We want to create a social place, both physically and online, where people can get training in using hammocks to travel the world on a low budget.

 

The physical establishment will offer training and accommodation in hammocks and furthermore have a shop where guests can buy their own hammocks.

 

The online establishment consists of instructions, videos, pictures for inspiration, and a live chat with instructors.

 

The idea of a Hammock Academy thus combines cheap accommodation with a useful learning experience.

 

In addition to providing sleeping facilities for guests, the physical part of the Academy will offer free classes with different themes such as hammocking, physical training for climbing, simple living philosophy, ropes and knots, and basic dendrology. These education activities will be carried out in a small lounge where coffee and the like will be available for sale.

 

The Academy's ultimate goal is to inspire. To achieve this, a passionate team with deep personal experiences with hammocking will insure that the visitors feel truly inspired, whether it be the online or the physical establishment.

 

Regarding competition, the main challenges are connected with the accommodation part of the project. Some hostels in Copenhagen have dorm options for 180DKK per night, however, we first of all believe we can make it cheaper (170DKK per night) but more importantly, we are convinced that our product is so different from what people have seen before that we can attract a sufficient amount of visitors. We highly value this trail blazing advantage in hammock training.

 

We expect that the majority of the guests will be between 17 and 25 years old but our undertaking is of course open for all ages. Typically, guests of the physical Academy will be travelling for longer time periods on a low budget and have common features such as open mindedness, curiosity, and a preference for outdoor life and alternative ways of living. The prices and products will be tuned for this customer group in particular.

 

During a three week market analysis carried out in the Summer of 2015, we concluded that there is unsaturated market for cheap, alternative accommodation options in Copenhagen. In the totality of the period, we were able to rent out a hammock 7 meters up in a private tree. The price was 13€/night and included half an hour of training but no extra facilities whatsoever. The average rating from the eight guests was 4.9 out of 5.

 

We have accordingly build up rather high expectations for the profitability of the project in the long run. We think of the project as a snowball which we are just about to push over the edge of the hill. On the long run, we hope to open other branches connected to the project. This could for example consist of organising or facilitating tours, creating user-driven online maps with good places for sleeping in hammocks, or arranging romantic dinners in the treetops. If we get to opening another establishment of the Academy, Berlin seems as our obvious next step.

 

In terms of status we have just launched our website to start earning a bit of money on our web-shop while we search for a location for the project. The search for a location is mainly carried out by a hired company that also provide advice and counselling regarding property rules, etc. Also, we are currently searching for potential partners who can benefit from the success of the project such as the English hammock producer, DD Hammocks.  

 

Our purpose has been to pass on our ideas and discoveries and the physical and online Academy is the best concept we have been able to come up with to realise this.