By Maya Galindo, Senior Marketing Specialist
Virtual reality is everywhere. You cannot attend a conference, music festival, or large scale social event without coming across a VR installation. Since our inception, we’ve utilized live activations as an opportunity to introduce VR to new audiences, but also, as an opportunity to connect directly with the consumer and receive instant feedback.
If you find yourself included in this innovative group of brands, creatives, and VR enthusiasts that are sharing their immersive stories, here are a few tips for facilitating VR demos that we live by…
1. Know Your Audience
Curating content to fit your audience is essential to providing a premium demo experience. Take your time in selecting which piece(s) will achieve the desired outcome of how you want the audience to feel before, during and after the experience. Have these experiences pre-loaded on whichever device you’re demoing with and consider creating playlists for situations that require showing multiple pieces of content. The goal is to remove technical hurdles and for the viewer to emerge from the headset with that look of wonder, bewilderment, and excitement on their face that we all know so well.
2. Chairs Matter
The proper chair ensures the viewer feels safe, but it still allows them freedom of movement to explore their VR environment. Swivel chairs are the solution. They can rotate in any direction and are easy to source. Your regular office chair is perfect for smaller, more intimate demos. If you want to take it to the next level and enhance your activation, we recommend looking into new cinematic VR specific solutions like the Voyager full-motion mechanical chairs.
3. Cleanliness is Key
Sharing is caring but not when it’s pink eye. Hopefully, there is a line around the block for your activation, and your staff is giving more demos than they can count. However, it’s critical that each HMD is sanitized with an antibacterial solution before and after each guest. Sanitizing not only helps with the visual clarity of the headset but protects the viewer’s eyes from contact with possible unhygienic surfaces. You can also offer your guest disposable hygiene eye mask for an additional layer of protection.
4. Cancel the Noise
A noisy environment can ruin the experience. We recommend avoiding them altogether. However, if you cannot, noise canceling headphones are a must. They allow the viewer to be immersed in the experience without distractions. These are perfect for showing content on the go in social settings or larger activations at trade shows and events. Limiting outside noise results in a more seamless, enjoyable and impactful overall activation experience for the audience.
5. Have Squad Goals
Let’s face it; you are only as good as your team. For larger demo activations, hire brand ambassadors who are not only friendly but more importantly knowledgeable and familiar with the technology they will be using. Good staffing will reduce wait times and make line management more seamless. There are staffing agencies who have seen the industry demand for VR-trained ambassadors increase exponentially and are answering the call.
Virtual reality demos are where experiences and storytelling meet. It will continue to be a tool used by creators to speak directly to their audience. Whether you’re demoing your film for one client or hosting a large scale content experience, consider these tips to make your next virtual reality content demo a success.
For more virtual reality tips and news, check out the Jaunt Blog.