We were invited to contribute the Elumenati perspective to LAVNCH WEEK 6’s Emerging Technologies Day, Tuesday, October 25. Our VP of Sales and Marketing, Hilary McVicker, joined a panel that explored the adoption of immersive experiences across several industries – from museums and LBE to experiential marketing and lobby displays.
The concept of immersion is ubiquitous these days – driven by the recent surge of interest and investment in virtual and extended realities. Headsets are awesome, but they present operational and experiential challenges that physically immersive environments solve. This is why we often describe our GeoDome solutions as Group VR experiences – their social, collaborative nature creates memorable moments. Here’s a video on our company’s evolution through multiple waves of VR technologies.
A/V design challenges increase as new and diverse industries call for immersive experiences in unusual spaces. Our panel discussed the importance of a holistic approach to design in choosing the right technology for each project. We discussed the importance of audio – whether it’s spatial audio providing directional cues, or ambient music creating a mood, audio is essential to immersion.
A theme that resonated through the conversation was that content is the most important part of an immersive experience. Good design is story-driven – technology should disappear in service to the narrative and the user experience. We talked about the democratization of tools for creating content, and how important it is for clients to be able to keep content evergreen to maximize ROI. Our suite of interactive software solutions – including our WorldViewer content engine – were designed with this in mind, and continue to evolve.
Finally, it’s part of the Elumenati philosophy that interactivity is key to an immersive experience. It increases the sense of presence, and adds an element of agency that truly engages participants in their experiences.
Project examples to explore:
- OmniFocus projection technology and the line of GeoDome turnkey solutions
- The Broomstick Flight Trainer and Space Pirates – both using physical user interfaces in the 360° Cyclorama
- The StoryTrails Project – a customized GeoDome Panorama for large audiences, alongside headsets and AR experiences
- Custom solutions at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers Basecamp
- Our line of OmniLED spheres and domes – solutions for spaces with high visibility and equally high ambient light (as well as high budgets!)
- The Cyclorama at Virginia Tech – “auralizing” data as well as visualizing it, with a 360° sound system