Ever find that the unexpected can be the best at livening up a party?
Last month the digital engagement agency LitmusBox teamed up with the a local organizations for a special project, finding that sometimes the unexpected can be the life of the party….
LitmusBox was approached by the Downtown Association (DTA) to join the fun and help with a special project.
Chip, director of the DTA, approached the LitmusBox team as he searched for a way to bring engagement to the business portion of the 2017 Downtown Party. The 2017 Downtown party would feature announcements of new developments, projects, and program growth within the downtown area as well as promote local businesses. Chip and LitmusBox’s president, JT Mudge, decided that just talking about new projects would be far too traditional and boring. Instead, they set out to bring a new level of interaction and engagement to the unveilings.
To do this, the DTA, LitmusBox, and Barry Swenson Builder collaborated to bring party-goers a fun and engaging way to learn about some of the changes coming to downtown, particularly new housing developments. After brainstorming potential ways to engage guests with community changes, it was decided that the best thing to do was to bring guests to the development site itself. However, with the site still undergoing construction, virtually bringing guests to the site was the next best thing.
LitmusBox deployed their telepresence bot (telebot) Ohmni, created by OhmniLabs, to do the job. LitmusBox felt that the Ohmni Telebot would be the perfect way to bring a remote experience to personal engagement.
With the help of Barry Swenson Builder, the LitmusBox team set up a telebot in the newly developed 555 Pacific housing complex. For party guests to access the bot and virtually tour 555, LitmusBox’s Project Manager Carmen set up station in Cosmic Design at the center of the downtown party.
As participants arrived to mingle and explore upcoming downtown changes, Carmen encouraged guests to take a first hand look at the 555 Pacific complex using Ohmni. Guests were able to control the telebot simply through use of wifi, a keyboard, camera and reference screen, allowing them to explore all that telebot was experiencing. Throughout the experience, people navigated around apartments and studios, touring different spaces, layouts, and more – even catching a glimpse of sunset and moon from the building windows looking over downtown.
During their experience exploring the site, people had the opportunity to understand telepresence and the power of digital engagement through use of innovative technologies that enhance experiences and push the boundaries of imagination.
Many participants expressed that they had never experienced telepresence in such away, nor had they considered the possibility. While the LitmusBox team shared the benefits of telepresence and emerging technologies with participants, they discovered a common connection… a genuine excitement for where this technology can go and what it can do.
Interested in learning more about LitmusBox or Ohmni? Good choice. You can visit their sites or head to the LitmusBox lab in Downtown Santa Cruz for a tour and demo.
About LitmusBox:
LitmusBox is a Digital Engagement Agency dedicated to helping companies improve user engagement and create meaningful relationships. LitmusBox works from strategy to conception to deliver the best possible experiences – from marketing and social to emerging technologies like digital signage, voice and telepresence.
About OhmniLabs:
Ohmni is a relationship building tool. It fosters engagement, by allowing users to connect to teams around the world instantaneously. Like LitmusBox, we believe the power of engagement doesn’t lie in the future, it’s about connecting people now to make a difference.
Thuc Vu, OhmniLabs CEO and Co-Founder
