The Immersive Workplace

I am a sucker for new exhibits, technology, and live music so when it was announced that U2 would be the opening act at the Sphere in Las Vegas, I immediately purchased pre-order tickets. I wanted to experience first-hand what a nearly 360-degree immersive performance would feel like (and discover if the music would still take ‘center stage’).?

Well…...it lived up to the hype. The screen and audio clarity are insane, providing life-like simulations that teleport the audience to any setting the band wants. One minute we were in the Nevada desert and the next we were flying through Matrix-like numbers all while Bono and the Edge filled the room with their larger-than-life sound. U2, for their part, is no stranger to big productions as witnessed during the Zoo TV and POP Mart tours, so they seemed at home in such a venue. The combination of the two was over the top and completely overwhelmed your audio and visual senses – in a great way. The sphere set the new standard for the immersive economy, which has been driven by everyone chasing real-world experience after being shut-in during the pandemic.?

As I reflected on the show it got me thinking about what aspects of the Sphere might make their way into our everyday, immersive hungry lives. What impact could it have on education, hospitality, or the workplace?? ? The physical workplace finds itself in a pivotal place right now as companies try to align policies and culture with built form. We have learned that employees are willing to make the commute if the ‘why’ is clearly articulated. A big part of the ‘why’ is allowing individuals to come together in meaningful ways that are superior to the remote alternative. Game rooms or similar gimmicks are nice, but they are short lived, real money should be spent on creating beautiful space to WORK in. With teams, as an individual, with your clients, and yes – for those serendipitous moments.?

One area that continues to be a struggle is the hybrid interactive meeting. I am referring to a meeting in which we desire two-way engagement; with some attending in the room and others connecting remotely. Rarely do we experience the equity we had when everyone was all virtual (or all in person). Many companies have tried new ideas to get around this via experimental tech or policies that encourage proper behavior. There have been varying levels of success and a big part of that lies with all of us being trained to plan for the kind of meeting you want to have. Are you reporting out? Are you trying to whiteboard new ideas? Are you looking for deep conversation? The singular boardroom layout is not enough anymore and requiring people to be in person is not always feasible – enter the fully immersive workplace.??

Yes, I know the Sphere cost ~2.3B and that something remotely similar would be prohibitive for 99.9% of the companies out there but stay with me. Project out a few years when the technology cost comes down, we integrate immersive tech better, and all of us are better trained to interact with mixed media. That is the moment of magic I am referring to. Fully immersive two-way communication that allows teams to engage in ways they never imagined. The potential goes way beyond just allowing virtual participants to take part. Imagine being able to put yourself into the environment you are designing for, traveling to another country to learn from local cultures, or collaborating with a team in real-time from around the world.???

That kind of resource could be shared amongst an office with teams using in short but intense intervals. When you schedule your session, you would describe what you are trying to achieve and the AI would set the “stage”, send invites, and prep attendees to be ready. Sessions like this could increase productivity, shorten work hours, and add focus to the desired outcome.?

Surrounding these high-tech interactive spaces would be high-touch, low-tech, work lounges that act as a palette cleanser. They would allow teams to decompress, casually discuss their session, and prep for their next one. That experiential dichotomy would allow for a clean break from the always-on burn out many face today thanks to poor “hybrid” routines we picked up during the pandemic.?

This line of thinking extends to education, entertainment, public libraries, fitness – really any place where high intensity interaction occurs. Rethinking our workday, how we measure productivity and how buildings are utilized all need to be rethought in this model.?

Before we re-think our cities, we need to address the huge carbon footprint such technology might incur if we are not careful. What we are talking about is much smaller in scale to the sphere and if deployed in high-intensity, low-tech ways might result in an overall smaller footprint than the current paradigm.?

One last impression the sphere leaves is its external face, for perhaps the first time we have a building that is designed to share emotion. It is not just a large advertisement like you find along the strip or at Times Square, rather the entire building IS the screen. The brilliance was in turning its outward appearance into art, objects, and interactive emoji faces. This can be done in simpler ways, but the idea of our built environment engaging with the public beyond advertisements is fun to think about.?

Lots to be critical of, but also lots to be inspired by.

The Sphere, Viva Las Vegas!