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Are holographic guest speakers the future of live events?

When Sony and Micromegas brought us on board for an exciting Spiderman press event in Italy, we were told that the film’s lead actor, Tom Holland, would not be able to attend in person due to scheduling conflicts. High-profile speakers can be difficult to secure, given they’re juggling multiple speaking and panellist commitments in different areas of the world.

Our solution: a hologram of Tom – life-size and life-like – to create the next-best experience. Since hybrid and virtual events have become the norm, event managers the world over have scrambled to trial new strategies and technologies that could make their event a roaring success.

A notable strategy is the use of LED screens and projectors to create the illusion of a ‘hologram’. The technology itself may not be new, but the rise of remote working and hybrid events has created the perfect storm for a resurgence. The global hologram market has seen a revival in recent years, and is projected to be worth $5.4bn by 2024 – 20% more than in 2019. This projected trajectory is unsurprising, given the technology’s potential to enhance events, lower costs and provide commercial benefits.

After two years of communicating solely through video meeting platforms, facing countless camera and audio issues, we know that getting the technology right is everything – and can make or break an event. People are also tired of these platforms, as they aren’t engaging, and tend to switch off due to the unnatural behaviours they promote.

Spark interest
Holograms aren’t just inherently more exciting, but they’re relatively rare, so they create an immediate spark of interest. To promote maximum impact with the audience, during the Tom Holland Spiderman: No Way Home event, we paid special attention to elements such as making sure Tom’s eye-line would match the host’s and the audience’s, and making his audio as clean as possible, selling the illusion that he was actually on stage.

The main tech challenge was to ensure a low-latency, high-quality stream so that Tom (in Los Angeles) and the host (in Rome) could speak to each other with minimal delay, as if they were having a conversation face to face. Getting this right is fundamental in selling the illusion of the hologram being in the same room.

We also included circular lighting to mimic the ‘multiverse warp hole’, or ‘Dr Strange Portal’, as some call it. All of these elements allowed the hosts to interact with the star in real-time, without the standard look and feel of a ‘conference call’ or pre-recorded stream, which is often the case with holograms.

Wow factor
For smaller brands, this may all sound too futuristic. But the technology is easier to set up and more affordable than some may imagine – easily fitting within a medium-sized event budget. As long as the guest can get to a studio with a strong internet connection, the technology can work. Saying that, brands should be conscious that for a flawless finish, we recommend having an expert team to hand with years of experience in the field. We expect the technology to continue to grow and become even more life-like. Even celebrities are even on board – in Tom Holland’s words: “Can we do these all the time?”

Green agenda
The use of ‘holograms’ has already proven itself from an environmental standpoint. The mass grounding of flights that resulted from pandemic-induced travel restrictions saw carbon emissions cut by 60%, which speaks volumes about the potential benefits that limiting air travel can have for the environment. The carbon footprint of a typical conference with numerous international speakers is significant (especially if they fly private), but by using hologram technology to feature guests, rather than flying them in from across the world, the carbon footprint is going to be much lower. With sustainability high on the environmental, social and governance agenda, businesses should be considering the more earth-friendly option of having guests show up in their ‘hologram’ form, rather than in-person.

Cutting costs
Similarly, if guest speakers are able to be interviewed or deliver their speech from the comfort of a studio local to home, the overall cost of the event will immediately be reduced. Accommodation and travel costs for invitees typically make up a significant portion of an event’s budget – so without these expenses, events are more cost-effective. As a result of cutting costs, the floor may be opened to a new range of high-profile, high-calibre speakers who might typically have been out of budget, increasing the chance of hype and success of the event.

As new technologies continue to influence how events are run, holograms offer an exciting avenue into this world, and a first step in realising the potential of events in the metaverse. If speakers are required to commit less time to an event, there is an opportunity for events to feature big-name guests who may have less availability and busier diaries, and deliver higher-quality content to a broader range of people. As we settle into a world where the new hybrid model begins to dominate, holographic guests are set to become more commonplace.

Jake Ward is business development director at Groovy Gecko

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