Simpson Travel
January 2025
Andy was invited to speak to the senior management team at Simpson Travel on a variety of aspects of travel and marketing, reflecting on 2024 and thinking ahead to 2025. He shared a number of trends in the travel and specifically villa market to help guide some ideas for the next 12 months, exploring how the largest tech player may (or not) be able to help with their goals.
It was a great afternoon and we hope it starts some further initiatives for this great company!
AITO Kickstart
January 2024
To start the year right, Andy was asked to talk about AI to the great AITO travel agents attending the Kickstart conference in Leicestershire. Given AI is such as hot topic (still), there was a lot to cover, including exploring some cool creative tools as well as more practical applications of how LLMs, machine learning and other aspects of AI might help businesses in 2025. Due to a technical issue, the audience were almost literally blown away by an incredibly loud speaker, but once passed, some good ideas were shared to help kickstart the year for the AITO agents.
ABTA Travel Trends Conference 2024
November 2024
ABTA members flocked to the annual Travel Trends conference in London, bringing together a large number of view points to help improve our general understanding of the travel landscape in this post Covid world. The general consensus of the day was that travel is in good health and that most travel brands have had a good 2024. Whilst there are some moves for some audiences to book later, there are many sectors in travel where bookings are happening increasingly ahead of time, with one brand seeing 20% of their 2027 itineraries getting sold!
Research released by ABTA showed that travellers are taking nearly four holidays per year, with roughly two overseas and two within the UK, opening up a lot of opportunities for all sorts of travel brands. And although the economic outlook looks tough in the UK, travel is still definitely a priority for most. For those brands willing to be more efficient and/or creative, the chance to grow significantly is there! Whether they will adapt and change or not remains to be seen.
AITO Conference 2024
November 2024
Andy attended this year's AITO conference in the wonderful city of Valladolid, an hour or so from Madrid. The conference was full of great insights around the latest trends in consumer confidence, how travel was viewed and handled from inside Government during Covid (and lessons hopefully learned) and how the world is trying to manage overtourism. Great connections and friendships were made between the 100+ delegates which will all help to boost knowledge, expertise and confidence within the travel sector.
Adido achieves ABTA Partner+ status
EXCITING NEWS FROM ADIDO HQ!
ABTA Partner+ recognises companies that have demonstrated a history of engagement with the trade association, create positive connections with its members and can contribute inspiring thought-leadership content.
Andy announced "we are delighted to become an ABTA Partner+. It’s testament to our hard work and dedication to the industry over the last decade, as well as our ongoing relationship with ABTA and its members.”
With ABTA Partner+ status, Adido will continue to provide its specialist services to the travel industry while participating more actively in ABTA’s events, meetings and thought leadership initiatives.
The Digital Marketing Playbook – PTS
September
Protected Trust Services hosted their annual ‘Summer Soiree’ in Warwickshire, inviting Andy to present to their invited guests on how small marketing teams can make the most of the most important digital channels and generate bookings with limited resources.
CLIA River Cruise Residential
September
Andy has spoken at many CLIA events in the past and this time he attended to share the latest digital and search trends in river cruising. Invited guests were treated to the latest data on river cruising from 2024 as well as some ideas for 2025 to make the most of wave season.
Adido turns 21
Happy birthday to us!
Cast your minds back to the Summer of 2003. Co-founders Alex and Andy (along with the two other founders Gary and Ross) were just fresh-faced graduates with a pocket full of dreams rather than a wallet full of cash. Fast forward to 2024 and while our directors might be a little less fresh-faced, they still have the same desire and drive to deliver great results for our clients.
Adido has had some wonderful triumphs and faced some huge challenges over the years, but we are still here and stronger than ever.
Here's to the next 21 years!
ABTA Travel Conference
June 2024
Andy was back at News UK to deliver two great presentations at the ABTA Travel Conference in London. The first was a deep dive into the current digital marketing landscape, exploring how Google's monopoly on search shows no signs of weakening and why we would still view email marketing as a powerful marketing tool. The second presentation focused on cookies (specifically, preparing for a cookie-less future), GDPR and tracking.
