Camp USA 2027 — Roadmap & responsibilities

How we move forward

We follow the same process as on every DevlopMint trip: validate the demand first, then lock the framework, then sell. Each step unlocks the next one, and none of them gets skipped.

The dates below include a small buffer, because some answers don't depend on us: group fares from airlines, NBA ticketing, Combine's final terms. We'll update them together in our weekly call.

Compared with the plan you had in mind, we're shifting everything by about a week, for two reasons. First, the legal framework needs proper checks: our lawyer has to review the agreement and the trip conditions, and you'll need time to go through them too, so launching everything this week isn't realistic. Second, the demand needs a few more days of pre-registrations before we start selling. A one-week shift protects the launch rather than slowing it down.

Timeline

Each diamond is a gate: we only move to the next phase once its condition is met.

For families: a deposit at booking, fully refundable until the firm confirmation, then the balance due 1 March 2027.

Points to align on

We'll go through these together. The boxes are the decisions we need from you.

Pre-registrations

• Where we stand: unique sign-ups through the website form, how many confirm the budget, where they come from, their ages.
• This week's focus: pre-registrations, with a target of around 100 qualified sign-ups.
• Leads from outside the EU, for example West and Central Africa, would need a US visa, which is very uncertain by April. We'd treat them with caution.

Flights

• Identified option: American Airlines, direct. Out on Monday 5 April, Paris CDG 12:15 → Charlotte 15:25. Back on Sunday 11 April, Charlotte 17:25 → Paris CDG 07:45 on Monday 12 April.
• The return lands on Monday 12 April in the morning. It's an overnight flight, and with the time difference, participants won't be back in Paris on Sunday. This needs to be clear on the website and for families, including for school.
• Individual fares are around €850 return, most likely without a checked bag. We're requesting a group quote for about 32 seats, checked bag included.
• For a first edition, we advise against minors travelling on their own. All minors fly together from Paris. Travelling separately would be open only to participants aged 18 and over, or to minors accompanied by an adult both ways.

• Is this flight option OK for you?
• How did you plan to handle participants not departing from Paris?
• Should parents be allowed to come along, outside the package and at their own cost?

Combine

• We'd recommend not signing the proposal as it stands. The logistics contract should be in the name of BA BTS (Travel Experts), the licensed organiser. The ambassador agreement stays between HYG and Combine.
• Two points to renegotiate: a full refund of the amounts paid if Combine cancels (today, only 50% of flights), and written confirmation that nothing is due before 1 April.
• The website should match the proposal: meals off campus are paid by participants, and there are two university visits among UNC, Duke or Davidson.

• Who drives the vans? Our preference is drivers provided by Combine. Otherwise we need written insurance cover from Combine, a valid licence plus an international driving permit, the insurer's minimum age, and a driver doesn't count as a supervisor while driving.
• The proposal mentions group activities that aren't on the website (Top Golf, outlets, Charlotte city centre). Which ones in the end, and who pays?
• The Phenom tournament is an under-18 event. What happens for participants aged 19 and 20? Are there games on Sunday? The group needs to leave campus around 13:30.

Supervision and insurance

• Combine requires proof of insurance for every participant. Medical and repatriation cover will therefore be mandatory, either ours or proof of equivalent cover. Cancellation cover stays optional. A paid option can't be pre-ticked, and the website currently says insurance is included.

• Does HYG have its own liability insurance?

Website

• Programme and price may still evolve
• Email and phone mandatory on the form
• No promise of a call for every family
• Return to Paris on Monday 12 April
• Meals, university visits, insurance and supervision aligned with what will be delivered
• Our trip conditions with a checkbox before payment, then a redirect to our payment page

Calls with families

• Mathys runs the calls, only for families who are hesitating. We prepare a brief covering the legal and operational side and what is and isn't included, and we join the first one or two calls.

• Start the calls now, or wait until payment is possible? We'd advise waiting, so families can book right after the call while they're keen. Your call.

Hornets

• Mathys's contact and where things stand, so we can take over the ticketing.

Before we open bookings

No payment is taken from a family until every point below is ticked. This is what protects the families, the project and both of us.

• Agreement signed between DevlopMint and Handle Your Game
• Final price and inclusions validated on real quotes: flights, NBA tickets, Combine
• Trip conditions and legal mentions live on the website: organiser, licence, guarantee fund
• Payment page live: deposit online, balance by payment link
• Website aligned with what will be delivered: programme, meals, university visits, insurance option, supervision
• On-site supervision and driving confirmed in writing with Combine
• Contract with Combine signed in the travel organiser's name

What we need from you this week

• Company details for the agreement: legal name, country, registration number and signatory
• Combine's introductory packet: the forms and waivers families will sign
• Hornets: your contact and where the discussion stands, so we can take over the ticketing
• Flights: any options you had already identified
• Driving on site: who will drive the vans, and whether Mathys is comfortable with it
• Parents: do you want to allow parents to come along, at their own cost and outside the package?
• Phenom tournament: it is an under-18 event, so what happens for participants aged 19 and 20?
• Pre-registration numbers, every week: unique sign-ups through the website form, and how many confirm the budget
• Activities: the final list of group activities
• Departures outside Paris: how you had planned to handle them
• Calls with families: your choice on timing, now or once payment is possible
• Liability insurance: HYG's own cover, if any

Next steps