Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 15 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.
The attractions industry is utilising Snapchat for its augmented reality (AR), making a museum or theme park more immersive, and educating the next generations.
Park-specific reality-altering lenses were introduced as part of Snapchat’s aim to bring its famous lenses to theme parks globally.
Over the last few years, Snapchat has collaborated on a range of AR experiences, including Mickey and Minnie birthday face lenses, a Superman face lens and a Jurassic Park Bitmoji lens.
Founder of Selfie Circus, Matty Mo, part of the Snapchat accelerator programme, Yellow, hopes to conceptualise and produce physical spaces for sharing on social media.
"We aim to scale unscalable retail and in real life entertainment experiences by enabling our visitors to create and share exciting content from physical spaces on their own social media channels," he told Forbes. "This consumer behaviour creates a viral loop that drives new foot traffic and additional revenue for our customers.
"With the launch of Marker lenses on Snapchat, we can now dynamically program our real-world experiences with contextually relevant augmented reality to keep our physical spaces fresh and encourage repeat visits and content creation by consumers."
https://youtu.be/IBVeR_4KvUM
Meanwhile, Holocaust survivors have had their stories documented on Snapchatas part of the Sachor Jetzt project – young German journalists seeking to teach the next generations about the Holocaust by bringing survivors' stories to a platform used by young people.
"The big problem we see is the Holocaust is not being seen as close in history as it was a few years ago," Henry Donovan, a member of the Sachor Jetzt project, told The Washington Post.
"We want to be a part of this process of preventing the up-and-coming youth of forgetting what happened."
Snapchat provides intimacy between viewer and subject
Sachor Jetzt journalists find survivors to interview by working with organisations such as the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and the World Jewish Congress.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said: "It’s important to see the face of victims and hear their authentic voice."
"This generation is rapidly leaving that stage of history," Cooper added. "However we can use social media or other Internet technologies to maintain and present the legitimate voices of the victims, that’s a good thing."
Technology trends
Elsewhere, customer experience platform Local Measure has announced an integration with Snapchat, allowing those in the retail, hospitality and entertainment industries to surface publicly shared Snapchat content from the app’s Snap Map.
Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 15 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.
Storyland Studios, a global experience design and strategy firm, has been awarded a milestone contract with the University of California (UC), in collaboration with OMNIA Partners, the largest cooperative purchasing organisation for public sector procurement in the US.
With this cooperative agreement, Storyland can bring its unique approach to narrative-driven placemaking to the University of California system and public agencies across the country through OMNIA Partners.
Its scope reaches beyond digital marketing to include holistic destination development and placemaking, leveraging immersive storytelling to elevate education, navigation, and community engagement.
Shawn Stewart, VP of strategic storytelling at Storyland Studios, says: "This partnership signifies a powerful alignment of vision.
"We believe every campus, every public space, has a story to tell. Our mission is to use immersive design not merely as a tool, but as a language to deepen learning, create intuitive wayfinding, and foster a profound sense of place. We are moving beyond information delivery to creating emotional connection."
Digital ecosystems
The extensive agreement includes a wide range of creative services, such as:
Destination development and placemaking. Theming, architectural storytelling, and environmental graphics that turn campuses and public facilities into unified, captivating narratives.
Immersive digital experiences. Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) solutions aim to animate educational content and campus histories.
Interactive storytelling. Digital installations and interactive exhibits that transform complex information into engaging, accessible experiences.
Wayfinding and strategy. Intuitive navigation systems and master planning based on a clear, overarching story.
Joe Sibal, director of interactive design at Storyland Studios, says: "For decades, we’ve used interactive storytelling to immerse guests in new worlds.
"Applying this expertise to an academic institution of the University of California’s calibre, renowned for its excellence and innovation, is a thrilling opportunity.
"We’re not just building websites or apps; we’re crafting digital ecosystems that add depth and dimension to the student and visitor experience.”
Supporting mission-driven organisations
Storyland has a proven track record of designing for purpose-driven organisations, and views this agreement as an opportunity to apply its 'Cause and Commerce' philosophy in the public sector.
Sean Featonby, director of business development at Storyland Studios, says, "The opportunity to work with OMNIA Partners is a significant milestone. We are honored to join their network.
"This is more than a contract; it’s an invitation to support the mission of higher education and public organizations across the country. We are designing narrative-led experiences that have a positive, lasting impact, empowering students, staff, and visitors to become active participants in their community’s story."
Through this collaboration with OMNIA Partners, Storyland Studios has become a readily available resource for public agencies looking to enhance their physical and digital environments through storytelling.
Last month, Storyland Studios shared details of its collaboration with MSC Cruises and the MSC Foundation to design a new pavilion at the Marine Conservation Center on Ocean Cay in The Bahamas. This facility serves as a base for biologists, scientists, students, and island visitors, and features interactive pavilions, a lecture hall, a Bio Lab, and a land-based coral nursery.
The Blue Sky thinking session at blooloop’s Festival of Innovation shared insights from guest speakers Kimberly Beneville, co-founder of Beneville Studios;Sam Bompas, director of Bompas & Parr; and Ben Wilson, head of architecture and concept design at MSC Cruises.
The panel discussed how to make the business case for new ideas, how attractions work differently on cruises, top trends they’re seeing, and what the future of the industry will look like.
Watch all of the festival of innovation sessions here.
The annual Festival of Innovation is a free, online event that brings together the international visitor attractions community to explore the most innovative projects, products and organisations that are advancing the attractions industry.
Innovation in Blue Sky: meet the speakers
Kimberly Beneville’s work at New York City-based ‘idea manifestation machine’ Beneville Studios is fuelled by her experience in theatre and storytelling. She first worked as an actress before discovering a passion for working backstage when she co-founded Beneville Studios.
Her portfolio includes contributions to The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which provides education to previously disadvantaged girls in South Africa, and AREA15, where Beneville has served a crucial role in researching and securing ideal tenants.
Kimberly Beneville, Sam Bompas and Ben Wilson
Co-founder of Bompas & Parr, Sam Bompas serves as the company’s executive creative director. He focuses on developing concepts that have wide appeal, are engaging, and newsworthy. Press recognition includes TimeOut’s '50 Best Londoners' and the Evening Standard’s '1000 Most Influential People'.
He has given keynote addresses and lectures worldwide, and collaborates with a diverse network of historians, scientists, artists, musicians, art directors, chefs, professional noses, stage illusionists, pyrotechnicians, and others to create world-first experiences.
Ben Wilson joined MSC Cruises in 2021 as head of architecture and concept design, and has since overseen the successful delivery of MSC World Europa, MSC Seascape and MSC Euribia. His upcoming projects include leading the ongoing development of the modern MSC Cruises brand and envisioning exciting new spaces for MSC World America and MSC World Asia.
During his service at SMC Design in London, Wilson worked on the award-winning Viking Cruises prototype, Viking Star, and the first new build of Saga Cruises Spirit of Discovery, for which he was named the 2019 Seatrade Marine Interior Design of the Year.
Widespread expansion
The panellists open the discussion with an overview of their current activities. At AREA15, Lionsgate’s John Wick and Superplastic’s Dopeameme experiences have recently opened.
