VR and AR Ideas for Corporate Events and Business Meetings

Virtual Reality at Events

As VR enables users to be transported to a completely new virtual environment, it eliminates real-world limitations and allows companies to create numerous scenarios in virtual event planning.

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Presentations in VR

VR technologies allow for creating visual and immersive presentations that really capture the attention of the audience. This approach can be used, for example, to promote ideas more convincingly to board members or other colleagues.

Presentations in VR are especially useful for a new product demonstration, allowing meeting attendees to interact with a new product and explore its features. Also, VR allows speakers to demonstrate the capabilities of a product, using, for example, crash tests.

VR presentations can also help present prototypes and discuss prospects. Instead of explaining new ideas or complex concepts in words, the speaker can demonstrate them. This saves time and helps listeners comprehend the presentation better.

Educational workshops and training

Companies that want to ensure smooth operations pay attention to the professional development of employees. Most often, this includes providing various educational opportunities. Educational events can be anything from a narrowly focused conference for a particular department to large-scale training for all employees.

VR technology can help retain the attention of listeners, improve engagement, and boost assimilation of information. Instead of just listening, learners can be placed within a virtual environment and start practicing immediately. Freedom of action in a virtual experience helps employees look beyond conventional thinking and improve their creativity in solving various tasks.

Also, VR technologies are very effective for occupational training. VR puts employees into a safe learning environment, eliminating the chance of injury or equipment damage. And the similarity of a virtual situation to reality helps employees feel more confident when performing actual tasks.

This approach decreases training costs, as there is no need to find a special space, hire instructors, or use expensive equipment.

Virtual Meetings

In remote working environments, meetings and video conferences in Virtual Reality are a good alternative to traditional ones. Using VR headsets, employees are transported to a special virtual environment that resembles a room in an office. A company can choose from one of the available ready-made spaces or create a unique room.

The ability to create a customized environment enables companies to add all the features team members might use during an in-person conversation, which enhances collaboration.

Virtual meetings are good for both internal meetings and external negotiations. They bring people from various parts of the world together in one virtual space and even allow them to work together on the same project as if they were physically in the same office. This improves communication and boosts productivity.

Another advantage of virtual meetings is that having all participants in the same space gives managers more control over the meeting flow.

VR for team-building activities

Team-building activities are a real icebreaker for employees, allowing them to get to know each other better. While interacting in an immersive and engaging experience, team members can solve tasks together, become more confident, begin to feel more united as a team and improve their strategic thinking.

As VR allows for creating situations that are difficult to realize in the real world, the technology is suitable for almost any type of activity. Using VR-based devices, team members can take a trip through the jungle, explore the pyramids, or raft down a mountain river. Depending on the event’s goals, companies can choose different surroundings and tasks.

As you can see, the use of cutting-edge technologies can greatly diversify and improve corporate events. Let’s take a look at some other advantages.

Benefits of Using AR/VR at Events

Broad employee reach

AR/VR technologies allow companies to gather employees all over the world in the same virtual space. Instead of sitting separately at home, employees can share the same virtual experience and feel connected to one another.

Technologies also simplify event organization, especially team-building activities, as they can be arranged for many participants from different locations.

Enhanced assimilation

Presenting learning materials in a non-traditional way or in an unusual environment helps employees remember the information better. Аnd the ability to practice immediately keeps learners even more grounded in what they’ve learned.

According to Dale’s cone of experience, people remember only 10% of what they read and 90% of what they do. So, what will be more effective: simply reading a manual on how to construct a particular detail, or constructing it in a virtual environment? Obviously, the second option.

This is true not only for hard skills. A study by PwC claims that learners in VR courses learned soft skills four times faster than in traditional classrooms.

Also, enhanced absorption of material directly affects the effectiveness of applying new skills and improves job performance.

Increased concentration

Fast-changing forms of presenting information and interactive elements increase the attention span of employees and help them concentrate.

During presentations or meetings, this helps participants understand and grapple with the topic more quickly. Used at learning events, it helps participants remember the material better, and in team-building events, it results in enhanced employee engagement.

Immersive experience

AR/VR has become widespread in the gaming industry precisely because of its ability to immerse and engage users. The same applies to any corporate event.

Whether what you’re planning is a presentation or a celebration, technology that augments the existing world, or transports attendees into a completely new virtual space creates a memorable and fully immersive experience for participants.

Satisfied employees

Using cutting-edge technologies helps businesses increase the satisfaction and engagement of their employees. In turn, engaged employees can increase their productivity by as much as 14% and are more likely to stay with the employer.

The ability to use AR/VR technologies in conjunction with a memorable experience improves employees’ impression of their working environment and the company in general.

Thus, workers will not only feel satisfied and motivated but also will be more likely to recommend the company as a great place to work.

Now let’s take a look at how companies have put AR/VR for event management into practice.

Examples of AR/VR Events

One of the world’s largest retailers, Walmart, uses VR technologies for staff training. As a significant portion of Walmart stores are open 24/7, employees can’t practice in the actual store space. So, the company has opted to conduct training in a virtual environment.

“Walmart Academy” offers a wide range of training, from introductory courses to professional growth programs. VR helps to create scenarios that happen rarely but require special skills.

For example, employees can train on how to deal with a huge rush of visitors during Black Friday and solve conflicts that may arise with angry customers.

VR technologies have helped Walmart reduce training time by turning 30-minute training modules into a 5-minute Virtual Reality experience. The company also recorded an increase in final test scores of up to 10%.

Another example is Virtual Reality navy training. Training programs help navy personnel practice not only basic skills but also their response to emergencies, such as a fire onboard a ship. On a virtual submarine, learners interact with instruments that show changes in underwater temperature and movement, making training as close to real conditions as possible.

An incredible example of a product showcase using AR/VR technologies is presented by car manufacturer Aston Martin. The company has created an immersive experience that allows users to see the new luxury sedan Aston Martin DBX without physically being in the office or at the dealership.

The combination of several top-notch technologies creates realistic images and makes it possible to view the car in detail, including stitching and lettering on the steering wheel and reflections within the paint.

While many brands are already using AR/VR technologies for their events, let’s consider whether this approach will remain popular in the future.

The Future of AR/VR Events

According to a PWC report, by 2030 about 23 million jobs will use AR/VR for training, meetings, and product development. It indicates that in the future AR/VR will gain solid ground in many areas, including the event industry.

With the move to hybrid work models, many daily meetings, calls, and other corporate events will continue to take place online, which also contributes to the spread of AR/VR solutions in corporate event management.

Metaverse will also bring its input to the active implementation of AR/VR. It will allow companies to create various virtual spaces for remote work to provide an immersive experience and enhance VR workplace collaborations.

AR/VR technologies already enable companies to be innovative and creative, go beyond traditional ways of thinking, and create out-of-the-box events. This will better connect employees, make their work more efficient, and enhance business collaborations. And opportunities will only expand.

For now, the AR/VR market offers plenty of ready-made solutions for various corporate events. But a customized solution from an AR/VR development company ensures that your solution meets your business goals and is tailored to its specific business operations.

At HQSoftware, we carefully study customer requirements and are ready to work with the most sophisticated requests. So, if you want to improve any kind of corporate event, we are ready to provide you with a team of experts and start developing an AR/VR solution at short notice.