Enhancing Attendee Experience Through Technology

I've noticed a new trend appearing, so I wanted to mention it out loud after discussing it with our volume build clients over the past few months. LED Volumes might have been designed for Virtual Production, but they are increasingly being used for Live Events and Location-Based Experiences, too. We've seen an uptick in enquiries about using our spaces in LA and Melbourne in this way. And it's not really a surprise, if you think about it. As you can see below from the BYD event we did in Melbourne last year, volumes can provide a vibrant, dynamic and engaging backdrop for premium live audience events or pop-up location-based experiences. The wrap-around screens can immerse customers, audiences, attendees or fans in a completely different world, or any other stylized visuals you want, which could be responsive to music or other cues throughout the event. The tracking technologies we have throughout our volumes could also be used to facilitate any number interactive experiences. And the great thing about studios is that they usually have plenty of open spaces and most, like ours, also include adjoining production offices, corporate areas and green rooms, giving a large events team all of the spaces needed to stage something incredible. I've worked on a couple of things like this before and to me, the key to holding an incredible event in a VP space is to lean right into the sense of immersion and perspective it can create. Imagine walking into a key building/location from a major IP franchise - and everything you see outside looks like a live environment from that world, no matter how surreal it might be. Think a settlement from The Last of Us. As an audience, you could freely watch a story unfold or an attack happen through the windows while never feeling like you are in a volume. And then you could also have the ability to interact with the screens using props, or gestures tracked by our mocap systems. These are all brilliant capabilities that would be applicable to most of the largest volumes around the world. But I think there is another reason we've seen an uptick in interest in our LA studios, too. Most volumes are contained spaces that aren't great for large crowds or audience movement. But our Dynamic Volume System in LA changes that by allowing every wallPod, or section of LED wall, to quickly be driven into any configuration that fits any unique plan; you could even change the config and experience on different days to keep things fresh. Being able to create a nice wide, open arc, or an enclosed immersive space with the same volume components - or floating sections that encourage exploration, gives event planners a virtually unlimited canvas with which to get creative. The only thing I'd like to see is more creative events people turn their minds to the possibilities here. Exclusive dance events, striking product reveals, gamified storytelling experiences or fan engagement opportunities; it's all possible in a volume..

Earlier this week, I saw something that might end one of my frustrations as an audience member watching a speaker: scribbling illegible notes while trying to capture a bad phone photo of an interesting PowerPoint slide. At Cvent Connect in San Antonio, thousands of attendees experienced a breakthrough in real-time speech transcription. As speakers talked, their words appeared instantly in the event app with virtually zero lag. When someone heard something worth remembering, they simply tapped a button—and the system captured a full minute of context around that moment. According to McNeel Keenan, Cvent's VP of Product Management, a future version of the app will capture the accompanying visual, like a PowerPoint slide, along with the text. I like this. No scribbling in the dark required. No trying to remember what my cryptic note was supposed to mean later on. Instead, one click saves a few paragraphs of what the speaker said, labeled and summarized by AI. This feature has another benefit: it reduces cognitive load. When you're simultaneously trying to listen, write, and photograph content, your brain is managing multiple competing tasks. What happens? You often miss the insights you're trying to capture. Cvent's solution eliminates this friction. Attendees can focus 100% of their cognitive capacity on listening and engaging, while AI handles the capture, summarization, and organization. From a behavioral perspective, there's something even more valuable happening: every tap creates revealed preference data. Instead of relying on sketchy post-event surveys, organizers can see exactly which moments resonated enough for people to save them. As a frequent speaker, I know when I see phones go up to capture my slides that I've hit something important to the audience. But after an hour on-stage, I can't always remember in detail which ideas sparked that response. Or, which didn't. Now, that engagement becomes quantifiable data. The friction we've accepted as "just how conferences work" isn't inevitable, it's a design problem waiting for a solution. What are your conference pain points? Can technology fix them?

The Future of Music Festivals: Powered by AI and XR Imagine attending a music festival where AI customizes your experience, from the perfect playlist during downtime to suggesting artists you’ll love based on real-time feedback. Or picture enjoying the same festival from the comfort of your home through XR technology, where you can “stand” in the crowd, feel the energy, and interact with other fans, all in a virtual space. This isn’t the distant future—it’s happening now. AI is powering smarter stage designs, optimizing soundscapes, and even creating holographic performances that bring legendary artists “back to life.” XR is breaking down physical barriers, allowing global audiences to experience the magic without traveling. Beyond the fan experience, these technologies are also reshaping sustainability efforts, from AI-driven waste management to energy-efficient lighting and sound systems. Music festivals have always been about connection, emotion, and energy. With AI and XR, they’re becoming more immersive, inclusive, and sustainable than ever before. Takeaways for Businesses 1. Personalized Customer Experiences: Leverage AI to customize your offerings, whether it’s products, services, or content. Tailoring experiences to customer preferences drives deeper engagement and loyalty. 2. Breaking Physical Barriers with Virtual Engagement: XR technology can help businesses expand their reach by creating immersive digital experiences, enabling participation from a global audience without physical constraints 3. Sustainability Through Smart Technology: Adopt AI and IoT tools to optimize resource management, reduce waste, and improve operational efficiency—building a greener, more sustainable business model. What’s one piece of tech you think could transform live entertainment next? Let me know if you’d like any further adjustments!