“And then we're also expanding 40 acres, so we're pretty much doubling our size and creating an entire immersive district in Las Vegas,” says Beneville. “And we’re really, really thrilled, we have Universal's Horror Unleashed that'll be our anchor experience for the second district.”
At Bompas & Parr, the focus is shifting from its acclaimed, fantastical events towards permanent attractions.
“We're working on about five or six with about 50 wider projects,” says Bompas. “At the top of the list is our Museum of Shakespeare, which is opening next year. It is spectacular. It's working with the ultimate IP, Shakespeare itself.
“There’ll be people who have spent their whole lives studying the bard coming through the door on the first day, but also people who have never had that experience before. So how do you do an experience that is relevant to all of those people?”
At MSC Cruises, MSC World America is being developed, ready for delivery next year.
“At the same time, we have her sister ships coming,” says Wilson. “We are working on at least three or four different projects at the moment, all slightly in different design stages. But some of those are focused on new restaurants. Some of those are focused on new lounges or bars. Some of those are new accommodation.
“Our floating hotel is always evolving, so we have a lot on. And that's all that we can speak about as well, because obviously, there's always things in the pipeline as well.”
Gazing into a crystal ball
As cruise embraces an increasing range of attractions, Wilson shares the considerations and challenges of such projects.
“Our first step is to listen and understand what the guests want. We have a fleet of around 24 ships now, and it's just over 20 years old, so that's nearly a ship every year. That's how busy we are!”
“We have a lot of ships, a lot of guests, so a lot of data to mine. So, we've got a lot of analysis that we can look at to understand what's working for us onboard, and what needs to improve from either a guest experience or a crew experience.
MSC World America
“Then, it's pairing that up with market trends. It’s getting out there, seeing new things and trying to use your foresight and wisdom to anticipate what is essentially going to be ready in three or four years' time. Because, compared to land-based projects in our design phase, especially the concepting, we're four or five years out.
“You need a bit of a crystal ball. You've got to take a bit of a leap of faith going forward to anticipate what the guest wants today, and what tomorrow's guest wants as well.
“You have to justify a case or an argument, or whatever it may be. And then you've got to rally the stakeholders as well to follow that direction.
“It's great fun, and every day is a school day.”
Cheerleaders & challenges
So, how do you engage stakeholders with such blue sky ideas?
Wilson finds it best to take them to see attractions or events. “You can talk about how great you found an immersive dining experience, or the newest theme park,” he says.
“But that's always going to be your own personal view.
A Gingerline immersive dining experience
“To rally more champions around you, you need to bring people and say, ‘Hey, look at this. I think this could fit into what we're planning to do on our ship, but I need you to be my cheerleader as well.’
“Typically, they say yes, because it's a fun thing to do, but it's also the only way that you can really pass on that knowledge of experience to those ultimate decision makers.”
“One of the challenges we often get is that people say it's a world first,” says Bompas, “it's never been done before, but also show me that the P&L, the robust business case, all the data and the research for it.
“How do you square those two things?”
“We sometimes like just knocking it up and building it, and seeing if the theory works.”
“And it's really making sure there's a great business model behind it,” says Beneville.
“The market is saturated with so many great ideas and concepts, and so I'm always looking for what makes you different, what's going to give you that edge? And then, what's the business model behind it? That's what it all comes down to. Is this realistic?”
Plundering the past
The panellists offer their insight into how companies can capture attention and differentiate their offering.
“Going and doing your research, understanding what's out there and seeing what's working, what's not, why you're pulled to something. Creating something that you think the customer will feel an emotional connection with, because we get distracted in so many different ways,” says Beneville.
“Asking what's really going to grab my attention and create that emotional connection. I think that should be the top priority.”
“We spend a lot of our time and advise a lot of people how to reach peak innovation, and do genuinely innovative things,” says Bompas.
NianticScaniverse 4, awarded first place in Blue Sky in the 2024 blooloop Innovation Awards. Copyright Niantic Inc.
“I sit around the table with people, peering into the future. One of the things I make the case for is to go back into the past and plunder it, because over the course of human history, the things that delight us as human beings don't change remarkably. If we still know about something that was making people smile 400 years ago, it will probably still do so.
He adds, “Now using contemporary techniques, contemporary technologies, you're able to deliver something completely different, that is unprecedented, that people really haven't seen before. And I think that's when things get really exciting.”
Cruise presents different considerations. “It's a slightly different audience, and it comes with slightly different challenges,” says Wilson.
“As well as all the data mining that we do, we’re then benchmarking across the industry. Against not just our direct competitors, but also land-based resources.”
Simple ideas
A recent project to install the world's first over-water swing at sea was inspired by a land-based attraction in Amsterdam.
“So again, I've gone out and seen something, and then it's a matter of thinking, ‘How do we get that onto our ship?’” says Wilson.
“Physically, we can place it on; that's not a problem. But our ship moves. It contorts. It twists. It's a steel box. It's also a steel box that's going against the wind. There's aerodynamics to consider. And the waves move.
“Then it becomes an engineering feat. Just how exactly do we get something that's so solid and so simple as an idea? And the simplicity of the idea is key. It is essentially just a swing that goes over the edge.
“First of all, it starts with simplicity, the idea, how do we get that onto that, and what do we need to consider?”
A strong sense that the idea is worth following through is key.
“In the concepting stage, we're trying to understand what's the cost of this thing? Is it something that we actually want to charge for, or is it something that we'll give for free?,” says Wilson.
“On top of that. Is it a first? Because in the cruise industry, we're always trying to beat each other to be the first to do something. As well as an ROI, does it have any marketing value?”
Marketing & expectation
Being able to market a blue-sky idea is key.
“We're constantly thinking about new ways to market and how to really get the vibe across. That's just number one,” says Beneville.
“The joy of blue sky thinking is you can market it terrifically,” says Bompas. “Everyone's hungry to know about what's novel, what's new, what's first.
“The challenge comes because people's expectations can either be remarkably high or it's hard to focus. They don't know what they're expecting because it's something that's never been done before.”
Pricing can be difficult.
“We'll work with food and drink in restaurants and theatre, and people have their budgets that they associate with a night out in the restaurant and a night out in a theatre,” he says.
Immersive dining at The Gallery in LA
“If you put them together in an immersive dining experience, we as operators are combining all of those different things; those systems are complex. But how do you justify the associated expense of that to the consumer who might have bought the theatre tickets and spent in the restaurant on the night as well?
“That's one of the tensions that we're always trying to navigate.”
Increasingly seamless integration
The discussion turned to the emerging trends in the sector.
“We're definitely seeing a rise in digital overlay over physical experiences,” says Beneville. “So lots of AR. We have a new experience called Bot Breach. When you enter AREA15, you scan a QR code, and you are taken on a journey through AREA15’s exclusive IP. So it's really deepening the experience for the consumer and the customer journey.”
Bompas & Parr are also working with AR for the Museum of Shakespeare.
“Looking at this as a trend with some of the entries in the blue sky [Innovation Awards] category. We've seen a lot of fantastic AR, and also this ever-more seamless integration between the real world and the physical world.
