Virtual Become Real

Virtual Site Visits

Nothing, not a freaking thing, will ever, ever take the place of a boots on the ground site inspection. You need to see the sites, smell the smells, and experience a destination or hotel first hand to understand how your attendees will live your event. What VR can do to help you now is narrow the field quickly so that you can make the most of your resources and actually spend some time at home with the kids and the dog.

Google Earth VR is just one of the ways you can visit a destination without leaving your office. You can strap on the Oculus Rift, plug in a destination, and go. Fly right down to the city streets or soar above like an eagle, or like Underdog, I was always partial to being Underdog. Underdog is cool. But you be you.

Beyond the Googleverse, many of our favorite hotels and resorts are jumping into the VR pool, posting videos of their properties to YouTube and other channels. Planners can get a feel for the property before they ever get on plane. Hell, you can even go look at the hotel before you get on the phone with a salesperson and If you find the hotel is not good for your group, you save the poor salesperson heartache because we all know that you screen their calls and ignore their emails… Just sayin.

Here is a look at just one of many YouTube 360 videos that Shangri-La Hotels have created. Totally awesome right. You can really get an idea of what you can expect to find. Now you can decide if you want to take it to the next level or put it on the back burner.

Another way that events and conferences are seeing VR in use today is through the exhibitors and sponsors. These wonderful folks that we treat like virtual cash machines are bringing their own virtual madness to demo their wares and entertain the masses in the hope of making a buck. Companies like Samsung, Bacardi, and even McDonald’s are getting in on the action. Should you have a sponsor that sends and email and asks for extra space so they can set up a cool VR area, just say yes. Attendees are totally going to dig it.

Here is a look at McD’s at SXSW with their artist experience. Yes. That McDonald’s. You see those smiles, those crowds. All those super happy peeps are not happy because someone slapped egg and ham on an English Muffin or plopped Thousand Island on the burger version of a club sandwich, they are happy because they are trying something unique and cool and interesting, and fun, and wild, and exciting. Perhaps they will supersize that order now.