Airbus are renowned as an industry leader who build the world’s premier commercial aircraft. Maintaining their reputation for technological innovation, Airbus place a lot of importance on Farnborough International Airshow (FIA); the tier-one aviation show which returned in 2022 after a significant four year hiatus.

Airbus’s brief to 2Heads was simple but significant; design, create and deliver a multi-building experience around their premier position next to the Farnborough runway. This included designing a fully integrated pavilion that would host guests including the Prime Minister in subtle luxury whilst displaying a new striking evolution of the Airbus brand.

The Brief

In addition to the Airbus Pavilion, 2Heads were briefed to provide a branded tent that would open into the hard standing outdoor experience, the beating heart of the Airbus presence. This area need to manage the outdoor static visitor flows, but also provide a suitable preamble to the experience beyond.

With a third environment in the form of public facing booth in the FIA Space Hall, Airbus required a multi-layered, consistent and branded concept that would display Airbus products in a modern and innovative way using the latest technologies and reflecting Airbus leadership in the aerospace industry. Each environment had to have a cohesive flow that created an experience journey for important delegates that focused minds on Airbus’s core values of integrity, creativity and reliability.

Airbus challenged 2Heads to develop all moving parts from raw surface whilst complying with Airbus image and quality standards. They expected a cost and time efficient solution for the assembly and dismantling the experiences, with sustainable constructions and concepts required and choice of materials linked to the aerospace industry if possible.

The Solution

Airbus is an international reference in the aerospace sector, known for the design and manufacture of industry-leading commercial aircraft, helicopters, satellites and launch vehicles, as well as providing data services, navigation other solutions on a global scale.

2Heads knew their creative solution had to reflect the scale of Airbus’s offering and use the very latest technologies to illustrate the benefits of Airbus products and services, while minimizing the environmental impact of the operation at FIA.

The Airbus Pavilion

2Heads designed the Pavilion to be the hub of the Airbus experience; a place where visitors were greeted to comfort and hospitality, a professional space where meetings and conversations could be held overlooking the runway and static display. The space had to be large enough to host a large number of visitors but designed in an intelligent way so to separate experiences for different press, civil and military delegations.

The Pavilion was a place for business, for serious conversations focused on the future of Airbus’s innovation. Delegate journeys were planned for the two floors to move guests from lounges to the correct meeting rooms, C-suite visitors to the right lounges and to provide a suite of facilities for the large number of press based at the pavilion. Constructed in 6 weeks, the Pavilion included twelve meeting rooms, lounge & bar areas, the Le Club Lounge, VIP Suites and CEO Lounge, a Press Suite including interview rooms and auditorium, and a air display terrace.

The Airbus Tent & Space Booth

Where the Pavilion focused on hospitality, interviews, announcements and networking, 2Heads designed the Airbus experience tent and Space Booth to bring Airbus innovations to life. The Tent consisted of eight immersive vignettes and models that guests walked through before reaching the static aircraft display. The flow of the tent was specifically designed as a ‘immersive reception’ that allow guests to absorb technological information before enjoying the open air space.

As Airbus’s strategy focuses on cutting-edge technologies, digital and scientific excellence, 2Heads used touch screen tech and augmented reality to explain the innovative projects that are shaping the way we live, travel and interact. At Airbus’s Space Zone, 2Heads designed a booth focused on cutting-edge space systems, including Skynet and the Aeolus weather satellite. Visitors to the stand were offered an augmented reality experience where Captain Aria show them how to reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions today

Results

Airbus at Farnborough International Show hosted many important dignitaries from the world over; most prominently the Prime Minister at the time, Boris Johnson and other UK government ministers.

The Airbus environment impressed crowds with their scale and prominence, and ensured that the eyes of leaders, executives, press and aviation fans alike were drawn to their aircraft.

Significant highlights include:

• VVIP guests hosted in the Pavilion’s Le Club salon and Leadership Area
• Key aviation press hosted in the press suite and Auditorium
• Five thousand plus invited visitors to the Experience Tent and Static
• Ten thousand plus show visitors to the Airbus Stand
• The Winners of the Airbus Sustainable Innovation in Space award announced
• Reserve Forces day celebration on the static
• The Jet Zero Council meeting chaired by the UK’s Aviation Minister
• Pioneer of Tomorrow session with 40 students from 6 UK universities hosted by Employment Marketing

During Farnborough, Airbus published significant news about aircraft sales deals agreed and/or signed during the event. These included:-

• The signing of an important deal for 300 aircraft from China, agreed just before the show.
• The significant order by EasyJet for a further fifty-six of the new A320neo family jets
• A further order from LATAM Airlines for seventeen A321neo jets
• ITA Airways adopting Airbus’s Skywise Health Monitoring (SHM) for 60 aircraft.
• Delta Airlines ordering a further twelve A220-300 aircraft