“Where this starts taking you, which I get excited by, is accelerating the frictions between people. Why do we still go to physical spaces to experience things together? Why do we go to museums? There's value in looking at other people, looking at stuff, or experiencing stuff. What doesn't always happen, which I think is always best when it happens, is when you also get to talk to those people and interact with them, maybe they become your friends.
“If we can facilitate that through integration, so much the better. If that happens and you leave your experience with some new contacts, that's always a good thing.”
Social experiences
Wilson highlights the prevalence of social gaming and the rise of shared reality immersive sports experiences.
“Maybe the most marketable one is Cosm in Los Angeles. If you couldn't afford a ticket to the game, don't worry, there is a venue somewhere with a massive screen. It's a very simple idea, but it works, and I'm sure that it will roll out as a model.”
“On my bucket list now is Phantom Peak and then the Batman Escape in Paris, because that is giving people a unique, immersive experience, but they're not just going through it once because the storytelling or the narrative or the characters, or, you know, their pathway through the environment, these three or four hours will never be the same. They'll keep on coming back.
Phantom Peak
“We'd love to do one on board a ship, but it just seems to take a lot of space. Space on board our ships is at a premium.
“Experiences like Phantom Peak, like Cosm, it's really about building community,” says Beneville. “And that's such a trend that we're seeing right now, and something that we're really focused on at AREA15.
“In a world where we're so divided, we're on our computers all the time, or in our own world, I think there's a craving for community.
“There's a camaraderie, just a different type of thrill when you get to really experience it together and make new friends.
Standing out in a world of ‘algorithmic sameness’
“If it's a trend, it's not blue sky thinking. It's already happened,” says Bompas.
“To access what blue sky is, you need to really trust your gut, because you'll be using your experience to tap into what's happening now.
“I'm so over all of the mindfulness stuff that has happened. A lot of it is commoditising quite aggressively.
“I'm excited about savouring things as mindfulness. I think it's far more purposeful; there's a degree of connoisseurship. There's true hedonism in it, which I think is to be vaunted. And hedonism not as a mode of excess, but a means of balance and insight.
“I think savouring is an exciting area right now.”
He also notes an interest in relocalisation and hyper-relocalisation, in a world of “algorithmic sameness.”
Courtesy of Area15 and David Becker
“The thing that's amazing about somewhere like AREA15 is it's like a hyperreal simulacra of Vegas. It is like the quintessence distilled down into a turbo Vegas experience.”
This theme of locality is reflected in cruise.
“One of our pillars is the quality of the itineraries that we offer,” says Wilson.
“And obviously, when you've got 24 ships dotted across the world, we can take guests to the Far East, the Caribbean, the Middle East, obviously the Mediterranean, where our roots are, East Coast, West Coast, I think we’re going to Alaska as well in 2026. We're touching the South Americas. I think we've been touching South Africa on certain itineraries.
“We're very global. Guests have a plethora of choice.”
Sophisticated storytelling
The panel then discussed the relationship between technology and storytelling in blue sky.
“I always believe that story comes first,” says Bompas. “As humans, the greatest thing we do is exchange stories, and the thing that people most like doing in their leisure time is consuming stories as well.
“Technology is the medium and will always be changing. And sometimes you can use it as a starting point to push the craft, but ultimately you want the technology to be invisible.”
“You want it to be invisible, and the story comes first,” says Beneville. “That's how you create the emotional connection. But I think there has to be a marriage of the two.
“With content refresh, you need the tech right now, because the consumer is very sophisticated. They've seen everything, they've done everything, they're constantly looking for something new, and so you need that. You need to keep the story fresh.”
Bullanginya Dreaming, awarded first place in Storytelling in the 2024 blooloop Innovation Awards
“We're mostly utilising tech to ensure that the guest journey is as seamless and frictionless as possible,” says Wilson.
“All the way from booking the cruise in the first place to booking itineraries, the day-to-day navigation of the ship, understanding when show times are, dealing with your account.
“That's the easy wins that we're trying to focus on, the administrative part.”
For the consumption part, he adds that tech needs to be operationally robust.
“It'd be awful for us to close down a theatre because we integrated in some amazing tech, but then we didn't marinise it.”
Supporting content refresh
“My real hope for future technology is that it can be a catalyst for interaction,” says Bompas. “Sometimes it might feel weird in a space going up to someone, when we're very, very comfortable interacting through the mediated and safer arena of technology, so that can be quite helpful.”
Beneville also shared her hopes for the future.
“I’d like to see tech that really helps more with content refresh. Right now, we are really working on our offerings, changing AREA15 from day to night. And we have some experiences that really do that well using tech, like our portal, our 360 projection-mapped room. During the day, it's a very family-friendly experience. At night, it turns into a rave.
“I think that helps, but I want more. That's so important to have.”
The Portal, image courtesy of AREA15 and Jesse Hudson
“It's a bit of a niche term, but I'm really into Reactive Theatre,” adds Bompas. “It basically means you're going through the show. You make decisions, and the totality of the show changes meaningfully based on what you're doing.
“So many of the immersive shows are basically on rails. Whatever you do, it all sets up the same, and that's because there's a business model behind it, but it's expensive to have it have a multitude of different endings.
“With AI, this is a meaningful possibility, particularly when combined with talented front-of-house staff.”
Flexible spaces
“I look at my silly shopping list of wants, of which an indoor ski slope is one, but another that we mentioned before was a space that offers flexibility,” says Wilson.
“Take a simple idea of an escape room. But in a venue that you go to in the morning, and it's one themed escape room, and then you go there in the afternoon, and it's something totally different.”
A Grand Way Out Wallace & Gromit-themed escape room
As guests are on board for a week, he notes the need to keep the streetscape fresh in an operationally achievable way.
“Again, space on board our ships is at a premium.
“How can we take a little three-by-three space, but then keep guests coming back? I did that challenge on Monday, but then on Wednesday, there's going to be a different one, and I'll go back and do that one, and then by the end of the week, I may have found out that I'm on a leaderboard, and I'm in top 10, and I get to the ultimate the last challenge, whatever it is.
“It's figuring out stuff that's on land at the moment, but how can we do it in a tiny little space? And also the less we could man it, the better.”
Engineering innovation
Finally, the speakers shared the main challenges that they face at present.
“Quite often it's just ceiling heights in column jungles. And there's a balance between the most beautiful spaces where there's no one, or the most kinky dog-legged, weird, subterranean, unusable spaces, which are unbelievably expensive, where there's lots of people,” says Bompas.
“It’s an engineering challenge, that’s all,” says Wilson. “It is slightly bigger on a ship, but if you take away a column, then we're in a bit of danger that the ship might close in on itself.
“But again, it's just an engineering challenge. Someone will figure it out one day.”
Spiral slide on board MSC World America
The challenge of space, he adds, has been a constant throughout the history of the cruise industry.
“We have always worked quite well and collaboratively with naval architects and with shipyards to constantly push the boundaries.
“If we go all the way back from the Titanic through to the cruise line of the 80s and 90s, to where we are now, where you see glass domes on tops of ships and roller coasters. So someone figured something out.
