Say you own a gorgeous venue with the perfect garden setting for year-round events. Your website features photos prominently, but somehow, pictures don’t do it justice. Or, perhaps you’re a designer, and you’d love every single lead to experience a full-on event design to truly appreciate the value that you provide.
While in-person walkthroughs are always a great way to immerse a prospect into the client experience, what happens if they are out-of-town and looking to you for a destination wedding? Alternatively, what if their work schedule can’t align with your open hours or they are only available to tour your event space while a private event is taking place?
In the past, this situation could lead to a lost client. However, with virtual reality, you no longer need to rely on in-person meetings to show off the glory of your work. The use of VR will open your business up to new markets — in particular; you can now sell a better experience to destination event clients who aren’t able to be onsite until the celebration.
Virtual Reality is Here to Stay
In the events industry, VR was always a technology of the future, but no longer is it considering an “up-and-coming”novelty. An increasingly large number of venues are already using virtual reality to take their sales process to the next level and provide one-of-a-kind immersive experiences to book clients in current and new markets.
For many, the idea of implementing virtual reality is intimidating. However, if you think about it, email and social media carried their learning curve as well — and we use those tools with ease on a daily basis now. Know that you don’t need to rush into things with VR; instead, take it slowly and get to know how you can use this new technology to meet your business needs.
Bringing VR to Your Business
VR is becoming increasingly accessible for businesses and consumers alike, and that trend will continue to rise. The photo-realistic diagramming can be viewed across multiple platforms including mobile, desktop, and VR headset. You might think that VR headsets would be a hard item to track down but they can be found at local stores like Walmart or Best Buy. Do your research or speak with a trusted tech resource to understand how simple and efficient it is to implement and use VR technology.
Understanding Your ROI
When it comes down to it, VR has a pretty minimal learning curve — especially as we start to see more voice-activated sets hitting the market. Many of these headsets are very affordable as well, with the basic version of the popular Oculus carrying a comfortable price tag of $200. Of course, there are higher price points for VR tools with additional features, so you can find a set that fits your needs.
When you consider the low cost and minimal time needed for training, the early data is pointing in the direction of a high ROI for VR technology. After the initial investment, the technology will last for years, and you will see your sales process reap the benefits.
Now is the time to start considering how to implement VR into your business workflow. It won’t be long until it becomes standard practice, so it’s worth taking the time now to get on board and set yourself apart from competitors.
With over 20 years of experience in the international events industry, Sandy Hammer is the co-founder and CMO of AllSeated, a collaborative network for planning events that offers tools including floorplans, 3D view, Guest List, RSVP, Seating, Timelines, Mobile Check-In and more.