LBE virtual reality has a bright future ahead of it: the success of large-format exhibitions and events is convincing large audiences to immerse themselves in new experiences. In Spain, Univrse is leading this movement, with projects ranging from the commercial to the artistic, and, above all, the deployment of software dedicated to managing these new visitor flows and creating LBE experiences. Univrse COO Frederic Sanz reports from Barcelona.
Interview conducted during the Numix Lab in December 2023.
To VR creation platforms
Frederic Sanz – In 1998 I co-founded one of Spain’s first digital agencies: DoubleYou. Always drawn to new formats and the confluence of creativity and technology, in 2016 I wanted to create a second company (The VRain) in what seemed to me to be an exciting new adventure: virtual reality. My goal: to continue to be in a space of innovation and exploration, among those who were going to lay down a new language. We soon had opportunities in the medical sector to design cutting-edge experiences.
F. S. – A little baffled by the slowness of this sector, I wanted to change direction, but remain involved in virtual reality. So I teamed up with David Bardos, a brilliant creative technologist, to create Univrse, a company 100% dedicated to collective experiences. We realized that a technological cornerstone was lacking to connect users of the same experience, and so our aim was to develop a simple, reliable tool for museums, events… In short, for venues with a high public flow.
F. S. – The Covid-19 pandemic came at just the right time to focus 100% on the design of this software platform When the Univrse Experience Manager prototype was ready, we moved on to the next step: creating a dedicated experience to demonstrate it. That’s why we started by producing DREAMS, presented in our Barcelona showroom. This opened the door to our first orders, to be released between 2022 and 2023 (for set-ups ranging from 200 to 400 square meters, with a capacity of between 1,000 and 1,800 visitors/day). :
- FCB VIRTUAL DREAM @ FC Barcelone Stadium
- With Layers of Reality: DALÍ CYBERNETICS @ IDEAL Barcelona on tour in 5 other venues: London, Tel Aviv, Copenhagen, Berlin, Valencia and TUTANKHAMON available in Barcelona but also in Stuttgart, São Paulo and Hamburg, LES DERNIERS JOURS DE POMPÉI in Madrid (Madrid Artes Digitales venue).
- With MHV SUISSE, POMPEII, THE LAST GLADIATOR available in Barcelona and very soon in London and New York.
- With Light Art Exhibitions and Mediapro: SOROLLA THROUGH LIGHT inaugurated at Madrid’s Royal Palace and now available in Valencia.
F. S. – Univrse was officially created in January 2022. Since then, we have produced 15 experiences. 16 theaters around the world are running our technology, and we’ve surpassed the 1.3 million spectator mark.
Building the place, the experience, or both
F. S. – For venues such as Barcelona’s IDEAL (a digital art space with a large 1000m2 immersive room somewhat in the spirit of the Atelier des Lumières, but also featuring interactive installations, 360° video, etc.), the discovery of our software enabled them to rely on LBVR for their new productions. This was the case with the “Dalí Cybernétique” exhibition, developed with the Salvador Dalí Foundation, for which we produced an experience for 40 simultaneous participants over 220m2. Following its success (180,000 spectators in Barcelona alone), Dalí went on tour, and we are now accompanying Layers of Reality (the company behind the IDEAL hall, but also a shareholder in Madrid’s MAD hall and Valencia’s Bombas Gens hall) in their roll-out. Layers of Reality is currently our most important client. We have produced Dalí, Tutankhamon, The Last Days of Pompeii and THE GREAT LIBRARY OF TOMORROW, a major co-production between the Tomorrowland electronic music festival and Xtended Reality Music Hub (co-produced by Layers of Reality). This 350m2 experience for 40 participants, which had its world premiere in Barcelona, will soon go on tour, and is expected to visit some 30 cities worldwide.
F. S. – Like Layers of Reality and its rooms, Univrse is able to support new venues in setting up their spaces using our software – but also to produce customized content. We also receive requests from promoters who are already broadcasting LBVR content, but want to expand from 5 or 6 to several dozen users per session. Our teams take these experiences and integrate them into our software. Finally, we’re starting to make our SDK available under license so that content creators can use the same tool we do to easily develop their LBVR experiences. We’re still a little limited by today’s technology, but we can imagine interesting next steps if we make progress on 5G and headsets (for now HTC Vive Focus 3, Quest 3, Pico Neo 4…). We remain agile in our deployments, having avoided backpacks from the outset, in order to bank on more realistic budgets and solutions (standalone headsets) that facilitate operations and audience flow without sacrificing quality of experience.
F. S. – The production side came to us, and we really enjoy creating our own experiences. This allows us to sell licenses for our software, although in the final analysis it’s two different jobs to be a creator or a developer. The initial aim was to make virtual reality accessible to as many people as possible – and to provide a turnkey tool for creators (Univrse SDK) and operators (Univrse Experience Manager). It’s not about exclusivity: the Univrse platform is intended to be available to all, to integrate a market around immersive reality. Eventually, we’ll certainly have to separate the two activities, which don’t require the same teams or the same pace.
F. S. – In terms of content production, we are setting up partnerships to be able to offer more things and manage marketing. We’ve just opened HOTEL DRÁCULA in Madrid with developer Let’s Go, for a 1,000m2 experience. Coming soon, another fairy-tale proposal, then a third in mid-2024. All the while, we’re keeping up with content in operation in several cities around the world: more than a dozen cinemas by the end of 2023! We’re delighted to see the international deployment of our projects, because the interests are there, and in an agnostic way – between commercial and artistic. We want to explore different trends in entertainment and culture, with our own expertise.
F. S. – Our software solution is especially flexible for interested venues; of course, we can incorporate all the architectural specifics of the installations. FC Barcelona’s great hall had to be integrated with more than a dozen columns, in Madrid the walls were 2 meters thick… It’s rare to have the perfect room! Headsets, Tracking, Onboarding, Cleaning… We simplify all the friction and mediation points in our projects. And habits develop as experiences are rolled out; cultural promoters are starting to ask themselves the right questions. We’re sticking to the idea of continuous flow rather than sessions. This optimizes the flow of spectators and the work of mediators…. The most important thing is for the audience to leave with the best possible souvenir, and for the promoter or operator to be able to have theaters that turn out more than 1,000 people a day (some of our customers manage 2,500 people a day).
On LBVR, a bright future
F. S. – Multi-user VR at Univrse is part of a bigger picture, whether it’s a tour of a soccer stadium, a museum or a more global entertainment venue. We seek to strike the right balance each time, so that VR is not the only destination, but is part of an overall proposition in places that attract several thousand visitors a day. HOTEL DRÁCULA is undoubtedly the exception in this respect.
F. S. – When Univrse was founded, we had to convince investors who were all focused on the metaverse, online virtual worlds. They didn’t understand our interest in physical locations. We’re still working on the idea that very few people have headsets at home. This possibility of finding new experiences outside the home, in a group, is still relevant today. Even more so if we add innovation and strong stories. Audiences’ reactions to LBVR have been tremendous. THE GREAT LIBRARY OF TOMORROW was set up in a former cinema. We’re back to it.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.