During our visit to the ITB, we had the opportunity to talk to many tourism stakeholders across different fields. One area we were able to observe that used a lot of VR related marketing tools is the airline industry. In this post we describe our experiences about how airlines use VR.
Lufthansa: In the second level of their exhibition booth they displayed some actual seats from their business and first class. Additionally, the team there helped you experience the service quality aboard the aircrafts in VR. They used Gear VR in the normal seating displays and even had an Oculus Rift DK2 on site in a swivel chair . Shown were scenes from the first class, but also some snippets from destinations. Visitors were given a PS Move controller, which enabled them to use their hands in the virtual environment. At the end of the simulation, users were left with a virtual postcard in their hand, a real version of which was later handed to them by the staff on site, pre-stamped and ready to be sent away. Another highlight how VR was used was by offering users to take a sneak peek at travel destinations within their network by showing them through an interactive billboard. It showed 360 degree video as we know it, just from a stationary point. If that seems too hard to imagine, check out the big displays at the left and right of this photo. This VR experience was created by Lufthansa in cooperation with the German agency 3spin. Check out this video from last years’ ITB display, which was improved even further this year.
Emirates: Dubbed ‘The Emirates Hello Tomorrow Virtual Reality Experience’, users were in for a real treat when they visited the booth at ITB this year. Emirates used swivel chairs and Samsung Gear VRs with the brand new Galaxy S7 to deliver the ultimate VR experience about what Emirates is all about. Having created an actual animated 3D floating menu, users were able to choose from two scenarios, both showcasing things they can only experience with Emirates. The first one took us to a training training session of Arsenal London soccer players and later enabled us with a press-line view of the game that followed the training. In the second simulation, users were taken on an interactive journey starting at the Emirates lounge, where visitors were approached by an Emirates chef who asks for their choice of ingredients. Users can select with just a gaze the ingredients they would like to eat, and after a quick detour through the wine cellar, the chef presents a delicious looking meal created with the chosen ingredients. Guests were immersed even more with a spatial sound experience that places the sound depending on your position. Emirates cooperated with the Pulse Group for this VR display.
Emirates Hello Tomorrow Virtual Experience at the ITB 2016
Roman Egger
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