Looking over trends in recent years, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have become an essential part of the events industry.
And maybe not just from the events industry, as there are blog posts, newsletters, e-books, e-books, video blogs and almost everything around us has embraced VR and AR. These are among the most innovative technology trends of the last decade.
Before we see how the two can be integrated into your next event, let's go back to the basics.
Virtual Reality (VR)
As he defines it Oxford Dictionary:
The computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.
It starts from the idea of creating something “almost real”. VR is used in events to create interaction without boundaries and is often used in hybrid events or predominantly in virtual events.
Augmented Reality (AR)
It is similar to VR, but it doesn't create an alternative to reality, it complements it. I'm sure you've played or at least heard of Pokemon Go. The magic of that game was created with AR.
In Oxford Dictionary, AR is defined as:
A technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.
Like VR, augmented reality is often used in hybrid events.
Here are some ideas caught on the fly from colleagues in the MICE team to tackle AR or VR at your next event:
1. Twist it up with a bit of gamification
We've been talking about gamification, clearly becoming a powerful component of events and especially team development. You give an interesting and fun twist to a serious event.
Combining the useful with the enjoyable - you can help participants communicate with each other, gather feedback, promote event partners and all this with gamification. And, of course, you can do this with VR or AR.
2. Displaying products
And here we're talking about products that are perhaps more complicated to bring to an event - we have the well-known example of Volskwagen, when they developed an app for the Golf Cabriolet. The app uses AR and VR and gives you the possibility to discover the car with just a smartphone.
3. Creating a hybrid event
Before realizing a virtual event you can try organizing a hybrid event. That is, in addition to attendees coming in a conventional (or not) location, you can also have those who participate online from different parts of the world.
And here we don't mean live streaming the event, but experiencing the event with Virtual Reality. A handy example is the 2016 Rio Olympics.
4. VR stands
We live in an age where information is power. And brands want to communicate, which is why more and more are starting to offer information in different formats. Among these is VR.
Here we have the example of colleagues from Internet & Mobile World yes Bucharest Technology Week, At one of our events - Inspiration Day - they presented their events through an app and VR glasses.
5. Offers virtual tours
Unique experiences with the help of an app and a pair of VR goggles. We can talk about how interactive the event is for our colleagues from Imobiliarium or better we invite you to enjoy the experience Imobiliarium on October 12-14.
6. Interactive Presentations
The content of an event is in the top 3 reasons attendees choose to attend an event. Presentations and information delivered by speakers can also be provided in the form of AR.
A very good example is Bill Chang's speech:
Conclusion
Both Virtual and Augmented Reality take your event experience to the next level. And if your audience is tech savvy... bingo!
