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Positive Social Change: Microsoft Summit 2017

360dgrees and Microsoft – showcasing how interactive reality is shaping the face of connected retail at NRF 2018

Just over a week ago, Microsoft launched their free global Tech Summit in Sydney. This is their first ever attempt at this event, and a success story which will now move ahead into 13 other countries. This first summit took place at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Sydney’s Darling Harbour from 14-17 November and brought C-Suite/BDMs, Partners and the tech community together over the course of one week. The conference provided expertise, skills, and connections for businesses and individuals to network, discover, and share their solutions in a digital landscape that is transforming at an increasingly rapid pace.

The Summit was kicked off by local Microsoft managing director Steven Worrall, who announced that “cultural transformation is the vital ingredient to any successful digital transformation”. Microsoft’s global head of industry, Toni Townes-Whitley elaborated on a similar theme, asserting that public and commercial leaders have a responsibility to establish business success that delivers a positive social impact. “Global companies like Microsoft need to think of the broader societal implications and transform responsibly,” she said, a statement that strikes a chord with what we are trying to achieve at 360dgrees.com.

360dgrees.com was the first ISV (Independent Software Vendor) Microsoft partners that were selected & invited to participate and showcase within the beating heart of the summit – the expo area. We were hugely excited to be involved as this is the world’s first expo where ISVs were included in the Data and AI story. As Microsoft partners, the Summit was a fantastic opportunity for us to share our transformative solutions, make new connections, and strengthen our existing relationships. However we also find the key themes and ideas shared at the conference to resonate strongly with our drives and beliefs, with a strong emphasis on success being driven by “the ability of companies to adapt both their leadership and their organisations for the digital era” as Worrall put it.

New technologies and solutions, like 360dgrees.com, are defining incredible new business opportunities at a rapid pace. From the global macro view to local industry deep dives, it’s a tangible solution to advance organisations’ digital transformation. But significantly, we are dedicated to ushering positive social change by revolutionising the way safety training is delivered. The fundamental goal of the 360dgrees.com platform is perfectly summarised by Microsoft’s mission statement – “empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more”. This is the core promise of our platform, to simply deliver the advantages of interactive reality software to anyone. The feedback from our customers and partners throughout the course of the week was overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to the future.

To learn more about 360dgrees.com safety training, visit 360dgrees.com/safety-training/.

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The 360dgrees.com Platform Now Supports Flat Video Gamification

Gamification
by Max Harris, Media Producer at 360dgrees.com
  • 360dgrees.com’s Interactive Reality platform empowers anyone to create immersive, interactive experiences
  • The platform now supports flat videos, allowing users to augment non-360 video with POS and interactive links between videos that the viewer can control.
  • The process is simply, easy, intuitive and powerful.

As Mixed Reality has rapidly expanded into the mainstream in 2017, devices and software platforms have become increasingly accessible and affordable. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive dropped in price significantly (triggering major market share booms), consumer-grade headsets like the Oculus Go were announced, and development platforms like Apple’s ARKit and Nvidia’s Holodeck were opened.

360dgrees.com is committed to bringing Interactive Reality further into the mainstream with a video platform that empowers anyone to create dynamic immersive experiences. Simply upload 360 degree video content and augment it with interactivity through a simple and intuitive interface.

Now 360dgrees.com is excited to announce the introduction of flat video functionality, meaning that anyone, with any camera, can easily and quickly create and gamify dynamic, interactive, flowing experiences.

This is achieved by placing interactive hotspots into your videos – points of sales that can open forms, link to websites, or transition to other videos – empowering the creation of flowing narrative paths that the user can choose between. These hotspots can be moving or static; invisible or represented as virtual objects. The implication is that you can gamify your content, and create decision-based interactive videos that can be used for entertainment, education, or training. You can insert custom or preset icons, badges, timers, text, picture-in-picture interfaces – and the possibilities are limitless. The platform also provides analytics and insights into how users respond to the interactivity and the choices that they made.
Check out this interactive video created for Sydney Aquarium on the 360dgrees.com platform which employs both flat and 360 degree video. Click the interactive hotspots in the video represented by the shark and the “buy” graphics to trigger different sections of the video.

To sign up or learn more about the platform, visit 360dgrees.com. Our experts are waiting to empower you to create your own interactive experiences.

