Event organisers can now replicate real-life environments in virtual settings with this new experiential platform.
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has unveiled Virtual Meeting Place, a fully customisable platform where event organisers can build their virtual venue set from scratch to replicate their real-life event space. This product makes the Singapore integrated resort the “first venue in the MICE industry” to launch such a platform globally.
Targeted at hybrid event experiences, MBS says the Virtual Meeting Place is built to meet three key needs of the MICE industry – network, content delivery, and be a global marketplace to promote services to a curated customer base. Marina Bay Sands aims to shift the paradigm of a traditional five-day-a-year in-person event concept through the virtual platform, enabling organisers to engage and build their communities all year long.
Using Marina Bay Sands’ iconic architecture as the visual interface, international delegates will be teleported to unique meeting places within the integrated resort. From virtual meeting pods and exhibition booths to content library and watching the live streaming of onsite plenary sessions, the Virtual Meeting Place is an all-purpose-built solution offering multiple touchpoints to continuously drive interactions among target audiences.
MBS worked with three Singaporean powerhouses to bring the experience-driven platform to life: brand activation agency Pico Art International, virtual event platform GEVME and 3D and interactive solutions provider Sixtrees Viz Comms.
“Hybrid events are the industry’s mainstay, but the omnichannel meeting experience will be the future. With more clients placing a premium on creating a shared user experience, we are taking the next step forward to offer them a singular, integrated customer journey. The future of meetings in an endemic world will focus on delivering a 365-day, 24/7 user journey – one that offers delegates a seamless experience transitioning between physical and virtual events as well as providing on-demand content akin to that of online streaming entertainment platforms.
“An extension of the physical venue, the Virtual Meeting Place empowers our clients to capitalise on the O2O2O (Offline-to-Online-to-Offline) opportunities that this platform offers – reinventing the delivery and consumption of information while optimising customer experiences,” said Ong Wee Min, Vice President of Conventions and Exhibitions, Marina Bay Sands.
Key spaces include:
- The Plenary, which serves as an exhibition space modelled after the Sands Expo and Convention Centre ballroom, allows major live events to be simultaneously broadcast to the rest of the world.
- The Library, housed at the Hybrid Broadcast Studio, enables attendees to access the events’ most impactful moments at any time on-demand and can grow to become a collection over time.
- Breakout Rooms enabling attendees to form one-on-one and group meetings for knowledge and idea exchanges. Attendees can take their meetings to Marina Bay Sands’ key unique meeting spaces such as ArtScience Museum, Sands SkyPark Observation Deck, and many more.
Event planners can also opt to include interactive elements, such as chatbots, quizzes and live polls, and leverage data analytics to track and optimise audience trends and satisfaction.
The Virtual Meeting Place also extends the industry conversations beyond event days, allowing organisers to host scheduled meetings online to keep their communities connected throughout the year.
The unveiling of the Virtual Meeting Place comes at the heels of Marina Bay Sands’ four state-of-the-art Hybrid Broadcast Studios launched in 2020 that can cater to events of up to 1,300 pax.
Beyond the hologram functionalities and Mixed Reality capabilities, MBS says event planners can look forward to upcoming enhancements to the Hybrid Broadcast Studios, such as a fully-fledged Extended Reality (XR) hybrid events solution that aims to “truly redefine meeting experiences”.
To view a clip of the Virtual Meeting Place, visit this link.
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