourselves in a wide variety of stores for a wide variety of reasons. Even though price is a big determining factor for whether or not I frequent a store, there are other factors that are equally important. If you were to ask me my opinion about the 3 local hardware stores that I visit the most, I would most likely evaluate them based on price, inventory and customer service. And based on those things there is one store that stands out and one I w

Let’s continue talking about your traffic flow and look at the layout of your venue. Safety is a crucial factor when it comes to evaluating our policies and procedures, so we need to evaluate any safety issues when it comes to how vehicles enter, exit and travel throughout your property. Traffic Flow As I shared before, at one of our locations we were looking for a feasible way to redesign the flow of traffic. One of the biggest drawbacks to the existing design forced our gue