AviationWeek & Space Technology 49TH Annual Laureate Awards
April 2006

THE CHALLENGE
AviationWeek & Space Technology magazine was holding it's 49th annual Laureate Award and Hall of Fame dinner, saluting those in the aerospace industry and military who have raised the bar in 2005.

This year’s black tie event was held at the National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC. AviationWeek’s biggest challenge was to top all previous events with a true “show,” and to begin a new tradition of spectacular events in spectacular locations.

And the location was spectacular: The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the National Air and Space Museum, was opened in December 2003, with literally thousands of artifacts on display, including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane. Of course, every spectacular location has it’s drawbacks – installation of audio-visual, lighting and staging could not begin until 3:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM start time.

THE SOLUTION
Brainium worked with the both the publisher and editor-in-chief of AviationWeek to produce an event to remember. Projection and staging was placed directly in front of the SR-71 Blackbird, providing a fabulous backdrop for the awards. An audio system was installed to provide echo-free broadcast of every presentation and acceptance speech within the cavernous museum.

Lighting effects, videos, still images, and audio stingers were designed to highlight the nominees in each of six categories: Military, Space, Operations, Aeronautics and Propulsion, Commercial Air Transport, IT and Electronics, and General Business Aviation. In addition, service academy awards were given to the top cadets from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Air Force Academy and France’s elite Ecole de l’Air. The evening ended with a lifetime achievement award being presented to Patty Wagstaff.

In addition to staging the live event, Brainium also designed the event logo, developed print and web advertising, and all sponsorship collateral.

RESULTS
On April 7th, over 380 aerospace industry and military leaders attended the event, which achieved it’s main goal of “wowing” the audience from start to finish.
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