BIG Ideas for the week of 8/17

Creative inspiration for a new (virtual) reality

BIG Ideas kicks off this week with a great quote from Barry Diller, who once helmed Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox and is now chief executive of the digital media company IAC:

“Disney will remain relevant into the future. All of the rest of them are caddies on a golf course they’ll never play.”

Pretty good, right? While Diller is referring to big legacy Hollywood studios like Warner Bros., he could just as easily be speaking about a lot of other industries, especially during COVID-times, and as all of us in the events business look to find firm footing for the future, the main lesson from the linked article is something to keep in mind: Technology is changing everything, oftentimes much faster and more dramatically than we expect. I know I’m a broken record on that subject, but then again, nobody ever went broke banking on the inevitably of change.

And now for some ideas, starting with a few bigger picture reads:

• Get Ready for Web 3.0 The next iteration of the “web,” “internet,” and/or “series of tubes” is coming, and it has some exciting implications for live events, because as Deloitte explains in this report, “it emphasizes the shift in experience for the end-user by transferring interaction with information away from screens and into physical space.”
• And then there’s the Metaverse Anybody working remotely over the past six months knows that most of what passes as “virtual” these days isn’t very engaging, compelling, or interactive. You can think of the Metaverse as a way that changes, and while the linked piece focuses on gaming, it’s not a stretch to see how what’s going on there may very well lead to a virtual world many of us wouldn’t mind visiting occasionally.
• Secret Sauce “Belgian EDM giant Tomorrowland welcomed 150% more festival-goers than usual this year with its pay-per-view virtual edition.” So that’s the formula: EDM + Epic Games + Well, you know… = Virtual Success. Got it.
• Please, God, Not Another ZOOM… For clients looking for something to do with attendees other than Zoom, Skype, etc etc etc, here are five alternatives that aren’t necessarily awful.
• I Must Be In The Front Row Interesting overview of how the NBA partnered with Microsoft and Michelob Ultra to bring fans courtside for games played in the bubble (Provided as a PDF as live link is behind a paywall.)

Now onto the fun stuff, this week’s BIG List of compelling creativity:

• For Your Experience Netflix brings Emmy voters into their biggest shows with a virtual AR experience. Imagine: Taking attendees of a virtual medical conference into an AR hospital where they can “use” a new piece of game-changing equipment.
• Just Watch the Video The presenter is, well, really dull, but goddam that technology… wow. Imagine: Immersing attendees in realistic, and cost-effective, VR simulations of famous locations around the world.

• Making Zines Cool Again Nike uses an AR-enabled ‘Zine to launch a new AirMax in Japan. Imagine: Sending attendees pre-event materials that come alive to help them personalize their conference experience.
• Oh, If It Only Worked for Real! Even little ideas can make the ordinary a bit more extraordinary. Imagine: Using unexpected fun to help keep up energy and interest in monotonous video call presentations.
• Speaking of Little Ideas An aptly named-rapper debuts his new single on top of a Whopper. Imagine: How geolocation & AR can add serendipity to physical locations.
• Remember Sound? With everyone focusing on the visual design aspects of virtual, perhaps sound design is not getting enough attention. Imagine: Using original sound design to create a unique audio identity for a virtual event.

And there you have it, your BIG Ideas for the week. But before I go, allow me to let you all know I’m disappointed in you. Yes, YOU. Despite my repeated requests for you to submit BIG Ideas you’ve found (or had) for this blog, not ONE of you has answered the call. Come on! Surely some of you have found ideas worth sharing, so please send them my way. Or, better yet, send me your thoughts. Do you agree with me, or am I full of BS (most likely)? I’d love for this to be more of a two-way conversation than simply me typing into the ether.

Until next Wednesday onward, upward, and let’s not be caddies on courses we’ll never play.