More than 50 media agency representatives took part in Avid Collective's first masterclass focused on travel and tourism content in Sydney.

The event took place on 13 June at the Trinity Hotel in Surry Hills, with over 50 attendees including representatives from media agencies such as Initiative, Sparro, This is Flow, OMG, GroupM, and travel brands like Princess Cruises, Hawaii Tourism, and Big Red Group. The masterclass was held in partnership with publishers We Are Explorers, Are Media’s Gourmet Traveller, and Dion Workman, former Head of Marketing at Destination Gold Coast.

The panel shared insights on how travel marketers can maximise content partnerships to ensure their brand remains top of mind for Australian travellers. Case studies from travel brands that have successfully conducted native content campaigns were presented. Dion Workman, former Head of Marketing at Destination Gold Coast, discussed how Destination Gold Coast used native content to shift perceptions of the Gold Coast and drive mid-week visitation through their brand platform Sneaky Mid Weeky.

Other guest speakers included Gourmet Traveller Deputy Editor, Anna McCooe, We Are Explorers Managing Director, Tim Ashelford, and Sales and Partnerships Manager, Julie Abi. Luke Spano, CEO at Avid Collective, hosted the event and announced plans to roll out more masterclasses across a range of verticals.

"We had such a high calibre of speakers there on the night providing attendees with their collective experiences and insights on how tourism and travel brands can develop more effective content campaigns with publishers. This is just the beginning for our masterclasses, with plans in the works to roll them out more broadly across a range of verticals, bringing together expert publisher panels, and connecting them directly with brand and agency partners." - Luke Spano, CEO at Avid Collective.