Humans

110 years and counting

Shows, photos, music and activities for children. All this and more were on offer at the Turin stage of Avio Aero’s 110th birthday celebrations.

Oct 2018

"Time isn’t measured in days or years, but in evolutions". This was the slogan that welcomed over 1800 attendees to the event celebrating 110 years of Avio Aero innovation. A celebration dedicated to the people who work every single day to make this company great and who, together with their loved ones, made the evening’s atmosphere unique. The event was held at the old railway repair workshops in Turin, the OGR (Officine Grandi Riparazioni): a frame perfectly integrated into the picture. So much so that the frame itself became part of the picture. The venue’s large and evocative spaces proved to be just the right setting for a photography exhibition displaying the skills, spirit of innovation, and technology of this over 100-year-old company. It is precisely these characteristics that have enabled the company to write priceless chapters in the history of aviation.

With this expertise, made up of ideas and intuition, discoveries, solutions and people, Avio Aero has experienced over a century of change and events marking the industrial history of Italy. And it is thanks to this heritage that it looks with confidence to the future of aeronautics, ready to chart the way, together with the most important players in the industry. 

It was not a celebration looking backing to the past, but an enjoyable opportunity to show its employees, their families and guests from outside the company - from other companies and elsewhere - what Avio Aero will bring to the future.  Bravery, practicality, and clear thinking are some of the characteristics which have always allowed Avio Aero to shine on the market and which remain an integral part of the promise the company will continue to make in the years to come to those who choose it. Ability to innovate is the guarantee Avio Aero offers. 

Through the photographs on show and the expressive power of the exhibition, the company attempted to give a taste of its "eternal progress". From the first engine produced to references to projects on which Avio Aero is working today, but which already feature the technology of the future, such as additive manufacturing technology. The exhibition was designed as a timeline of the company’s distinguishing features through its major milestones. In the images of these 110 years, the past meets and mixes with the present, and immediately pushes towards the future, the only dimension in which Avio Aero truly feels at home.

Adding to the atmosphere was the music that accompanied guests throughout the evening, ranging between different genres and sounds. There were also attractions for the little ones (the children’s face paint was a resounding success), an LED light show, a photo booth completes with aviator goggles and hat, and the "Future Lab” workshop with activities for children. And of course, good food and the smiles permanently on the faces of attendees as they spent the evening together.

The 110 years celebrations, together with the photo exhibition, successively arrived in the company’s other two Italian sites: on Sunday 25 November at the Brindisi plant and on 16 December at Pomigliano d'Arco. Two days fully dedicated to Avio Aero's people and their families too, for the ultra-centennial birthday party and, at the same time, for opening the company's area to the workers' families.

The two events were attended by more that 3000 people, from the youngest to the oldest ones. All the photo exhibit displayed the history of the company starting from 1908 to the date; the participants were able to visit shop floor and offices guided by the experts, and a "cinema scope" was available in the auditorium to show historical videos as well as the contemporary branded movies. It has been a gorgeous way to bring the people and workers' families closer to the Avio Aero world, inside the company for one day.

A special attention has been given to the youngest attendees, who were the star of every game or entertaining activity hosted inside the area exclusively designed for them: an amusement park, tech laboratories, make up artists and many toys. And in Pomigliano there was even a little train which went all around the shops and plant streets, performing a live tour in places that once upon (during the world war) a time were also areas belonging to a little airport.

The canteens have been set up to become the place where everyone gathered during thew celebrations to taste the most delicious local specialties. But also to share happy moments, getting to know new colleagues and their beloved ones... That was actually the closing of several fun and significant initiatives conceived to celebrate together a very important milestone, that makes everyone of us proud (as well as even more conscious) of our key role in the aviation industry, and not only. 

So, thank you all for joining such a special moment.