by Bob McGlincy
I’m a tradeshow fan. I like them. I work them. I believe in them. I advocate for them. Some might call me an event fanatic. Or even a tradeshow junkie. By whatever name, the point is, tradeshows have been a major part of my life for more than a few decades. But as well as I think I know tradeshows, they never cease to amaze me.
I was walking a show floor recently, and stopped in my tracks … awestruck! In front of me, was a curved video screen. I felt transported into the booth, as if pulled by a tractor beam. It was sort of like virtual reality, but without the goggles.
The two photos in this column do not do the exhibit, or my experience, justice. But my experience did get me to thinking about immersive technologies, and the benefits for tradeshows.
“Immersive technologies”
Immersive technologies, to my way of thinking, are any tools that help merge the real and digitalworld. These concepts may include 3-D animation, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), Extended Reality (XR), andothers. While familiar to some, definitions of these terms may prove beneficial.
Most are familiar with 3-D animation; it provides stunning images, and is visually engaging. AR “overlays digital content onto the real world, enhancing the user’s perception and interaction with the environment.” VR “creates a fully simulated digital environment that users caninteract with and explore.” MR “combines elements of the real and virtual worlds, allowing virtual objects to interact with the physical environment.” XR “is an umbrella term that encompasses all immersive technologies.” What these terms have in common, is that they are all related (sometimes the terms are used interchangeably), and they all are becoming more and more prevalent – both on and off the trade show floor.
The booth mentioned above was 4 Productions; and that company has been at the forefront of technology for over a decade. In 2010 they were the first to use hologram technology at a tradeshow in the US. (The show was IMTS; the client was a leading machine tool and systems manufacturer. Besides the “buzz” created, and a “Best of Show” award, sales tripled from the previous show, and the ROI exceeded 800% — because audiences were engaged, and total costs were dramatically reduced). 4 Productions was also one of the first to use large-scale, oversize 3D mapping on building exteriors (Kiawah Island for a sales meeting for a Fortune 500 company is one early example). AR and content development are other areas the company has used to assist with brand activations.
Tradeshows are magical marketing extravaganzas. They bring people together for education, networking, and sales. They are business malls displaying products, and creating jobs. But none of it works if the audience, or the individual, isn’t engaged. Immersive technologies can transform experiences, and lead to enhanced user engagement. The better the engagement, the better storytelling … and the better the storytelling, the better the show will be.
