The Business Impact of Immersive Design for Events

Summary

In this immersive design session, Phil, the creative director at New Horizons, interviews Melissa Lawson, Chief Content Officer at cell GP, and Candice Davis, Director of Event Programming at vfares. They discuss how their companies utilize augmented reality, 3D design, and live content strategies to enhance audience engagement and create unforgettable experiences in the sailing and event tech industries. The conversation delves into the challenges of making niche sports accessible, the integration of AI in event design, and the potential of immersive technologies like AR and VR to revolutionize the future of live events and virtual experiences.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Phil introduces the session on immersive design with experts Melissa Lawson and Candice Davis, highlighting their roles in content strategy and event programming.
• 🏄‍♀️ Melissa explains cell GP's innovative approach to sailing, transforming it into a fast-paced, spectator-friendly sport with global appeal and teams from various nations.
• 📊 The importance of live line graphics in cell GP's broadcasts is emphasized, providing meaning and understanding to the races for viewers at home.
• 🚀 Melissa discusses the technical aspects of cell GP's broadcasts, including the use of GPS, helicopters, and specialist cameras to create the augmented reality graphics.
• 🌐 Candice talks about vfairs, an all-in-one event platform that offers hybrid, virtual, and in-person event solutions, emphasizing the company's global reach and customizable offerings.
• 💡 The session highlights the power of 3D design and virtual environments in creating immersive experiences for events, enhancing audience engagement and providing unique value propositions.
• 🔄 The conversation touches on the potential of immersive technologies like AR and VR in the future of sports broadcasting and event planning, suggesting new ways to enhance audience experiences.
• 🌱 Sustainability is a key theme in cell GP's operations, with a focus on reducing environmental impact through the use of technology and eliminating single-use plastics.
• 📈 Candice shares success stories of early adopters of virtual events, showcasing the benefits of virtual environments in reaching a global audience and generating sponsorship revenue.
• 🎮 The importance of gamification in virtual events is discussed, with vfairs creating in-house solutions to keep attendees engaged and to measure the success of these elements.
• 🔮 Looking ahead, the speakers contemplate the future of immersive design, with possibilities ranging from headsets for athletes to AI integration in event content and design strategies.

Q & A

What is the role of Phil in the discussion?

Phil is the Creative Director of New Horizons and is leading the discussion on immersive design.

What is Melissa Lawson's position at Cell GP?

Melissa Lawson is the Chief Content Officer at Cell GP.

How does Cell GP differentiate sailing from other sports like the America's Cup and the Olympics?

Cell GP focuses on a fast-paced version of sailing that is more like an extreme sport, with races held in stadium-like atmospheres making it accessible to fans. Unlike the America's Cup, which involves elite teams with expensive boats, or the Olympics, which is more amateur, Cell GP uses one-design boats to ensure the competition is about the athletes' skills rather than the boats' design.

What is the significance of the Live Line Graphics in Cell GP's broadcasts?

Live Line Graphics create a stadium on the water, giving meaning to the racing by allowing viewers to understand the course and competition. Without these graphics, the race would appear as organized chaos, making it difficult for casual viewers to follow.

How does V Fairs integrate technology like AI and 3D design into their event platform?

V Fairs uses AI and 3D design to create customizable event experiences for their clients. They work with technologies like meta and integrate AI to adapt to new advancements, offering solutions for virtual, hybrid, and in-person events.

What is the main challenge that Melissa and her team face in making sailing more understandable to a broader audience?

The main challenge is to explain the intricacies of sailing, which is a niche sport, in a way that is accessible to casual viewers. This involves using technologies like augmented reality graphics to visually represent the race dynamics and make the sport engaging for spectators.

How does V Fairs ensure that their event platform remains relevant and engaging for attendees?

V Fairs focuses on creating immersive and interactive experiences through the use of virtual environments and gamification elements. They also prioritize sustainability and offer global reach, allowing for a diverse attendee base.

What is the environmental approach that Cell GP takes in their events?

Cell GP uses a remote production approach, which reduces carbon footprints by minimizing the need for physical presence at the event location. They also avoid single-use plastics and use virtual sponsorship graphics instead of physical signs.

How does Candace Davis's role as Director of Event Programming and Creative Services at V Fairs contribute to the success of virtual events?

Candace Davis oversees event programming and creative services, ensuring that V Fairs' customers achieve success with their virtual, hybrid, and in-person events. She also hosts a podcast called Epic Events, where she discusses trends in event technology and the industry.

What potential future applications of immersive technologies do Melissa and Candace see for their respective industries?

Melissa sees potential for immersive technologies like VR to assist sailors by providing real-time data without disrupting the boat's aerodynamics. Candace envisions a future where virtual events in the metaverse offer more interactive and personalized experiences for attendees.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Introduction to Immersive Design and Expert Guests

The video script begins with Phil, the creative director of New Horizons, introducing himself and the topic of immersive design. He welcomes two experts in the field, Melissa Lawson, the chief content officer at Cell GP, and Candice Davis, the director of event programming and creative services at VFares. Phil provides a brief overview of their roles and experiences, setting the stage for a discussion on immersive design and its applications in various industries.

05:01

🌊 Discussing Cell GP's Disruptive Sports Startup

Melissa Lawson elaborates on Cell GP, a sports startup that brings a fast-paced version of sailing to fans globally. She explains the company's innovative approach to making sailing more accessible and understandable to a broader audience through 360 Live content strategy and immersive design. Melissa highlights the use of live line graphics to create a stadium on water, enhancing the viewer's experience and making the sport more engaging.

10:02

🎨 VFares' Role in Virtual and Hybrid Events

Candice Davis introduces VFares as an all-in-one event platform that specializes in virtual, hybrid, and in-person events. With over 12 years of experience in event planning, Candice discusses the company's focus on creativity and design in virtual events. She talks about the integration of AI and other emerging technologies in event strategies, emphasizing the importance of customization and the creation of immersive environments for attendees.

