Advances in technology have made for exciting ways to showcase content hidden in public spaces – but as with the all-pervasive screen technology, often times it’s slowly pushing us further apart.
I won’t waste your time referencing the many (many) studies reporting on loneliness in the modern experience. We’re glued to screens, often at the expense of relationships, growth and even health.
So how can venues reach audiences nose-deep in their devices?
‘Give them gimmicks!’ I hear from my (imaginary) audience
In activating public spaces, it’s all too easy to get caught up in ‘shiny object syndrome’, pursuing gimmicks for a short-term rise in visitor numbers in the hope that visitors will have a great time and return.
But it’s missing the point: deeper tech isn’t necessarily going to amaze and attract crowds. They’re looking for an experience, an escape from the world, something that gets mind and body focused on a mission, instead of scattered across 20 browser tabs, 2 games, exhaustive social updates and honestly where is that music coming from?!
They crave experiences. And more than anything, connection.
That’s why we’re moving away from digital worlds and virtual reality headsets – we’ve found them to be incredibly isolating, creating closed-off worlds where participants are briefly entertained, then spat back into the real world. Patrons seeking that kind of experience are spoilt for choice by the plethora or screens, consoles and streaming services at home, so offering them a sweet sugar hit of VR fun can leave them feeling empty.
Don’t get me wrong, tech is important – and opens doors for valuable data capture for market insights. But when tech is the whole experience, public spaces have sold themselves short.
But how to leverage this insight?
By creating immersive, interactive experiences driven by peer engagement, social learning and fun.
Let’s break that down, shall we?
Immersive – A step away from the world, something that grabs attention, tugs on emotions and yes, makes people feel something. And ideally, to deliver more value back to the venue, something that encourages them to EXPLORE – your space and the knowledge within your walls.
Interactive – Give people agency to choose their own adventure and navigate a path through your space and content. Let them play a starring role for an active opportunity to relate the content, the learnings, the insight, to their own journey through life.
Peer engagement and social learning– Closely linked to interactivity, peer engagement and social learning deliver the connection we crave (just ask Maslow!). While social learning can summarised as ‘monkey see, monkey do’, peer engagement brings an element of teamwork that creates bonds as different skills and types of thinking are required to solve a puzzle, together.
Fun – We’re born pleasure seekers. Finding new ways to deliver fun experiences can be such a game changer for the public space environment, from adding a healthy dose of competition to elements of surprise and delight to keep people guessing.
So… yes, it would be easy (and even impressive) to deliver a shiny new game with lots of big screens and shiny graphics. But we’re in the business of creating experiences that facilitate lasting benefits for our clients. Immersive, interactive experiences allow us to activate content – bringing information to life by helping teams and individuals create personal connections to important concepts. From helping customers engage with a new exhibit to connecting teams within a business, these experiences open the door to ‘aha moments’ underpinned by peer learning and personal discovery, creating stronger connections with each other and your venue.
If the goal is to increase patronage, especially in hard-to-reach demographics like the elusive 15 – 35-year-old market, give them something they don’t already have.
An experience. Adventure. Connection.
Not another solo digital experience.
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