It wasn’t too long ago when Theoretical Physicist, Michio Kaku said, “Today’s clunky smart glasses will be replaced by smart contact lenses. We’ll command them by voice, blinking, or even thinking, to interact visually in 3-D with the internet.” We see companies race to compress, enhance, and improve the user experience in AR glasses. Why?
While most might point to applications in video games, engineering, or medical fields as reasons to pioneer and enable widespread adoption, the limitation is that each of these industries have niche groups of users. Perhaps another place – a more popular place – where this tech is poised to thrive over the next few years is the $1.2 trillion events industry. Like we pointed out in our last blog about AR in events, cutting edge AR devices can really boost attendee engagement. Here are three speculative ways that AR glasses can improve the events experience.
AR Glasses for Wayfinding
Picture this: you’re walking into a large hall for the event – it could be any hall, but let’s say for example the Venetian Convention Centre in Las Vegas. This venue houses 2.25 million square feet of event space. How do you know where booth 876 is? Do you look up at the banners booth after booth, row after row, in hopes to find it? What if some booths have hung suspended branding obstructing your view? Now, let’s step into the expo and say you found your booth. Your watch suggests you are 15 minutes from the start of your next meeting at Marcello 4405, but was that floor 2, 3 or 4? Sure, there could be wayfinding signage placed around the venue, but you still must locate the right sign first. Then possibly another one (and another one) until you’ve completed the maze and reach your destination, giving yourself an inward high five or sigh of relief, depending how far you’ve walked. What if, instead of looking for those wayfinding signs, you had the screen and directions right in front of your eyes as soon as you put on your AR glasses? With GPS style directions and information projected in front of you, you can easily save time from unnecessary walking (sorry, if you are trying to reach those 10,000 steps a day).
AR Glasses for Networking
Now, at a booth, you’re greeted by a brand ambassador, and what she’s saying is really intriguing. For future follow up, do you exchange business cards? To remember information, do you scribble it down on a brochure? (That brochure’s glossy paper makes it so difficult to write on, doesn’t it?) And what if you forget a question or missed a necessary detail? Let’s revisit this scenario with AR glasses on. Theoretically, you can walk up to a person and your AR glasses will automatically note their name badge and save any other information they’ve elected to share. There’s no need for an awkward introduction, no more wasting time speaking with someone who can’t serve your requirements. No pause in conversation is necessary while you fiddle with saving their contact on your phone. No more regretting that missed connection or (or on the flip side) wishing you could’ve followed up with someone who visited your booth earlier. No need to fold and cram the brochure into your pocket either, since cameras and microphones on the glasses can record your exchange can be recorded. AR glasses can make networking natural again, for both attendees and brand ambassadors.
AR Glasses for Ancillary Information
Lastly, you’re ending the day at a keynote’s talk, someone you’re really excited to see. Looks like you’re not the only fan here, as the room’s already filled and your seat is unfortunately in the back of the pack. You squint at the screens – and while you see glimpses of the speaker, reading the text intensive slides starts to become onerous and the vibe of the event is dwindling. It’s hard to stay enthused or focused when the information seems so far away. Potentially, with AR glasses, this doesn’t have to be the case. The visual esthetics of the stage doesn’t have to be muddied with the necessity for large bulky screens just to put out content. In fact, the idea itself of using screens itself would feel ancient. With the speaker’s content streamed directly to attendees via their AR glasses, not only would the text be easier to read and digest, it would be more engaging as it’s intimately in front of them. Attendees can choose to sit wherever they’d like and have an overlay of pertinent information as the speaker talks. This makes every seat in the house a front row seat. Moreover, as users turn their heads to look in a different direction, AR glasses with gaze detection can bring in new information. We used to be limited to only looking forward as attendees, but with AR, you can look all around. The possibilities of audience participation and engagement just multiplied with the availability of this advancement. Conversely, speakers are also free to stand anywhere – not only on a main stage up front – unless they wanted to. Speakers would be unencumbered by the need to display content to their left or right on a screen, which can be distracting to attendees. Speakers can stand in the round and have their audience seated 360 degrees around them. Taking this a step further would be removing stages or meeting rooms altogether since clunky visual aids like a projector and screen can be replaced simply by AR technology. Imagine C-Suite meetings held on a retreat, or during a nature walk. Riding a bike ride at Cannes? Soon, maybe you can have your CEO presenting as you pedal away. The view would certainly beat sitting for 90 minutes in a blacked-out ballroom.
The promotion and implementation of AR glasses in events will lead to users, customers, and developers across many facets. Figuring out how they can be leveraged for an event would be both challenging and fun – after all, many might wonder, “What are AR glasses good for in a conference where you’re supposed to sit and watch a keynote speak?” DesignScene’s team members can answer that, along with recommending a gallery of tools to help our partners and global clients set the stage to steal the scene at their next event. The three use cases mentioned are just a jumping off point to ideate past what’s achievable and it’s up to global companies to change how we see events. Surely, advancing the way your company displays its brand takes work and commitment. While the future of AR glasses is yet unwritten, it’s likely bright. So bright that maybe we’ll be swapping sunglasses for AR ones.