15:03

🏎️ The Intersection of Immersive Design and Audience Engagement

The conversation shifts to the commonality between Cell GP and VFares in terms of audience engagement and the value of immersive design. Phil asks Melissa about the live audience experience at Cell GP events, and she describes the atmosphere and the use of augmented reality graphics to enhance the broadcast experience. The discussion highlights the importance of technology in making sports more understandable and engaging for viewers.

20:04

🌐 The Technology Behind Cell GP's Augmented Reality Graphics

Melissa delves deeper into the technology used by Cell GP, explaining that it's based on GPS positioning and requires careful setup and rehearsal. She talks about the use of helicopters with specialist camera systems and the challenges of adapting to changing conditions. Melissa also discusses the environmental benefits of their remote production approach and the potential for sponsored graphics in the virtual environment.

25:04

🚀 VFares' Success Stories and Gamification

Candice shares success stories of VFares' clients, emphasizing the importance of early adaptation to virtual events. She talks about universities and trade shows that benefited from virtual events and the unique opportunities they provided. Candice highlights the role of gamification in enhancing attendee engagement and the customizability of VFares' platform to meet brand needs.

30:05

🌴 Recreating a Luxury Beach Resort in 3D for a Virtual Event

Candice recounts a specific success story where VFares recreated a luxury beach resort in 3D for a virtual conference. She describes the process of recreating the resort's architecture and aesthetics, and the impact it had on attendees. The story illustrates the power of 3D design in creating memorable and immersive experiences, as well as the potential for customization to enhance the event's appeal.

35:05

💡 Future of Immersive Technologies in Sports and Events

The conversation turns to the future of immersive technologies, with Phil and Candice discussing the potential impact of VR, AR, and AI on their industries. They explore the idea of athletes using headsets for strategic purposes and the possibility of audiences having the same experience as the broadcast. The discussion also touches on the challenges of adoption in the event industry and the excitement around new technologies.

40:06

📝 Final Thoughts on Immersive Design and Its Applications

In the concluding part of the script, Phil thanks Melissa and Candace for their insights into immersive design and its applications. He reflects on the wide range of possibilities for brands to capitalize on immersive design. The session ends with a transition to the next speaker, Darren, who will discuss video marketing.

Keywords

💡Immersive Design

Immersive design refers to the creation of digital environments or experiences that deeply engage users by surrounding them with visual, auditory, and sometimes haptic stimuli. In the context of the video, it is used to enhance the viewing experience of sports events, making them more understandable and enjoyable for the audience. The term is closely related to the main theme of using technology to improve audience engagement and experience.

💡Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented Reality is a technology that overlays digital information, such as images or data, onto the real world, enhancing the user's perception and interaction with their environment. In the video, AR is crucial for displaying live race data and creating a virtual race track, which helps viewers comprehend the dynamics of the sailing event.

💡3D Design

3D Design involves the creation of three-dimensional models or environments, which can be used in various applications like video games, movies, or virtual reality experiences. In the video, 3D design is used to render逼真的 environments and elements, such as the cityscape in the background of the sailing race, enhancing the broadcast and making it more engaging for the audience.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the practice of meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In the context of the video, sustainability is important in the production of sports events, where the use of technology aims to reduce environmental impact, such as eliminating single-use plastics and using biofuels where possible.

💡Virtual Events

Virtual events are online gatherings or conferences that allow people to connect and interact through digital platforms. These events have become increasingly popular, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they provide a way to continue business and social interactions without the need for physical presence. In the video, virtual events are leveraged to recreate physical experiences, like job fairs and conferences, in a digital environment.

💡Gamification

Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts to engage users and solve problems. It often involves the use of points, levels, challenges, and rewards to motivate and encourage participation. In the video, gamification is discussed as a key strategy to enhance engagement in virtual events, making them more interactive and fun.

💡Broadcast

Broadcast refers to the transmission of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, such as radio, television, or the internet. In the video, broadcast is central to the discussion of how sports events are presented to viewers, with a focus on enhancing the broadcast with immersive design elements.

💡Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual Reality is a simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. It is achieved through the use of computer technology to create a three-dimensional, interactive environment that a user can explore and interact with. In the video, VR is discussed as a potential future technology that could be leveraged to provide immersive experiences, such as allowing sailors to view the race from a strategist's perspective without physically turning their heads.

💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. In the video, AI is mentioned as a technology that is being integrated into the design and content creation processes, potentially enhancing the personalization and interactivity of virtual events.

💡Sustainability in Sports

Sustainability in sports refers to the efforts made by sports organizations to reduce their environmental impact and promote ecological conservation. This includes adopting practices like using renewable energy, minimizing waste, and reducing carbon emissions. In the video, the discussion on sustainability in sports highlights the initiatives taken to make sailing events more eco-friendly, such as using biofuels and eliminating single-use plastics.

Highlights

Phil introduces the session on immersive design with experts in the field, emphasizing the importance of audience engagement and making events understandable and enjoyable.

Melissa Lawson, Chief Content Officer at Cell GP, explains how her organization brings a fast-paced version of sailing to fans globally, using immersive design to make the sport accessible and exciting.

Cell GP uses augmented reality graphics to create a 'stadium on the water', allowing viewers to understand the race dynamics and enhancing the spectator experience.

Candice Davis, Director of Event Programming and Creative Services at Vfair, discusses the role of virtual and hybrid events in modern event strategy, and how technology is key in achieving success in these formats.

Vfair's platform is highly customizable, integrating AI and specialized cameras to provide a unique and engaging virtual event experience for attendees.

Melissa highlights the importance of sustainability in Cell GP's operations, using technology to reduce the environmental impact of their events.

