Cathay Pacific for Curious Nation
THE CHALLENGE
DisplayWise was approached by Curious Nation, to design and build an immersive, consumer-first activation allowing customers to take off on the Cathay Pacific Aria Suite experience at Chatswood and Chadstone Shopping Centre’s.
The challenge was to transform a high-traffic retail space into a memorable, immersive airline experience that authentically captured the essence of flying Cathay Pacific Premium, in the Aria Suite.
Cathay Pacific have revamped their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with daily services between Sydney and Hong Kong and recently launched the Melbourne to Hong Kong route.
The goal was to create an engaging, consumer-first brand activation that would not only showcase the physical upgrades but also drive interest and bookings among premium travelers.
CLIENT | CURIOUS NATION |
|---|---|
SERVICE | BRAND ACTIVATION |
LOCATION | WESTFIELD CHATSWOOD AND CHADSTONE SHOPPING CENTRE |
DATE | 2025 |
SIZE | 8M X 7M |
THE SOLUTION
In collaboration with Curious Nation, DisplayWise conceptualised, designed, and built an immersive in-centre experience across Westfield Chatswood and Westfield Chadstone shopping centres. This multi-sensory approach allowed consumers to touch, see, and experience the difference of flying with Cathay Pacific and visiting the Aria Suite.
Key design and build features of the Cathay Pacific pop up included:
- A custom-built airline check-in desk, complete with printed boarding passes to simulate the start of a real journey.
- Physical installations of Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite, featuring sliding privacy doors, 24-inch 4K TVs with Bluetooth audio streaming, and LED suite lighting.
- A full Premium Economy seat setup, allowing customers to test the comfort and design upgrades.
- An interactive photo moment, encouraging social sharing and online engagement.
- Instant giveaways and a grand prize draw for two return Business Class tickets to Hong Kong on the new aircraft.
This activation demonstrated how a well-executed, experiential design can effectively bridge the gap between digital marketing and real-world engagement. By turning a public space into a premium, tactile showcase, DisplayWise helped Cathay Pacific offer travellers a preview of luxury—and leave with more than just a boarding pass.
Passengers checked in at a custom-built airline desk, complete with printed boarding passes, before stepping into the luxurious Aria Suite or Premium Economy seat, allowing them to physically feel the difference before they fly. The journey continued with a photobooth moment, for customers to share their travel experience on social media while instant giveaways and a prize draw for two return Business Class flights keep the excitement soaring.
THE RESULT
The activation successfully transformed a retail environment into a high-fidelity airline experience, delivering strong brand impact and consumer engagement.
The Aria Suite activation reinforced Cathay Pacific’s positioning as a leader in premium air travel and innovation. The challenge to transform everyday retail spaces into an unexpected flight experience to mimic an on-board flying experience.
- High foot traffic and dwell time, driven by the immersive nature of the experience and the chance to win two return Business Class on the flight route to Hong Kong.
- Strong social media engagement through photobooth sharing and user-generated content.
- Boosted interest in the new Cathay Pacific Aria Suite and its premium offerings with a clear increase in leads and customer enquiries post-event.
“We set out to create a ground-level experience that matched the premium quality of Cathay’s new Aria Suite. By recreating a taste of the inflight journey in unexpected places, we’re sparking curiosity, building emotional connection, and allowing people to physically feel the difference. It’s a great example of how experiential can bring brand promises to life in a tangible, memorable way.”
STEPHEN BABIN, MANAGING PARTNER AT CURIOUS NATION
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