Tech
Digital
meets
physical
In recent years augmented reality has
convincingly hit the mainstream, but what does
this mean for the events industry?
O
rganisers are perhaps
justifiably sick of
constantly being told (often
in EN ) about the latest
game-changing event tech,
but it’s hard to deny the
possibilities of augmented
reality on the show floor.
It’s on the exhibitor
side that the technology is
starting to noticeably make
an impact on the trade
show floor. On a large scale,
augmented reality can bring
significant footfall and
interaction to exhibition
stands, with one example
developed by creative
agency Ekstasy in 2017
photographed by visitors
over 2,000 times over four
days at Bett. Visitors could
see themselves mirrored
on a big screen, as a hidden
camera tracked their
movements and then an
animation interacted with
them in real time.
The company’s case study
of the project noted that,
“VR headsets would have
limited the need for a mass
participation experience” –
an issue often cited around
the use of virtual reality at
events.
From the event organiser
side, there has been
an intriguing growth
in augmented reality
wayfinding using mobile
phones.
While visitors using the
technology on the show
floor to find their way to
stands and events may be
some way off, advancements
in Bluetooth beacons have
prompted some companies
to explore AR wayfinding in
buildings such as airports
(including Gatwick).
“AR a really good way to
drive additional revenue,
ROI and to make your event
space work harder,” Dave
Mather, senior marketing
manager at Zappar, tells EN.
Zappar’s specialism, as
Mathers puts it, is being the
bridge between physical and
digital.
“Alongside that you’ve got
data collection,” he adds.
“It’s a way of collecting data
in a fun, new and exciting
way.”
Zappar largely uses codes,
on something like a poster
or graphic, which event
attendees or exhibitors can
scan using their own devices
through an app. Looking
through their phone
cameras, users can then
see the augmented reality
experience in 2D or 3D and
potentially interact with it.
Mathers acknowledges
that Pokémon Go, which
became a global (if brief)
phenomenon when it
launched in the summer of
2016.
“Most journalists cite
Pokémon Go as the key,
pivotal moment where AR
went mainstream,” he tells
EN.
Research released by
Zappar and global media
and marketing services
company Mindshare quotes
Apple CEO Tim Cook as
saying: “There was this
initial round of apps, and
people looked at them and
said, ‘this isn’t anything…’
And then step by step things
start to move…and now
you can’t imagine your life
without apps. AR is like that.
It will be dramatic.”
The report stated that,
while “awareness and usage
of AR is currently low, over
half (55 per cent) of the
people we surveyed agreed
that ‘it would be a good
thing if you could point your
phone at any object and get
additional information’.
Despite the current AR
landscape predominantly
delivering one-off
experiences, over a third (36
per cent), rising to half (50
per cent) of 18-34-year-olds
agreed that they can ‘think
of many ways that AR could
fit into their lives’.”
Inconclusive, perhaps,
but while it may be early
days for AR at exhibitions
the tech may well be one to
watch. EN
June — 45