It was the kind of show many little boys and girls dream about: Huge aircraft to explore, impressive demonstrations to watch and loads of interactive, engaging presentations. In fact, the Avalon Airshow is the type of event that brings out the inner child in most of us, with "big toys" inciting both delight and serious industry conversations.
We're still on a high from the 2015 Australian International Airshow, which took place February 27 to March 1 in Avalon. Proj-X was an official supplier for the event, delivering some pretty cool displays for some of our regular clients.
The show was one of our favourite projects this summer, and it drew 169,251 attendees, according to the show's organiser. Ian Honnery, the Airshow's CEO, called it the "best event yet" for the exhibition.
What did the attendees and participants think? Here's a round-up of some of the best responses we've seen on Twitter:
1. Cool to see, awesome to hear
The spectacular demonstrations were clearly a big draw for people attending the event. Attendees like Giulo Catena were impressed by the sights and sounds, remarking on how surprisingly loud some of the aircraft were.
Noisy little thing! #avalonairshow http://t.co/cjj9lsTLHf pic.twitter.com/uNC4GVu1jo
— Giulio Catena (@gcatena21) March 23, 2015
2. A taste of history
Avalon has a great way of drawing together past, present and future when it comes to the aviation industry. This year, the event had a special focus on history, choosing an emotional theme that paid tribute to the Anzac in light of the 100 year anniversary.
Instagram : by clubwah – WWI biplane #avalon2015 #avgeek #CanonEOS1 pic.twitter.com/KHmoO9d8PO
— ✈ Dorian BENTEJAC ✈ (@DeltaBravo33) February 28, 2015
3. And good food, too
Any good trade show or exhibition comes with some delicacies for attendees to indulge their taste buds and refuel to puruse the displays. For international visitors, Avalon provided an introduction to some classic Australian cuisine.
Missing these greasy delicious "meat pies and tomato sauce" from the @AvalonAirshow in @Australia! #Avalon2015 pic.twitter.com/nj1687YPoB
— Stewi Corno (@StewCorn) March 4, 2015
4. Value for presenters
Companies that set up shop with trade show booths at the airshow were able to engage with multinational enterprises, potential business partners and consumers alike. Defense Industries Queensland remarked that it was a "great environment" to interact with others in the industry in order to work toward the future of aviation.
See what our stand partners said about their experience on the #Queensland stand at #Avalon2015 in this short clip https://t.co/TzNZXnKKlE
— Lindsay Pears (@QldDefenceEnvoy) March 17, 2015
5. Fantastic flying
From fancy manoeuvres in the sky to vertical flights to sheer, impressive force, the presenters certainly pulled out all the stops to delight the spectators.
Very tired, but #Avalon2015 but flying was fantastic! pic.twitter.com/LmCRGic7zG
— Nigel Pittaway (@NigelPittaway1) March 1, 2015
6. First-hand experiences
At the exhibition stand displays, interactive technology enabled some presenters to give attendees a first-hand experience. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to "pilot" one of these mighty machines for a few minutes?
My favorite part of the @AvalonAirshow was when I got to demo #F35 DAS at the @northropgrumman booth! #Avalon2015 pic.twitter.com/RL35d9zFgz
— Stewi Corno (@StewCorn) March 4, 2015
7. Out with a bang
Who needs fireworks? To close the weekend, the Airshow gave a truly stunning display, with a wall of fire creating the perfect backdrop for daring flight moves.
Immortals stunt pilots fly past pyrotechnics at The Australian International Airshow #Avalon2015 pic.twitter.com/oLYorKowkS
— David Sim (@davidsim) February 27, 2015
Hungry for more aircraft photos, videos and insights? Buzzfeed compiled a list of some of the greatest shots and Twitter is loaded with tweets using the #Avalon2015 and #AustralianAirshow hashtags. The social media response for this event has been pretty remarkable, which really drives home the opportunities organisers and trade show participants have to engage their audience through Twitter and other channels.
As for Avalon, we're already looking forward to next edition of the show, which will undoubtedly deliver another round of exciting aviation displays and insights. After all, the sky's the limit.