Segmented Seating is now Segmented Seeing

So yesterday I watched the “Future of Live Experiences In The Age of AR/VR” and came away with a few observations. The panelists were great... Noelle Tassey - CEO of Alley + Ben Nunez - CEO & Founder of Evercoast + Rebecca Barkin - VP, Immersive Experience at Magic Leap + Amy LaMeyer - Managing Partner at the WXR Fund

There were plenty of takeaways, but here are my top ones:

• The new world of events will always be part #virtual
• Most venues will operate at 30% or less capacity
• You will be able to "splice" talent... joining people together no matter where they are in the world (dead or alive)
• Haptics are a necessary part of the formula in order to make people feel like "they are there"
• While avatars are great, if the face is not human looking enough people will not be truly immersed

There were plenty of other things that were shared by the group. I definitely encourage those of you who missed it to visit the Alley and watch it in its entirety. It got me thinking about what's next, especially as I try to prepare my students for working in the events industry.

Here are my thoughts:

• Segmented seating is now about segmented seeing. We will develop pricing strategies for accessing content based on how 'up close and personal' one can get to the talent. A pricier package might get you into the green room, while nose bleed seats will be just watching the show.
• With the shift, everyone could have the best seat in the house; there is no supply issue except if you want to limit how many virtual people are in a room interacting.
• There should be a method of creating 'safety circles' of people that can attend events together and bypass social distancing rules. Think of it like family plans where people are already together all the time. They should be able to go to a show and spend it together.
• The budget line for venue rentals will be redirected into a few different directions. Obviously some will go towards hosting fees for the virtual platform, as well as equipment needed to create an immersive experience. Some of the budget will go towards items that will be sent to the ticket holder - think of AMC Theatres when they provided limited edition 3D goggles. Some people are already sending microphones and cameras.
• In order to justify the cost of a ticket, event planners will need to go an extra step to create a more 'in the moment' feel. My friend Allison illustrated this perfectly - the idea of doing a synchronized unboxing of a gift box.
• Gift boxes will be the new swag bag that you would normally get at check-in or registration. Check out GuestBox - they are doing this the right way.

As I listened to the talk, one issue came up that deserves far more discussion. It's not a new issue... how do we make sure that virtual events don't become out of reach for those without significant means? This has come up again and again, especially as professional sports tickets haver increased in price. If equipment (AR and VR) is needed to participate in these events, not everyone will be able to enjoy it. There's a real opportunity to create additional opportunities for people to enjoy all of the great content out there.

There's a lot more to discuss here.

#eventplanning #events #worldcup #olympics #conferences #MICE #hospitality #covidhospitality