Camp Social: Inside the Branded Weekend Getaway for Adults

Liv Schreiber, 28, was a recent college graduate working in New York City, building businesses and a social media following, when she noticed that a lot of content in her orbit centered on “keeping up with the Joneses” and summers spent with “slick-back buns” in the Hamptons. “I was like, You know, I really just wish I could jump in the lake and wear no makeup and go back to sleepaway camp,” Schreiber tells Entrepreneur.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Camp Social. Liv Schreiber.}

Schreiber was well-positioned to bring her idea to life. In 2019, she launched Brand Caffeine, a digital marketing agency, and in 2022, she founded Hot and Social, a social community that hosts meet-up events where people in their 20s and 30s can make new friends.

Related: How to Cultivate Genuine Friendships in a Digital Age

The two-time founder already knew how to harness the power of branding and social media to forge in-real-life connections, and in May 2023, she was determined to apply that expertise to Camp Social. Schreiber’s first camp took place just a few months later, in August, with 150 women in attendance.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Camp Social}

Since then, Camp Social has only grown in popularity. The upcoming camp, which cost $880 per ticket and will be held August 22-24, sold out in 24 hours. Camp Social has also expanded to offer two camps per year instead of one; the first fall weekend will be September 26-28.

“ I am firm in my belief that this is what everyone’s going to be doing in a few years.”

Schreiber has just one rule for Camp Social’s campers: Everyone comes solo and leaves as friends. “It’s a lunch table where everyone is welcome to sit,” she says.

Camp Social hosts women ages 21 and older (the oldest camper so far was 65) and bunks them by age. However, inter-generational friendships are also common, as campers meet new friends based on the activities they choose throughout the weekend, Schreiber says.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Camp Social}

The cost of a ticket to Camp Social covers the weekend’s expenses, from the bus ride from New York City to the Pocononos — an “iconic” start during which people are “singing, dancing and meeting each other,” Schreiber says — to the extensive list of instructor-led activities, from boating to archery, yoga, candle-making and more, and branded goodie bags, which include a variety of merchandise.

Related: ‘They Gave Us All the Free Stuff’: A Look Inside Amazon’s Lavish Mexican Retreat for Influencers

“I  like to treat it like an influencer brand trip for the consumer,” Schreiber says. “ I am firm in my belief that this is what everyone’s going to be doing in a few years. I’ve been shouting into a black hole, trying to [get] brands to understand that influencers aren’t buying their products — consumers are.”

Schreiber stresses that Camp Social only features products that she really believes in and has turned down those that aren’t the right fit. Some of Camp Social’s sponsors include Dunkin’, fast-casual restaurant chain Dig Inn and nonalcoholic wine brand Fre.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Camp Social}

Schreiber is always on the lookout for new offerings in service of what she calls “the most important” part of Camp Social: Facilitating community and new friendships. “We can offer everything and any brand in the world, but at the end of the day, it’s about the relationships,” Schreiber says.

Related: How to Build a Thriving Community That Will Skyrocket Your Business

“People need to know [that] connection is so important. Offline.”

“Community” is the new buzzword for many brands building a presence online — and Schreiber has mixed feelings about it. “It makes me both happy and sad because sometimes people go into it with the wrong intentions or the intention of creating something just to sell,” she says.

These days, it’s authenticity and storytelling that make people and brands stand out, according to Schreiber.

On her own social media accounts, Schreiber notices that the videos that perform the best are those in which she delves into the “why” behind her starting Camp Social — and the real-life connections formed. Several friends she met at Camp Social attended her recent wedding. One of them gave a speech; another signed the ketubah.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Camp Social}

Related: 6 Ways Your Company Will Benefit From Better Community Involvement

In an era when many Americans struggle to cultivate meaningful relationships more than ever before — 21% of U.S. adults feel lonely, and 73% attribute it to technology, according to a recent report from Harvard Graduate School of Education — in-person connection remains Schreiber’s primary goal.

“There’s a huge brand story that we can tell here,” Schreiber says, “but the main thing that people need to know is that connection is so important. Offline. We need to utilize social media as a tool to be social and tackle the loneliness epidemic.”

This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.

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