Ottawa Tourism, immersive virtual tour platform

Basic details of the platform:

Title: Virtually Ottawa Interactive Platform
URL: https://ottawatourism.ca/en/meetings/resources/virtually-ottawa-interactive-site-visit
Date: Launched on March 30^th 2020
City, Country: Ottawa, Canada
Host Venue: Virtually Ottawa Platform



Organizing Team:

• Stephanie Seguin | LinkedIn, Assistant Director of Sales Business Events for Ottawa Tourism: Overview | LinkedIn
• Danielle Jolicoeur | LinkedIn, Event Services Specialist for Ottawa Tourism: Overview | LinkedIn

Contributors:

• Ottawa Tourism members
• Ottawa Tourism landmarks

Specific Event Questions:

Who was the target audience?
Our target audience for this project are meeting planners, either new to our city or not. When hosting in-person site visits was put on pause, we were determined to find a new and creative way to showcase our city and all of the fantastic venues, attractions and landmarks that it has to offer.

Our Virtually Ottawa platform includes various interactive components which enable the viewer to get a sense of our city without ever having to step out of their home. Planners can walk through the convention centre, partake in a virtual tour which is animated by an avatar of our Senior Manager of Business Events, Theresa Gatto, BBA, CMP, DES | LinkedIn and watch interactive videos hosted by local businesses.

When the idea came up?
In the Fall of 2020, we connected with an event planning firm who had been using innovative technology to develop a 3D interactive virtual space for clients.

In December 2020, we began brainstorming and laying the groundwork for this project. We worked very closely with our partners to recreate parts of our city and its offerings, in a virtual space.

Our goal was to build a sales tool that lives on our website forever.



How long did it take to bring the platform to life?
The creation of the virtual immersive platform began to take shape in January 2021. Our goal was to launch the platform in tandem with a virtual event which was scheduled to take place at the end of March.

When was the platform officially launched?
The platform was officially launched on March 30^th during a virtually special event.

How many people worked on the project?
About seven to nine staff members worked on it. Danielle was the lead on the project.

Many Ottawa Tourism members were tagged as landmarks on the platform.

It was “all hands-on deck” for this project as we leaned on the entire teams’ wide variety of expertise. As with all Ottawa Tourism projects, our partners played an important role in helping make our vision come to life.



What was unique about this platform?
Throughout the years, we’ve commissioned a wide variety of virtual platforms to deliver events. Although all great, we wanted to offer something more interactive and impactful. This platform allowed us to recreate our city and conference centre down to the smallest detail. We even managed to work in Ottawa’s iconic red shoe!

This platform is now a permanent feature on the Ottawa Tourism website. Planners can simply click an icon and be whisked away (virtually, of course) to Ottawa.



What was the biggest obstacle you/your team had to overcome?
Our biggest obstacle for this project was time. With a target launch date of only 3 months after we began the creation of the platform, we knew that we had our work cut out for us.

Our second obstacle was working around lockdown restrictions to create this entire 3D environment without any of the tech crew ever stepping foot into the conference centre. We worked in parallel with the creators of the platform to build and place our city’s landmarks using only floor plans, images and videos.

What was your biggest triumph?
We’re incredibly proud of this new sales tool and it’s lasting power. It was launched during an incredibly successful event but will live on in many ways. The Business Events team has the opportunity to showcase the platform on a regular basis.

Secondly, we’re receiving praises from many of our counterparts in the industry as well as our clients.

It is crucial that Ottawa remain top of mind when planners select a host city for their event and we are confident that this new platform aligns with our goal.

What do you see for the future?
We are persistently exploring new possibilities for the Virtually Ottawa platform and look forward to sharing those in the future.

Last words
I love how surprised people were. When they saw the platform put together; it blows their minds. We did justice to our city, trying to recreate it in a virtual format. The platform is very realistic.

The avatar of Theresa was very well received. She looked so real just as if she was actually in the Centre Shaw Centre: Overview | LinkedIn but she was in a green room in Toronto. It was fun to put everything together.

Article compiled by Elodie LORTAL, BHM, CMP | LinkedIn, National Arts Centre | Centre national des Arts: My Company | LinkedIn

Article edited by Darlene Kelly-Stewart, Stonehouse Sales & Marketing Services