Creating an Exhibit That "Flies"
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
As a powerful identifier, McMillan Group created an integrated theme of "One Sikorsky. One World." We directed the video content which was all about energy and communicated the new technological advances in the latest helicopter test flights.
The use of large flown LED screens created an integrated, environmental use of video by increasing the scale and subsequent high energy experience for the audience in the front-end showcase.
Creating additional attraction to the show, this screen lowered in place for live shows and rose up in between to allow full view of helicopters. Speaking here was Sergei Sikorsky, son of the company's founder, Igor Sikorsky.
As the stars of the show, the helicopters were featured in a high-end product showcase, on cherry wood platforms with inlaid stainless steel meridian lines that were also used as animated graphic icons in the video, lighting effects and as a finish detail on the conference room tables.
In this section, McMillan Group designed and engineered the cantilevered two story structures with nine soundproofed executive level conference rooms.
To save space and add exclusivity for the guests, McMillan Group connected the two conference room structures at the second level by a 32’ bridge.
Through the use of high end materials and finishes, the conference rooms expressed the quality within the Brand promise. The lighting design on the graphic scrim panels of the structures allowed translucency to see out on to the helicopters but created privacy in the rooms when viewed from the show floor.
The rendering depicts an aerial view of the 80' x 180' Sikorsky exhibit. Everything the visitor saw expressed the quality, safety and careful attention to detail, exactly as Sikorsky does in building fleets of technically superior aircraft.
McMillan Group designed and engineered this Sikorsky exhibit to embody a new unique world-class Brand architecture for the helicopter manufacturer by expressing the energy
of rotary winged flight with two off set curved and cantilevered forms, large scale integrated media and distinctive helicopter displays. McMillan Group was responsible for: exhibit,
interior, graphic, lighting and video design. We also managed a highly skilled fabrication
team to complete the project in a tight time frame. New heights of impact and
communication were achieved.
"...This team is better than any I’ve seen in the industry and our award last year is proof of this. It is an honor to work with each and every one of you as well as extended members of your teams.”
Jeff Pino, CEO, Sikorsky
'I want to thank each of you for playing an instrumental role in the success of Heli-Expo. It was a distinct pleasure for me to work with a group of true professionals who pulled together as a team to overcome all obstacles in a timely and professional manner from the beginning of the planning phase to tear down."
Lynn H. Leach, Senior Manager of Trade Shows & Customer Relations, Sikorsky
"It is a pleasure to work with people like you (Nancy and Charlie McMillan) that have such a commitment to the projects and care so much about the quality of the work. Here's to many more adventures like this and the previous few.”
Andy Driver, Strategy at Sikorsky
