A new article on Martech.org reports that ARHT Media makes futuristic holograms an attainable option for event marketers.



Since patenting their end-to-end holographic capture and display technology in 2017, Toronto-based company ARHT Media (pronounced "art") has expanded their presence at events and in other corporate use cases. Most recently they partnered with WeWork to allow members access to holograms in 11 locations, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C.

Event marketers who want to book high-profile speakers have budget and logistical constraints that limit their options. Travel restrictions and other public safety concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic have added to the difficulties. "The value for organizations is getting someone to a meeting or conference who might not be able to participate otherwise, and concern around travel during a pandemic heightens this challenge," said ARHT Media CEO Larry O'Reilly. Speakers around the world don't have to spend hours or days traveling to an event site. They only have to get to a capture studio, which can transmit a live or recorded talk. Meanwhile, on the event stage, a "HoloPresence" display shows a life-size three-dimensional hologram of the presenter.



WeWork announced a strategic partnership with ARHT Media in May 2021, bringing the holographic technology to up to 3,500 enterprise customers through the WeWork network as more locations are equipped with the capture studios and displays. The WeWork partnership will expand the use of holograms through accessibility and visibility, according to O'Reilly. "It will be much easier and more convenient to have a demo of the product or actually use the product when it is permanently installed," he said.



Using the holographic technology, players in a COVID-19 bubble could be interviewed by on-air talent located elsewhere, or talent in the bubble could be shown in-studio via hologram. Because the interactions are in real-time, the interviews are natural and proved to meet the high standard of broadcast television. The technology has also been used for NCAA Final Four hoops, and for the 2020 NCAA Championship Football Game. "It has been used many times in trade shows and other retail activations such as Rogers Communication 5G Experience Centre, which created a personal concert experience in cooperation with Live Nation," said O'Reilly.