Virtual events are the future as greater numbers of companies exist outside of physical parameters. One of the primary reasons people attend virtual events is for networking, and these scenarios can allow businesses to expand their operations around the world by engaging with clients from different countries. Innovators are now working on technological advancements to make virtual events more immersive and realistic. There have been some major leaps forward in recent years.
Why is it Important to Create a Realistic Setting?
No matter what kind of virtual event you’re creating, it’s so important to make sure that the environment is realistic enough to draw people in and boost engagement. Anyone seeking to improve the levels of immersion on these occasions could learn a lot from the gaming industry, where developers have been desperately trying to build worlds that people can get lost in for years. Over the last decade, these virtual settings have become so tangible that players feel as if they’ve entered another world when playing.
There are certain genres of game where this is more important than others. MMORPGs, for instance, pride themselves on offering players an alternative world to live in. Most World of Warcraft players play for over 1.9 hours per day, and 25 percent of them log on for over four hours. It’s also critical for titles with futuristic themes to have highly detailed settings. Robot games, for example, are designed to blow players away with their speculative take on the future that’s also grounded in reality.
Mech Arena is a prime example of this, and having state-of-the-art graphics and artwork helps with upping the immersion levels. Aside from graphically stunning games like this, other titles have a keen focus on players being able to interact with their surroundings. Half-Life: Alyx is a VR title that places an emphasis on having an ecosystem that the user can interact directly with, and Dead Rising cleverly makes use of the shops that act as scenery, allowing players to choose anything they want as a weapon.
Statistics show that attendance at virtual events can be lower than their live counterparts, with around a 35 percent no-show rate. Marketers also find increasing engagement to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks. Therefore, they need to learn from gaming and replicate some of the aspects that have worked so well in the industry.
What are the Main Tools Adding to the Immersion?
Currently, most virtual events take place on platforms like Zoom, but developers are rapidly coming up with ways to improve the experience. A great example of this is the Mytaverse, which aims to move away from the rigidity of staring at a screen on Zoom. It’s a 3D platform that doesn’t require a VR headset. Instead, participants create their own personalized avatars before joining and these digital representations then interact within the virtual environment, just like how they would in an MMORPG.
There’s a new way to massively upgrade the visual and audio elements of a hosting location now as well. This is known as the EventsAIR Hybrid Event Solution Suite, which allows organizers to have much more control over camera angles and audio tools in the location they’re filming from. Rather than have attendees simply view a still screen, hosts can now boost attention by mixing up the visuals and audio from time to time.
Virtual events are improving at an astonishing rate, and this is to prepare for them taking over from live options. When virtual reality enters the mainstream, these conferences are going to get even more immersive.