Candice shares her personal success story with Vfair, transitioning from a customer to a part of the team, and the impact of gamification in virtual events.

The discussion touches on the potential of immersive technologies like AR and VR in the future of event design and broadcasting, and how they could revolutionize audience engagement.

Melissa and Candice emphasize the importance of collaboration and synergy in creating innovative and impactful immersive design solutions.

The session explores the idea of using immersive design as a supplement to main content, such as enhancing a safety webinar with 3D or augmented reality elements.

The speakers discuss the challenges and potential solutions in adopting new technologies like AI and VR in the event industry, highlighting the need for open-mindedness and innovation.

Candice talks about the power of 3D design in creating memorable and impactful virtual environments, such as recreating a luxury beach resort for a corporate conference.

Melissa shares insights on the technical aspects of Cell GP's augmented reality graphics, including the use of GPS positioning and data capture from boats.

The conversation delves into the potential of simulators and other immersive tools for athlete training and fan engagement in the future.

The speakers agree on the importance of creating a compelling story through technology, using immersive design to amplify narratives and make sports more understandable and engaging.

The session concludes with a discussion on the future of immersive technologies and their potential to transform the event and sports industry, with a focus on sustainability and audience engagement.

Transcripts

[Music]

but I'm Phil I'm the creative director

of New Horizons here at supersize a

leader team of augmented reality and 3D

design Specialists and we've got another

exciting session for you on immersive

design and I'm joined by two experts who

use immersive in their kind of core

product offerings first I'd like to

introduce Melissa Lawson Melissa is the

chief content officer at cell GP a

global organization bringing a

fast-paced version of sailing to fans in

her role Melissa is responsible for

providing creative leadership and

implementing a 360 Live content strategy

from negotiating it's quite a lot to

read this one from negotiations key

Acquisitions and content production and

Partnerships programming she has worked

at in production for over 15 years at

companies like meta and Red Bull media

house welcome Melissa

thank you lovely to be here pleasure so

we also have our second speaker the

wonderful Candice Davis as the Director

of event programming and creative

services at vfares events like this are

some are Candace's bread and butter she

oversees event programming and creative

Services ensuring vfares customers are

achieving continued success and positive

outcomes with each virtual hybrid and

in-person event they host Candice also

runs an awesome podcast called epic

events where she sits down with event

professionals from across the world to

discuss event Tech and event industry

Trends welcome Candace thanks so much

for having me Philip it's great to be

here

awesome well welcome to you both uh

there's lots to cover today and this is

a very big wide topic and you guys both

come at it from different areas so I

think to start off with

um as an introduction to both of your

kind of companies and your roles uh I'd

like to kind of just yeah unpack what

what your you know kind of offerings are

so Melissa I'll hand it to you cell GP

has a really interesting kind of product

offering audience base you know all of

the things that it does I would really

like to kind of understand you know what

self GP is what it stands for how you

use immersive so I'm gonna hand the mic

to you kind of tell us about all what

you do

no problem uh so cell GP is a highly

disruptive uh Sports startup

um in in the space of sailing but we we

rarely refer to it as sailing it's it's

racing on water it's

um it's 10 teams

um from net from different nations so

anywhere from Australia to Germany with

Sebastian Vettel just you know joining

us with his German team

um to

a large number of global destinations so

we've got a 12 different destinations

around the world Sailing In general is

not a sport that you watch on TV you

know probably most people would have

seen sailing in two different

um environments one being the America's

Cup where it's two extremely Elite teams

you know billionaires running very very

expensive boats it's all about the boat

design and they basically pit two boats

against each other and whoever wins wins

the America's Cup uh quite an epic

racing series but it's long and

um

mainly involves similar sort of sailors

to to the ones who compete in cell GP

and then we have

um you know the Olympics where it's

actually quite amateur

um and and there's a large range of

different types of boats and they

compete

um in you know open water and then then

it gets more Niche and more niche as you

go into ocean racing and match racing

and

um around the world racing and all these

other things so basically what cell DP

is trying to do is bring uh you know

this sort of racing to the people so we

always race in stadium type atmospheres

um which which is weird but we're just

at Chicago's Navy Pier on you know two

weeks ago San Francisco at the Golden

Gate Bridge Centro pay there's there's a

wonderful Bay there at Sydney Harbor so

so basically it's touchable by fans

um One Design boat so it's not

billionaires just making the best boats

every single boat is the same and it's

it's it's the best athletes in those

boats who win it's very very fast and I

would I would describe it as more like

an extreme sport it's it's very similar

to I you know high-tech racing on water

um and I guess one of the biggest

problems that we had to solve is it's

great you know you have these boats out

in water but but when when you hit the

start like there's one key thing start

line is where the race uh has already

sometimes been won right so getting to

the start line is super important but

after that it's it's a series of boats

going around different markers and I can

tell you 100 I'm not from a sailing

background so when I came to the sport a

year ago I had to sort of figure out how

do we talk about sailing which is so uh

niche in so many different communities

uh describe it as as racing and then

make it understandable to

um anyone who Tunes in as a casual

viewer luckily cell GP had something

called live line graphics which creates

the stadium on the water and those

Graphics basically give meaning to what

we're doing otherwise you're just seeing

a ton of boats sort of lining up for a

period of time and then they go uh and

it and it looks like organized chaos as

soon as you put the live line Graphics

down over

um that that course suddenly everything

has meaning uh and and the boats sort of

compete against each other along a

ladder line and then you can see who's

winning even if they're going in a

different direction for what you assume

the winner would go so it's I guess

create the race track essentially is and

so you can understand

Exodus in you know kind of you know cool

ways if that didn't exist you if if

immersive graphics on top of what you're

what you're doing in the broadcast sense

didn't exist no one would really

understand what's going on it would just

be a bunch of bugs it is it is probably

closer to the reason for having the

sport than anything else like if you

can't explain to my kids who's winning

in a sailing race very easily they're

not going to watch it so you know what

