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The State of Virtual Reality in Education: March 2023

The benefits of virtual reality in education are numerous. And that’s part of the reason some states are offering grants and including education budget funding to bring this technology to classrooms, campuses and remote learners. For non-linear learning environments, better engagement, endless creativity, connecting online students to their campus culture (and even organic uses students will teach us along the way), nothing beats the possibilities of VR for education. So we’re making a list of what’s here today – and what’s just ahead – for education VR.

Learning Outcome Benefits of Virtual Reality in Education

Virtual reality is great at a lot of things in education. It can easily transport a user to harsh or remote locations: an underwater reef, Mars, or Antarctica. It is also great at transporting people through time, whether to study ancient Rome, Egypt, a Mayan civilization or more recent history.

Several studies have been conducted by colleges that are early adopters of virtual reality and those that received grants to study virtual reality outcomes.

One of those early adopters is Dr. Mushina Morris from Morehouse College, who received a grant to investigate educational results with VR. The research compared in-person learning to online learning to virtual reality learning across three categories: attendance, engagement and achievement.

We developed an asynchronous virtual reality course…that was tethered to the next generation science standards. They LOVED it! We started to see student achievement increase by 11.9%, student attendance rate increase by 10%, students were not withdrawn at all…so we saw increases across the board.
— Dr. Mushina Morris, Morehouse College

As were many colleges and universities, Morehouse College was faced with several COVID-19-related educational challenges, like low student engagement and poor participation via Zoom. Dr. Morris and her colleagues decided to try something new. They applied for a grant enabling them to launch a pandemic “Metaversity-style” learning atmosphere using virtual reality and avatars to teach their courses.

What did they discover? Student attendance, engagement, and achievement increased across the board. They also saw notable overall improvements among students with learning challenges, including a young man whose speech impediment became non-existent when attending class in the Metaversity. Though he had difficulty presenting his classwork in real life, when he presented as his avatar, he had flawless diction and speech. He reported feeling much more at ease in the Metaverse, stating, “I felt like you all saw me differently, and I saw myself differently.”

So, according to Dr. Morris, education via the Metaverse truly works. Here are the results of her study:

We should note: there’s still some novelty to VR for students who’ve never tried it. So curiosity may have helped boost the numbers in this early study. Nevertheless, these initial results are compelling.

Purdue also did an amazing research study to compare education when reading, watching a video, and using Augmented Reality. This study was designed to measure how efficiently learners were able to complete tasks using instruction through written paper instructions, video instructions and augmented reality instructions.

The difference in time it took learners to follow AR directions are startling. Of course, we would expect augmented reality to outperform paper instructions, but video, which has long been considered a superior way to learn, significantly underperformed versus AR.

Microsoft, maker of the HoloLens mixed reality device, is also interested in this area of research. In its own study the company found a 22% improvement in student test scores and a 35% increase in student engagement and retention of material when learning through spatial computing versus conventional methods. For a full rundown of the findings, check out their white paper on Mixed Reality for Education.

Diversity and Representation in Virtual Reality

Representation matters – no matter the platform. Unfortunately, even in a progressive space, such as virtual technology, we have a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity of race, ethnicity, gender, disabilities and more.

From a lack of diversity in culturally appropriate avatar options to limited accessibility resources for disabled folks, a more inclusive Metaverse for people of all backgrounds is sorely needed.

A focus on inclusivity is at the heart of development of the Engage metaworld. The company has greatly enhanced their avatar system, allowing students to create self images that are authentic and comfortable, while still giving them the flexibility to envision themselves as historians, professors, astronauts and more.

Creating your own avatar system would be a massive undertaking we would never recommend. However, developers of avatar systems are receptive to user feedback and actively working to improve their platforms. If you feel your platform does not allow users to “see themselves” in their avatars, let the developers know!

Existing tools are already making this goal of inclusivity easier. The Open Source Afro Hair Library is available for developers. It is a free, user-friendly, highly curated 3D model database of Black hairstyles and textures that serves as a feminist, anti-racist resource for digital artists and 3D content creators. Their website states: “Functioning as both art practice and technological development, the Open Source Afro Hair Library seeks to address the lack of thoughtful representation of Blackness in games, virtual/augmented reality, and other 3D media.”

Virtual Reality and the Future of Higher Education Campuses

Many colleges and universities are creating virtual campuses in virtual reality. These campuses are a great place for students to gather, meet, socialize, and feel connected to the school, especially those who are mostly remote, commuter or online learners.

But what’s even more surprising are the organic, emergent uses for these campus spaces that students are coming up with on their own.

Students at Morehouse college started to use their digital campus for study sessions, even when the students themselves were sitting in their dorm rooms (sometimes at 2:00 a.m.). Students also spawned Meditation Mondays, ad-hoc club gatherings and many other uses.

It’s amazing the creativity that happens when an institution creates an open, collaborative environment by and for students. Ultimately, it’s what makes a metacampus an even more valuable digital tool.

To Digital Twin, or Not?

At its core, a digital campus should be three-dimensional, persistent, interactive and social. This social aspect is particularly important – because there’s nothing fun or compelling about walking around an empty campus.

