Brief: “The Olympics of Business”

Every year, world leaders flock to Germany to attend Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial and tech fair. The leader of the EU kicks it off. So is the Chancellor of Germany and dozens of heads of state. The event is so large, it can only be held at a World Fair site the size of 22 soccer fields. Hannover Messe showcases over 6,000 leading-edge companies and attracts 200,000 visitors. Our job? Make sure Canada stood tall and stood out. We kicked it off with an intro video:

Experiential

The most important task: Design a huge collection of four distinct booths that offered a magnetic guest experience. Each of these large booths had to be relevant for four disparate industries, from AI and robotics to clean hydrogen and EV production. To garner attention, the booths would need to dominate in design and generate talk. The guest experience involved videos, presentations, and animation loops, plus food and drink. All of it needed to be anchored to an unmissable design system.

Branding

Canada’s brand revolved on, yes, Canada red and Canada white. But we also introduced two other key colours to show an unexpected modern side of Canada, along with a fresh typeface. We created an isometric icon that lent itself well to motion graphics (see below). The result was a design system with an instant association to Canada yet grounded in the future. Which is exactly what Hannover Messe is about.

Advertising takeover

Before attendees walked into Hannover Messe, Canada set a tone with a series of freestanding towers surrounding the grounds. Once inside, Canada’s booths were fitted with wall-to-wall, always-on video screens. Each was programmed with animation and playful motion graphics that highlighted key statistics about Canada’s technology capabilities.

Writing and Motion Graphics

We created a particular tone for Canada with headlines like, “Excuse us, we’re very gassy. Proud to be a top 10 green Hydrogen producer.” And, “Canada: world leader in EVs, Quantum, AI, and modesty.” This brassy, confident tone helped Canada transcend clichés and stereotypes about itself. Every creative touchpoint was intended to radiate positive, future-forward momentum.

Results

The cumulative experiential experience was designed to create confusion—the good kind. Norway was the official sponsor country of Hannover Messe 2024. But many attendees experienced Canada’s high-energy presence and confused it for the official sponsor. (That would happen in 2025.) As a result, Canada will get two back-to-back years in the spotlight amid the world’s most influential decision makers.