“So it's all feasible. But another big challenge for us is purely predicting trends, and it's trying to get ahead of the game, ahead of the market, or ahead of your competitor four or five years out.”
Beneville agrees: “I think continually building new experiences from scratch and having the capital to do so, and then hoping that when that experience is born and alive, that it's still relevant.”
When it comes to live events, today’s audiences expect more personalised and immersive experiences, and technology is helping to make this possible. Real-time tools, such as virtual stage extensions, LED volumes, digital performers, and VR or AR experiences, enable producers and designers to experiment and respond to audiences in ways that were previously unachievable.
Dimension Live, a department within Dimension Studio, applies these technologies to live shows, location-based experiences, and multi-venue activations. Its work demonstrates how real-time workflows can support both creative teams and event producers, enabling them to plan and deliver more interactive experiences.
We speak with Simon Windsor, co-founder and co-CEO of Dimension Studio, Mark Bustard, executive producer, Dimension Live, and Oliver Ellmers, principal creative technology engineer at Dimension, about how the team uses real-time technology, the challenges and opportunities it offers, and what the next generation of live experiences could look like.
Dimension Live
Dimension Studio was founded 15 years ago and has built up extensive experience creating immersive experiences and integrating real-time and 3D technologies into live settings and locations.
“That spans everything from music and sport to brand experiential work, visitor attractions, and location-based entertainment,” says Windsor. “We’ve been fortunate in that time to work with some of the biggest names in the industry.”
The launch of Dimension Live extends Dimension's goal as a studio—to connect audiences with stories, worlds, and experiences in new ways.
Simon Windsor
“We have a history of bringing new technologies and innovations into the market, and Dimension Live consolidates that experience with a clear focus on the future of live entertainment, which we believe will become increasingly immersive, more personalised, and will leverage the technologies we’ve spent years developing.
“We’re excited to prove that out, and under Mark’s stewardship, Dimension Live is taking our capabilities to the next level as experiences increasingly harness these technologies.”
From live theatreto immersive experiences
While it is difficult to go into specifics while projects are in development, the diversity of sectors that Dimension Live is working in is broad, which Bustard says shows the appetite for new technologies, especially real-time:
“We’re involved in everything from live theatre shows and DJ sets to live and virtual concerts, with a lot of focus on how to deliver truly immersive experiences, using real-time technologies.
Mark Bustard
"We’re also supporting location-based experiences, so it’s a really wide-ranging portfolio.”
In terms of the services the team offers, it breaks down into a few key areas:
“First is design and consultancy: helping clients access new technologies they might not be familiar with and breaking down the barriers to entry that often make them hard to adopt. From my background as an events producer, I know how difficult it can be to embrace new tech. You never know if it will last, or what’s coming next.”
Having experts with both deep experience and foresight of what’s down the track is invaluable.
The second area is enabling creatives to work in a fully integrated design process using real-time tools like Unreal Engine.
“That means you can design and technically visualise a visitor attraction, a live show, or even a linear production all in one environment. In the past, as a producer, I’d work with multiple design teams, each with its own software, and then have to piece it all together in my head.
“Now we can provide a collaborative, high-quality working environment from the start, which there’s a clear appetite for across the industry.”
Real-time technology tools
From there, Dimension Live brings in all the creative tools it has developed through years of real-time work, like volume capture, motion capture, tracking performers in a space to deliver personalised content, digital crowds, metahumans, and virtual humans.
“Increasingly, we’re also linking into our AI pipeline to create interactive, real-time content,” adds Bustard.
“A good example is creating a digital twin of a venue, build in the technical production to mirror the real-world space, extend it into a virtual world, and then add characters or performers, tracking them to create the show. Some of this work started before I joined Dimension, with support from an Epic MegaGrant [from developer Epic Games], and it continues to evolve.
“That’s what excites me: the iterative nature of the work. Things are changing all the time, and we’re able to bring new technologies to bear in live experiences as they emerge.”
The benefits of real-time technology
The most significant advantage of real-time technology, Ellmers says, is the speed of iteration.
“Being able to work live, whether that’s in front of a screen with content creators or within the technical pipeline, and see instant feedback as you make changes, is incredibly powerful.
“In previous workflows, when you were designing content for a stage, you were often locked into your work ahead of the show without really seeing how it would play until maybe an hour before curtain.
Oliver Ellmers
"At that point, it was very difficult to make adjustments. Now, we can sit in a room and see everything happening in real time, which is a huge draw.”
The same applies to rehearsal workflows. For example, lighting designers used to program a show, hand over their production materials, and then have only a few hours on site to ensure everything was working.
“With real-time tools, they can collaborate directly with our creative teams ahead of time, visualise the show in detail, and arrive on site with everything already in place,” says Ellmers.
“For me, the key benefits are fast iteration and being able to front-load as much of the process as possible. Of course, live shows will always throw up surprises—there’s always a spanner in the works somewhere—but this approach eases a lot of nerves and allows everyone to go in far more prepared.”
Enhancing the possibilities
On the potential of real-time technology in live experiences, Windsor identifies two main areas of opportunity.
The first is inside the venue, enhancing the creative possibilities of a show: “We’re seeing radical new approaches: mixed reality, virtual venue extensions, virtual lighting, interactive and adaptive content. Collectively, these help reimagine the physical space and the nature of the show or attraction.”
The beauty of real-time rendering tools like Unreal Engine, or even generative AI used in a real-time context, is that you see the results instantly:
“When combined with technologies like computer vision or motion tracking, you can create personalised experiences that react to the audience in real time. The core show might remain the same, but its expression adapts to the audience and the data being harnessed in that moment.
“Increasingly, this also includes digital twinning, where physical experiences are paired with their virtual counterparts, something Dimension Live is designed to make more efficient for our partners.”
The second opportunity lies outside the venue: extending performances beyond a single location.
“Imagine a music artist performing in one city, and that performance being virtually interpreted in real time across nine other cities or streamed online in near real time. This opens the door to bespoke pop-up shows, where artists can experiment with creative delivery while staying true to the authenticity of the live performance.
“The same approach could connect museums or attractions, where each experience adapts based on the interactions happening at the other. In that sense, real time becomes the connective tissue linking locations.”
He foresees a future of diverse, cost-efficient live experiences supported by real-time content creation that enables non-destructive workflows, allowing assets to be reused across multiple applications.
“That creates significant savings in time and cost, while also unlocking huge creative flexibility. That’s the future we’re excited about.”
What sets Dimension Live apart?
Traditionally, it’s been difficult for the live events industry to access virtual production and film technologies.
“What we’re doing at Dimension Live is something new,” says Bustard. “We often get unfairly grouped with VFX or traditional production studios, but that’s not really what we are. We’re focused on real-time, and that makes our offer very different.
“I’d say we don’t have a direct competitor in the marketplace. There are boutique agencies that provide one element, such as motion capture, character animation, or production support, but not an integrated service that brings all of those together.
“As a producer, I always wanted that: to be able to sit in a room with experts in motion capture, character and animation, and live events, and know we were all speaking the same language. No barriers, no one throwing their work over the wall and hoping someone else could pick it up.”
