There has been plenty of talk in event marketing circles recently about employing hybrid event strategies. But some companies are walking the walk—and leveraging technology to help make virtual experiences engaging for attendees. Take Archer, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, which tapped extended reality technology to create a hybrid launch event for its new Maker aircraft involving a mass simulation, a theme park ride experience, live instrumentalists, and more. Following are highlights of the activation, as reported by CM sister pub, Event Marketer.
Both the virtual and in-person aspects of the event were designed to mimic a theme park ride. After a presentation from the brand’s founders, who pitched the service as a way for consumers to embrace “micro-exploration” through air travel, attendees were immersed in live-action footage that created the effect of the Maker vehicle flying “at” them. The founders “flew” from Los Angeles to the desert and took attendees along for the virtual ride across stunning natural landscapes.
In order to make the XR technology a reality, Archer used camera trackers around the background scenery, monitored the eye-line of every seat in the audience that experienced the simulation live, incorporated 3D audio and built a massive 2,400-square-foot XR space in which the technology was put into play.
For more details on the hybrid event, including the in-person touchpoints that attendees experienced, read on in Event Marketer.