what we really see is you know and

that's when I talked about we're

extremely disruptive because we have

that field of play you know mapped out

and it comes from you know specialist

cameras that that have that augmented

you know reality graphics on there and

then I can talk a bit a bit later about

how we sort of commodify that as well

and and we're able to to Really create

um a regular uh sporting platform out of

out of those Graphics that's I mean it's

so cool there's so much to unpack and I

think uh we'll definitely get into the I

love it I love I'll probably ask a few

technical questions but you know even if

you don't want to tackle them but I'm

really up for kind of deep diving deeply

into into why this is such a compelling

value proposition Candice

um V fairs have been a bit of a Mainstay

for quite a few years now in kind of

uh virtual hybrids immersive events and

have you um yeah pretty unique value

proposition as well I'd love to know a

bit more about the company and what you

do

yes um so I am the director of event

programming and creative Services I get

to do the fun stuff you know um I've

been an event planner for over 12 years

and it really is a big passion of mine

and just being able to couple my

experience with you know creativity and

design you know bring on Virtual events

I mean that really has been a big place

um that I found you know with my career

throughout the years and so I've been at

me fairs for two years we are an

all-in-one event platform so we are in

event Tech which is a very interesting

time to be an event Tech right now which

we're very proud of

um we have about 300 employees globally

all around the world that's what I love

about what we do and also our customers

are spread out you name them they're

there you know

um so we do hybrid virtual and in person

we have a component for each of those we

have products and solutions that our

customers come to us with they have you

know a strategy they have a problem to

solve whether there to help with both of

those we say so our platform is very

customizable which we really love that

about it we work in 2D 3D design of

course we're working with meta and

integrating AI of course chat GPT has

been a big thing for all of us in event

Tech too really adapting and embracing

all these new technologies which changes

every single day but it's exciting we've

been around for about eight years as a

company and we see virtual events as

kind of the first thing that really got

us started in the industry so we really

started career jobs fair you know fairs

that sort of thing and kind of landed

into all the other use cases that have

come along for our customers so

conferences trade shows

um you know job fairs Career Fairs like

I mentioned and so many more that we do

so I am just happy to to be able to work

with our customers every single day and

helping them to determine their

strategies because it's really hard when

you've never done events like this

virtually before

you really need some help and guidance

from someone who's been in the industry

for a while doing these things to help

guide so that's really what I'm here to

do as well is to help determine you know

strategies and design to go forward to

create these virtual environments that

their attendees will be

um you know seeing and kind of getting

into so like you mentioned our podcast

comes out monthly epic events I get to

sit down with event professionals all

across the world which is one of my

favorite things to do and talk about the

trends that we're seeing in Events maybe

some things to be aware of some topics

that you know need to be covered that

are happening at the moment

um and that's quite a few hats but uh

that's what I do here awesome yeah I

mean I think I guess both even though

these are I guess both ends of the

Spectrum in terms of immersive design 3d

design how it's articulated

the kind of commonality here is audience

engagement and making sure everyone has

the kind of the most value out of the of

the core propositions whether that is

bringing people together in person or

hybrid or through broadcast I guess

there's is there Melissa can I ask is

there an actual live audience element to

cell GP or is it is it predicated on on

the on the broadcast is that where

everyone is

no the live the live audience are there

so Stadium Racing so we have

um you know Cadiz for example there's 70

000 people

wow on site watching the racing but what

they can't see is the augmented reality

Graphics so they get a completely

different experience being on site it's

um for me for them it's more like a

football atmosphere you know they've got

the flares going they've got the drums

going you know and and they're um

you know able to go to concession stands

and do all those real things that you

want to go to a sports event for

um but until you get home and watch it

on the broadcast or on on on YouTube you

really unless you're a sailing

Aficionado you really won't understand

who is winning at what time so you can't

see the Jeopardy of what's going on so

the broadcast audience with this sort of

racing really gets to understand if

Australia you know finishes One ladder

line in front of New Zealand at that

particular marker then it would be very

hard for for New Zealand to to take them

over at the next Market but so you can

sort of see boats I guess and the

broadcast audience really

moving up those ladder lines uh in a

racing format so that that core

technology can you unpack that a little

bit for us because it sounds pretty

special and pretty Cutting Edge is there

like is there any kind of core

technology or design or or way that it's

approached that is particularly like

unique or Innovative there's anything

you can kind of tell us about that yeah

it's it's patent and technology so there

is the technology is pretty much all

predicated on on GPS positioning because

it's hard to you know again the most

difficult thing about this technology is

it's on water so there's no marker for

the augmented reality

um uh lines to lay on or there's there's

no Distance by which oh okay one meter

from here we'll put put the lines out

because it's you are in a in a sorry

I'll just I'll just State on that that's

how a lot of AR because what we

generally build is a lot of like marker

based augmented reality experiences

where you can essentially track

whatever's going on in the real world or

overlay whatever's going on digitally

onto the real world but it generally

means something to to Anchor to

otherwise you wouldn't know

if it's over here or if it's over there

so is this basically GPS based yeah GPS

yeah

yeah um augmented reality and at the

moment we're using helicopters so we

have a helicopter in the air with a

specialist camera system that

um needs to be uh

you know very carefully set up we we

actually it's one of the the

disadvantages is we always have to do a

full rehearsal day before the event so

we have to have all the boats out there

um so so we can set up the course and

configure it in the right way

um and also with sailing like there's so

many things uh that changes every with

every C State and win condition the

course will change so sometimes the

course the Finish Line will move closer

to the final markers because if the

boats aren't you know performing well

because the wind is not good enough we

don't want to force our TV audience to

watch the whole thing it's not it's just

not a fun experience anymore it doesn't

feel like racing so we shorten the legs

of the race so they can finish earlier

and that's all part of our rules so

we're very much designed to fit into a

90-minute window broadcast window

