2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for PR?

During the SARS crisis of 2002/03, travel was unsafe, but the global economy was not in a steep fall. Through the global financial crisis of 2008, liquidity was a challenge, but flying was not a health risk. But there was zero visibility for the airline sector in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry needed a ‘booster’ dose of confidence! And Air Arabia, the region’s first low-cost carrier, took up the task by hosting the first in-person event in a still-pandemic world – the Arab Aviation through an integrated PR campaign

Background

As Mike Tyson, the US boxer, famously said: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” The best plans to build back the aviation sector were getting ‘punched’, more so because, the aviation industry was speaking in isolation. The constantly changing governmental regulations were posing a hurdle to even those who were willing to fly. The media was still rife with stories about how cumbersome air travel had become. Building confidence in the public needed a multilateral approach, one that brought together all the stakeholders. The Summit, held in March 2021, when the impact of the pandemic was still heavy on the economy needed a compelling story, one that could repose trust in flying and rally the support of all stakeholders.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

According to IATA, the 2020 pandemic cost the world US$118 billion. Global traffic declined 65.9 per cent from 2019 and the pandemic pushed the aviation sector back to the last century levels. It was apparently the worst of times to host an aviation summit. To drive its success, we needed to understand stakeholder perceptions. Involved with Air Arabia and the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, the Agency worked on the project from day one. Our first task was to ascertain stakeholder perceptions. We were surprised by our stakeholder mapping exercise. 90% of all we engaged with said an in-person aviation event was just what they needed – to discuss the post-pandemic world and to rally support from all stakeholders, particularly governments. Energised by the positivity, we designed our communications strategy for the Summit, which would go on to welcome over 200 delegates in-person from around the world!

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Our strategy: Show & Tell. Get stakeholders on flights, bring them under one roof and tell the aviation industry’s story for the post-pandemic world! Our key message was to position the 8th Arab Aviation Summit as the launchpad for building confidence in flying and strengthening stakeholder confidence in the industry, which contributes significantly to the travel and tourism sector. We reached out to media and influencers from across the region (GCC, Levant and North Africa) and for the first time in nearly 12 months, flew in 21 media representatives. We ensured multiple spokespeople from the travel and tourism industry engaged with the regional and UAE media. A whitepaper that summarised the deliberations at the Summit was created for wider distribution in addition to creating comprehensive visual assets and press kits.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

The agency organised a media trip to Ras Al Khaimah for three days with media from the region, who attended the opening ceremony and the panel discussions, which shed light on different topics related to travel and tourism. We worked with Air Arabia to decide the session topics focusing on the need for a strong stakeholder collaboration, strengthening the interlinkage between tourism and aviation, and underlining how governmental support is crucial for stronger returns, as well as strategic concerns including sustainability and cost optimisation. A dedicated team from the agency was on-ground to support the event. Sessions were covered and reports were quickly prepared for sharing with the wider media. The editorial engagement of the agency mapped the depth of the discussions, which helped gain tremendous media coverage.

List the results (30% of vote)

The summit was extremely successful and received overwhelming response from the media. The 8th Arab Aviation Summit resulted in 469 hits, 48 million reach and an EMV of US$7.5 million. The event was covered by top tier 1 media - business, trade and lifestyle – in addition to gaining strong traction on social media platforms. Among major outlets that covered the Summit included: Sky News, CNBC Arabiya, Bloomberg, Reuters, Arabian Business, Arabian Aerospace, Al Ittihad, Al Khaleej, Arab News, WAM, Gulf Business, , Al Ghad, Al Ahram, Al Youm Al 7, Akhabr Al Khaleej, Al Rai, Petra, KUNA and others.