South of Scotland Agritourism Monitor Farm

South of Scotland Agritourism Monitor Farm

Meeting 1 “First Impressions Count”

Laggan Outdoor and Mossyard Farm

Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas, D&G, DG7 2ES

The new Agritourism Monitor Farm Community Group outside Mossyard’s luxury Pinelog lodge

Report from meeting 1 held on Tuesday 2nd June 2014

Introduction to the Agritourism Monitor Farm Project

Scottish Enterprise, supported by Scottish Government Skills Development Scheme funding, is leading on two new agritourism monitor farms, one in the East (Peel Farm) and one in the South of Scotland (Laggan Farm). Both Monitor Farms will highlight to a rural tourism audience the opportunities and challenges of managing complex tourism businesses while also running productive farming enterprises.

Key Facts :

The project will run until autumn 2015.
The outputs will include 18 on-farm meetings across the two Monitor Farms.
Two core business groups sharing data and information will be established.
An interactive Monitor Farms website at will share meeting reports and other publications.
The aims of the project will be to improve the business performance and offering of the two Monitor Farm businesses and encourage participation by attendees which will lead to measurable improvements in their own rural tourism businesses.

The launch of the project for the South of Scotland was held at Laggan Farm, Dumfries and Galloway.

Who’s who at Laggan Farm

From left to right –

John & Jo, Caroline & Kerr, Murray, Duncan & Vicky and family

For more information on Laggan Farm and for a Factsheet visit

What does the Laggan Farm Business consist of?

A coffee shop
An outdoor adventure business including one of Europe’s longest zipwires
A caravan and camping park and self-catering business established in 1935
A working sheep and beef farm

Theme of Meeting

The theme of the meeting was “First Impressions Count.” Those attending were given some background on the business then were asked to go off and view the business as a consumer and then use feedback sheets to record positive aspects to the business, any rooms for improvement and ideas for new customer experiences. A facilitated discussion then took place when feedback from individuals was provided to the McConchie family. Members of the family then responded.

Group feedback

Positive aspects

The McConchie family, key selling point of business.
Friendly family and staff.
Family seem to be switched on to opportunities.
Seemed like a fun place to visit and stay.
Beautiful location.
Combination of hill and sea is very special.
Still working farm but these two tourism businesses integrated into the farm.
Tourism businesses are not affecting beef and sheep production – good model for other farms.
Overall quality offer.
Quality is high throughout.
Didn’t feel like a mickey mouse operation, staff well trained, health and safety focus which is essential for Laggan Outdoor.
Beautiful new lodges at Mossyard with stunning interiors and view.
Place is spotless.
Camping next to the sea with own beach key selling point.
View from farm at Laggan and from top of zipwire is stunning.
Great location.
Website good.
Photography on website good.

Room for improvement

Signage, not sure where to park when you arrive.
Where are the signs or paths to show where to walk?
Can you walk your dog or bring dogs?
Café food could be better – although scones at event were awesome.
Wouldn’t come to café at moment as a stand-alone experience, both from food offering and wouldn’t know about it, even if staying at Mossyard or passing at road end.
Doesn’t say food is produced on premises.
Food offering in café not enticing people to visit.
Funny branding in café.
Collective offering of whole experience disjointed in branding and marketing.
Seems everyone is doing everything – how much time is put into strategy and business development by owners instead of working in the business?
Could have a few more funky items on arrival to make it more finished.
You are not sure where to go on arrival.
Capacity issues for growth at Mossyard?
Seems like everyone working in the business not on the business.
Social media is sporadic.
There is no view in café, should have been positioned to take in view, as well as seating area outside could have been on other side of building to enjoy view.
Website doesn’t mention you are a farm.
Very weather dependent.
No online booking (commented several times).
Arrival area could look more professional.

Ideas for new customer experience

Look at business with fresh pair of outside eyes, sell whole experience as one.
Use of events to attract customers.
Events, challenges at Laggan.
Make much more of food side of business, link with farm and farmers in local area, local provenance, home- made food and drink.
Farm shop selling local produce.
Jo had significant interior design talents, new business possibility?
Using the skills of the women in the business to add value.
Upselling to visitors e.g. local produce, food and drink, crafts and gifts.
Photography upselling.
This place should be stag and hen party mecca.
What can Laggan Outdoor really do to ramp up as the place for adrenalin experiences in Scotland?
Website doesn’t mention you are a farm.
Better signage in local area (brown signs) from Dumfries and off M74 and signage at farm itself.
Farm tours.
Walking tours of farm.
Off road tours of farm.
Making use of farm buildings.
Something for young kids to do.
Creche for young kids while parents do adventure sports.
An indoor experience for wet days.
The new lodges at Mossyard, should be running those in-house not selling on for quick gain.
Opportunity for catering from café to people staying at Mossyard.
Adventure holidays using accommodation at Mossyard with offering at Laggan.
Agritourism holidays across both businesses.
Positioning as Laggan as pivot in Dumfries and Galloway holiday offering.

