Written by Turning a global aerospace stage into measurable media impact
Project overview
Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) is one of the world’s most influential aerospace, defence and space events. For the 2026 airshow, Revive Marketing & PR delivered an integrated PR and media programme to expand international participation, make the event easier for journalists to cover, and turn five high-intensity show days into sustained global visibility.
The campaign combined year-round campaign planning and implementation with fast, practical on-site delivery. From media accreditation and proactive communications to broadcast facilities, interview access, and real-time updates, every touchpoint focused on one goal: help the media tell stronger stories, faster.
The challenge
Farnborough International Airshow 2026 is a global event that needs to serve a large, diverse media community operating across print, digital, photography, radio and television. Journalists need timely information, access to exhibitors and spokespeople, reliable workspaces and the ability to respond quickly as announcements develop across the vast site.
The communications challenge was equally demanding: create a clear global narrative, grow international representation and maintain momentum throughout the full campaign period, while coordinating the needs of exhibitors, sponsors, broadcasters, content creators and event operations.
The strategy
Build a global, relevant media community.
Outreach focused on attracting a broad mix of influential aerospace, defence, space, business and broadcast media. The thorough accreditation process and pre-show engagement activity generated 1,803 registrations from media and content creators from 64 countries, with international journalists representing 31% of registrations.
Make coverage opportunities easy to find.
The media programme centred the stories journalists wanted to cover: product displays, flying displays, interview opportunities and exhibitor announcements. Communications were timed to help media plan and react in a timely manner during the show, while the team actively connected journalists with people, programmes and story opportunities on site.
Create an effective working environment.
The Media Centre was developed as a practical hub for reporting, interviews and production. A new workroom layout, thanks to the Airshow’s operations team, improved access to power, cohesive sponsor branding strengthened the environment; and dedicated broadcast platforms supported live and recorded coverage throughout the week.
Communicate in real time.
The FIA2026 Media WhatsApp group was redeveloped for pre-show, live-event and post-show updates. It grew to 715 members, giving the team a direct channel for fast, mobile-first liaison when plans and opportunities changed throughout the airshow.
Measurable outcomes
The campaign delivered reach, volume and participation at genuine international scale. Across 1 January to 31 July, FIA2026 generated 24,800 pieces of coverage, a 44% increase, with a global media reach of 35.1 billion and an estimated publicity value of £7.6 million.
Campaign performance at a glance
· Registered media: 1,803 from 64 countries
· International representation: 31%; global representation up 14%
- Full-campaign coverage: 24,800 pieces; up 44%
- Global media reach: 35.1 billion
- Publicity value: £7.6 million
- Show-week coverage: 15,138 pieces; up 59%
- Media Centre usage: 83% of attending media visited
- WhatsApp community: 715 members; up 57%
Strong engagement across the week
72% of media respondents attended on multiple days, showing the value of an experience that supported sustained reporting rather than a single news moment. Tuesday was the strongest day for output, generating 5,452 pieces of coverage.
Services delivered
- Integrated PR and media strategy
- International media outreach and relationship management
- Media accreditation and pre-event communications
- Press office and on-site media operations
- Media Centre planning, sponsor liaison and experience management
- Broadcast platform coordination
- Interview facilitation and exhibitor-media connections
- Real-time WhatsApp communications
- Coverage monitoring, media feedback and strategic recommendations
Client and media impact
Feedback consistently highlighted the professionalism, organisation and personal support behind the operation.
In the post-show media survey, one journalist said, “Georgia and her team were exceptional. As an independent niche journalist, I have never felt more welcome and able to deliver content at an event before.”
More importantly, the work helped media turn access into output: one attendee aired conversations with 10–12 industry executives over two days, while another reported 15,000 views from their FIA2026 stories.
The result was not simply to generate more coverage, but to build a stronger environment for high-quality, real-time and internationally relevant reporting.
Need PR that performs under pressure?
Revive Marketing & PR helps ambitious events and organisations build media strategies that are practical, responsive and measurable, from campaign planning and journalist engagement to live press operations and post-event communications and evaluation.
Contact us for more information.