The challenge
Shuttleworth’s air shows had long attracted a loyal and passionate audience: aviation enthusiasts, veterans and motoring fans. But that audience skewed older and, as Shuttleworth recognised, represented a demographic that was gradually shrinking over time.
The ambition was clear. To future-proof the attraction and build a sustainable events programme, Shuttleworth needed to reach families, particularly those with children who could fall in love with aviation and become the next generation of supporters. Getting families through the gate early matters: kids who grow up loving Shuttleworth bring their own children one day.
The challenge was compounding. Even with an extraordinary product on offer, historically Shuttleworth had not achieved profitability until the fourth or fifth air show of the season. Revenue was slow to build, family attendance was low, and secondary spend was being left on the table.
Shuttleworth already had brilliant content. What was needed was a smarter digital advertising strategy, with the right messaging, the right creative and the right audiences to convert interest into bookings, faster.
Our strategy
Agility began managing Shuttleworth’s digital advertising at the start of the 2026 season, focusing specifically on driving ticket sales for their air show season.
The first step was a full rethink of their messaging and creative. Shuttleworth had always spoken fluently to aviation enthusiasts, but that language was not landing with families. We overhauled the approach to speak directly to parents and grandparents, positioning each air show as an extraordinary day out for all ages, not just those already in the know.
Crucially, Shuttleworth’s ‘kids go free up to age 17’ policy was one of the most compelling family offers we’d encountered. We made sure that message was front and centre.
With revised messaging, and fresh graphic and video creative we showcased the spectacle on offer. Spitfires banking overhead, vintage biplanes lifting off the grass, the excitement and wonder of seeing history in the air. The kind of content that stops a parent mid-scroll and makes them think: “the kids would love this!”
We implemented targeted paid social and digital campaigns across the platforms where Shuttleworth’s new audiences were spending time, using audience segmentation to reach families within a practical drive time. Retargeting was used to re-engage those who had shown interest but hadn’t yet committed to booking.
Throughout the season, we optimised continuously. Refining creative, adjusting audiences and budget allocation based on what was performing. The goal was not just awareness, but conversion.
The results
The impact was immediate and significant. At the second air show of the season, Shuttleworth’s Marketing Manager, Hannah, shared something remarkable with us: usually, it takes until the fourth or fifth event to reach profit for the entire air show season. This year, they were in profit by show two.
The family audience shift was even more striking. Previous air shows had attracted on average 580 children per show. At the second show alone, that figure reached approximately 940, more than 60% more than the previous high. And because Shuttleworth’s secondary spend is driven heavily by family groups, on-site revenue lifted across the board too.
The response to the creative spoke volumes as well. Visitors were approaching the Shuttleworth team on the day to say they had seen an advert, and it had reminded them to book.
What makes the Shuttleworth result particularly meaningful is the strategic context. In an era when birth rates are falling and the pool of family visitors is getting smaller, Shuttleworth had identified a growth opportunity. Families had never been part of their audience at scale before, but by targeting them effectively, they are not just growing attendance, they are planting seeds for the next generation of aviation fans.
“Agility quickly understood both our commercial ambitions and what makes Shuttleworth so special. Their strategic approach and creative thinking translated our unique offering into campaigns that resonated with families, helping us reach an entirely new generation of visitors, achieve profitability much earlier in the season and deliver one of our strongest-performing air show seasons to date. They’ve become a trusted extension of our team.”
Hannah Hopkinson, Marketing Manager, The Shuttleworth Trust
