Mar 22, 2019

The Quick-Start Guide to Using Virtual Reality with TrueTour™

avatar Chelsea Schroeder

We at Visiting Media ensure our technology continues to provide cutting-edge marketing power. We want you to stay ahead of the curve to reach your consumers, and one method is to leverage a state-of-the-art virtual reality experience. While a virtual reality (VR) experience isn’t required to enjoy TrueTour™, providing a high-tech, highly interactive experience for your audience is probably the most effective way to show off your space, venue, or location. Whether you’re showcasing your flagship event spaces at a trade show or immersing your key accounts in the estate experience, a professional VR experience will truly help seal the deal.

If you’ve ever had struggles with virtual reality in the past, or just don’t know where to start, we’ve put together our top suggestions to get you up and running with VR in no time.

First things first — VR Viewer? VR Headset? Where do I begin?

Virtual reality viewers and headsets are simple viewing devices for virtual reality imagery. The technology allows a person to use their head movements to guide their interaction with the image itself. The more advanced viewers also provide a remote control to interact with elements within the image. You may have seen cardboard-style viewers that work with smartphones, as well as larger professional viewers that plug in to a computer.

A VR Headset is a device that has a screen built in, with speakers to provide an immersive audio/video experience.

A VR Viewer is a device which holds a smartphone, and requires you to look into the built-in lens.

TrueTour is compatible with both VR Viewers and VR Headsets.

Here, we’ve given you our recommendations of our favorite viewers and headsets, and the best situations in which to use each.

Virtual Reality Viewer and Headset Recommendation For Trade Show and Event Engagement

Trade shows are an amazing opportunity to put virtual reality to work. VR works especially well for wineries, private event facilities, hotels and communities wishing to promote travel. Of all the VR Headsets on the market, our favorite for trade shows and booth-focused events is the Oculus GO.

Oculus GO Headset Box

Our three reasons to choose the Oculus GO for your next trade show or event:

Untethered and Standalone

Compared to other viewers you may have used, which require the use of a smartphone or staying plugged in to other equipment, the Oculus GO is completely standalone and simple to use. Viewing your property from the Oculus GO works as simply as opening your TrueTour from a web browser. The experience is untethered, light and comfortable, using a WiFi connection to display interactive 3D/360° imagery, and provides a professional showcase with crystal clarity every time.

Audio and Video Enabled

All of the best TrueTour features are completely interactive and accessible within the Oculus GO – audio and video included, via the built-in speakers. If you feature true-to-life sound effects, autoplay video or audio hotspots in your TrueTour to tell your unique story, the viewer will hear and see all of the vivid details as they move and look about the space. Talk about firing neurons on all cylinders!

Affordable for Business

Last but not least, it’s a very affordable tool for business. At less than $200, the Oculus GO requires minimal investment for the amount of ROI you can drive during your trade show using immersive marketing. Used properly, the tool should pay for itself many times over, as you stand out from the crowd and reflect a professional, state-of-the-art sophistication to your prospects.

Oculus GO Overhead View Because trade shows are all about reaching the maximum number of people, virtual reality is essentially a hook that drives more people into your booth and keeps them engaged with your product. We highly recommend advertising the fact that you will be offering a VR experience in your trade show booth to your audiences (including on social media) As virtual reality is such a hot topic, this alone will drive people your direction and strike up valuable conversation.

As a TrueTour member, you will have the Visiting Media team as a valuable trade show resource. We can provide you with the training, equipment and content you need to be the bell of the trade show ball. We can even develop a custom VR solution with or without audio to use with the Oculus GO just for your next trade show.

For Ultimate Portability

When you’re hosting a site tour around your property, or heading into an offsite client presentation, toting a headset on your arm isn’t the most practical. And although we feel a VR Headset like the Oculus GO is one of the best ways to experience immersive VR marketing, some alternatives can be effective when used properly. That’s where the Speck Pocket-VR comes in.

Speck Pocket VR This viewer, made of a durable and ultralight frame, is so easy to transport you won’t even know it’s there. A fold-up viewer that’s sturdier than cardboard provides the best optics you can get in a fold-up VR viewer requiring a smartphone to view. About the size of your smartphone when closed, it has a sleek low-profile design and handy grip. The classic black look of this VR viewer gives it top professional marks.

We understand some situations benefit from the wow factor of your 360° site view without the necessity of all the bells and whistles. If you’re looking for a great VR viewer, without the bulk of a full headset, then our best suggestion is the Speck Pocket-VR.

For Showstopping Swag Bag Giveaways

Cardboard viewers are the easiest – and cheapest – way to utilize the smartphone viewer feature in your TrueTour.

Woman Looking Through Cardboard Viewer Many cardboard viewer companies will customize viewers with your logo and branding for inclusion in bag drops, or as unique giveaway items during your special events. There are many of these companies on the market to fit your budget and quantity needs. While we don’t recommend using cardboard viewers to showcase the interactive and immersive qualities of your TrueTour, this unique swag item can provide a stand-out way to be remembered among the piles of pens and lanyards your prospects have all seen before.

Add a QR code to the side of the cardboard viewer, and your customers can instantly click and be transported into your property with impressively seamless results. Keep their attention long after they’ve left your event, and provide an opportunity to direct them to your TrueTour and leverage our lead capture capabilities. Much more effective than your average swag, we’ve discovered!

Once you signal your commitment to high-touch, state-of-the-art immersive marketing, you’ve elevated the persona of your organization to another level, without breaking the bank. Contact us today to speak with a member of our support team and learn how to leverage a VR experience in as many ways as possible! We’re here to help you succeed.

Already have a VR viewer or headset of your own, and need instruction how to operate? Contact us or visit our Knowledge Base for FAQs on operating TrueTour within your viewer or headset.