whereas no other sailing you know on

Earth would do that it's it's impossible

to predict wind and water and those

sorts of things but there's a couple of

other things that we add it's not just

the sort of the Ley lines or the

boundaries we also have

um you know 10 000 points of data coming

off every boat every second so that then

pings up into the Oracle cloud

uh we we capture that data and and turn

around immediately like flags on top of

the boats uh the the speed of the boats

you know how fast they're going and then

all that technology comes back to us

um within the broadcast Center and and I

I guess the real advantage of doing it

this way is that we're we're doing an

entirely remote production so I don't

turn up with 130 people globally

um you know and you know Carbon

Footprints and you know people you know

accommodating people and people having

to get to cars to drive everywhere we we

all do it out of London

um because all those data points and

everything from those cameras is coming

back to us and we can see it in real

time so I guess there's an environmental

or sustainability approach to this as

well we don't need to put a ton of stuff

out in the water and that's that's I

guess that second layer is that we can

put

um sponsored Graphics around the field

of play as well so that you know if you

go to a football match you'll see the

LED screens with all the the changing

advertisements and for us we program

that with our sponsors beforehand and

they just roll out in a virtual

environment so

I guess we are also I should have said

at the beginning a sport that's powered

by by nature and and our motto is better

sport better Planet so we're being

disrupted from a sports perspective

but

um a huge motivator for us to do a lot

of these things is you know there's no

single-use plastics on site so we don't

have to be ripping sponsors signs off

um after we leave a venue it's all done

virtually and I think

that's been a massive Revelation to me

you don't you don't really think about

when you go to a physical event how much

of that stuff gets like ripped up and

thrown away at the end because and

literally ripped off you can't really

reuse um some of those overlays that you

put on you know science it's quite

amazing and I think that whole

sustainability angle and that and is is

you know really compelling and I just

love the fact that

technology is the enabler of all of

these things and it's such a sometimes

especially working in the space of of

immersive Technologies

we do get us the question from from

customers or from clients is like why

you know why is it sometimes a bit

novelty and Roots you know you've got

such a root cause for for for doing it

and I think then onto you Candace with

that with what I thought maybe

um in the times that should not be named

of covid uh that it kind of was the real

Boom for for virtual and it kind of

brought it into the you know everyone's

Consciousness a lot more and I guess

it's it's stuck around because of

the democratization of of us being able

to speak right now for example or and

sustainability within events but going

back to something that Melissa was

saying about like kind of sponsorship

customization all those elements that's

what I think was one of the you know

core benefits of vfares and why people

you know because Brands want to speak

how Brands speak and look how Brands

look and sometimes even though maybe on

the platform that we're on right now is

not always as customizable as a brand

needs to be able to have

immersive virtual events as part of

their program part of their marketing

part of their their voices that they're

getting out there so what what do you do

to kind of ensure that kind of Brands

can get what they want from from you

guys and have you got any kind of um

great use cases that people have used

your platform for that maybe have been

unexpected and have been really

successful

yeah you know these success stories are

some of my favorites to share I could

sit here all day and you know talk about

story after Story with customers who

have come to us because you know prior

to you know 2020 we had a great number

of customers who really adapted early to

Virtual events and a lot of these early

adopters were even some universities who

had job fairs and Career Fairs like I

talked about earlier who wanted to kind

of reach you know employees who are you

know outside of their state or even

outside of their country for some remote

work or even if they wanted to move you

know to wherever their location was for

their jobs that they were you know

handling and kind of trying to get

people in place for but um you know a

lot of trade shows and conferences were

going on virtually too and the the funny

thing is I kind of have two parts to

this the first part is I was a customer

for V fairs for about five years

and so that's like my biggest success

story

um I was on the other side you know I

was a customer coming to vfares going

hey I need some great 3D designs I need

an immersive you know environment where

our attendees can come in they know

exactly where to go I need some

sponsorship opportunities and all these

things were kind of set out in front of

me so it was a no-brainer the

gamification element was a really big

thing for us too at that time and this

was seven years ago when you know you

thought virtual event dignification a

leaderboard and getting points and you

know scavenger hunts all those sorts of

things were all virtual that was very

new you know even you know five seven

years ago and um really being the first

adapters themselves V fair is really

planning and executing and really

putting together you know their whole

you know years worth of products

um and sharing them and saying hey this

is coming down the line you know and the

the biggest thing for me is I would say

hey have you guys you know started to

work on XYZ gamification this would be

really cool for our audience and our

attendees and I'm telling you the next

thing you knew it the the team with the

dev team was together and they would

meet with me the next month and go hey

Candace we listened to what you had to

say we want to implement this and it

just blew my mind so I've been on the

other side of this and and you know so

grateful to be here be fierce now too

but that's my own you know personal

success story I have seen amazing

success from the virtual events that I

plan with for you know V fairs

um for about five years and the

sponsorship opportunities that came

along for the clients that I worked on

behalf of were absolutely incredible the

things that they couldn't do in person

that they could really capitalize on

virtually not only the global reach but

the sponsorship Revenue uh the attendees

like I mentioned just across the

different parts of the world really

impacted their business and their

strategy that helps keep them really

strong and then of course the pandemic

happens in 2020 and they were all set up

for Success they didn't have to have a

Dr plan it was already happening it was

already in place

um so there have been some really smart

you know customers and companies out

there who have really adapted early and

those uh unfortunately in 2020 who had

not had a plan together in case

something crazy happened in the world

um a lot of them you know came to us it

was a very busy year it was one of our

craziest years 20 2020 and 2021 but my

second point to this is I have a really

interesting um story to share the the

power of successful 3D design

um that really enhanced the specific you

know customer and and Conference that

came our way so