All speakers across both days were excellent - particularly Uwern John, founder of OutThere magazine, who delivered a brilliant presentation on personalisation, unconscious bias and tokenism in the travel industry.
ABTA Social Media Marketing Day
June 2024
The ABTA Advanced Social Media Marketing day focussed on trends in the market and explored the finer points of UGC in travel. As well as a series of great social media case studies from Inghams and Trending Travel, Andy also heard from some of the biggest platforms in the world including Meta, Pinterest, Tiktok and Google who shared details of AI powered (surprise surprise) advertising tools provided tips on how to get more from organic social posting (don't be too polished!)
To finish off the day, Andy was part of a panel discussing opportunities in social (being authentic), the role AI can play (not much at this point) and how we can best measure results (it's hard!).
A great day was had by all!
ATAS Summit
June 2024
This June saw ATAS hold their summer summit which was their biggest yet! Over 80 businesses from the touring and adventure world all gathered at the famous News UK 17th floor to hear from a number of industry figures on a range of topics including graduate recruitment, how world events will shape travel and travel businesses in the future, disability and inclusion and general adventure trends. Andy covered lots of data on the general digital market, what's working now in travel marketing and some of the challenges coming in the 12 months that will likely affect marketing results.
The highlight of his day was hearing from Nick Wilson on his journeys as a disabled adventurer and the resulting (and occasionally testy) panel chat with disability advocate Richard Thompson that really got the audience thinking and challenging both sides of the discussion!
ABTA Adventure Travel Conference
April 2024
Adido's Strategy Director Kherrin Wade had the pleasure of joining other travel marketing professionals for the ABTA Adventure Travel conference, an event featuring speakers from major travel companies such as Intrepid and GAdventures. Key themes included the growing popularity of adventure travel, the rise in solo female travellers, along with health and wellness trends. Sustainability was a major focus, with companies striving for B Corp status and implementing eco-friendly initiatives.
AITO AGM
April 2024
Having recently delivered a digital marketing masterclass to the members of AITO, Andy was invited to speak at their AGM on the latest happenings in AI. He explored how not all things labelled AI are truly AI (we all love a good catch-all term though, right?) and demonstrated some examples of image creation, voice replication and video generation. Also discussed were the perils of this evolving technology and warned that fake calls, and even videos, could be used to scam travellers and business in the future.
There are many ways that travel brands can use AI but Andy advised that for most, it's best to focus on more traditional marketing techniques to generate more bookings for now, before jumping onboard the AI bandwagon.
Figaro Digital Marketing Summit
April 2024
Presenting to fellow digital marketing professionals at the wonderful Soho House in London, Andy offered insights and tips on how to spot if your website is in need of an upgrade. Core examples included existing sites not being mobile-friendly or technically sound, brands evolving and outgrowing their current site, CMS's being out of licence, plus much more besides.
Serenity Travel - GA4 training
March 2024
With six brands under one roof, there is a big need to better understand how GA4 works and how to understand our new world of website data. Andy spent the day with their marketing and product team to explain how GA4 data can be best set up and reported on to gain deeper insights into bookings and customers.
AITO - Digital Marketing Masterclass
March 2024
As new Business Partners of AITO, Andy was asked to host a session to share the overall view of the digital landscape to help various small and medium sized independent tour operators make better decisions with their digital budgets.
Advanced Digital Marketing Strategies Day at ABTA
March 2024
This event was great fun and covered a lot of ground as well as taking stock of the digital industry. We were fortunate to welcome the travel team from TikTok to our agenda and find out more about the platform that has taken all of our attention in recent years as well as looking at some very recent changes in AI and Google too! A big year ahead on both!
ABTA SEO Training Day
February 2024
Get Andy in front of a travel audience and he’s a happy boy. On this occasion, he delivered a full day SEO workshop to travel businesses, covering everything from how to do keyword research to carrying out technical checks and creating great copy. Andy’s now delivering this workshop for other travel businesses too, so if you’re interested, drop him a line and he’ll be happy to chat!
