29 Oct Our Before and After at the BC Aviation Museum
This September, we had the opportunity to design a client event at a venue that we had not worked at before. After visiting a number of a-typical venues around the lower mainland, our clients settled on holding their event at the BC Aviation Museum, and we could not have been more excited to get started on the design.
The first time that we made the trek out to the Museum, we were immediately drawn to its charm and potential as a unique backdrop for our event design. To accommodate a sit-down dinner for up to 300 people, we had to remove a number of aircraft from the hangar, and started with a blank slate inside.
Hosting an event in an empty airplane hangar comes with its challenges, of course. First of all, where do you pull power from for your lighting and sound equipment? Where can catering set up their prep tables that won’t be in the way or take away from the visual appeal of the space? Every little detail was examined (and then examined again) to mitigate any variables that might pop up during the event.
To start our design, we took inspiration from our client’s corporate colours. We wanted their branding to be present in the room without being too “in your face”. Plus, their colours were bright and fun, and added a lot of character to a room that was primarily dark and grey to begin with. By layering their corporate colours in to the linen choices and the tabletop décor accents, we were able to customize this design to represent the company’s image in a creative way.
The lighting we used played up the existing features of the space, including old airplane engines, a plane suspended from the ceiling of the hangar, and of course the two stationary aircraft that we incorporated in to the layout. We can’t say enough about the impact that lighting can have on an event design – the bright pops of purple and blue uplights elevated the hangar in a way that house lights never could.
When it was time for the guests to arrive, we first held a reception hour where the guests milled about the main part of the museum, exploring the exhibits and learning about the history of the aircraft on site. During this time, anticipation built up amongst the guests for what was next, and we are sure that their expectations were exceeded when we revealed the main hangar where the dinner was served.
For those of you who have not yet been to the BC Aviation Museum, we highly recommend taking an afternoon to explore this hidden gem. The Museum is run entirely by volunteers – all who are incredibly knowledgeable about all of the aircraft, and are passionate about sharing the stories behind them. We want to say a special thank you to John and Dave at the Museum for taking the time to indulge our curiosities as we spent time at the Museum over the course of several months during the planning process.
And of course, thank you to our wonderful clients for trusting us with the opportunity to plan and execute this milestone event. We loved being a part of your story, and we hope that the memories from that night last for a lifetime.
– Steph & Aidan
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