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Consequence, Participation, Retention: The untapped value of MR Training

The untapped value of Mr Training
Written by Toby Ellis, CEO at 360dgrees.com

There’s a problem with traditional training:

  • Real participation rates are low
  • Retention of knowledge is low
  • Training is delivered in abstraction of consequence

And it’s not the fault of the training teams, the people taking part or the organisations: It’s a symptom of the tools at disposal not helping. Technology is to blame! But it doesn’t need to be. Mixed Reality (MR) Training is enabling organisations to reimagine training and pedagogies, to deliver improved results and a renewed enthusiasm on the part of the participants.
Let’s take a step back. Imagine a traditional training session at work. There are 10 people who are attending the 2-hour session away from their desks/jobs. Despite the very best of intentions of participants and trainers, too often the below is the real outcome:

  • 4 people are thinking about what they are going to do after work or at lunch
  • 2 people are consumed by the thought of all the work they could be doing if they were back at their desk
  • 1 person is reminiscing about the time they saw the Wallabies win the Bledisloe cup, on the siren, with a John Eales conversion in his very last game
  • 1 person is fading in and out of consciousness and is lucky to have the support of their colleague next to them who is providing some well timed ‘nudges’ to keep them from being noticed
  • 2 people are listening

I exaggerate to emphasise… but you get my point. In this example, there are 3 main problems:

  • Participation is low. In this example, only 20%.
  • Knowledge retention rates are low. Retention rates from learning by lecture are as low as 5% when compared to retention rates of 75% when you learn by doing.
  • This training very rarely lets people really understand and experience consequence of actions – what is the outcome and why is it important. So it becomes task focused, not outcome focused.

A lot of effort and a large commitment by everyone, that deserves a better result.

Fast forward to the same training delivered using MR Training.

  • The training is a game delivered using Mixed Reality. They put on the MR Headset, then get immersed in a game that shows them real people, asking real questions and each decision they get to see the same people show them what the consequence of that decision is. As if they are right there and it is happening to them in the 1st person.
  • Each participant can go through the training as part of a team or on their own, when it suits them.
  • The training team and organisation get access to the rich analytics of the MR Training for each individual and as a team/organisation to identify trends and think strategically about training needs.
  • The training can take a fraction of the time and the team are pretty excited about taking part in MR Training!! Let’s not kid ourselves… it’s cool!

MR Training solves problems we saw in the traditional approach.

  • 100% participation rates. By its very nature, MR Training is fully immersive. Try thinking about lunch or what you’re doing after work when you have an MR Headset on and are playing a Training Game!
  • Retention rates through the roof: from 5% retention rates for a lecture to 75% retention rates from ‘Learning by doing’ as a result of the gamification of the training.
  • Consequence brought to life: MR Training lets people experience consequence, without being in a position of danger! Outcome focused.

So, you’re left with more people participating, retaining more, with an opportunity to experience consequence.

These are exactly the sorts of outcomes 360DGREES.COM are helping enterprises achieve by challenging and innovating the way they deliver training. No longer a tick in the procedural box… training that delivers real outcomes. But it’s hard to explain… get in touch with us and we can show you so you can experience it for yourself.

1 Source: National Training Laboratories, USA
Banner image modified from original by Patsy Lynch @ FEMA Photo Library

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We’re converging on Convergence!

Converging on convergence

360dgrees.com will be on show at Sydney’s upcoming technology event

The team behind 360dgrees.com is excited to announce that we’ll be hosting an interactive exhibit at the upcoming Convergence Conference and Trade Show in Sydney on September 15th.

This exciting event brings together the IT, telecommunication, electronics and manufacturing industries, while inviting representatives from the health care, entertainment and education sectors. The idea behind Convergence is that technology is blurring the lines between these once very separate businesses, evolving them into one ecosystem. The products and services on display will demonstrate how technology can improve efficiency, reduce costs and boost profits across industries.

At this year’s conference, a diverse group of professionals will come together to hear insights from speakers, technology brands and thought leaders. Topics covered will include exciting new technologies in wearables, robotics and virtual reality.

Delegates will be able to choose from attending presentations by world-class keynote speakers, listening and engaging on interactive panels, joining workshops and learning from ‘expert huddles’ throughout the day. They’ll also have the chance to get up close and personal with new technologies with exhibitor stands.

An array of futuristic providers will be exhibiting their wares at this fascinating event, including software development platforms, robotics suppliers and drone specialists. Some of the leading brands that will be on show at Convergence include:

  • IBM
  • Microsoft
  • Adobe
  • University of Technology Sydney

And of course, 360dgrees.com will be there! Our stand will demonstrate to visitors that virtual reality has very much arrived. Forward thinking professionals will be able to see just how 360 degree video can revolutionise the way their audience sees and engages with their product or service.

On the day, we’ll be shooting a 360 degree video of the event, which will be uploaded to the Convergence website. This awesome video will have an interactive layer on top that lets users click on different exhibitors to find out more about their product. We’ll also be doing live 360 degree interviews and a live stream of the Immersive Symposium that will show you first hand just what 360 degree video can do.

This exciting event is not to be missed for business development managers, marketers, entrepreneurs, trend forecasters, digital strategists and anyone interested in how technology will change the future of business.

To find out more about Convergence, visit www.convergence.events.

We can’t wait to see you there!

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The Refectory

Sydney University
6PM – 10PM