Presentations still play a big part in corporate meetings and conferences and are often necessary to deliver the spoken word more effectively. However, word-heavy slides and lack of creativity will result in quite the opposite than the intended effect of holding a vibrant presentation. Making use of hologram technology can boost your corporate event enormously by adding the necessary spice and supporting speakers on stage.
How can corporate events benefit from hologram technology?
The first image that pops up in everybody’s mind when talking about holograms is most likely the three-dimensional image of a person or object that is created with a photographic projection, making you feel as if the object is real while it is actually just a visual projection. Very famous example are the Star Wars movies. The beauty of this technology and vast possibilities for creative interaction is, however, not used very often in corporate events though. Often you hear that huge media productions and music shows make use of holograms to enhance their shows, which makes holography appear as very complex, expensive, and over-the-top for companies. That isn’t actually the case, which is why I’d like to show you three beneficial ways to implement holograms at your next event.
“Holo dialogues” or talks allow you to speak to anyone – real or not – on stage
Have you ever thought about opening an annual meeting with the CEO talking to his future self and presenting the strategy and vision of the company as if it is a message sent from the future, as if already proven? Use the hologram technology to create a short dialogue where the CEO asks his wiser self questions and the hologram providing answers. Whoever the hologram person will be, it could also be a quick touch on each topic of the agenda, or a friendly welcome message from the global CEO sitting on the other side of the world.
The hologram part of holo dialogues is usually pre-recorded – since in my first scenario our CEO would not be able to talk to himself otherwise – which means that these talks have to be scripted upfront and the speaker on stage having to stick to the script to make the hologram dialogue work. This doesn’t mean that there is no flexibility in the content, and it is recommended to record one or two versions in case that the person changes his mind about the topic or an outcome that he or she refers to is not final at the time of recording.
Of course, there is also the option to have live dialogues with a hologram. The real image of a colleague, speaker, entertainer, etc. can be added via hologram to the stage and the moderator can then talk to the hologram as if the person was with him. However, keep in mind that in this live scenario there will be a slight delay in the answers to the hologram due to the transmission.
Hologram dialogues are a wonderful way to have speakers join the corporate meeting who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to attend. Whether live or pre-recorded due to other commitments, or as a surprise factor when the hologram suddenly enters the stage in person afterwards.
TOP TIP: Holograms are image projections used in a dark environment. Therefore, whoever wishes to become the hologram at their next corporate event should rather wear a grey or blue suit since anything black will lose on the effect and not be visible much.
Pimp your presentation with hologram technology
Another great use of hologram technology is to make presentations more interactive. Instead of slides you will use hologram slides that contain moving elements. Now, I know you may say that animations aren’t new to PowerPoint presentations. However, hologram presentations are far more interactive and when used in the right way, make elements stand out as if they were with the presenter on stage.
Speakers can use their hands freely and start writing words that finish by themselves. Products of the company can fly in, rotate, open up, and be explained by the presenter in detail. With a little bit of training and rehearsing upfront, speakers can also interact with their presentation, ‘pressing’ a button that starts a flow of images to appear or form in front of the audience. Instead of clicking to the next slide, the presenter can focus on the interaction and by using preset buzzwords the technical crew will know when to advance in the presentation. With hologram presentations the person on stage interacts with his slides rather than the slides only changing next or behind him.
Hologram presentations don’t need to replace the old-school slides but can also be used as a virtual layer on top of it to add interactive hologram elements to an already existing presentation. With a combination of LED wall in the back and hologram screen in the front, the speaker can create a three-dimensional space in which he interacts and presents content.
TOP TIP: Virtual events benefit from holograms same as live meetings do as they can be used for the online presentation likewise. When the online speaker presents from home or a production factory, make sure that his entire body is visible and not only the upper part, to match with the hologram.
Wow your audience with a holo show
Last but not least, you have the option to create entire animated holo shows which work without any presentation. The lights turn off, the holo screen moves down, and the show begins out of the blue. From telling a story to being purely entertaining, whether using moving elements or integrating holographic persons and actors, the audience will be amazed and energized from the show.
How to create interactive events using holograms?
A common use of hologram technology combines all three parts: an event may start with a quick hologram dialogue, followed by a holo presentation or added holo elements to standard presentations, and finishes with a mesmerizing show highlight in the end.
TOP TIP: Animated presentations and shows can also be used after the event to relive the memories again. Unfortunately, this is not possible with the holo dialogues since you cannot recreate the dialogue like this (unless you recorded the dialogue on stage).
Having a conversation with a hologram or using holographic elements in presentations require some training on the speaker side. While it may look like a real scene for the audience, the perspective of the speaker is slightly different and often he or she will also not be able to see the finished hologram presentation until a day before. Speakers can prepare upfront with training videos to make the most of the rehearsal a day before the event. Everyone can then get a feel for the holo screen, test how close to get to the screen, how to visually interact with elements, move objects, or ‘click’ on buttons to make it look natural.
The shooting for a pre-recorded hologram talk is even simpler for the ‘hologram’ itself. The setting for the shooting can be set up anywhere with enough space to create a green screen background, and the recording itself is usually done within one hour.
With a little pre-planning of your conference to allow a lead time of six to eight weeks for the hologram production, this fantastic technology can increase the event experience a lot. Plus, it is also ideal for roadshows since the production costs only apply once and can be used for as many shows as you want afterwards.
If you’d like to learn more about the options and technical requirements, I’ll be happy to elaborate on it further and give you insights into the possibilities for your event.
Wishing you a futuristic day!
Kristin