Unlocking the Future of Travel Itineraries: How AI Redefines the Journey
Webinar with Vamoos
December 2023
Andy, along with adventure tour operator, Robin Weber Pollak from Journeys International, shared views on how AI tools like ChatGPT are redefining the travel planning, booking and experience journey.
The webinar is available on demand now.
A Complete Guide to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for Travel
In partnership with ABTA
December 2023
Adido hosted another GA4 training session this month to a room full of travel professionals. After the hugely successful training session earlier in the year, this latest session focused more on reporting capabilities of GA4.
AITO 2023
November, 2023
Andy joined other AITO members in Thessaloniki in Greece, for its annual overseas get-together.
ABTOI Summit
November 2023
At the Association of British Travel Organisers to Italy (ABTOI) 10th Annual Summit, Andy dubbed down the AI hype within the travel industry, and explained what it really means for agents and operators.
If you missed out, he shared his views earlier this year with Travel Bulletin. AI in travel: fleeting fad or final frontier?
CLIA Christmas Showcase
November 2023
ABTA Travel Trends
November 2023
Adapting marketing strategies to capitalise
on travel trends
Andy took to the stage to present ideas on the new trends around marketing channels (which ones are best for targeting specific markets); how to embed resilience and flexibility into marketing plans and how to building consumer trust and confidence.
He also participated in a panel discussion concerning his current favourite topic, digital trends and AI. Joined by an esteemed panel from Travelopia, Go City and Connective3, the participants discussed:
- AI, digital trends, online behaviours and technology developments
- Using AI to improve customer engagement
- Finding the right balance between digital and traditional marketing
- Using AI to improve effi ciency and ways of working
TTG Luxury Conference
November 2023
Under the theme of The future is now: Designing a business for purpose and prosperity, the conference explored the current and future landscape for travel, examining how the move towards purpose-driven company philosophy; innovation and technology; sustainability; and changes in customer expectations are all affecting luxury travel businesses.
Andy took to the stage to share examples of how luxury brands have found and captured bookings from high-net-worth individuals online.
Read our supporting article on Top SEO strategies for niche luxury travel brands
Figaro Digital SEO, PPC & Paid Social Seminar
November 2023
How to use GA4 to power better SEO & PPC
Surrounded by digital marketing professionals keen to learn about marketing efficiency, Andy presented the fundamentals of Google Analytics 4.
Sadly most GA4 set ups don't enable marketers to make the best decisions, and by it's very nature GA4 is very confusing, so he shared how best to set it up and analyse SEO & PPC performance.
For more information on GA4 visit our Help Library.
ABTA Data Protection and Management for Marketing
October 2023
"Half my advertising spend is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half" (John Wanamaker)
Most travel businesses data is not linked up. During ABTA's data protection and management for marketing training day, Andy highlighted that there is an opportunity for travel businesses to get ahead of their competition who are probably wasting money or missing opportunities themselves.
In series of sessions he spoke about data management, navigating 'cookieless' and first-party data and best practices for electronic marketing communication. He shares his highlights with Travolution.
Cruise Trade News & CLIA in Europe Cruise Summit
October 2023
Maximising for Wave
We were honoured to moderate this year's Cruise Summit, attended by many cruise travel specialists. It was a fantastic turnout where guests were rewarded with some serious industry expertise on stage.
The event, called ‘Maximising for Wave,’ focused on helping the trade prepare for a key selling period. With sessions on technology in cruising, cruise trends and insights and deep dives into the worlds of Google and TikTok, delegates were treated to an abundance of insightful information.
CLIA reveals 2024 conference dates and schedule (23-25 May 2024).
ABTA Travel Marketing Conference
May 2023
Once again Adido were headline sponsor of this fantastic annual event for ABTA members. Combining inspirational case studies from the likes of Barrhead Travel, Black Tomato and easyJet Holidays; with thought-provoking keynote speakers, including our very own Andy Headington on GA4; through to interactive panel discussions, this 2 day conference didn't disappoint.
