Sonia is a creative and experienced interior designer specialising in bespoke interiors for rural diversification projects, private residences, heritage properties, and hospitality venues.

Her work is driven by a deep commitment to delivering exceptional service combined with creativity and flair, and thrives on solving design challenges with innovative, sensory, and practical solutions.

Whether she’s designing for a private client, a boutique hotel, or a rural hospitality venture, her goal remains the same: to create beautiful, purposeful interiors that elevate everyday life.

Dawn Woollam is a senior estates, land and development advisor with over 16 years’ experience leading complex, multi-disciplinary projects across commercial estates, leisure, mixed-use and destination environments.

She specialises in shaping long-term asset-use strategies, appraising development opportunities, and delivering financially robust, sustainable schemes that enhance both commercial performance and community value.

Dawn brings extensive experience working with landowners, estate teams and technical specialists to create clear visions, unlock value, manage risk and deliver well-governed, future-focused estates.

Richard leads Omar Park Development Services (OPDS), a small but unique division dedicated to empowering park owners and operators to unlock their full potential.

His role is to bridge decades of industry expertise with a dynamic team of professionals and a panel of top-tier experts in planning, infrastructure, design, and procurement to help parks flourish.

Richard is passionate about driving revenue growth and constantly seeking innovative ways to help businesses evolve, thrive, and adapt to changing market dynamics.

Mike is a BDM specialising in the leisure sector which encompasses caravan, lodge, motorhome, campervan and a variety of glamping assets.

He has spent over 35 years primarily in caravan and marine sectors and in asset finance, and joined Arkle in May 2021. He’s passionate about the leisure sector and delighted to be involved in offering a properly bespoke lending option to customers within this sector via their finance broker partners.

Joby has the ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, and incorporate them into the organisational plan.

He has a record of success leading and motivating sales, marketing and product operations.

Derry Green is Founder of The Secret Garden Glamping and President of GITA UK, leading the way for the glamping sector.

Sarah Riley is one of the glamping industry’s most recognised business strategists and educators. As Conference Director of The Glamping Show Americas and founder of The Glamping Owners Club, she has been helping accommodation owners navigate industry change, improve profitability and attract more guests since 2010. 

Sarah is also the CEO of Inspired Collective Ltd, a small marketing team that helps busy hospitality owners attract more guests, grow their visibility, and achieve better results without having to do it all themselves.

Known for translating complex trends into simple, practical actions, Sarah works with glamping businesses worldwide and is passionate about helping independent operators thrive in an increasingly competitive, fast-changing marketplace.

After entering the asset finance industry 20 years ago, I have developed a real passion for the Glamping business and worked very closely with a number of Glamping customers and suppliers.

My journey began when I arranged finance for a marquee, which shortly led to referrals from suppliers with customers and businesses looking to finance their marquees. After 7 years in the game I earned a good reputation for being the go-to marquee finance broker.

Since then, we financed our very first Glamping tent in 2012, and after the Glamping market started to take-off, we rapidly went on to arrange Glamping finance for a host of Glamping equipment.

I have a genuine passion for the Glamping industry and endeavour to bring both my industry and finance insight to every customer who works with GTF Event Equipment.

Vicki co-owns Tractors and Cream, a glamping and events business in Somerset. Vicki has been a driving force in the glamping and hospitality world for years, sharing invaluable advice on her popular YouTube channel where she has helped countless people turn their glamping dreams into reality. Vicki is also the UK ambassador for property management software ResNexus and provides educational content for them, both online and speaking at events internationally.

A qualified Chartered Surveyor and Agricultural Valuer, John advises members with enquiries on a wide range of land related issues as well as identifying any opportunities to further their interests. He has wide-ranging experience, with particular expertise in Landlord and Tenant, HS2 and Compulsory Purchase, and Planning matters.

Consultant and industry expert Edward Busby, co-founder and director of Crown and Canopy has been working in the outdoor accommodation sector since 2011. He has been involved in every aspect of the business from building and managing entire retreats, through to supplying high level business and financial planning services and delivering projects to market. 

He now provides professional services across the UK and Europe as well as working with national organisations such as The National Trust, The National Forest and Irish Government Tourism Board Failte. Crown and Canopy also support their sister company and leading glamping agency Canopy and Stars through all consultancy, design, and development aspects of the business for customers across the UK and Europe. 

Edward’s experience covers the complete lifecycle of a project. He has produced strategy and guidance documents to inspire development and inform local authorities, policy, and land managers across the UK.  

Rachel Brennan is the Senior Manager for Portfolio Onboarding at Sykes Holiday Cottages, where she leads the successful integration of new properties into the Sykes portfolio. Working closely with property owners and prospective holiday let investors, she ensures every property is set up for long-term success from day one.

With a strong understanding of the holiday letting market, Rachel brings valuable insight into booking trends, guest expectations, and what drives strong financial performance. She and her team support owners through every stage of the onboarding journey, providing expert guidance to help maximise visibility, bookings, and returns.

Rachel has a particular interest in glamping and rural diversification, working with farmers and landowners to transform underutilised land into high-performing, experience-led stays. From shepherd’s huts to luxury safari tents, she understands how to position unique accommodation to meet growing guest demand.

Passionate about helping owners unlock new income streams, Rachel plays a key role in supporting both traditional and innovative holiday let businesses to thrive.

Gemma is Chief Marketing Officer at Ohana Mua, a certified B Corp reshaping what a sustainable UK retreat can be. She leads brand, marketing, content and guest experience across the company.

Ohana Mua designs destinations to one day give back more than they consume. The company opened its first destination, The Vale in Cornwall, last year, and has now acquired its second, South View in Devon, putting it on a fast growth trajectory in the lodge sector.

She will share Ohana Mua’s journey so far and the company’s aspirations for the future, including what it takes to build a sustainable lodge business from the ground up.

Alette Bastiaansen (CEO) and Saskia Poulissen (COO) are shareholders of FarmCamps, one of Europe’s leading farm-based glamping brands, offering families authentic holidays on working farms.

As an entrepreneur, Alette has more than 15 years of experience building and scaling businesses, she is driving FarmCamps’ ambitious growth strategy, focused on international expansion, commercial excellence and strengthening partnerships with farmers.

Raised with strong ties to farming, Alette combines a genuine passion for agriculture with a clear vision for the future of rural tourism. She believes that glamping can create sustainable new income streams for farmers while giving families meaningful experiences that reconnect children with nature, animals and life on the farm.

At FarmCamps, Alette is leading the company’s next phase of growth, with a focus on increasing occupancy, expanding internationally and building one of Europe’s leading outdoor hospitality brands.

Saskia has been part of the company since its launch in 2012. With more than a decade of hands-on experience in agritourism, she has played a key role in developing FarmCamps into the Netherlands’ leading farm-based glamping brand.

With a background in hospitality and operations, Saskia is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the FarmCamps experience. She works closely with partner farmers to ensure operational excellence, outstanding guest experiences and consistent quality across the network. Passionate about rural tourism and sustainable business partnerships, Saskia has extensive experience in onboarding new farm locations, optimising operational processes and supporting farmers in creating successful glamping businesses.

During their session, Alette & Saskia will share practical insights of running a scalable glamping operation, creating commercially successful partnerships with farmers, and balancing authentic guest experiences with sustainable business growth.

John White is Executive Manager and Company Secretary for the Glamping Industries Trade Association (GITA) UK, which has been established by leading industry operators to provide a unified voice for the experiential outdoor living market.

Their aim is to influence on your behalf national, regional, and local government on a wide range of issues that impact our sector and businesses.