That’s why Dimension Live has set out to offer truly integrated service with collaboration at its core.
“The team is used to working with partners and creatives, and they’ve adapted brilliantly from film, where they might work with directors for the screen, to live, where we’re collaborating with producers and storytellers creating shows or narrative-driven LBE experiences.
“For me, the exciting part is the ability to take visionary ideas and bring them to life using technology appropriately and creatively. That’s energised me personally, and it’s what really excites our clients. It’s what sets Dimension Live apart.”
Technology & creativity combine
This new intersection of technology and creativity unlocks more doors for creators, explains Ellmers. “They can see their work instantly, make changes in real time, and immediately see the response. That speeds up their thinking process and lightens the load in terms of design workflow.
“Instead of going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch every time, they can make creative judgments and decisions on the spot. For me, that’s the best thing about working in the real-time space—it opens up more possibilities.”
Bustard adds that Dimension Live’s toolset is broad enough that creatives can use it in many different ways:
“We are seeing a trend towards personalisation and adding depth to content. An interesting recent example was Terminal 1 at Glastonbury. The overall piece was a heavily scripted, visceral form of immersive theatre, and Ollie created an AI deepfake interactive where, as you walked through the ‘airport arrival,’ your face was captured and mapped into video content further along.
“The technology added a striking twist, but we had to balance it carefully with traditional techniques, so it felt appropriate. That balance is something producers are starting to understand more as they see how our technology can be applied.”
Another layer to that project was accessibility. The team shot it in 180 and put it into a VR headset for people with accessibility requirements.
“For us and for the producing team, that was a chance to ask: how can we engage a wider audience with these technologies? One part was about adding depth and a subtle narrative spin. The other was about opening the experience to people who otherwise couldn’t take part.
“Working with the Glastonbury producers and the accessibility team, we were able to add real value to the overall experience.”
Real-time technology & the future of entertainment
Looking to the future, Windsor says:
“We live in a world now where fans don’t just want to meet their heroes or watch a story unfold. They want to be actively involved. They want to immerse themselves, play a role, connect with characters, and share experiences with other audience members in a much deeper way.
“And crucially, they don’t want the experience to end when the show, ride, or performance is over. They want it to extend beyond that moment.”
That’s where real-time technologies come in, and where Dimension Live is focused: on how the next generation of multi-dimensional experiences will evolve and bleed into other forms of engagement. For example, a live music show might extend beyond one location to multiple venues or platforms, all enabled by real-time rendering and tracking.
“Looking ahead, we see real-time rendering, generative AI, and computer vision technologies at the heart of the next generation of live experiences. These tools will provide greater data accuracy, immediate creative results, and more personalised interactions informed by audience data.
“That’s the trend we’re most excited about. We’ve spent years building technology and tools under the Dimension platform, and we see them as a real advantage for our clients in delivering that vision.”
Blurring the boundaries
Ellmers adds that he’s excited about the extension of live experiences into different realms and worlds: “Being able to take an in-person event and expand it through wearable AR or VR into a synchronised wider world feels like the direction we’re heading—if not walking, then running. That’s where the buzz really is right now.”
For Bustard, it’s the blurring of boundaries between real-world and digital experiences:
“I’ve got two kids who go to loads of location-based entertainment, and when I ask them about their favourite experiences, one was Snoop Dogg as a boss in Fortnite. To them, there’s no distinction between that and a physical show like Gorillaz. It’s all an experience they share with friends, talk about at school, or online afterwards."
“That’s what excites me: being able to connect with audiences in the spaces they already inhabit. Right now, for example, we’re working on how our digital twin technology can live in different environments . It’s completely new frontier work; we’re creating tools and software that don’t exist yet.
“Doing something genuinely new, for the first time, is always exciting. And if it helps people get closer to the heroes and entertainment they love, then it has real longevity.”
Discover real-time technology
When asked what advice they would give to live experience curators who are exploring this kind of real-time technology for the first time, the trio are keen for people to dive in and experience the possibilities:
“My advice is simple: get in touch,” says Bustard. “If you want to use new technologies, don’t try to figure it all out alone. We’re very collaborative and happy to guide people, show them what the technology can do, and make it accessible. Misunderstanding what technology can achieve, or assuming AI is just a button you press, and it does everything for you, is a common misconception.
“The other barrier is fear. So, my advice is to jump in and engage with it.”
Windsor adds that it’s very easy these days to test ideas early:
“With real-time tools, you can experiment from the initial script or idea all the way through to final delivery or take on a specific role within that pipeline. The key is that you can test creative concepts early, adapt quickly, and learn without incurring large costs. Often, these early tests show there’s a better way to do something or open up new possibilities.
“We encourage our clients and partners to engage with real-time technology early in the process, to explore what’s possible before investing heavily in a project.”
Ellmers says: “Get out there and take the technology into the real world. Step out of the office or studio and experiment on-site. Real-time technology offers far more insight and flexibility when you can see and adjust things in the environment where they’ll actually exist.
“Getting out there and playing with it is really, really important.”
The innovative experience, created exclusively for the North Carolina Zoo, will turn guests into wildlife-protecting biologists. Using handheld digital devices, they will be guided by new, custom characters from RWS Global to track animals, find hidden clues, and complete conservation challenges through a mix of advanced technology, storytelling, and real environmental elements.
Participants can select from three engaging storylines that depict the wild adventures of conservation biologists tracking predators, scavengers, and prey across the stunning landscapes of Asia.
Cutting-edge tech meets conservation
“By merging cutting-edge AR technology with the North Carolina Zoo’s extraordinary new Asia habitats, we are giving guests the chance to learn about conservation while having an unforgettable adventure,” says Veronica Hart, chief growth officer, RWS Global.
“This experience transforms a day at the Zoo into a hands-on experience, where visitors step into the story, directly working to protect wildlife.”
"Our new Asia expansion is designed with guest immersion in mind,” says Diane Villa, interim director of the North Carolina Zoo.
“As a leading conservation organization, we fully embrace technologies that empower deeper impact, engagement and understanding. This augmented reality adventure invites guests to walk a mile in our shoes as they join our mission to save wildlife and wild places.”
RWS Global is collaborating with its partners in the US and Europe to deliver over 100 fully managed experiences this summer. The company has been providing fresh, new experiences at nearly two dozen theme parks and other family attractions worldwide.
Recently, the company also announced plans to establish a headquarters in Riyadh, further extending its significant presence in the Middle East.
Institutions worldwide are integrating emerging museum technologies to enhance visitor engagement, future-proof operations, diversify revenue streams, and attract new audiences.
What started with experimentation in touchscreens and mobile guides has expanded into an advanced ecosystem of AI-driven personalisation, immersive virtual reality, digital twins, and multisensory storytelling.
For museums functioning in a post-pandemic environment, with shifting visitor behaviours, heightened competition for leisure time, and increasing pressure to provide value, technology is becoming a strategic necessity.
From the VR experiences to AI-driven curation platforms, cultural institutions are rethinking the visitor journey from the ground up.
This article examines the most compelling examples of how museums are currently leveraging emerging technologies and what these innovations may indicate for the future of cultural experience design.
