Following almost 2 years of limited air travel due to COVID delays, travel restrictions and more, major cities and airports in the world like Toronto’s Pearson International Airport have begun to see travellers and tourism return. To help increase tourism levels in Canada’s largest city, Toronto Pearson and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) partnered with tourism organization, Destinations Toronto, and local photographers, Take Your Seat, to create an advertising campaign celebrating the city we all know as The 6ix.
Take Your Seat is a father-son team of photographers, consisting of Randy VanDerStarren and Spencer VanDerStarren, who highlight local attractions and landmarks through the journey of their iconic red director’s chair which can be seen in all of their photos. Through Destinations Toronto, Randy and Spencer were able to create a series of images highlighting some of Toronto’s most famous landmarks and attractions with the goal of having them on display at Toronto Pearson International Airport to help generate buzz around the city and create a sense of arrival amongst passengers visiting, returning home, and connecting through. ICON was tasked with bringing these images to life throughout Toronto Pearson’s baggage halls creating a gallery that would cover over 6500 sq. ft. of wall space.
This project was a huge take on from the start with 6 prints in the Terminal 1 international arrivals hall, 5 prints in the Terminal 1 domestic arrivals hall, and 3 prints in the Terminal 3 domestic arrivals hall – all prints being about 30 ft. wide.
ICON had a 4-week install window where we were only allowed to install overnight 5 days a week. Using a series of lifts, installers were able to build a permanent structure of SEG frames to house ICON Visuals prints for the foreseeable future. These prints are made with Samba fabric which is a versatile material with a perfect fit for the frames used with its air-tight, waterproof, and crease-free technology. Samba was also chosen due to it being able to bring out the brightness and vivid colours on display through Randy and Spencer’s photography. Ultimately, once installation began, ICON’s team was able to complete the installation in 2 weeks, well within our given window and the project has been well-received by airport executives and passengers alike.
Working with GTAA, Destinations Toronto, and Take Your Seat, ICON is very proud of this project and its goal of creating a sense of arrival for passengers into our beautiful city. This campaign has brought life and colour to a busy space and has given travellers a look into the beautiful landscapes in the surrounding area whether returning home or visiting for the first time. With ICON’s ongoing relationship with Pearson Airport, we are eager to see what new projects are to come and can’t wait to get started.