you know many of our success stories you

know are based on you know um customers

who come to us saying here's the problem

you know we're usually in person and

this was exactly the same story we have

this conference that we you know hold

annually that's super important to us

down in Boca Raton Florida

um and it was at this stunning luxury

Beach Resort and they had had this there

for years so this really kind of you

know had a big setback to them they

thought at first of going virtual and

not being you know at this amazing

Resort in Florida every single year so

they came to us back in 2020 they were a

large corporation you would all know

their name

um and so we were able to recreate sit

down with them and kind of say hey we

want to recreate we know you guys love

this Resort your attendees love to come

here your sales reps what if we recreate

this you know famous Beach Resort that

you really love we recreated 3D and

virtual

um and so they thought it kind of like

blew their mind like you guys can

recreate you know the the architecture

and all the things that we love and know

about this building and we said yeah we

can so um you know we got together with

our design team and we initially had

some of the original photos and some of

the areas within the resort they really

wanted to capitalize on and recreate

because it was just absolutely beautiful

and amazing

um and this you know Resort held a very

special place in their hearts because

this conference wasn't your typical

conference and event this was more like

a a large-scale family reunion if you

will which I'd never really felt I mean

you really felt this you know with this

specific customer they really connected

with each other they

um you know were very close for years

because in this industry it's very Niche

it's a very very tight and close

industry so we needed to make this

virtual event super special and

impactful and coming away with really

memorable experiences yeah I think I

think that's like 3D design in general

yeah kind of ability to to uh you know

and it's been very you know the barrier

to entry for 3D now is so much lower

than it used to be you know I remember

back in the day I had

you know even though I'm surrounded by

computers now but like huge ones

incredibly incredibly expensive ones and

this software is so incredibly expensive

and now you know you can do pretty much

anything from a laptop with like

um open source software

and you can like bring 3d into your

stack of of marketing or with whether

with your events like it's so much

easier now and it doesn't cost a mile

and a leg and it's you know so much more

and it's so much better to to integrate

in in that way yeah and that's the

beauty of 3D design you know we wanted

to make this 3D and virtual experience

um have some of the same Aesthetics

um as the real venue so our design team

they had fun recreating the architecture

the architecture of this Resort is

absolutely stunning

um and it's this beautiful salmon color

and had all the tropical elements like

palm trees flowers all the things you

would see you know in in South uh

Florida and so we recreated this and it

blew my mind also it was animated and

that's another thing we really love to

do on top of 3D design is animate things

put avatars that are that are moving you

know put cars that are you know driving

and and kind of buzzing around and you

know put even animals and birds flying

it's amazing what these little details

will really do to make and if event

really come to life but

um since this is a creative audience I

think you all will appreciate this once

we had the the virtual rendering of the

hotel we put it next to the original

photo of the actual in-person hotel and

realized it looks something straight out

of a West Anderson film which I'm sure

some of you may appreciate I really did

and I thought wait a minute this looks

very familiar to something that I really

love so Aesthetics you know colors all

these elements really have a place

um and especially a virtual setting and

just the power that this event proved

for this customer was

um just absolutely on another level and

and really stunning too and one more

thing you know that I want to note as

well they had this beautiful spa and

pool area that had this Mediterranean

feel so we were able to you know

recreate that and you know on top of

that what I love about 3D design you can

make it your own you know we added some

things that were not actually in person

but we added things to make it more

impactful for the person who was sitting

behind the computer screen so we love

adding those special special touches to

you know too that's really important to

us to making it super customized

I think yeah I mean you've that that

kind of value proposition and you know

especially coming from the brand world

is that you want to make it your own and

you don't want templates and and kind of

grids that are you know the ones that

your competitors use you want to be able

to make it something that is true to

yourself and especially I've just been

loving all this kind of remote and

virtual chat as well because you know

here here at superside that's what we

are and we we have a you know completely

globally distributed team and that's our

superpower in so many ways because we

have you know wonderful people all over

the world and these all technology

enables that I have got a couple I'm

going to change tax like because I've

got a couple of audience questions that

have come in and I think I'll just jump

into those and then we can get back into

some of the other topics but first ones

for you um Melissa from will is you're

kind of broadcast augmented reality like

super high tech I'd imagine you know all

of the best cameras all of the best uh

cloud and all of the best processing do

you ever anticipate on having augmented

reality or other immersive capabilities

on site

within people's own devices or is there

any kind of audience focused elements

that could you think is that is that a

way that could ever happen is that maybe

where things would be going is to kind

of democratize that access potentially

or you're on mute Melissa sorry

oh no I was the one who did it I was

probably the only one who did it it was

nearly me don't worry it was nearly me I

am

we don't have any cabled cameras on site

so again from a unique uniqueness point

of view Everything is Everything is

available as data points so we we have

and can have where you where you can put

the uh your phone up and you can see the

the ladder lines or the Ley lines or any

of that information

um you know virtually while you're at

the venue but it's not it hasn't been

something we've invest invested in at

this point in time and it's it's the

same with like

um

we have you know plans for like

simulators

um and they're coming and they're super

close but it's it's a it's a long

journey to get it you know really

correct and and for us something like a

simulator is is for really athletes to

train on it's these boats are hard to to

transport around so between events

athletes don't get to train

for this sport it's they get to

um train in a gym or in a

um you know other types of boats but

these particular boats given how high

tech they are and our sustainability of

travel so we we ship things we are

really sustainable so that that's

sometimes a blessing and a curse that we

ship the boats everywhere in um and and

so they we don't get access to those

boats in between the events uh so those

sorts of things that are designed we're

going for like practical First what is

the highest um bang for our buck that we

