Discovering a #BetterWayToFly with Air New Zealand

Today I happened to be in London for meetings and I took the opportunity to cross the city and head on to Soho to the Unit London Gallery where a rather unique event was taking place named This Is How We Fly.

Multi-award winning airline Air New Zealand has brought their inflight experience to Londoners in a first of it’s kind pop-up event for the Auckland based carrier.

 

 

Set across two floors at the Unit London Gallery in the heart of Soho, visitors to the exhibition has the opportunity to experience Air New Zealand without even stepping foot into an airport. Guests had the opportunity to take a look at the seats, sample some food inspired by the on-board menus and enjoy a glass or two of New Zealand Wine whilst learning more about destinations served on the Air New Zealand network.

The event was run in partnership with the Visit California Tourism Board and Villa Maria wines and it actually was a lot of fun. I’d say it was a small, but chic exhibition showcasing Air New Zealand’s innovative products, sumptuous inflight cuisine and their warm and friendly Kiwi service.
I popped in for about thirty minutes this afternoon and it was quite busy inside. Here are my thoughts on the event:

As I arrived, I was greeted with a warm and friendly “Kia Ora” and invited to head to the bar to “check-in” for the experience on an iPad. You didn’t actually have to “check-in” by leaving your details, but if you did then you would be in the chance to win some flights… so of course you might as well enter! Once I had “checked-in”, I was asked a couple of questions on the iPad about my perceptions of flying such as what I like, what I don’t like etc. The option about being able to switch off from the internet for a few hours got my vote. Although I’m guessing in maybe a year or so that will change as many airlines will be “connected”.

 

In the main area of the exhibition you had the bar where you could grab some juice, coffee or some New Zealand wines from Villa Maria. Of course it would make sense for guests to have a look and feel of the seats available on board the aircraft. The exhibiton featured two of the airlines’ Business Premier Seats, the new Premium Economy seat, and a row of Economy SkyCouch and standard Economy seating. It was great to see peoples reactions as they took a seat and actually imagined themselves flying to warmer climes compared to being in the heart of London where it was raining like cats and dogs. Literally.

Elsewhere, a floor-to-ceiling projection showcased many of the destinations on the Air New Zealand network. From the Golden State of California to the natural beauty of New Zealand… the imagery was enough to get people in the mood to book a flight somewhere. The Cook Islands is on my bucket list, along with New Zealand too!

I was free to roam around the gallery and there were plenty of friendly and approachable AirNZ representatives around offering small plates of food and answering questions. Plus downstairs there was a comfortable lounge area and another projector that this time promoted the Air New Zealand experience. Whether that is at the airport, in the lounge or up in the skies.

Overall I thought the pop-up event was a fantastic was to showcase Air New Zealand to the world and promote the carrier as a #BetterWayToFly to destinations around the world. I wish other airlines had the idea to create fun and exciting promotions like this too.