This session is part of our Tourism and Hospitality innovation programme in partnership with Experience West Sussex and the Institute of Hospitality, but could be attended by other RISE members.

Given the extremely challenging time this sector has experienced during the pandemic and Brexit, West Sussex County Council has prioritised funding for Small and Medium-sized enterprises to receive specific innovation support to recover and boost growth.

Add a new dimension to your customer experience

This masterclass will explore what we mean by the terms ‘immersive’ and ‘augmented’ experiences in relation to the tourism and hospitality industries. You will gain a deeper insight into the variety of possibilities this can encompass using digital and no -tech approaches. The session will cover how curated sound and visual technologies engage the customer and their senses, helping them access layers of information, and leaving a strong and memorable impression.

The session will also develop your understanding of the current use of digital technologies through a range of examples covering virtual reality, VR, augmented reality AR and Mixed Reality looking at how visual and sound technologies are adding new dimensions and sensorial layers to visitor and customer experience. 

Whether you are a tourist attraction, a campsite, or hotel there are possibilities to enhance your visitors experience in a variety of innovative ways be it for learning, wellbeing, or entertainment. This session will help you to consider opportunities for your own business or organisation to develop new experiences for visitors.

Other masterclasses and workshops in the Horizons programme, all with a tourism and hospitality focus include:

• Understanding your customer/visitor journey from ‘look to book’
• The value of data analytics to the sector
• Enhancing your customer/visitor offer
• Sustainability and Net Zero support
• Action Learning Sets to problem solve challenges with peers

The Horizons programme also culminates with an opportunity to access an additional £5,000 of specialist support for a new business idea or project where we can match you with university expertise to develop new services, processes, products or business models.

This masterclass will be delivered by: Dr Karina Rodriguez Echavarria and and Anna Edmonds University of Brighton, plus guest speaker from Inkibit a virtual reality collective, members of Wired Sussex

This event is valued at £80 of State Aid support. State aid information is detailed in our T&Cs.