Paul Colston is invited to witness a demonstration of Marina Bay Sands Singapore’s Mixed Reality addition to its Hybrid Broadcast Studio toolbox.
Marina Bay Sands rolled out Mixed Reality (MR) capabilities at its state-of-the-art Hybrid Broadcast Studio at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, before the New Year, complete with presenters in holographic form able to respond to Q&As in real time.
This glimpse into a new-look future for our industry was offered both online and live during Singapore’s first hybrid travel tradeshow, TravelRevive, which contained Asia’s first in-person travel conference since the Covid pandemic began.
The MR technology enlarges the Studio’s hybrid tech toolbox and empowers event planners to transform their events by integrating the virtual and physical worlds to create an immersive and interactive presentation.
Coupled with the studio’s three-dimensional stage and immersive backdrop, MR technology allows presenters to have a more meaningful interaction with digital data and the environment, bringing presentations to life through hyper-realistic visuals. Statistics and graphs simply appear to float around the presenters, linking the real and the virtual seamlessly.
The convention centre’s Hybrid Broadcast Studio was soft launched in August 2020 and took just seven days to set up, according to the venue’s technicians. It offers broadcast-quality live-streaming capabilities, hologram functionalities and a three-dimensional stage fitted with an immersive LED wall backdrop and floor.
The MR capabilities have since been further improved to offer hyper-realistic visuals to the planner’s toolbox.
“Marina Bay Sands has accelerated our adoption of technology to adapt to the new environment. We are providing a comprehensive platform for our clients to transit into the hybrid sphere successfully – using digital modes, hologram functionalities and now Mixed Reality. This will further increase delegate engagement and drive greater content and idea generation among key communities. It has also given us the opportunity to work with technology partners to add value for our clients and their events. This is the future of storytelling and we hope to continue inspiring the industry, driving digital transformation and elevating hybrid event experiences,” said Paul Town, senior vice-president, resort operations, Marina Bay Sands.
Since early October, the integrated resort has hosted key Singapore hybrid pilot MICE events including WiT Experience Week 2020 and the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW). The multi-functional studio has also been used to inspire other communities including the music industry.
In October, Marina Bay Sands hosted its first hybrid entertainment event to launch Singapore hip-hop artist Yung Raja’s latest single and music video – The Dance Song.
In January 2021, Marina Bay Sands will be the Global Broadcast Centre for the 2021 PCMA Convening Leaders. This prestigious industry event will use MR to transform presentation formats and broadcast keynote speeches in real-time to multiple locations globally.
Reskilling and certifying for the future
To equip its MICE workforce with the relevant skills, Marina Bay Sands has become the first venue in the world to have a pool of certified Digital Event Strategists to assist clients in navigating the world of hybrid events.
“While we continue investing in our infrastructure, facilities and technology, it is our team of dedicated staff who are the driving force behind the creation of successful events at Marina Bay Sands. Prioritising their personal development and providing them with the necessary resources to upskill is important in the sustainable growth of an industry-relevant MICE workforce,” said Ong Wee Min, vice-president of conventions and exhibitions, Marina Bay Sands. He demonstrated the technology by appearing as a hologram and in person at the November media launch.
Wee Min also noted event planners can look forward to further enhancements to the Hybrid Broadcast Studio, such as a fully-fledged Extended Reality (XR) hybrid events solution.