get out of out of um that virtual world

we have in addition to the augmented

reality we are doing 3D graphic designs

so when you enter our broadcast you

enter into a world that's been

completely rendered because we were

starting to notice like the augmented

reality Graphics are fine and they're

they're cool and they're high-tech but

they're also you know what's the next

Generation looking like and and that

idea of like gamifying the reality is

really important for us especially we

have a we actually have a younger than

you'd expect audience especially for a

live sports event so we do recreate what

the city looks like because the only way

for us to see the city

um is from that helicopter view really

um and we don't want to you know again

fuel from a helicopter up there if we're

using a non-biofuel helicopter to be

just chartering around the city trying

to get those shots for us so now we

render all that into into 3D Graphics so

you can do a total fly through you can

see where the course is set up you can

see where the buildings are and then

eventually we're going to get to the

point where you can see where the wind

is flowing and that's why it affects the

water in in the way that it does but we

also have you know the athletes can pop

out of the water and you know there's

there's a lot of things that I throw at

our team who create these Graphics to be

like how do we go next level and I think

if you've seen the Nickelodeon sort of

um experience how do you make that

relevant to adults who who need more

information to consume the sport that

we're showing them I think the

Nickelodeon thing is great but it was

very much designed for kids so it felt

like a gimmick how do you put all of

this into a situation where where the

leaders and others will follow in our in

our Footsteps in terms of mixing

augmented reality you know one day

virtual reality but also this these 3D

um high and renders of of what our

stadium and you know athletes look like

I mean technically unpacking that like

the like even just the water being in

the mix and kind of having compositing

three real-time 3D with water fluid

dynamics augmented reality

go uh your technical team must be just

yeah

by Oracle remember so

Andrew is Larry Ellison so we we do push

of you know testing and you know I'm

definitely not the CTO either we have a

CTO who is truly uh gifted in this in

this area and sort of can interpret a

vision that I have

um with you know what what you know

we're capable of delivering and that's

right I think what we've actually got

are wonderful producers of just uh

brought up a video this is a very old

one sorry I should have I should have

given you a new one but the basically

the live line Graphics are are in there

that you'll see this is from very a

while ago sorry I should have

but it's still it's still demonstrable

of what you're talking about you can see

really good example of no Graphics there

and yeah

if the producers can find a more recent

one on YouTube I would say Google

Chicago because

um day one of Chicago is a perfect

example of where we mixed 3D and

augmented reality Graphics or San

Francisco from yeah there's there's the

graphics there it's um

those the Border Lines now stand up in a

3D environment they're not flat in that

way so that they can be better red from

the camera angle wherever the helicopter

is

um it is truly

unique amazing and then even just and

the athletes and it's and that's the

kind of you know the core part of this

which is so fascinating is that those

stories are the other stories that

you're amplifying with this technology

it's not about the hey look look we can

paint lines on water it's about how we

can you can tell compelling sport yeah I

mean that is exciting yeah

how does the sport stay relevant in an

environment where you know there's

there's things like sports betting where

people will do and in you know an

in-game play and bet against it we don't

have sports betting at the moment but

but when you think about it how could

how could sailing ever get into that

when no one quite knows who's winning

the race and that's that you know a year

ago when I came into the sport there

were so many learnings that I have the

wind the sea State

um uh and and the fact that you really

absolutely have to have these Graphics

to the point where um again we are

sustainable so so we have biofuels

wherever possible but I've just put a

second helicopter up there and one day

we'd be looking at what does a drone

situation the only reason why we haven't

gone to drones because I noticed in the

in the comments there was something

about a drone in there and

um the only reason why we don't have

drones at the moment is because the

payload is so heavy

but technically this could be a

completely unmanned

um production

yeah this yeah that's there's uh

Nicholas Turner's written learning about

these immersive businesses is like candy

for the creative brain and this is how I

feel there's so many Avenues I could go

with with these questions but I'm going

to try and keep myself on topic uh and

Candace there's a question for you in

terms of how your you and your team

strategize and plan gamification

elements before giving them to clients

and customers is like how do you know

gamification is so key to Virtual events

and and engagement over time reducing

kind of uh fatigue and apathy and making

sure people will stay kind of relevant

and and happy with the content

um is there anything that you do to kind

of yeah how do you strategize those what

sort of questions did you ask what sort

of questions do customers ask you when

they when they come to you

yeah you know my thoughts about this

it's a great question I always come back

to collaboration and and that's what we

do really well our our Dev team and our

design team they are you know you know

hand in hand with this and the the key

thing that we do we we come together

regularly and we brainstorm together and

we usually have you know some key

players and departments outside of

design outside of the dev team for

instance PMS are a great you know a

great source to use

um even some csms and some sales people

because these people are on the front

lines they're hearing customer stories

they're hearing the problems that

customers may be having why they're

coming to us and what Solutions they're

expecting so we get this group of people

together regularly like I mentioned and

we just start I mean the ideas just

start sparking you know and that creates

Synergy and excitement and then we kind

of go into you know mapping out what

this let's say gamification like you

mentioned and getting a vacation you

know will this uh you know have its

place with many customers you know is

this something that would be popular to

kind of roll out and then once we assess

that and determine yes we then kind of

put it into a lot of beta testing so

this could you know be for a couple of

months just to make sure that it's key

it's ready to go we've added some you

know Design Elements to it as well

because it's more than just gamification

when you get into the nitty-gritty of it

it's is this working from a back-end

perspective to the front end is it

firing off correctly when you you know

press like for instance the scavenger

hunt that gamification you know when I

go and find the specific uh image in the

lobby and I click on it it should give

some sort of message like hey you have

found one of you know five things you

know

um and so gamification is super super

important to us

um and we've helped build this out we

usually don't use you know third you

know parties for this sort of thing we