Why should a museum use emerging technologies as part of the guest experience?
Technology can be an excellent tool to boost engagement. For example, AR, VR, and interactive displays offer a more immersive, hands-on experience, allowing people to interact with exhibits in a new way and, therefore, make a deeper connection. Incorporating modern technology can also attract younger, more tech-savvy audiences.
Guests at VR Gallery, ArtScience Museum, Singapore
Digital tools can also help museums present sometimes complicated information in more accessible and easy-to-understand formats. Providing different layers and types of educational content also means they can better cater to various learning styles, helping to appeal to a more diverse audience.
Additionally, technology is helping to open doors in terms of accessibility. For instance, digital displays can offer content in multiple languages. Verbal descriptions can be triggered for visually impaired guests, and new apps make it easy for deaf visitors to access information independently.
Museums often collect data on visitor interactions and preferences to make better-informed decisions. AI and machine learning algorithms can now analyse this to help museums offer personalised recommendations and tailored tours. This customisation can make the experience more relevant and enjoyable for each guest.
Ameca robot at the Museum of the Future
Finally, immersive technologies also enable museums to tell stories in innovative ways, creating richer narratives that bring history, art, and science to life.
From an operational perspective, many institutions face mounting pressure to diversify their revenue streams and reduce reliance on public funding. Emerging museum technologies offer new avenues for monetisation, remote engagement, and global reach.
In parallel, museums are increasingly investing in digital infrastructure not just for visitor-facing applications, but for collection management, conservation modelling, and predictive maintenance.
AR, VR and XR
When it comes to emerging museum technologies, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR) are changing how cultural institutions engage with their audiences.
While AR overlays digital content onto physical objects and spaces, VR transports visitors into entirely new environments. XR, the broader category encompassing both, enables hybrid experiences that blend real and virtual elements.
Museums are using these tools not just for entertainment, but to enrich context, spark empathy, and enable different experiences.
This technology can also widen access to museum collections.
Typically, only about 3% of a museum's collection is visible to visitors at any moment, while the remaining 97% is stored away in basements or off-site warehouses. Innovative projects like V&A East Storehouse are one way to tackle this issue. But technology can open the door for many more museums to democratise access to their collections.
A global survey revealed significant public interest in using VR and AX technologies to access museum collections. The University of Glasgow's £5.6m Museums in the Metaverse (MiM) project surveyed over 2,000 people worldwide, finding that 79% are interested in using digital tools to explore collections that are currently not accessible to the public.
Art Masters: A Virtual Reality Experience
ACCIONA Living & Culture, a leading creator of technology-driven interactive museums, exhibits, and events, in collaboration with the Prado National Museum, designed and produced a virtual reality experience titled Art Masters: A Virtual Reality Experience.
The exhibit, which premiered at the global NEXT IN Summit in Madrid in 2025, allows visitors to engage with iconic pieces from the Prado Museum’s collection through VR glasses.
Carla Prat, design and experiences director at ACCIONA Living and Culture, explains the thinking behind Art Masters: “What if we could take articles out of the museum space and transform them into an immersive adventure, export the timeless essence of the museum?”
Charles Read, creative director at blooloop, says:
"Art Masters was nothing short of extraordinary. Practically, the headwear was comfortable. The experience flowed, and the five works of art chosen from the Prado worked really well in an immersive world.
"The Garden of Earthly Delights was a dreamlike, magical experience, and Goya’s Aquelarre, a powerful and unsettling vision, became, if anything, even more so as demons and witches danced under the moonlight; a vivid insight into the artist’s then mental and physical distress."
Mixed reality inspires behaviour change
The Natural History Museum in London's Visions of Nature is an immersive mixed-reality exhibit that transports visitors to 2125 to showcase the effects of human activity on the planet.
It employs Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets to deliver interactive holograms of creatures like cuttlefish, Darwin’s frogs, and coconut crabs, as well as natural landmarks such as the Scottish Highlands and Africa’s Great Green Wall.
Alex Burch, director of public programmes at the Natural History Museum, says: “Visions of Nature is an incredibly exciting, immersive experience. Whilst visually beautiful, it also delivers a powerful message that the actions we take now can have a positive impact on the future.
“It presses fast-forward so visitors can see how nature has responded, for better and for worse, to the aftermath of centuries of human industrial activity as well as to the interventions we have introduced to remedy our unsustainable activity.”
Holograms
Holograms and holographic displays take AR one step further.
A hologram is a captivating illusion that immerses guests into a story. It's a practical way to attract attention, especially in busy environments. The holographic display market is also rapidly growing, projected to reach over US$11.65 billion by 2030.
While the LBE industry’s holographic trailblazer is still ABBA Voyage, which utilises cutting-edge technology to recreate the Swedish pop stars, we're also seeing more sophisticated holograms entering the museum space.
Survivor Stories Experience
The Abe & Ida Cooper Survivor Stories Experience at the Illinois Holocaust Museum features interactive holograms of Holocaust survivors, allowing visitors to ask questions and get pre-recorded, AI-assisted answers.
High-definition holographic interview recordings combined with voice recognition technology allow survivors to share their personal stories and answer audience questions, creating a personalised, one-on-one ‘conversation’ experience for visitors.
This is an example of how emerging museum technologies can be used to bring powerful stories to life.
Avatar docents?
Exploring the topic in a blooloop article, Maris Ensing from Mad Systems envisions avatars that are ready and waiting to answer visitors' questions as they tour a space museum, taking the form of, for example, an astronaut, a test pilot, or a rocket scientist.
"These avatar docents are vividly present – breathing, blinking, and shifting weight like real people," says Ensing. "You simply choose whom you’d like to explore the museum with, tell them your age, and what you need in terms of language, interests, and depth of information. Your private, cinematic tour then snaps into gear, based on our patented technology."
This enables a truly personalised narrative, he adds: "No flag-waving docent, no twenty-person herd, just a one-to-one deep dive at whatever pace feels right."
Immersive sound
Most of us have used an audio guide during a museum visit at some point. However, museums are increasingly adopting immersive sound technology to enrich storytelling, evoke stronger emotions, and create more memorable exhibitions.
Reflections of Being (2025), Max Cooper. Feel the Sound at the Barbican
Unlike traditional audio guides, these soundscapes aim to be spatial, interactive, and personal, making visitors part of the story instead of just telling it.
Binaural and spatial audio
Binaural sound is a recording and playback method that employs two microphones positioned where human ears are, often on a dummy head, to capture audio as it naturally occurs. When listened to with headphones, it produces a 3D spatial audio effect, allowing you to perceive sounds coming from above, behind, or beside you.
This technique convinces the brain that the sound originates from the surrounding environment rather than just within the headphones. It has excellent potential for museums because it makes audio storytelling much more personal and location-specific.
The Museum of London’s Beasts of London used binaural sound to let visitors “hear” the city’s history from the perspective of animals, narrated by actors, with voices circling around their heads.
Sensors, beacons, or wearables can also be used to activate audio content based on a visitor's location or movement. The V&A’s David Bowie Is exhibit provided each visitor with a headset that automatically played appropriate Bowie tracks, interviews, or sound effects when they approached various artefacts.
