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Events Accessibility Technology

The ‘Ghost Frame’ and ‘Holoplots’: how will innovative tech revolutionize events?

By Lydia Chenhall, Copywriter

DRPG

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March 13, 2023 | 7 min read

Reflecting on its recent Bigtalk event, DRPG's Lydia Chenhall envisions a future of innovative new event technology, built around paired immersive video and audio.

Confetti over crowd at a live event

New technologies could maximize event experiences for multiple audiences, all at once / Pablo Heimplatz

There’s so much great tech out there completely changing the way we do everything, especially when it comes to enriching events. And with live events now back in full swing, they’re more exciting and more complex than ever.

On top of all that innovation, expectations surrounding delegate experience have completely skyrocketed – not only because people are itching to get back to normal with in-person experiences, but because the industry delivered so many great virtual and hybrid events during the pandemic.

Today, we harness the power of hybrid, and with it, new complications and extra expense. This is where pairing technology that we do already understand becomes a powerhouse – and the answer to these problems.

A huge step for inclusivity

DRPG’s creative technologist, Nick Fagan, demonstrated how powerful combining event technology can be in a world first at DRPG’s Bigtalk 2022, making this a huge step for event inclusivity.

Imagine being able to talk, in real-time, to delegates in multiple languages, or output audio description to those with sight impairments in one place, while only being able to hear one of those outputs. Now imagine if, depending on where you are in the room, the presentation appears branded to specific companies or languages.

The Ghost Frame

The first part of this pairing, the Ghost Frame is an innovative, single LED wall receiving multiple inputs for different languages. While the camera can see all four, our eye can only see one. It’s a brilliant money- and time-saving tool for hybrid and global audiences; you could present to three different companies at one time, and they’d never know the difference.

With this, you only need to pay for one set-up which people attending in person will see; however, those joining remotely will see a complete virtual environment.

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Holoplot

The Ghost Frame's accomplice, Holoplot’s X1 Matrix Array, left delegates in awe during the Bigtalk demonstration. This device brings in a new era of audio; thanks to its 3D Audio-Beamforming capabilities, it can steer sound to precise places, even targeted at just one individual in certain environments.

For example, you could host multiple keynote speakers in several different languages all in one area, and only those in specific spots will hear the outputted audio you wish them to hear; the people next to them would hear a completely different version. This is a powerful tool for exhibition stands to help reduce audio coming off the stand while retaining the full experience.

The end result

At Bigtalk, Fagan demonstrated three presentations for three different brands using these devices in harmony, maximizing the complete experience in person – an unsegregated, inclusive way of providing a controlled, targeted approach to presentations.

This provides a brilliant way to save money on conferences and meetings. Instead of hiring multiple rooms for various keynotes in various languages, you have four different broadcasts with one set-up at the same time and the ability to create an equal experience for attendees.

Nick explains why this is such a pivotal invention: “Essentially, it is the coming together of technologies. It’s an evolution of hybrid events, which helps us manage how disparate groups come and interact together.

“It can be completely interactive, allowing deeper engagement with content, from speakers to exhibition artifacts.”

But this is only the beginning. There’s still so much out there to harness; it’s only up from here.

Events Accessibility Technology

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