Why Beazley lit up London’s skyline with QR code made up of drones

Specialist insurer Beazley has revealed why it lit up London’s skyline with a marketing QR code made up of 400 drones.

The code was displayed during a private event held at Magazine London in North Greenwich last week (27 April 2023).

Beazley’s chief marketing officer Georgina Peters-Venzano confirmed to Insurance Times that some 1,137 people scanned the code, which was displayed to direct event attendees to the insurer’s website.

She added that the business decided to put on the display to show people that “we do things differently”.

”The purpose of the event was to thank our brokers and partners for their continued support of the business, showcase our brand re-launch and reward the hard work of the staff at Beazley,” Peters-Venzano said.

Drone swarm risks

The event was attended by over 700 people.

Moonrock Drone Insurance managing director Simon Ritterband said that while ”drone swarms are visually stunning and attention-grabbing”, it was “important to consider the potential risks of using drone swarm displays for marketing”.

”Drone swarm displays require careful planning and execution to ensure the safety of people and property”, he explained.

“If a drone swarm display caused an accident, the damage to the company’s reputation could be significant.”

To ensure all regulations and laws were abided by for the drone display, Peters-Venzano said that Beazley obtained permission from several key stakeholders – including the Civil Aviation Authority, National Air Traffic Services, Metropolitan Police and the Port of London Authority.

“As the show was over the Thames, we took account of all various risks and events that could occur and embedded these scenarios into our planning,” she said.

“We had staff on standby to end the show in the event of an emergency or major weather catastrophe.

“Final permissions were granted 48-hours before the show and the display was dependent on low wind and no rain.”