Key Opportunities & Issues in the Business which will form the focus of future meetings

8 will be picked for future topics

The topics for each meeting will be selected by the Duncan, Murray and John McConchie and by the project Management Group. They will combine with other topics from the East of Scotland Monitor Farm to provide a picture of issues and opportunities that are important to the Scottish Agritourism Sector. The future topics for the next three meeting dates will be published in advance.

The Agritourism proposition at Laggan and Mossyard Farms collectively. Are there opportunities to use the farm and food and drink as a hook to enter new markets?
The relationship between each element of the business including the farm and both agritourism businesses and between both agritourism businesses. How can value be added?
Market Segment review – what markets are Laggan Outdoor in? What markets are Mossyard in? What markets should both be in? Wants and needs from different markets.
Marketing and sales. Making better use of existing customer databases.
Pricing strategy – is it flexible enough? Are we being smart about pricing strategy? Are we charging enough at particular times?
Digital marketing and cross-selling with others in local area to create added value offering to holiday in Dumfries and Galloway.
Measuring, understanding performance and acting on it – picking which Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure.
Business strategy for each element of the business for the next 3 to 5 years.
How does the business make itself less seasonal?
Focus on Mossyard – opportunities for significant profit growth.
How do we make more profitin all the business areas?
Benchmarking against other similar businesses in sector – how does Laggan Outdoor and Mossyard Caravan Park compare?What are the best doing in the UK and internationally that both could learn from?
Developing the Laggan and Mossyard Brands, what is the overall experience and products – what Brand represents the overall experience?
Focus on new accommodation options – understanding market segments and return on investment.
Focus on the café as a stand-alone area of the business, what is the experience, what is the performance, how can the performance be improved?
Developing Laggan/Mossyard and Dumfries and Galloway as a destination to create volume of sales for both the business and local area? What do others in the local area need to do?
Market Segment review – what markets are Laggan Outdoor in? What markets are Mossyard in? What markets should both be in? Wants and needs from different markets.
Pro-active sales.
Succession in the family business. The future structure of the ownership of the business.
Ensuring 4 families are rewarded for their hard work in each area of the business.

Review of all the assets in the business including land and (all) people and options for adding value.
Franchising Laggan Outdoor to other areas of the UK.
What do customers think of Laggan? What do the local population think of Laggan?

Outcomes from the Meeting

As a result of the meeting the family are looking at how the combined offering of both Laggan Outdoor and Mossyard should be offered to the consumer and marketed.

Management Group

The Management Group for the Laggan Farm Monitor Farm consist of a small number of people interested in developing agritourism in Scotland and supportive of the McConchie’s desire to grow their business. They will act as a support to the McConchie Family and the project overall.

The Management Group for the South of Scotland Agritourism Monitor Farm include Duncan, Murray and John McConchie and around 6 others business leaders in tourism or agriculture from the local area.

If you would like to be involved in the South of Scotland Agritourism Monitor Farm Management Group please contact .

Core 20

The “Core 20” consist of 10 agritourism businesses committed to attending all of the Laggan Farm Monitor Meetings and 10 agritourism businesses committed to attending all of the Peel Farm Monitor Meetings. These 20 businesses will be given additional support by meeting 4 times ahead of the main monitor farm meetings to discuss how to improve their own business performance. One of these meetings will be a joint day meeting going behind the scenes in Glasgow’s top hotels to understand the dynamics of running a City based hospitality business. If you would like to involved please contact Caroline Millar

Finding out more – Agritourism Monitor Farm website

Laggan Outdoor website -

Mossyard Farm website -

East of Scotland Agritourism Monitor Farm -

Project Facilitator – Caroline Millar, Go Rural

T: 01382 320 777 or M: 07584 660 541

Project Supervisor – Peter Beattie, Momentum Consulting

Project Manager – Jackie Green, Scottish Enterprise

Date of next meetings –

Laggan Farm Meeting 2:Tuesday 19th August 2014

Meeting topicImproving the performance of the Cafe

Laggan Farm Meeting 3:Tuesday 16th September 2014

Laggan Farm Meeting 4Tuesday 4th November 2014

Peel Farm Meeting 2: Monday 4th August 2pm to 5pm

Meeting topic“Heads on Beds” – Creating sales & £s for the new accommodation

(earlier time to accommodate Scottish Rural Affairs Committee who will be attending)

Peel Farm Meeting 3:Tuesday 30th September2014 (4pm – 7pm)

Peel Farm Meeting 4:Tuesday 28th October 2014 (4pm – 7pm)

Two MSPS from the Scottish Rural Affairs Committee will also visit Laggan Farm on Monday 4th August to meet the McConchie Family and the Management Group

Ends – Caroline Millar

Page 1 of 1