For its recent show, DIVA, V&A partnered with tonwelt, using its solutions to enable a 100% hands-free visitor experience, with automatically triggered content and lip-sync video synchronisation.
And sound is getting even more hi-tech: Losonnante is a pioneering company, transforming the way visitors connect with sound in public and cultural spaces. Through the use of bone-conductive technology, visitors’ hands are transformed into headphones, enabling intimate, immersive, and accessible listening experiences simply by leaning their elbows on a sound-emitting surface.
Creating emotion
Visuals show what happened, but sound brings the experience to life. Our brains respond naturally to audio cues, and so museum soundscapes do more than accompany exhibits; they deepen the emotional atmosphere.
In the WWII galleries at the Imperial War Museum in London, hidden speakers create layered audio environments.
Distant air raid sirens sound, building tension. Muffled voices and radio broadcasts evoke life in a blackout, with city noise and the rumble of bombers completing the 1940s London soundscape. The sound is subtle, merging seamlessly into the surroundings, allowing visitors to feel it rather than just hear it.
One recent exhibition, the multi-sensory Feel the Soundfrom Barbian Immersive and MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, delves into our relationships with sound and explores a listening experience that extends beyond the audio.
Artificial Intelligence
Regarding emerging museum technologies, AI perhaps has the most potential to transform what museums do, both in terms of guest engagement and behind-the-scenes operations.
When it comes to the guest experience, we're seeing AI-powered guides that offer a more personalised experience, AI tools that enable people to explore artwork more deeply, and even AI-driven storytelling and content.
Imagine an exhibit that recognizes a returning visitor or detects a family with children and then adjusts the information it presents accordingly.
"Imagine an exhibit that recognizes a returning visitor or detects a family with children and then adjusts the information it presents accordingly," says Ensing.
"Using tools like RFID tags, mobile apps, or even (private and secure) facial recognition, next-gen systems can identify visitors and deliver media suited to their interests in the language and style of their choice."
Engage with the content through AI
Last year, the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Zoology introduced a new experience that allows guests to engage in two-way conversations with specimens on display through AI, including a dodo skeleton, a taxidermied red panda, a preserved cockroach, a narwhal skeleton, a freeze-dried platypus, brain coral, and a taxidermied huia – an extinct bird from New Zealand.
“This is an amazing opportunity for people to test out an emerging technology in our inspiring museum setting, and we also hope to learn something about how our visitors see the animals on display,” says Jack Ashby, assistant director of the Museum of Zoology.
“Our whole purpose is to get people engaged with the natural world. So we’re curious to see whether this will work, and whether chatting to the animals will change people’s attitudes towards them – will the cockroach be better liked, for example, as a result of having its voice heard?”
Meanwhile, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam offers an AI-powered tool called ‘Art Explorer’. This allows users to collect and compare artworks in the museum’s collection.
The aim is to make the museum’s 800,000-piece collection more searchable and offer an interactive digital experience. Art Explorer asks questions such as “What do you love?”. If you love eating delicious meals, the tool will search the museum’s collection and show relevant artworks.
In the US, the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, is set to open later this year with a new gallery featuring AI-powered exhibits.
Earlier this year, Dubai’s Museum of the Future unveiled the latest version of Ameca, an AI-enabled humanoid robot featuring lifelike facial expressions and interactive capabilities. It serves as an intelligent assistant at the institution.
AI, accessibility, and sustainability
Regarding accessibility, AI tools offer multilingual audio guides, real-time captions, and sign-language avatars. For instance, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights utilises AI-based translation to create more inclusive experiences for visitors.
In Brazil, the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro has integrated IRIS+, an AI-powered conversational assistant, to enhance the accessibility, engagement, and social impact of its exhibits.
IRIS+ provides both voice and text interactions, supported by physically accessible kiosks designed for wheelchair users and children, ensuring the museum is welcoming to all visitors. Guests engage with IRIS+ through reflective dialogues centred on themes such as sustainability, coexistence, and personal responsibility, fostering a personalised experience.
The system links visitors’ reflections to real-world initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, encouraging actionable outcomes. Since its implementation, IRIS+ has been utilised over half a million times, with many visitors reporting subsequent social or environmental actions.
AI content?
Using AI to design the content itself might be a little more controversial. Yet this year sees the opening of the world's first AI art museum, Refik Anadol's Dataland in Los Angeles.
Anadol, a media artist and director, creates large-scale art installations using collections of publicly available data and machine learning algorithms. Speaking to blooloop, he said:
“Every single institution from the last century or the last couple of centuries, their agenda was grounded in the things happening around them. But at the moment, we are in this new era of AI computation, quantum computing and biology. Humanity is rapidly changing."
“The museum is a reflection of our time, but also aims to use AI for good and to solve problems like accessibility, ethical data collection and use, and sustainability by computing with renewable energy. We are trying our very best to be a good example while innovating and creating breakthroughs.”
AI in operations
The technology also assists with collections management by enabling AI to scan artworks and automatically produce metadata, including style, subject, and colour palette. For example, the Smithsonian Institution has leveraged AI to analyse millions of digitised artefacts, which enhances their searchability and cross-referencing.
AI can process large archives of curator notes, letters, or historical texts to uncover valuable insights.
Furthermore, it has uses in restoration and reconstruction. AI models can “fill in” missing sections of damaged artworks or replicate original colours. The Mauritshuis in The Hague employed AI to assist in reconstructing the missing sides of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring during a research project.
When it comes to operations and guest flow, AI assists in predicting visitor numbers, staff requirements, or even conservation risks (such as humidity levels in galleries). AI-driven cameras or sensors can track how visitors move through exhibits, helping to inform layout improvements.
Next-gen apps & tours
Early audio guides provided a straightforward, uniform narrative. Visitors were guided along a predetermined path or sequence, leaving limited space for exploration or customisation.
Today, museums can provide dynamic and adaptive storytelling that adjusts based on visitor interests, time spent, or engagement behaviour.
Audio guides are also being developed to incorporate shared listening, interactive storytelling, and enhanced visitor engagement. Museums are experimenting with multi-user experiences, allowing groups to engage with the same narrative simultaneously, encouraging discussion and reflection.
Smarter audio tours
Guide-ID has developed Podcatcher Pro, a user-friendly, multilingual, hands-free audio tour guide. Building on the successful Podcatcher, this upgraded version adds ultra-wideband radio for automatic triggering and group tour functionality, allowing the leader to transmit stories to the entire group simultaneously.
The Podcatcher Pro platform also features new AI tools designed to assist museums or attractions in creating stories.
“Based on a basic description of an object, it can write the audio stories for the museum, translated into any language they want and make a voiceover out of it instantly within the platform, for free,” says founder and CEO Frits Polman.
“Until now, creating content has been quite a time-consuming process, and it’s also very expensive. But with artificial intelligence, they can just create it by themselves.”
It includes smart insights, enabling the museum to track tour performance; for example, users can view real-time data on the most popular audio stops or visitor heatmaps. Current users include Casa Batlló in Barcelona.
