The brief was to find a way Delta Air Lines could stand out at Art Basel, as their Miami service is becoming more and more important, given the airline’s expansion into Latin America.

The problem is that Art Basel is severely saturated with brands.

This led us to our opportunity: Why wait until we reached Miami to start speaking to those we want to reach? Why not start in New York, where so many of the Art Basel attendees will originate? That led us to everything from the creation of an art gallery at 30,000 feet to using these same artists to create bespoke sculptures from decommissioned plane parts.

Overall, we not only connected artists to a network of galleries and curators, but kept Delta top of mind within the Miami market.

As many brands launched activations during Art Basel, Delta took a different route. One that created an art gallery 30,000 feet above the fair. They worked with six emerging artists to utilize aspects of the work across every touchpoint as well as supporting them as they created towering sculptures from decommissioned plane parts.

Our target audience was affluent attendees of Art Basel who are prominent within the art community, and likely to fly premium cabins.

Knowing the marquee event of Art Basel was of shared interest to this high-disposable-income crowd, Delta set out to reach the Miami market and people closely tied to the art world. Delta created a one-of-a-kind, invite-only event, drawing in curators, gallerists, and celebrities—providing them with the one thing we knew they needed: a ride to Miami for Art Week.

Delta continued its presence in the Miami market by creating a public and private gallery space at 1111 Lincoln Rd. There, they connected with their audience through a free gallery space, an opportunity for networking, drinks, food, live music, and more.

The Open Air Gallery activation took close to a year to execute—spanning two airports on opposite sides of the country, a 3.5-hour flight, and an event space during one of Miami’s busiest weeks.

Aboard the charter flight, Delta had to create proprietary, experimental technology for in-flight projections, custom artwork, and specially-made uniforms, all while inviting and coordinating the experience for almost 150 invite-only guests.

In Miami, during one of the city’s most bustling weeks, Delta secured a coveted spot at 1111 Lincoln Rd. for a live event. All while coordinating with six Miami-based artists to visit a scrapyard and build sculptures using decommissioned plane parts, which would be the heart of this 1111 Lincoln Rd. event.

Overall, more than 25 touchpoints had to be hit for a successful execution—everything from artist-created Flight Attendant scarves to custom drinks served onboard to artist-painted murals within Miami itself.

Delta Open Air Gallery achieved every metric it set out to achieve.

While 550 Art Week attendees were at the event, 815K followed on social organically, and 53M impressions were accrued through a paid plan of social and OOH.

The global press covered these events—publications and sites like Essence, Nylon, DuJour, Bazaar, and Interview. Cultural-focused publications were drawn to write about, and participate, on the charter flight because it was an entirely unique experience, unexpected from an airline.

And our show not only provided a massive platform for Delta’s hand-selected artists, but our networking event connected gallerists, artists, curators, and New York and Miami locals alike.

For Delta, it also allowed them to significantly further their presence in Miami, one of their most sought-after markets.