Full review and a link to download Andy's slides can be found on our blog.
ABTA Travel Marketing Conference
May 2022
We are delighted to be out and about again in 2022, and our first stop is ABTA’s Travel Marketing Conference, which combines inspirational case studies, valuable insights and interactive panel discussions.
Designed for advanced level travel marketing professionals, the event will bring together key names in the travel industry and senior marketing experts.
Based around the key themes of flexibility and trust this two-day conference will explore how you can take advantage of the pent-up demand as international travel continues to open up.
CEO Andy will be sharing his advice on transitioning into a new world of digital analytics, absolutely essential as we head towards the dawn of a new era with GA4, as well as the ongoing concerns of managing a cookie-less world. He'll also be moderating an invaluable discussion about how to make PPC and SEO work together for you.
You can book a ticket here, and we hope to see you there!
Tik-Tok, time flies! Digital Marketing for Attractions
October 2021
The Adido team were delighted to attend the 18th Visitors Attraction Conference (VAC) 2021, live in London at the QEII conference centre, and it was great to see so many familiar faces attending in person.
Our CEO Andy took to the stage to share his expertise with a whistle stop presentation covering ‘Digital Marketing for Attractions’. He covered numerous areas including social media, and whether the increasing popularity of Tik-Tock as a platform would be suitable for the sector.
He shared his top ten points for attractions to start thinking about this Autumn as we head towards 2022.
Adido to lead ABTA’s Digital Marketing Training for Travel
September 2021
Our CEO, Andy, is delighted to be moderating ABTA’s Digital Marketing Training for Travel, which will take place online on 28 September. The day will offer invaluable advice including up-to-date guidance on digital marketing strategies including SEO, paid advertising, social media, email marketing and online content strategies for travel businesses of all sizes. He’ll be joined by an experienced line-up of speakers including Ryan Haynes from Haynes Comms, and Adido’s very own Tom Crewe (hailed as the ‘Smartest SEO in the world’).
- You’ll learn how to do more with your spend by improving your digital content and maximising its effectiveness
- Understand how to optimise your website to improve the online experience for your customers. Hear how social media can drive traffic to your website and how to integrate paid social into your wider digital marketing strategy
- Learn how you can create unique and engaging content across all your marketing channels.
- Take part in interactive sessions and put your questions to travel marketing experts and industry peers
We’re excited to share access to a 20% discount* to attend. To claim your discount please register online and enter the discount code ABTADMT21. You can find more information about the event and register your attendance here
*Please note that discounts cannot be combined and that the discount only applies to new bookings, it cannot be retrospectively applied.
PPC and SEO working together in the travel & tourism industry
April 2021
Last month we joined ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) for their virtual Travel Marketing Conference. This is a recording of our live webinar hosted by Adido's CEO Andy Headington, featuring our experts Tom Crewe (Head of SEO) and David Berendt (Head of Paid Media).
They explain how SEO and PPC can complement each other as digital marketing channels to achieve your targets.
We've been shortlisted for a CIM Travel Marketing award!
January 2019
We're over the moon to have been selected as a finalist for a CIM Travel Marketing Award. We're hoping to raise the trophy in March for 'Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year' for our successful Hoburne Holiday Parks campaign.
The ceremony is happening at The Hilton Park Lane on 11 March 2019. Keep up to date with all the latest news about the awards @The_TMAs #TTMA19
Adido on tour
October 2018
This Autumn Adido are out and about on tour at lots of travel industry events. In September we were excited to be part of the annual Travolution European Summit where we met lots of delegates at our stand, and Andy also delivered an extremely well-received talk on ‘How to improve your digital travel marketing strategy for 2019’. At the beginning of the month we also attended VAC (Visitors Attraction Conference), and you can find all our key takeaways in this blog.
