George P Johnson (GPJ) Australia has won the Services Corporate award for its 2012 Melbourne Cup Emirates Birdcage Marquee.
The Irish-themed marquee that attracted an audience of 8.8 million and $43 million worth of free publicity for Emirates, was selected from a field of 1,000 to win the Services Corporate category, as well as scoring runner-up in both the Event Experience Consumer and Marketing Branded Experience categories.
The Dublin-themed marquee, (Dublin was the hero destination for Emirates in 2012), reiterated the airline’s core brand message that every experience at the pointy end of the plane must be glamorous, VIP and exclusive.
The marquee served as a media broadcast centre and a hang out for celebrities like Mischa Barton, Jennifer Hawkins and Ronan Keating. Teams of hairdressers, make-up artists and Emirates cabin crew gave guests the Emirates first-class travel ‘experience’ while they were at the event.
The Birdcage marquee was designed by GPJ’s Sydney-based designer Bradley Boyce.
The Emirates Birdcage Marquee will now be featured in the Melbourne Design Awards Design Annual – a 660+ page hardback book covering the best in Australian Design, sourced from over 10 awards programs and featuring key market insights from industry leaders.
With oustanding design integral to higher shareholder returns, The Design Annual will be distributed to the Top 1000 company CEOs throughout Australia.
GPJ Australia’s managing director Peter Rix said, “The awards reiterate the power of the picture, the importance of smart design and why a distinctive ‘visual voice’ is so important in the telling of the brand story.”
