Experiences and Interaction in the Wearable Era

I didn't get the chance to be at South By Southwest, Ultra Music Festival or Coachella this year but still paid attention to everything going on in real time via Twitter and the live streams on YouTube and other social platforms (Snapchat Stories had some really good videos). I'm going to definitely try to get back to one of these events, all three of which I've attended sporadically since their heydays beginning in the 1990s (oops, showing my age here ;0)

But what happens when we fast forward a few years and I'm no longer able to experience these events or have disinterest in watching them on my mobile phone via streaming live or on demand video? What happens when I can't attend an event in person but want to feel like I am there in the front row or even watching from stage left? Better yet if I want the view from the lead singers vantage point or behind the DJ mixer? How will the music industry begin to integrate the music experience beyond what happens in the physical location as we enter the wearable era?

Recently the Grateful Dead announced that they would stream their final shows taking place in Chicago and San Francisco respectively on Pay-Per-View for those who can't physically attend. What happens in five or more years when virtual reality and experiential wearable technology can make it feel like we're in the crowd rather than simply watching on our flat screen television or tiny tablet screen?

What about sports? Right now the top viewed sports in the world are soccer (futbol), cricket, basketball, tennis and baseball. Watching on television can sometimes feel long and tedious. What happens when we will be able to place ourselves in the game from the view of one of the players, the ref or multiple camera angles? What happens when you can hear the chatter from your favorite F1 driver and see and feel what they are experiencing (including their heart rate, perspiration and stress level) from their point-of-view? Gives "walking in others shoes" a whole new meaning doesn't it?

Next week I'm at Hero Conference in Portland, Oregon to meet with many of the top search marketing influencers and professionals to discuss new product innovations. What happens that one year when I can't make the event in person but want to experience it like I'm in the actual room with everyone else? I tap the "ask a question from your Hololens" button on an app to simulate raising my hand? How will this make video streaming from a mobile phone look and feel antiquated faster than you can say Meerkat?

In two weeks I will be in Las Vegas to try to meet with as many of the 508 startups in attendance at Collision Conference. Physically there is no way I can meet with everyone there but how if wearable technology powered by a larger learning engine dictated to me how much time I could spend with each in my daily calendar while reminding me with whom I had to meet next and where and calculating travel time based on my walking history?

There is so much still to explore in this emerging area and how it can enhance rather than inhibit our experiences. I didn't even touch on how the wearable era interacts with the on demand world of media or can provide a customer service channel, act an educational tutor, open a portal to medical information or unlock an additional gateway to enhancing business or personal communications.

What are your thoughts on what you feel is possible in this still emerging area?

Geoffrey Colon is a Group Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft. Listen to his weekly podcast Disruptive FM on the Spreaker app (available in the App Store or Google Play) or pick up a copy of his upcoming book "Disruptive Marketing, Disciplined Results" at the end of this year on AMACOM Books.