If you’re lucky enough to attend the inaugural TTG Luxury Summit in October, we are also delighted that Andy will be explaining ‘7 things luxury brands need to do in 2019’ so watch out for him! And finally in November, we’re looking forward to meeting lots of travel marketing peers at our stand in the Agency Pavilion at WTM (World Travel Market) 2018. Come and say ‘Hello’ if you’re attending.
Travolution have shortlisted us for an award!
August 2018
Last week we were notified of our successful shortlisting for the Travolution Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year. And we can’t help feeling chuffed with the fact we’ve been put in a phenomenal line up next to a number of aspirational peers.
A great achievement not only because of the number of (no doubt) outstanding entries, but also because this is our first award nomination in the travel sector since launching our specialist Travel and Tourism division earlier this year.
Case study corner
July 2018
We're super proud of the results that we achieve for our travel clients. Read our latest report about the work we've been producing for Southampton Airport.
Their objectives are to make parking as profitable as possible and build awareness of their package holidays; and we've already delivered some amazing results.
Andy's top five take out points from ITT Conference 2018
June 2018
- PA Consulting presented some great insight from recent research they'd carried out into the holiday experience with the most interesting being that holiday sentiment drops by around 20% at the evaluation & comparison stage of the journey. Whilst it's not that unexpected to be slightly deflated when it comes to researching it does highlight that if you can make the experience of researching a booking a holiday easier and less painful, there is a great chance to stand out!
- They also highlighted the hidden perils of TripAdvisor. If a venue or destination finds itself top of the list then at that point it becomes the 'go to' for that area and stops diversity for that town or region. This can sometimes lead to too much demand and overcrowding in places where space is at a premium e.g. historic towns in the UK like Cambridge or Bath. It's a potentially negative loop of reinforcement that destinations need to be aware of when it comes to destination marketing. One example highlighted that Venice welcomed 125k visitors this Easter when it has a theoretical capacity of only 20k and left numerous tourists disappointed at overcrowding and lack of facilities.
- Edward Lucas from the Economist gave us a macro view of the travel & tourism sector highlighting that it is growing faster and stronger than most other sectors of the UK economy. Whilst this is great news, it does again highlight the skills gap in the sector and that, as emphasised in other events Adido have attended, more must be done to promote the merits of a career in the sector to those leaving & still in education.
- The two big trends in the sector in the coming years are creating a responsible supply chain and making better use of technology. The Blue Planet episode highlighting the impact of plastics on our world, along with many other high profile eco news pieces, means that all tourism businesses need to work harder to understand their whole supply chain and find ways to reduce their environmental & social impact. Coupled with this, better use of technology across all areas is also a focus with many companies relying on very old technology for booking systems, customer management and data security all leading to new entrants offering a better experience across the board. Travel companies face large investments in both infrastructure and skills in order to keep up with customer expectations in the coming years.
- We learned that you are TEN times more likely to die from a coconut falling on your head and killing you than being killed by a shark! Beware the coconuts!
A match made in Dorset
May 2018
New client Not Just Travel, are as fanatical about travel as we are! Part of the fast growing Hays Independence Group consortium, Not Just Travel provide all the tools individuals need to own and grow their own online travel franchise business.
We’ve been challenged with revamping their whole website; as well as creating a new platform for customers looking to travel to be able to speak to agents who are experts in particular types of holidays or specific destinations. Watch this space!
ITT Conference Delegate
June 2018
Adido CEO Andy is a proud member of the Institute of Travel & Tourism who host events throughout the year including their Annual Conference.
This year the Conference is being held in Sicily from 4-6 June and we can't wait to hear about all the highlights when our intrepid CEO returns.
Great British places to stay - Aria Resorts
May 2018
Our new client Aria Resorts has asked us to help them to boost their lead generation for their holiday ownership scheme. We're starting with a small paid advertising campaign which will test the market and provide insights; and will also be targeting multiple paid channels using social ads and text ads to link through the customer journey.
Aria Resorts is a leading operator and developer of UK holiday homes. Clients can choose to buy a home on one of their 6 luxury sites situated along the fabulous UK coastline.
