What are Immersive Exhibitions & Why are They Popular?

What is an immersive exhibition?

We’ve already said that these exhibitions are an experience. At their core, immersive exhibitions are designed to fully capture your attention and imagination using various sensory outputs to transport you to another place (without even leaving the venue). These can be visual, auditory, or even via your sense of smell and taste depending on the type of experience you’re attending.

How are immersive exhibitions possible?

But how is this all possible? There are a collection of methods that need to work together to properly pull off this type of exhibition, including:

Technology

Advances in virtual reality, augmented reality, and high-quality image projections have meant that immersive experiences can be even more all-encompassing. For example:

• Virtual reality: VR is a huge leap forward in immersive exhibition technology. These headsets offer total audio-visual stimulation to make it really feel like you’re transported to a new place – which is a massive aspect of the visitor experience.
• Augmented reality: while less totally immersive, augmented reality (where aspects of the exhibition are superimposed over reality) are highly prized by museums and other venues offering an accessible and affordable immersive exhibition. Using AR means you might not need additional hardware, as most audiences can use their own phone or tablet to engage with the content.
• 3D technology: 3D technology has grown massively over the years. From the old red and blue glasses (and images) to where we are today, 3D videos are a fantastic way to make people feel like they’re part of the action within your exhibition.
• Large-scale image projection: projectors are usually a key part of an immersive exhibition. Depending on your content, the right images and projection size can make the best use of your venue and completely capture your visitors’ imagination.
• Motion tracking: some immersive exhibitions will have parts that only trigger when they sense movement. This could be with speaking parts, images, or even interactive machinery.

Sensory output

Music and light are key to making an immersive exhibition successful. Music and sounds have long been known to affect mood – so using the right ones can lead visitors on an emotional journey. For example, the Massive Attack immersive art installation (see more below) showed numbers ticking upwards to explore the impact of human action on climate change. But, one of the interesting aspects was the speed with which the clicks happened – as this managed to showcase a sense of urgency.

Light also plays a massive role on how well an immersive exhibition works. For immersive art exhibitions, the intensity, vibrancy, and colour of light will affect how the art is being interpreted or received by an audience.

Space

Stepping away from additional outputs for a moment, even the way you use a space can have a massive impact on the success of your immersive exhibition. If you don’t want to use virtual technologies, a clever use of your space and simpler projection tech is a great way to immerse your visitors within the confines of a room.

Just take the Van Gogh Immersive Experience as an example. Using music, an innovative image projection, and series of rooms, this immersive art exhibition was able to capture the imagination of thousands by offering an alternative experience to viewing paintings in a gallery. The addition of temporary walls and curtains meant that different moods could be simulated in the zones of the same space.

Top tip: need a versatile space to make your exhibition unique? At Exhibition Centre Liverpool, Halls A, B, and C are easily configured into new spaces depending on your needs.

Types of immersive experiences 

Not all immersive exhibitions are made equally. Instead, they tend to cover different themes, topics, and types depending on the type of event you’re attending.

Immersive art exhibitions

Perhaps the most obvious, and most well-known, example of this type of experience is the immersive art exhibition. Having gained huge popularity over the past several years, these exhibitions offer audiences a new cultural experience.

Typically based on traditional art and artists, like Van Gogh or Monet, immersive art exhibitions are a way to reimagine the classics. This can make the art feel more engaging and accessible to wider audiences who may not think they can go to galleries.

More recently, as part of our Expedition One exhibition (in conjunction with Ecotricity as part of Liverpool’s role as the UN’s First Accelerator City For Climate Action), we had an immersive art exhibition made by the band Massive Attack. Using screens and sound , this was an excellent example of how the right sound and visual levels can completely capture the attention of an audience – without taking over the space.

Immersive theatre

Both the cinema and theatre are incredibly engaging places. But, what if there was a way to make them even more so? Immersive theatre exhibitions are a step above regular cinema experiences – using a combination of technology and additional special effects to take visitors on a journey.

But how? One of the ‘simplest’ types of immersive experiences is something known as 4D cinema. These use even relatively low budget 3D technology in conjunction with real-world sensations like wind machines, water misters, and vibrating seats to immerse the viewer into the content of the film.

Why do immersive exhibitions attract visitors?

We’ve seen how immersive exhibitions work, and how they’re supported by technology – but why should you go through all this effort in the first place? What is it about immersive exhibitions that make them so popular with visitors?...

• Exciting: visitors want a memorable experience, and immersive exhibitions are one of the easiest ways to do this. Whatever combination of technologies you use to create the illusion or experience, the end result is exciting for audiences.
• Innovative: immersive experiences are new, which helps to attract a wide range of visitors – from those excited about the subject matter, to those looking for a new experience.
• Approachable: immersive experiences, especially immersive art exhibitions, can be a more approachable way for people to view classical painters. Art galleries can feel like oppressive or difficult spaces for some (like those with young children, or with little experience in that sphere), whilst immersive exhibitions are more open to different audiences.
• Create a moment: with the popularity of creating the ‘perfect social media moment’, immersive exhibitions can be a photo opportunity. With image projections and a constantly moving exhibit, visitors have the chance to take unique photos for their social media.

Choose Exhibition Centre Liverpool for your next event

Looking for the perfect venue to host your next immersive exhibition? Building on the success of the Van Gogh Immersive Experience, the team at Exhibition Centre Liverpool are perfectly placed to help you. With our versatile Venue, a wide collection of Production Services, and plenty of experience across our Event Management Teams, let us help you take your exhibition to the next level.

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