Although augmented reality (AR) has been around for years, it’s often been used as a gimmick and has yet to reach its full potential, particularly when it comes to events. Over the past few months, AR tech has made great strides and has more use cases than ever before, including retail and events, but until now, its use has been confined to smartphones.
That will soon change, as Apple is all but confirmed to be working on a couple AR projects, including a headset and glasses, the first of which may be released as soon as next year. There are existing smart glasses, including Google Glass and Facebook’s new Ray-Ban Stories glasses, but the former was unsuccessful in the market, and technically neither are true AR products in the sense that they don’t actually overlay graphics and other virtual elements onto the real world.
It remains to be seen exactly what Apple will come out with, but in the same way that the company popularized the iPhone, it has an opportunity to turn AR glasses into the next must-have tech gadget — especially since the market for mobile phones is now saturated.
“The smartphone has matured, and it's hit its wall in terms of what it can do,” says Vivian Chan, Head of Digital Sales at Nextech AR Solutions Corp. “We’re about to experience a transition point where the world is going to be introduced to the next device, and tech companies have decided it’s going to be eyewear or a wearable.”
Why is a wearable the logical next step? “A wearable is about an integrated immersive experience, which feels very organic to the user,” explains Chan. “It can feel a little awkward when you're looking at things through a mobile phone, but if you're looking at it directly through glasses, it feels like it's integrated into the environment. When you layer digital objects through your eyewear into the real world, it almost feels like you're in a movie or a video game.”
The seamless blending together of the real world and digital items will lead to what Chan calls the next wave of computing. “This next wave is about what applications we can create when you're able to integrate information into the contextual real world,” she says, which has massive implications for the events sector.
The most basic use case is what’s called wayfinding, a version of which Google Maps currently offers with Live View on smartphones. Wayfinding is about directing people to their destination using arrow overlays, for example, and AR can also make the process entertaining and informative.
“Imagine you’re in a large conference center, you’re running late, and you don’t know where to go,” says Chan. “You would basically just choose a session, and the device would help you with arrows that you would see through your wearable. And then you can go a step further — how do you make that experience from exhibition hall to a session an entertaining and engaging and informative one? Through the use of AR 3D modeling and the wearables, you'll be able to architect those experiences.”
Chan notes that consumer AR glasses will also create a lot of sponsorship opportunities. “Your whole conference center is now essentially a video game or a sponsorable moment, and you can drop different types of interactive, entertaining moments all over the facility,” she says. “For example, you can scan all the spaces in the convention center, and then drop digital objects in for sponsored scavenger hunts. Think of it as a more sophisticated, elevated Pokémon Go experience.” Another use case could be to include a sponsor in for a virtual greeting as you enter the lobby.
From an engagement perspective, AR is poised to change the game. For example, exhibitors will be able to include fun elements in their booths that draw people in and offer ways to help interested attendees learn more while they wait to speak to someone IRL. The tech will also connect exhibitors and leads in new ways.
“Let's say you're on the show floor, and you learn about the latest IBM server,” says Chan. “You’re really interested in it, and maybe you can download some of that content for your wearable so that you can experience it again in your hotel room after the event. It's a new way to transfer information in an immersive way.”
Realistically, the transformative effects of AR wearables are several years away, both due to the time it will take to gain widespread consumer adoption, and of course, the cost. Not only will Apple’s devices cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars, but Chan notes that 3D digital content can also be cost prohibitive to produce, which is something that organizations should keep in mind.
“It’s definitely going to take a little bit of time before this becomes the standard,” she explains, “just like smart watches took a few iterations until more people started getting them. What will probably end up happening in the events sector is that sponsors or brands will come in with a few wearable headsets and create smaller group-based activations.”
3D model objects themselves, shares Chan, can cost anywhere from a few hundred to $1000+ to create, depending on the level of sophistication. Nextech in particular has been working on a way to generate 3D models faster and more cost effectively through the use of AI, a strategy that other will likely follow as they populate their virtual spaces.
“This tech has a bit of a runway, but I think that runway is going to be really interesting in terms of what content people create,” says Chan. “This is the part that gets exciting. Once you've got the operating platform and the device, now it's in the hands of creators to create these interesting and valuable experiences for events.”