PHOTO: HYPERVSN

With the evolution of smartphones, tablets, 3D imagery and the sharpest visual quality on screens at home, consumers have become accustomed to heightened digital experiences. Now, they are applying these expectations to all aspects of daily life such as public leisure spaces, including amusement and theme parks.

The pressure is on for the attractions industry to engage with attendees in new and innovative ways. The aim is to leave a lasting impression on visitors and create positive word-of-mouth, but how can operators take steps to heighten innovation in their parks?

Digital displays, often used to communicate information such as when certain rides open, estimated queue times and maps for wayfinding, are failing to engage attendees in 2024. New standards of viewer immersion are being set with visual innovations, such as holographic solutions and 3D imagery.

With holograms, every corner of an attractions venue becomes an immersive journey where the magic leaps right out at attendees. Attractions can swap out the old-school info boards and replace them with interactive mascots that answer any question in a given language, host immersive live events or even facilitate games that let participants spin reels for prizes.

With the stakes raised by pricier tickets, holographic technology is exactly what operators need to ramp up the wow factor and give families experiences they’ll be raving about for years.

Holographic technology can be integrated in several ways to enhance the experience. Rather than deliver information about rides and other services via displays, operators could incorporate AI-powered holographic chatbots to answer questions. Visitors can quickly have a query answered in the language of their choice.

A chatbot, or personal assistant, could take any form, such as the mascot for the company or a fictional character that resonates with children. We’ve already seen digital characters integrated into the theme park environment that can answer questions in real-time, such as a Finding Nemo character at Disney World. Holographic characters can become an attraction in their own right, and could even host a live event, such as a quiz, to elevate engagement.

Elsewhere, there are other opportunities to engage visitors, such as interactive games. Attendees can pull a physical lever to initiate the spinning of holographic reels for a chance to win prizes. This is a prime example of a ‘phygital’ experience, where physical and digital elements are combined. This kind of experience could be implemented at the entrance of a park to engage visitors from the first interaction.

As attractions such as amusement and theme parks face the challenge of justifying increased admission prices with enriched visitor experiences, the integration of innovative technologies, such as holographic displays, phygital experiences and interactive games present a promising solution. Traditional park visits can be transformed into immersive interactive journeys that captivate guests from the moment they step inside, rather than just when they go on rides. Families, who now spend more of their hard-earned money for the best experiences, leave with lasting impressions, a desire to return and only positive feedback to report to others.

Hologram Zoo opened in Brisbane Australia in 2023, featuring life-like 3D holograms of animals, created using lasers.

Visitors travel through 20m-long holographic tunnels featuring a number of different locations, where they can get up close to laser-projected 3D animals including hippos, giraffes, pandas and giant whales.

Visitors wear special position-tracked glasses with a graphics engine that generates a unique image for every eye looking at the screen.

The zoo features different locations, including the African Savannah, the North Pole, Asia, and Australia, and guests can also travel back in time and visit the dinosaurs. 4D elements designed to enhance the experience include scents, wind and different temperatures.

The technology was developed by Bruce Dell, CEO of hologram technology provider Axiom Holographics.

“Hologram entertainment centres are a fantastic way to be teleported to places that you couldn’t normally visit, and you can experience things you would normally never see,” says Dell. “I don’t think people really know just how big a whale is, but when they see a giant life-sized whale swim past them at Hologram Zoo, they all seem to pause in reverent silence because it’s something that they would normally never get the opportunity to see in real life.”