build it in-house so a lot of a lot of

platforms will go out and use you know

another company and kind of integrate

that within their platform we go and

build it ourselves because we want to do

it to the best of our ability and make

it

um something that our customers don't

have to go outside of us for

um and that it's just inside the

platform it lives there it breathes

there the reporting also is a big part

of gamification so we want to make sure

the reporting is firing off correctly

after the event so you can see those

metrics and and look at that attendee

experience and see do they really take

advantage of those gamification you know

offerings that we had out there

so cool yeah um so my producers would

probably kill me actually going for a

little bit off topic but I'm gonna

switch gears to the Future

and you know there's been I would say

even in the last

six weeks

loads of kind of immersive product

announcements also artificial

intelligences like

you know having a real moment right now

so things like the kind of apple Vision

Pro or anything that is like bringing

immersive Technologies or the quests

three is it the quest that's coming out

Quest 3 is coming out

um that are bringing it feels like the

the inflection point that has always

been promised is coming for maybe

virtual reality more immersive

Technologies being in consumer hands is

there anything that you guys could think

about

projecting five years into the future

where your businesses could be and what

would be a an amazing technology or how

would you leverage one of those

Technologies would it be on the boat

with in the Apple Vision Pro and like

live broadcast of that sort of thing

like is anything or would it would it be

hybrid events that are truly hybrid that

is parity between physical attendees and

virtual attendees is there anything that

you guys would open it up to you both to

see like with the current trending in in

AR VR and AI where where do you see

things going

I mean we I I don't think it's even five

years away I see uh So within the boats

there's five there's six athletes and

the sixth athlete is a strategist

someone who looks around to determine

where the other boats are it's quite

painful for that it's it's quite

annoying for them to be turning around

it's physically moving affecting the

aerodynamics of the boat so putting them

in a headset so that they can see where

everyone is without turning their heads

would make a lot of sense

um I don't know how far we are to making

that a reality but but why not I mean

that that just makes perfect sense

that's a person sitting there and their

entire job is to

um let the driver know that the person

steering the boat what direction to head

how how much time they've got to turn so

that's one thing we've all played in the

sandbox I guess it's a little little you

know different I I was x-meta so I was

my final year year it met her I was you

know working in in the Oculus headset

there's different spaces where you can

go and view in that space or interact in

that space But I do think the audiences

being able to get the same experience as

the broadcast I mean the broadcast is

always the best seat in the house it's

where we are you know putting all of our

efforts to make the sport completely

understandable and not everyone wants to

have a headset on in that experience

because again they're at the concession

stands and all the rest of it the idea

of using your phone as as that truly

second screen experience at the venue

while you're lining up for a hot dog is

is probably

um you know the other one but beyond

that I think it's more this uh the

virtual worlds

um that that Candace is talking about

yeah and we love seeing these new

technologies come up and um you know we

we kind of talk and dream up of how we

can you know see this being implemented

into you know what we do in our solution

but you know I think we see that part of

it but yes yes we're absolutely going

there and then the other other part is

you know

um we have our product and solution we

put it in the hands of our our customers

and just because it's the Nuance of you

know the business and companies and you

know they want to be careful about do we

implement this now or how do we do this

so the adoption can be much slower than

I think it would work great for Melissa

it's a no-brainer you know for a cell GP

and for us as well we're going in that

direction but I see like some roadblocks

that in the event industry we have to

overcome before we really truly see that

you know become something that we can

actually embrace

um you know for us it's more metaverse

and AI right now and but we're going

there we just need open minds you know

and and the event industry

um and kind of worldwide from a company

standpoint too oh go on on AI where

would you want to where would you

integrate it

oh AI yeah uh we are already uh

integrating AI

um into our design and also uh content

there's several different things that

we're working on in projects that we're

working on right now that we hope to

kind of put out there

um but some really cool stuff

that's awesome I'm trying to get a

disability everybody yeah I know I mean

even just the like uh autonomous you

know event help that you could

eventually have with having a you know

autonomous agents within it people that

you could speak to Within These Virtual

Worlds you know way ways that you can

actually create characters create kind

of things that feel more real well

um I'm just gonna see if we've got any

more

questions that are uh coming in

I guess there's one more here I've got

time for one more so Tatiana asks how

would you recommend doing immersive

design as a supplement to main content

for example a safety webinar with a

secondary goal to reach risk workers

it's quite a specific use case but is

there anything here that you go as as on

top of your main content is there any

maybe quick wins that people could you

could think of for people to get into 3D

or immersive design on top of what they

would normally do

I mean

absolutely I I you had someone from meta

I guess talking about augmented reality

and and the idea that you know you can

sign post things

um in a you know again it depends if

you're using a phone or if you're using

glasses like I don't actually lost the

plot on what was happening with the um

Ray-Ban glasses with uh with meta but

definitely immersive Design Within that

glass or you know the Apple

um

Vision Pro you know I'm like I've only

been out I've only been out of meta for

a year and I've lost I've lost the track

of what all the competition is doing but

you know I I saw the most fascinating

examples of how doctors could learn

better to um you know

complete surgeries based on just designs

and you guys must have the same case

studies like locked in your brain well I

mean

when you see it it's fascinating so you

can't help it like keep repeating that

sort of stuff awesome well I'm really

sorry we're out of time now and this has

been such a great session it's

absolutely flown by it and so I mean I

could yeah speak to you guys for hours

there's such interesting topics but I

just want to thank you both for taking

the time

um if and uh yeah thank you very much if

you think uh immersive design is so

crucial and they have so many

applications that any brand can

capitalize on so really enjoyed our

conversation uh and we're now going to

keep schedule moving I'm going to pass

to my colleague Darren wonderful Darren

for our next session all about video

marketing so thank you Candace thank you

Melissa uh and yeah see you guys in the

next session

[Music]

thank you and