Our campaign drove a sell-out attendance of 22,545 people, including 15,000 students and 4,188 teachers and parents, tripling that of 2009
The challenge
We were asked to drive people to The Big Bang student careers fair for 11-19 year olds and the National Science & Engineering Competition and put them firmly on the national calendar by creating a buzz.
To do this, we needed to stimulate new interest in science-based subjects and inspire a future generation of scientists and engineers, by engaging the media and other interested parties.
Our response
We generated widespread excitement through a range of creative news stories, including our “If Only” wish campaign which sought life-changing ideas, inspired by science and engineering, from more than 70 celebrities and business people.
We also created political support through a parliamentary reception and a comprehensive briefing programme MPs to put down early day motions to support the event.
During the Fair itself we maintained press interest, encouraging people to attend, using event news on student winners, celebrity attendees and amazing Fair exhibits. These ranged from explosions to experiments, including a chocolate-welding machine and Curtis the Lemur.
Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams joined the fun, as did teams of punk scientists, Brainiac and the BBC’s Bang Goes The Theory.
The results
The event was sold out with a record attendance. More than 250 politicians and stakeholders supported the Fair, including Lord Mandelson who presented the Competition awards.
By April 2010, 683 Fair and Competition articles had appeared. Media highlights included the Daily Mail, Telegraph and Times, Radio 4 Today, Five Live, Radio 2 Drivetime and an episode of Bang Goes the Theory. BBC Online covered the event 14 times. The total AVE was over £3 million, with over 130 million opportunities to see
