MRC is a finalist in the GO Awards
10/06/2010
The GO awards emphasise ‘innovation, initiative and the creation of tangible benefits for both end-users and the public sector’.
Our team is up for the GO Innovation or Initiative of the Year Award for the work that we did for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in procuring a design that would position the UK amongst the world’s ‘creative top 10’ at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Thomas Heatherwick’s pavilion has now opened to great critical acclaim.
With an estimated 70 million people expected to visit the Expo, we were required to procure a design that would leave a lasting image of the UK’s strengths, whilst also providing a platform to engage key target audiences. The challenge in achieving this was how to enforce EU public procurement standards whilst still promoting excellence from potential suppliers who might not normally engage in Government-related work. We devised a solution of an open international design competition to achieve three objectives:
- positioning the UK as a leader in design procurement for World Expo by conducting an innovative worldwide search for the best design team.
- commissioning a team that could look at space, content, graphics and marketing, providing a total package that would be complete and integrated, thereby offering better value for money.
- creating a ‘buzz’ around the selection three years in advance of the Expo by providing various communications’ assets around the competition and generating substantial press interest to help the FCO and partners attract private sector interest and 50% funding.