Mar 22, 2019

The Quick-Start Guide to Using Virtual Reality with TrueTour™

avatar Chelsea Schroeder

We at Visiting Media ensure our technology continues to provide cutting-edge marketing power. We want you to stay ahead of the curve to reach your consumers, and one method is to leverage a state-of-the-art virtual reality experience. While a virtual reality (VR) experience isn’t required to enjoy TrueTour™, providing a high-tech, highly interactive experience for your audience is probably the most effective way to show off your space, venue, or location. Whether you’re showcasing your flagship event spaces at a trade show or immersing your key accounts in the estate experience, a professional VR experience will truly help seal the deal.

If you’ve ever had struggles with virtual reality in the past, or just don’t know where to start, we’ve put together our top suggestions to get you up and running with VR in no time.

First things first — VR Viewer? VR Headset? Where do I begin?

Virtual reality viewers and headsets are simple viewing devices for virtual reality imagery. The technology allows a person to use their head movements to guide their interaction with the image itself. The more advanced viewers also provide a remote control to interact with elements within the image. You may have seen cardboard-style viewers that work with smartphones, as well as larger professional viewers that plug in to a computer.

A VR Headset is a device that has a screen built in, with speakers to provide an immersive audio/video experience.

A VR Viewer is a device which holds a smartphone, and requires you to look into the built-in lens.

TrueTour is compatible with both VR Viewers and VR Headsets.

Here, we’ve given you our recommendations of our favorite viewers and headsets, and the best situations in which to use each.

Virtual Reality Viewer and Headset Recommendation For Trade Show and Event Engagement

Trade shows are an amazing opportunity to put virtual reality to work. VR works especially well for wineries, private event facilities, hotels and communities wishing to promote travel. Of all the VR Headsets on the market, our favorite for trade shows and booth-focused events is the Oculus GO.

Oculus GO Headset Box

Our three reasons to choose the Oculus GO for your next trade show or event:

Untethered and Standalone

Compared to other viewers you may have used, which require the use of a smartphone or staying plugged in to other equipment, the Oculus GO is completely standalone and simple to use. Viewing your property from the Oculus GO works as simply as opening your TrueTour from a web browser. The experience is untethered, light and comfortable, using a WiFi connection to display interactive 3D/360° imagery, and provides a professional showcase with crystal clarity every time.

Audio and Video Enabled

All of the best TrueTour features are completely interactive and accessible within the Oculus GO – audio and video included, via the built-in speakers. If you feature true-to-life sound effects, autoplay video or audio hotspots in your TrueTour to tell your unique story, the viewer will hear and see all of the vivid details as they move and look about the space. Talk about firing neurons on all cylinders!

Affordable for Business

Last but not least, it’s a very affordable tool for business. At less than $200, the Oculus GO requires minimal investment for the amount of ROI you can drive during your trade show using immersive marketing. Used properly, the tool should pay for itself many times over, as you stand out from the crowd and reflect a professional, state-of-the-art sophistication to your prospects.

Oculus GO Overhead View Because trade shows are all about reaching the maximum number of people, virtual reality is essentially a hook that drives more people into your booth and keeps them engaged with your product. We highly recommend advertising the fact that you will be offering a VR experience in your trade show booth to your audiences (including on social media) As virtual reality is such a hot topic, this alone will drive people your direction and strike up valuable conversation.

As a TrueTour member, you will have the Visiting Media team as a valuable trade show resource. We can provide you with the training, equipment and content you need to be the bell of the trade show ball. We can even develop a custom VR solution with or without audio to use with the Oculus GO just for your next trade show.

For Ultimate Portability

When you’re hosting a site tour around your property, or heading into an offsite client presentation, toting a headset on your arm isn’t the most practical. And although we feel a VR Headset like the Oculus GO is one of the best ways to experience immersive VR marketing, some alternatives can be effective when used properly. That’s where the Speck Pocket-VR comes in.

Speck Pocket VR This viewer, made of a durable and ultralight frame, is so easy to transport you won’t even know it’s there. A fold-up viewer that’s sturdier than cardboard provides the best optics you can get in a fold-up VR viewer requiring a smartphone to view. About the size of your smartphone when closed, it has a sleek low-profile design and handy grip. The classic black look of this VR viewer gives it top professional marks.

We understand some situations benefit from the wow factor of your 360° site view without the necessity of all the bells and whistles. If you’re looking for a great VR viewer, without the bulk of a full headset, then our best suggestion is the Speck Pocket-VR.

For Showstopping Swag Bag Giveaways

Cardboard viewers are the easiest – and cheapest – way to utilize the smartphone viewer feature in your TrueTour.

Woman Looking Through Cardboard Viewer Many cardboard viewer companies will customize viewers with your logo and branding for inclusion in bag drops, or as unique giveaway items during your special events. There are many of these companies on the market to fit your budget and quantity needs. While we don’t recommend using cardboard viewers to showcase the interactive and immersive qualities of your TrueTour, this unique swag item can provide a stand-out way to be remembered among the piles of pens and lanyards your prospects have all seen before.

Add a QR code to the side of the cardboard viewer, and your customers can instantly click and be transported into your property with impressively seamless results. Keep their attention long after they’ve left your event, and provide an opportunity to direct them to your TrueTour and leverage our lead capture capabilities. Much more effective than your average swag, we’ve discovered!

Once you signal your commitment to high-touch, state-of-the-art immersive marketing, you’ve elevated the persona of your organization to another level, without breaking the bank. Contact us today to speak with a member of our support team and learn how to leverage a VR experience in as many ways as possible! We’re here to help you succeed.

Already have a VR viewer or headset of your own, and need instruction how to operate? Contact us or visit our Knowledge Base for FAQs on operating TrueTour within your viewer or headset.