Chalet Magic: Paris Airshow 2023

The Paris Airshow is one of the world’s most prestigious events dedicated to the aviation and space industry.  Alternating with the Farnborough International Airshow, it is where all the movers and shakers come together, where every brand is fighting for visibility and where the VIP experience is quite simply the difference between making a deal or not. But, behind the creation of these spaces is where the magic really happens.

For the past 30 years, our team has been designing the environments that create the all-important VIP ambience and experience, namely “chalets”.  Our award-winning chalets are built from the ground up on-site, transforming open spaces into luxurious, welcoming and totally self-contained entities illustrating how creative design, clever materials selection, technology innovation and a clear vision of how to bring a brand to life combine to deliver unique, exceptional chalet spaces that become the beating heart of an organisation’s Paris presence.

It all starts six months before the show, with our 6 project managers kick-starting the planning and design process to create fully customised, tailored spaces that will deliver exclusive experiences.  Deadlines are tight – by mid-March, the designs have to be submitted to the event organisers, detailing every aspect of the construction, materials, safety compliance and build.  The key is to merge all the required functionality with a complete brand approach that delivers elegance and innovation. Our technical designers look at every element, from shelf positioning to graphics location, ensuring that the architectural specification is spot on.

The build itself spans a seven-week period, kicking off with a skeleton build and like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, each chalet takes shape with the addition of windows, doors, walls and then the finishes.  The interior finishing comes next, involving a huge cross-section of trades – carpenters, electricians and plumbers, followed by AC techs, AV techs and many more.

The penultimate stages involve creating all of the finishing touches that make each chalet something truly exceptional.  From carefully selected furniture, furnishings and decorations using a skilful mix of materials that satisfy corporate sustainability goals with environmentally-sound credentials, to the latest outstanding technology innovations that help create a wow factor.  The final details are what bring the chalets finally to life, ready for the big clean, microscopic quality check and the grand opening on show day.

Overall, C+A deployed over 100 talented people to bring the 4 principal chalets we created at the 2023 Paris Air Show – for Qatar Airways, Spirit, Moog, and AIA. If you want to see what we can do to create a unique experience for your next event, we’d love to hear from you here.