When it comes to conferences and trade shows, ARway has a proven track record of making these complex spaces and events easier to understand and navigate. But augmented reality navigation – as powerful as it is – is just the tip of the iceberg. ARway transforms trade shows for sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees through new opportunities, inventory, and experiences. In this post, we’ll explore these topics and will provide real-world examples of these various approaches in action.
For Sponsors
Let’s start by radically reimagining the physical space associated with these types of events. At approximately 5.3M square feet, the Messegelände Hannover in Germany is currently the world’s largest exhibition facility. As large as spaces like this may be, they are still constrained by physical limits and dimensions. Forget square footage or even cubic footage when it comes to trade shows. Now, the sky’s the limit. And if you need to go beyond the sky, that’s OK too, since augmented reality (AR) makes any space as boundless as the imagination.
The space above and around the physical can become a canvas for massive and engaging augmented reality opportunities. Show floor airspace offers new value for event management, sponsors, and exhibitors. AR advertising and marketing can exist everywhere and nowhere at once.
In 2022, Chipotle created an amazing AR experience in partnership with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. In it, an enormous food container was pushed onto the ice. Suddenly, the ice began to crack, and a hand gloved in the Avalanche’s iconic colors reached through the ice to grab the bowl. As they say in show biz, the crowd went wild!
Augmented reality made it possible for the ice – and imagined space beneath the ice – to come alive in ways that would be impossible without the power of AR. For sponsors, all of this means more potential inventory, more potential engagement, and – in the end – more potential revenue!
For Exhibitors
Let’s face it, the typical trade show booth can be a pretty boring affair. Sure, you can dress them up and add bells and whistles, but you’re limited by the laws of space and time. Breaking the laws of science is fun and easy using AR, and the results can be jaw-dropping. For exhibitors, making the experience as memorable as possible is the name of the game, and AR delivers.
It’s out with the old and in with the bold when you can do away with dull product demos and tired paper brochures and banners. They can be replaced with AR experiences that can put rich, contextual information in front of your audience. It’s also what attendees say they want. According to one recent survey, 84% of respondents reported feeling more engaged and spending more time with exhibits that implement AR.
At Restaurants Canada, ARway made it possible for holograms and people to come together in stunning and novel ways.
This lesson can be applied to any piece of marketing collateral and is just one simple example of how AR can improve the user experience.
For Attendees
Who doesn’t love a good trade show? That first day, seeing old contacts and colleagues, checking out prospects and competitors, and seeing the latest and greatest laid out before you – what fun. By the second day, things may start to lose their luster, and by day three? By day three, you are overwhelmed, worn out, and counting the minutes until you can leave. It doesn’t have to be that way – and AR is the key.
AR makes it possible to show, not just tell, attendees about a product or service. Not just with video or even an in-person demo but through an immersive AR simulation that allows attendees to explore and become immersed in the trade show experience. People have come to expect and value hybrid experiences that seamlessly combine the real and the virtual.
ARway made it possible for attendees at one trade show to pop a pizza into their phone as part of a scavenger hunt that made the entire show floor one gigantic game space!
As event attendees get younger and younger, they’ve made it clear they’re looking for more interactive and tactile experiences. AR allows you to deliver on these expectations – and beyond – to provide more meaningful and memorable events.
Robust Yet So Simple
You may be thinking that all of this sounds marvelous, but there must be a catch. That is something you’d need a Ph.D. in computer science to figure out. With ARway, that is certainly not the case. ARway provides a powerful no-code spatial computing platform that allows for the creation of robust AR wayfinding experiences populated with real-time navigation, guided tours, detailed 3D objects, trigger-based activations, and other rich media content.
Creating an experience can be as simple as generating a QR code in the app, placing the QR code in the venue, scanning it with a smartphone camera, and then creating the experience in the web studio with assets from the ARway Creator Portal – no coding required. ARway works without expensive and finicky hardware like beacons, sensors, or tags. A new experience is almost just a few swipes away. But simplicity doesn’t come at the expense of power or capabilities. Not only can ARway help create these experiences, but it also allows you to measure their impact to understand and improve how booths, trade show floors, and the massive venues that house them can be better used and improved upon.
Navigation may be the first step, but AR can be used to do so much more. If you want to stand out at upcoming trade shows and events, ARway can help with amazing 3D/AR elements that will turn heads. Reach out to ARway here for more information.
