Not one, not two but four awards for the Cook + Associates’ team at this year’s World Exhibition Stand Awards!
The annual World Exhibition Stand Awards (WESA) celebrate the experiential, architectural and creative innovation of exhibition stands at trade shows and events around the world. This year, WESA spotlighted a grand total of 72 winners from creative experiential agencies and we were thrilled to be apart of the lineup.
Building on our six award success from 2021, we were honoured to have been awarded the  Diamond spot for Best Stand at an Aviation Event, as well as three Platinum Awards for  Best Reusable Stand, Best Activation at a Digital Aviation Event and Best Stand at a Defence + Security Show.
“Our results at this year’s WESA really demonstrates our years of experience, knowledge and expertise whilst celebrating the exceptional talent and work ethic of our team of creatives and operatives. Well done to everyone involved and a big thank you to all of clients.“- Jamie Williams, Design Director.
Giant US blue chip Aviation brand, Textron Aviation (TA), had double delight winning two awards for their presence at NBAA 2021 and VBACE 2020. A radical new experience and static display strategy implementation for NBAA 2021 scored them the Diamond Award for Best Stand at an Aviation Event. Our team conducted a detailed pre-show assessment of the client’s key requirements, proposing a radical shift to focus on after-sales support and opening an important new plane interior concept. Our aim was to attract, impact and entice delegates into the space creating a stunning booth design, matched by a new immersive digital sales experience that produced exceptional results.
Their second award arrived after leading aviation events NBAA and EBACE combined and turned virtual for VBACE 2020, TA needed to transform their huge physical presence into a virtual one. With NBAA being TAs key annual event for showcasing their latest planes and products, they needed something extra special to take them virtual. The key to realising TA’s brief for VBACE was a design mindset that had no limits, taking a truly creative approach to a virtual platform without being held back by conventional limits. Textron’s Skyport established new levels of technological excellence, functionally, and experientially – an approach that clearly caught the WESA judges’ attention.
Also in the aviation sector was GKN Aerospace, grabbing the Platinum spot for Best Reusable stand with their 10 show reusable bespoke modular design. Our global network of trusted associates, combined with sustainable and durable material selection, took GKN’s brand across the globe as part of their strategic ambition of achieving a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050 – read all about how we bought the creative and sustainable concept to life here.
Best Stand at a Defence + Security Event completes the trio of Platinum Awards this year, awarded for our project execution for long-term client Ultra Group. In 2020, Ultra rebranded, involving a complete refresh to unify their businesses as ONE Ultra, reflecting their new era of business and commitment to their customers, from start to finish. The challenge for 2021 was to move completely away from Ultra’s previous conventional event approach and propose a brand-new strategy with a new way of storytelling, reflecting the ONE Ultra brand and latest sustainability focus with a major emphasis on digital elements – Read more here.
Thank you to the WESA and its judges for honouring us with 4 awards and congratulations to all the winners, a very fine display of work and a fantastic celebration of the events industry!