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Elevating Your Brand Experiences with Virtual & Remote Technology

This year has seen astonishing accelerations in science and technology.

People have also needed to reach out and connect with each other unlike any other time in recent history.

Some of the following virtual innovations will alter the landscape of live experiences forever. Others will simply make you smile. Whatever the case, here are some nifty examples of virtual tech and remote experiences that will leave you feeling like you’re in the year 3000.

iphone on macbook with headphones

Experiences

There are now more than 171 million VR users worldwide. Practically every business during the last 6 months has utilized remote technology to communicate and collaborate. People are plugged in. Now, brands need to make sure they are too.

Horizon

The next phase of social media is here. This time with an incredible Pixar-like virtual platform, that we don’t mind saying is rather impressive. Let’s start with the avatars. Your mouth and hands are mirrored when you speak, which when combined with some other gesture triggered expressions, making this the ultimate online hang-out experience.

You can play various games, head to different worlds and create your very own virtual experiences. Check out this early walkthrough. It sure beats scrolling through your newsfeed.

virtual avatars for live events

The Weeknd Experience

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Travis Scott and Fortnite earlier this year, The Weeknd drew over 2 million viewers to a virtual concert on TikTok. The event not only recorded 275,000 concurrent viewers at its peak, setting a new TikTok record, but raised $350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative through limited-edition merchandise.

The concert followed The Weeknd as he led fans through a “hallucinatory XR dream world”. Engagement was maintained with audience participation, where fans voted in the comments to guide the live experience. But the experience didn’t end there; videos that users shared with #TheWeekndEXP garnered more than 1.3 billion video views. Woah, that’s some serious amplification.

3D Tour of Pharaoh Ramesses VI Tomb

Another virtual tour to emerge from the global lockdown is this very cool (and quick!) 3D stroll down the elaborately adorned tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses VI. The Egyptian Tourism Authority decided to share the underground structure online, which is comprised of a single corridor leading down to the shattered sarcophagus, to continue sharing its history with the world.

The walls and the ceiling are decorated with vast inscriptions of hieroglyphics from ancient Egyptian texts.

hallway with egyptian art glyphic symbols

Design

You don’t always need an arsenal of digital wizardry; there are many ways to create a remote experience. By thinking outside of the box and stimulating the senses, you can transport your audience in a way that subverts expectations. Sometimes, the seemingly simple solutions can provide the biggest smiles.

VR 3D Portraits – Anna Dream Brush

Anna Zhilyaeva is a virtual artist who combines her traditional artistic skills of painting and sculpting, with computer graphics using software like Tilt-brush, Masterpiece, and Anim VR to create a dynamic three-dimensional piece of art, which she calls ‘a painted sculpture’.

The end result is a style reminiscent of impressionist oil paintings, revealing hidden characteristics when viewed from different angles.

Check out her TED Talk here.

VR artwork and content creation

Eau de Space

Have you ever wondered what space smells like? NASA asked scent specialists to develop the smell of space to help train astronauts and eliminate any surprises they might experience in outer space. The formula of the scent was kept secret for many years until the Eau de Space team was able to get their hands on it.

The team has partnered with award-winning perfumers to create a fragrance that brings the smell of space to Earth. How’s that for an alternative remote experience! And if you are by now wondering; astronauts describe the smell of space as ‘a mix of gunpowder, seared steak, raspberries, and rum.’

Eau De Space cologne

Technology

The worldwide VR market is set to reach $2.6 billion by the end of the year. By 2022, the global AR and VR market is expected to grow to an eye-watering $209.2 billion. While future mainstream applications remain uncertain, it’s looking likely that VR and AR technology will become commonplace in the new era of remote collaboration.

Spatial

Speaking of collaborative VR business tools… Spatial is a startup that does facilitate collaboration through augmented or virtual reality. You can use VR or mixed-reality headsets to host meetings, discuss projects, import content (including 3D models) and even share PC screens. You simply create an avatar and work as if you are next to each other, essentially transforming your room into a giant immersive 3D monitor. Try it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVujUnsKuhs

See how FIRST has helped brands around the world with virtual events and experiences.

Contact us to learn more about how FIRST can help you deliver creative and engaging virtual events and experiences.

 

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