If you want to elevate your brand, generate leads, and build stronger customer relationships with your next event, it needs to be memorable—and in order to do that, you need to be ahead of the curve.
Being ahead of the curve can mean different things to different people—for some, it’s creating something your audience hasn’t seen before, for others it’s sheer extravagance. But for us: being ahead of the curve means surprising and delighting when it comes to your attendee’s experiences by truly making every moment count. We know—the bar’s set pretty high. But it should be—because when it comes to your events, they deserve more than just basic tactics.
This poses the age-old question, “What can you do that hasn’t been done before?”
This is where immersive tech comes in. Immersive technologies help you create unique experiences, blending physical reality with one that’s digital or simulated for unparalleled levels of engagement. But they’re not cheap and you have to use them in the right way to ensure the best possible ROI—so let’s dive in and explore some of the most immersive technologies out there for creating a stand-out event.
Using extended reality technologies to create memorable event experiences
You’ll likely know a little bit about the different types of reality already: virtual, augmented, and mixed. Collectively, these are known as ‘extended reality’ or “XR”.
These technologies create immersive virtual experiences that, not so long ago, were unimaginable. But nowadays, you can transport attendees into entirely new experiences, whether a fictional world, a future event venue or to bring your new product offering to life. And the best part? Because of the digital element, it can be used for all of your event types—whether live, virtual, or hybrid events.
Augmented reality (AR), on the other hand, brings play into the real world, overlaying physical reality with sensory information. Through it, we are able to interact with what’s directly in front of us, but it’s enhanced through virtual reality. For example, remember Pokémon? It started out available to play on consoles, however, a few years back they released Pokémon GO—providing all of the fun of the game, for people to enjoy in their own environments. It became all the rage and showed just how powerful Augmented Reality can be, and how it can help to gamify your experiences. But it’s not just about gamification. This technology can be used throughout the event lifecycle, whether to personalise the attendee experience or to assist with the event itself. For example, augmented reality is often used to scan QR codes—and it’s growing in popularity too, with 42% of event planners considering it for their events.
As for mixed reality (MR), this technology brings the physical and the virtual together. For example, a virtual portal could be placed at an event to enable attendees to interact with a story in real time, play augmented games, and participate in virtual photo booths.
But whichever type of extended reality (XR) you opt for, there’s no doubt it will boost engagement and get people talking long after the event is over. Be sure to act on it quickly, though, as the extended reality global market is predicted to reach just over $100 bn by 2026!
Utilising the metaverse to create memorable event experiences
Facebook changing its name to ‘Meta’ helped bring this virtual world into the public consciousness. The organisation, alongside other big names such as Microsoft and Epic Games, are building their own metaverse – and it’s anticipated that 15.37 million people in the UK will be using them by 2030. Even the Kardashians have their own digital universe!
So, what exactly is the ‘metaverse’? As a basic definition, it’s a network of 3D environments where people can interact and connect with one another to do business, all via their ‘avatars’. It’s essentially the internet, VR-style, and it’s taking virtual experiences to the next level.
So far, Metaverse experiences have been used to create concerts, entertainment and gaming events, as well as more corporate experiences, such as:
- Trade shows
Including 3D design, customised virtual booths, live chat tools, gamification (such as trivia), live video, and even an online shop.
- Product launches
Including product demos, walkthroughs, tutorials and testimonials for audiences to watch. Plus, you can give attendees the option to order directly from you.
- Award ceremonies
With no need for a large physical space, the metaverse allows for greater scalability. People can also more easily build connections, attend live Q&A sessions, and participate in polls.
- Job fairs
The metaverse enables better access to a larger candidate pool. Training sessions can also be run, company profiles and videos can be shared, and users can even interact privately.
More engaging, social, and inclusive events like these trigger high-paying sponsors, increased attendees, and better overall ROI. Again, the metaverse is a relatively new concept, and only 9% of UK consumers have accessed it so far, despite 51% wanting to. It’s an ideal opportunity to gain a first-mover advantage.
Using 3D projection mapping technologies to create memorable event experiences
Drawing on digital lasers to project images on either screens or flat surfaces (such as ceilings, walls, and floors), this events technology works together with venues. Enabling you to utilise 3D projection mapping to add sound, colour, movement and texture (well, the illusion of it) to your event space.
3D projection mapping is typically used to share a visual story with audiences, and you can really get creative with it—enhancing an already captivating environment with context and depth, as Mercedes-Benz did when they launched their A-Class. This technology is growing in popularity, with the projection mapping market anticipated to experience a CAGR of 20% by 2028. But perhaps best of all, it requires none of the equipment used by the other technologies listed here, like headsets or props. All your attendees need is themselves. Which leaves their hands free to take lots of photos and videos to share and look back on!
Of course, these aren’t the only immersive event technologies out there. Artificial Intelligence, kinetic energy walkways, and drones all make for a historic occasion too… But you’ll want this blog to discover more information on that!