Videos in museums are common, but their effectiveness drops without audio. Conventional options, such as headsets, face hygiene issues, and require costly upkeep. Nubart Sync offers a breakthrough by transmitting flawlessly synchronised audio straight to a user’s smartphone, eliminating the need for extra hardware or apps and ensuring zero latency.
Visitors can easily access audio in their chosen language by scanning a QR code using Wi-Fi or mobile data, thereby enhancing the immersion in exhibitions, digital signage, and cultural experiences.
Organisations like Museum Sydøstdanmark in Denmark are already implementing this cutting-edge solution.
3D scanning & digital twins
3D scanning and printing are increasingly shaping how museums preserve, study, and share their collections.
Preservation and conservation
High-resolution 3D scans can capture an artefact's shape, texture, and colour, providing a digital backup that preserves details even if the original is damaged.
For students and researchers, these virtual models offer a valuable chance to examine fragile or rare objects without the need for direct contact. They enhance accessibility for visitors who cannot physically access collections, whether due to distance, disability, or restrictions, by allowing them to explore artefacts online through interactive 3D views.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, Dueling Dinosaurs exhibition
Many institutions, including the British Museum and the Smithsonian, have digitised thousands of artefacts for online access, often using laser scanning and photogrammetry
3D printing technology provides many advantages, too. It enables the creation of replicas that visitors can touch and interact with, reducing the risk of damaging original artefacts. Damaged or incomplete objects can be digitally restored and then physically recreated, aiding in their preservation.
Plus, museums can share printed versions of their artefacts with other institutions around the world, broadening access to cultural heritage. This technology also promotes inclusive interaction, allowing visually impaired visitors to interact with and explore objects through touch.
Museums in the metaverse
A digital twin is a precise virtual replica of a physical asset that can be updated in real-time.
Each artefact can have a digital twin that contains details like its physical shape, metadata, provenance, and conservation record. When used for buildings or exhibitions, particularly in museums, digital twins can depict entire galleries or sites.
A 360 virtual tour of The Met
Thanks to these virtual models, museums can track environmental factors like humidity and light for preservation, simulate visitor traffic to improve experiences, and provide engaging virtual exhibitions for online audiences.
Heritage sites such as Pompeii and Notre-Dame use digital twins to simulate restoration efforts and track structural health. Meanwhile, others are adopting VR and AR tours driven by digital replicas of their galleries.
Gamification
Gamification in museums is a growing trend that blends play, storytelling, and interactivity to boost cultural education. Its goal is to increase visitor engagement, help them create memorable experiences, and draw in a wide range of visitors, especially younger ones.
Gamification here doesn’t mean turning museums into video arcades. Instead, it involves incorporating game elements, such as points, challenges, levels, rewards, storytelling, and role-playing, into the museum experience.
These methods engage our curiosity, drive for achievement, and enjoyment of play.
Treasure hunts and more
One popular method involves organising treasure hunts and quests, where visitors solve clues, track trails, or gather digital artefacts while exploring the galleries. For instance, the Louvre employs app-based scavenger hunts to lead visitors to key artworks.
Role-playing and storytelling enhance engagement by inviting visitors to assume roles such as archaeologists, detectives, or explorers, thereby accessing exhibit-related content. Some history museums also feature murder–mystery–style stories linked to specific objects.
Digital badges, points, and leaderboards motivate visitors by rewarding actions like completing challenges, scanning QR codes, or answering quiz questions, encouraging more museum exploration.
Another innovative approach to gamification involves digital twins, allowing the creation of multiplayer online quests or immersive experiences that mimic being inside a video game.
For instance, many museums have embraced Minecraft's popularity, from the Museum of London’s virtual reconstruction of the city before the Great Fire of 1666 to Tate Worlds, which invites visitors to explore some of the museum’s most notable artworks through Minecraft.
What are some of the challenges with emerging museum technologies?
While emerging museum technologies present significant opportunities, they also pose challenges that museum leaders must handle with care.
Ethical concerns
The growing use of AI and data-driven tools in museums raises questions about bias, inclusivity, and representation. Algorithms used for personalisation or automated interpretation risk reinforcing cultural stereotypes if not carefully designed.
Similarly, as museums expand into digital environments, they must consider the digital divide: not every visitor has access to smartphones, high-end headsets, or stable internet connections.
Accessibility continues to be essential. AR and VR exhibitions should include options for visitors with visual, auditory, or mobility challenges to prevent unintentional exclusion of anyone.
Tech fatigue
Visitor interest in immersive technologies remains high, but expectations are changing. As headsets, projections, and AR apps become more widespread in cultural sites, the potential for diminishing returns increases.
When used excessively, technology may seem gimmicky or overwhelming, causing 'tech fatigue'. Museums must therefore use digital tools carefully, enhancing the visitor experience without overwhelming it.
British Museum
Successful projects often present technology as a discreet enabler of storytelling rather than the central focus.
Innovation vs. integrity
A crucial aspect is how technology aligns with a museum’s mission and goals. While immersive media can dramatise historical events, bring artworks to life, or reconstruct vanished worlds, it requires thoughtful curatorial guidance to avoid oversimplification or sensationalism.
Striking the right balance means ensuring that AR, VR, and XR experiences remain grounded in accurate research, while still appealing to diverse audiences. For professionals, this entails collaboration across disciplines, including curators, educators, technologists, and designers, to ensure that innovation aligns with the institution's core values.
Future museum technologies
The next phase of digital innovation in museums is shifting from experimentation to sustained integration.
Investments are increasing in AI-driven personalisation, allowing museums to suggest exhibits, customise audio tours, and develop adaptive storytelling based on visitors' preferences. Digital twins and 3D scanning are becoming essential for preservation and accessibility, enabling museums to share delicate collections globally and support conservation with detailed virtual replicas.
Additionally, new haptic and multisensory technologies provide innovative ways for visitors to experience textures, weights, and atmospheres in digital recreations.
Museums must treat technology as a core part of strategy. By aligning innovation with mission, accessibility, and sustainability, they can ensure digital transformation supports their curatorial integrity.
Industry leaders should see AR, VR, XR, and AI not as competing innovations but as complementary tools. These technologies can open new storytelling avenues, diversify revenue streams, and make culture more accessible globally.
Successful museums will be those that innovate intentionally, creating experiences that connect with both current audiences and future generations.
Kimberly Beneville, Sam Bompas and Ben Wilson
MSC World America 
A Gingerline immersive dining experience 
NianticScaniverse 4, awarded first place in Blue Sky in the 2024 blooloop Innovation Awards. Copyright Niantic Inc. 
Immersive dining at The Gallery in LA 
Phantom Peak 
Courtesy of Area15 and David Becker 
Bullanginya Dreaming, awarded first place in Storytelling in the 2024 blooloop Innovation Awards 
The Portal, image courtesy of AREA15 and Jesse Hudson 
A Grand Way Out Wallace & Gromit-themed escape room 
Spiral slide on board MSC World America 
Guests at VR Gallery, ArtScience Museum, Singapore
Ameca robot at the Museum of the Future
Reflections of Being (2025), Max Cooper. Feel the Sound at the Barbican 
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, Dueling Dinosaurs exhibition
A 360 virtual tour of The Met
British Museum