Virtual Reality is rapidly being viewed as an effective business tool to present and educate configurable products at trade shows. Manufacturers are adopting VR technology and using it as a focal point in their booth presentation. It's a unique way to showcase a product, demonstrate benefits, and leave a memorable impression.
Axonom customers in the medical, fitness, apparel, and data center industries are leveraging virtual reality to augment their visual product configurator investment. Virtual Reality provides an immersive experience for decision-makers to validate the design. It gives them a first-person point of view to visualize the environment, explore how products fit in the footprint, and determine if spacing affects workflow.
Seven Axonom customers have used virtual reality to showcase their products at trade shows in 2018 and 2019. Axonom attended each show to not only support the customer but to also observe the attendee's reaction to the VR experience.
Axonom is leading the charge in marrying configure, price, quote (CPQ) software with virtual reality experiences. We're not just saying it. Let's take a look at the companies using VR at trade shows...
Life Fitness
Event: IHRSA International Convention & Trade Show
Date: March 21-24, 2018
Products Showcased: Hammer Strength Rigs and Racks
VR Hardware: HTC Vive
Using the HTC Vive, Life Fitness provided IHRSA attendees with an immersive experience to visualize and explore Hammer Strength brand equipment in a preconfigured training facility.
The virtual reality exhibit generated a lot of buzz in the booth.
Life Fitness found IHRSA attendees enjoyed experiencing Hammer Strength rigs, racks, and accessory storage products in a fun, but realistic fashion.
Life Fitness will be taking this rig and rack configurator demo video to the FIBO Global Fitness Conference in Cologne, Germany.
Read this press release about Life Fitness at IHRSA 2018.
"I was at IHRSA and was able to bring two of my colleagues over to the Life Fitness booth to show them the VR in action. They were extremely impressed and we couldn't get them to take the headset off! Zebra Athletics has engaged with Axonom and we're super excited to roll out a VR experience for our customers later this year!" - Kyle Fisher, Vice President at Zebra
BFW Inc.
Event: AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo
Date: March 25-27, 2018
Products Showcased: Surgical Headlight Illumination and Headlight Video Imaging Equipment
VR Hardware: Oculus Rift
BFW Inc. used virtual reality to offer medical professionals a new way to experience its lighting and video imaging equipment inside a furnished operating room.
AORN attendees were provided an Oculus Rift headset to view its Pharos Camera System and Headlight Systems, and used hand controllers to move medical equipment and navigate the room.
In addition to virtual reality, BFW Inc. is working with Axonom on a visual quoting and ordering solution. The 2D configurator features real-time pricing, 2D renderings of its surgical lighting products, and interactive drag-and-drop technology.
Read this press release to discover more about BFW Inc.'s virtual reality exhibit at AORN 2018.
Virtual Reality is very cool and worked extremely well as a WOW factory in our trade show booth. It's a great tool to make booth visits memorable, and we hope to use it to alleviate confusion when ordering complex configurations of mobile carts. - Spencer Costello at BFW Inc.
Skytron
Event: ACE Summit and AORN
Dates: Feb 18-21, 2018 | March 25-27, 2018
Products Showcased: Surgical Booms and Lights, Tables, Storage Cabinets, Etc.
VR Hardware: Google Cardboard
At previous shows, Skytron used the tethered-based HTC Vive as its VR hardware of choice. This year at ACE Summit and AORN, the company turned to mobile, smartphone VR-based headset - Google Cardboard.
Mobile VR enables attendees to experience Skytron products while they're in the booth or at a later time off-site.
In addition to virtual reality, Skytron provides its distributors with a visual product configuration, quoting and ordering solution. Together, 3D CPQ and VR help the customer make better, more informed decisions prior to construction and installation.
Read this press release to discover more about Skytron virtual reality exhibit at ACE Summit.
"Powertrak gives us the flexibility to demonstrate correct product placement as well as the ability to demonstrate and spatial limitations based on the room design. It's flexible and allows us to show our product in a way we were never able to do before. The accuracy, look and feel of the models that are used are amazing and realistic which allows our customers to get a much better sense of what their end design would look like." - Craig Wassenaar, President at Skytron
Flex
Event: CES 2018
Date: January 7-9, 2018
Products Showcased: Vapor Chamber from Vapor I/O
VR Hardware: HTC Vive Pro
Flex, a sketch-to-scale™ solutions company, placed a virtual reality exhibit in its booth at CES.
Flex provided attendees with HTC Vive Pro headsets to experience a cylindrical enclosure system in virtual reality.
CES attendees immersed themselves in a virtual data center environment to experience the benefits of a vapor chamber versus a traditional data center design.
Read more about Flex's VR Exhibit at CES 2018.
Zebra Athletics
Event: Martial Arts SuperShow
Dates: July 1-3, 2018
Products Showcased: Mats, Pads, Flooring, Bag Racks, Cages, Rings
VR Hardware: HTC Vive Pro
Zebra Athletics unveiled a VR exhibit featuring three personal training centers used by UFC fighters at the Martial Arts SuperShow in Las Vegas.
Zebra selected the tethered-based HTC Vive Pro to showcase its products inside virtual, real-world facilities.
Coming soon, Zebra plans to use Powertrak 3D Configurator for gym owners to design their training centers by placing Zebra products (mats, flooring, racks, bags, and cages) in the room.
Together, 3D CPQ and VR will help them make better, more informed decisions prior to construction and installation.
See UFC fighter Daniel Cormier's reaction to exploring his personal training facility in virtual reality.
Gerber Technology
Event: ideation 2018
Dates: October 3-5, 2018
Products Showcased: Printing, Cutting, Robotic Sewing Machines
VR Hardware: HTC Vive Pro
Gerber Technology unveiled a VR exhibit showcasing its digitally-connected, apparel micro-factory at the ideation 2018 conference in Miami Beach, Florida.
Gerber Technology selected the professional-grade VR headset HTC Vive Pro for attendees to visualize and explore the micro-factory environment.
The exhibit combines virtual reality with 3D animation to show how the fabric is passed from system-to-system. Attendees get a first-person viewpoint on how the fabric is digitally printed, dried, cut, and sewn into a complete product.
Read more about the Gerber Technology VR Exhibit at ideation 2018.
"Virtual Reality is a first-class teaching tool. It’s an effective way to demonstrate each stage of the apparel design process - from concept in software to fabric to completed garment." - Bill Grindle, CMO at Gerber Technology
Vertiv
Event: Dell Technologies World
Dates: April 29 - March 1, 2019
Products Showcased: Rack, Row, and Site Level Solutions
VR Hardware: HTC Vive Pro
Vertiv unveiled a 3D configuration and virtual reality exhibit featuring its configurable rack, row and site-level solutions in three different edge infrastructures.
Data Center professionals used Powertrak 3D Product Configurator to customize a Vertiv edge infrastructure. Then they put on the tethered-based HTC Vive Pro to explore their specific rack design in virtual reality.
The attendee was handed a mobile smartphone VR headset with a link to their design. This allows them to experience the rack design with colleagues back at the office.
The Vertiv experience center was powered by Powertrak 3D Configurator, VRoom and smartphone VR.
"The edge of the network is more critical and more complex than ever before. This virtual reality experience allows visitors to our booth to work through design complexities in a way that brings these environments to life." - Jennifer Renaud, vice president of marketing for Vertiv in the Americas
Read more about the Vertiv 3D Configuration and Virtual Reality Exhibit at Dell Technologies World 2019.