June 2019

Event organizers are finding that in the digital age, visitors are becoming increasingly demanding. If you want to be on top of the game, you have to make sure your event includes some kind of virtual reality or augmented reality technology.

Virtual Reality

In the extreme side of the digital reality, we find virtual reality, which is replacing reality with another one created digitally. Within this spectrum, you can offer different activities.

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Screenings

Events such as the Tribeca Film Festival have shown how virtual reality can be used in combination with movie screenings. This offers the same experience as being at a film festival, surrounded by leading producers and directors, while sitting comfortably in another venue. Immersive screenings could be revolutionary for the film industry.

Live Shows

The world’s biggest festivals, such as Coachella, offer you the immersive experience of being in front of a huge stage with a screaming crowd and your favorite band onstage. Making a live show part of your event could boost attendance by thousands.

Projection Dome

The use of projection domes is great for those who want to provide their guests with a 360° concert experience. You can use a dome for streaming from a stage or even reproduce a random show, concert or performance.

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Augmenting Events

Augmented reality is the other side of the spectrum, the closest thing to an opposite to what we call physical reality. Augmented reality has taken over the app world in the last five years, with Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat now offering augmented reality features to their millions of users.

Themed Games

One of the many possible uses of augmented reality at an event is themed games. Designing the content of a themed game to match your event shouldn´t be so expensive, and it can be a great way of attracting attention. The Pokemon Go revolution is a good example of augmented reality games.

Exclusive Add-Ons

Offering exclusive augmented reality add-ons to use in sync with the logo and colors of your event and festival could be a tool to make it even more massive.

Mixed Reality

Mixed reality is an environment created using elements of augmented, physical and virtual reality.

Holograms

Unlike augmented reality, holograms do not require a phone interface to be seen. While they are not part of physical reality, they are not digital reality either. Using holograms at your event could make it an extremely memorable occasion for your guests.

There are several hundred, if not thousands, of exhibitions happening around the world every year. Each of them hopes to beat the others by introducing new elements, technology or design. Naturally, some of these concepts impressed us more than others. After giving careful consideration to the thought process and the time, effort, and technology that went into the planning of these exhibitions, as well as how they turned out in the end, here are our top picks from all around the world.

Samskara | Location: Los Angeles

The Samskara exhibition might have come and gone (for now), but it will always remain fresh in the hearts of those who were immersed in the day’s activities. Unlike many others, this exhibition was designed to be an engaging experience with the use of dome technology. This was followed by a 360-degree screening of the Samskara show, and at the end of the day, guests were treated to an interactive VR gaming session. If that’s not one of the best exhibitions ever, we don’t know what is.

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Starry Night | Location: Paris

If you were mesmerised by what Samskara had to offer, you’d be blown away by the sheer brilliance of Starry Night. This exhibition was built around the significant works of a minor artist – at least, that was what Van Gogh was before his death. The 360-degree visual experience is such that guests are made to not only experience the paintings but live inside them. Even if you’re not an art aficionado, this experience is sure to bring out your hidden love for this Dutch master.

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QR Scan Art | Location: Venice

A lot of thought went into the planning of the 2012 Architecture Biennale. You probably see QR codes as a way of getting onto websites and apps from your smartphone, so you might be surprised to hear that they can also be used as a way of finding out about architecture. The entire Russian Pavilion was covered with these codes, allowing guests to pull up any information they wanted about the high-tech city being built outside Moscow at the time (Skolkovo)

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Story of the Forest | Location: Singapore

For those who were lucky enough to be at this exhibition, it was not only immersive but interactive. The walls of the museum were covered with large screens that spiralled into one another almost seamlessly to the naked eye. As you walked through the forest, you could use the dedicated “Story of the Forest” app on your mobile phone to learn more about the various animals that live there. Did we mention just how immersive this experience was?

A Gift for Athena | Location: The British Museum

This might not be available to the general public yet, but it’s worth mentioning. “A Gift for Athena” combines AR with a dedicated tablet and smartphone app, meaning you can now walk through the British Museum and get the best experience even without a tour guide. All you have to do is point your device’s camera at an artefact of your choice while running the dedicated app. The app recognises the object and provides you with instant facts and data about it. If this tech is developed to a bigger scale, there’s no telling how well it can be adapted to other purposes.

AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) are two of the trending buzzwords in the technology industry. Since these technologies are brand-new, they are capable of creating a stir across multiple sectors. This is the reason a vast number of industries out there are adopting these revolutionary technologies for enhancing overall user experiences.

If you are involved in the event marketing business, it is high time that you should consider adopting AR/VR technology for events and festivals for enhancing the user experience. Whether these technologies are used alone or in tandem, AR/VR technology is sure to engage as well as excite attendees.

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Coachella Music Festival

We’ve all heard of the world-famous Coachella festival in the United States. The renowned music and arts festival made use of the growing popularity of VR this year and last year by launching its new app. The festival also delivered Google Cardboard handsets to festivalgoers in addition to the tickets. Coachella has also become a recognized music festival through the use of its exclusive “Antarctic Dome” – the largest VR-based geodesic projection dome in the world. The dome created “Chrysalis,” an advanced eight-minute audiovisual program that was projected in full-end 360 degrees to create the most impactful immersive experience for the audience.

In addition to the Coachella Music Festival, there are other festivals and events around the world as well that are aiming to adopt this revolutionary AR/VR technology. Here are some more reasons why, as an event marketing professional, you can boost visitor numbers with AR/VR technology at festivals or events.

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•    Providing Peace of Mind:

While VR is great, there are specific security concerns that the given technology might have for festivalgoers. Because of the overall immersive experience offered by the VR technology, guests are required to enter a submissive state of mind to leave behind their world altogether. This puts them at risk of forgetting to collect their wallets, smartphones, and other essential belongings after leaving the VR event. To make them feel more comfortable, the marketing professionals can aim at creating a secure VR experience.

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•    Creating a One-of-a-Kind Experience:

When it comes to ensuring the overall success of your event or festival, it’s all about creating a one-of-a-kind experience for your guests. If you are thinking of installing a separate photo booth or something similar at your event, advanced AR/VR technology can come to your rescue. When you provide visitors with VR-like experiences, it helps them enjoy the event even more.

•    Virtual Attendance:

Given the rapid advancements in high-end telepresence tools, event organizers can look forward to making it easier for guests to attend a festival or event virtually or remotely. There are AR/VR robots that can be made available to VIP guests who might be unable to participate in the event if it clashes with their busy schedules.

AR/VR technology has a bright future and has the potential to be both useful and lucrative for event organizers. Could you make the most of it?

Having a stand at an expo is only the first step in getting any new or existing product out there: the most important part is actually getting people to come to your stand to see what you are offering. Looking around at all the other stands competing for the same audience, it is easy to see that this might be an uphill task. Here are some tips to get visitors flocking to your stand.

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1. Offer Free WiFi

Free Wi-Fi is an excellent way to bring people to your stand. Some prospective customers will naturally feel guilty about using your network, so then they will look at your products while at your booth. Others will approach your stand for a stronger WiFi connection and then become interested in what you are offering. Of course, there will always be those who just come for the connection, but it gives you the chance to present your product when they are nearby.

2. Create a Challenge

When you create a challenge, you are bringing in people who are intrigued by the idea of competition. This gives you an opportunity to create crowd engagement at your stand. Creating a challenge is different from hosting a giveaway. Often times, people come to giveaways just to collect a prize and leave. With a challenge, it isn’t necessary to give away anything of high value, maybe a small voucher for your products, but you will have gained many potential customers by attracting them to your booth with a challenge.

3. Eye-Catching Technology

No matter what you have on display, technology will always make it look better. VR, AR, and 360° representations are just some of the concepts you can employ. Any technology will add colour to your booth, setting it apart from the other generic stand designs out there. People like to check out something different, which in return means more people at your booth if you stand out with technology.

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4. Superior Stand Design

Design can make your stand look spectacular. In other words, make sure your stand stands out from all others at the expo (pun intended). An outstanding design can take many forms, but make sure the design doesn’t take away from the core element of your product.

5. Engaging Members of Staff

There are many ways to make your stand attractive, but the people behind your product can make or break your contact with a future customer. Ensure that the stand attendants are presentable, knowledgeable, and ready to receive anyone and everyone. They should exude a fun, positive, and welcoming attitude. Body language speaks volumes, and everyone understands this. Having staff with the right body language and human interaction skills will make your stand the place to be.

Incorporate all the above tips, and you could well be on your way to having the hottest stand at the expo.

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