Likewise, a digital campus should not start & end, or be linear. The best VR campuses create continuous experiences, open environments, promote exploration and discovery.

A Digital Twin is an exact representation of a real-life location in virtual reality. There is some debate as to if this is the best approach. Sure, a digital twin is easy to relate to, familiar to users, and has already been designed, so you just need to make a copy. It’s not a particularly creative exercise.

Now, if you’re thinking the relatively straightforward exercise of creating a digital twin campus might be a great way to dip your toe into VR while still being on the cutting edge, think again. As part of an effort to kickstart its VR education program Meta has already funded the creation of several digital twin campuses, including: University of Kansas School of Nursing, New Mexico State University, South Dakota State University, Florida A&M University, West Virginia University, University of Maryland Global Campus, Southwestern Oregon Community College, California State University, Dominquez Hills, and Alabama A&M University.

There are some specific uses where a digital twin makes sense – like training and orientation on a specific location or facility. Operating rooms and airplane cockpits are two prime examples where VR should reflect actual reality as closely as possible. But when it comes to a college campus, the values of dynamism and discovery definitely outweigh familiarity. A digital twin simply doesn’t take advantage of what this medium can offer.

What to consider when planning your VR education experiment

If you’re looking to create a new campus in VR, create interpretations of your campus that stretch the bounds of conventional reality. Make something that feels like an extension (skeuomorphism, anyone?). After all, what is right in real life may not be that great in virtual reality.

Make sure your plan is fun and interactive. Any campus, whether physical or virtual, should be the kind of place where people can meet, musicians can perform, artists can create, sports can be enjoyed, games are played and a sense of discovery is at the heart of every experience (hint: don’t forget to include a few Easter eggs for curious users). Make your digital campus easy to learn, hard to master. Surprise and delight will make people want to keep discovering, tell their friends and come back over and over again.

But you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out these colleges who are really taking advantage of the medium:

New Frontiers

The end users for VR in education are all digital natives. These students grew up with technology. For them, this transition is completely intuitive, natural and expected. It’s administrators and educators who really have the learning curve. In the past year, I’ve had over 50 meetings in VR with education institutions, helping them get hands-on with the future. If you’re curious, get in touch.
— Brett Circe, Starmark Chief Digital Officer

There’s far more to think through when bringing VR to any academic institution. If you’re not sure where to start, we can help you roadmap ways to increase student engagement, raise your profile, attract more applicants and improve educational outcomes. Sound good? Then use the form below to schedule a meeting in VR.

Schedule a meeting in VR

Baking Spirits Bright

Welcome to the Starmark Kitchen.

It’s time to sprinkle, twinkle and shine. Let’s satisfy that sweet tooth of yours with some holiday cookie goodness. Enjoy these savory recipes from our team members to help you celebrate the season. Happy Holidays.

Madeleines Pistachio Star Cookies Hanukkah Rugelach Cookies Cowboy Cookies Sugar Cookies No-Bake Cookies Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Doggie Cookies

Madeleines

Yields about 2 dozen

Ingredients

Madeleine pans
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pans
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour Madeleine pans thoroughly. Melt butter and let it cool.
In a medium bowl beat eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Beat for 5-7 minutes or until thick and satiny. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Sift 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg mixture, gently fold in using a spatula. Fold in the remaining flour by fourths. Then fold in the melted and cooled butter.
Spoon batter into prepared Madeleine pans, filling 3/4 full. Bake until golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool on racks.

Pistachio Star Cookies (Zimtsterne, German cinnamon star cookies)

Traditionally these cookies are made with almonds, but we’ve substituted with one of our favorite nuts, pistachios!

Ingredients

Cookies

4-2/3 cup of roasted pistachios (lightly salted)
3-3/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large egg whites (no yolk!)

Meringue

1 large egg white
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees; Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cookies

Grind the pistachios in a food processor until fine.
Add 2-3/4 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and the cinnamon.
Pulse to make a fine powder.
Add the egg whites and process until the dough comes together.
Sprinkle a work surface with the remaining 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar. Knead the dough on the surface to create a cohesive dough. Roll out the dough until 1⁄4 inch thick, making sure the surface and rolling pin are coated with confectioners’ sugar to keep the dough from sticking. Cut out cookies with a 2-inch star cookie cutter, dipping the cutter into the confectioners’ sugar every now and again to keep the dough from sticking. Place the cookies about 1⁄2 inch apart on the pans. Gather the dough scraps, then reroll and cut out more stars.

Meringue

Whisk the egg white in a metal bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until thick and smooth (it’s OK if the meringue doesn’t hold a peak). Drop a teaspoon of meringue onto the middle of each cookie and use the back of a spoon to spread it.
Bake the cookies for 15- 17 minutes, or until the edges of the meringue barely start to color.
Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Hanukkah Rugelach Cookies

Makes 18–22

Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ cup granulated sugar, divided
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
Zest of 1 orange
1½ cups finely chopped walnuts
1 cup raspberry or any other flavor jam or marmalade
½ cup freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Special Equipment

A spice mill or mortar and pestle

Directions

Mix flour, baking powder, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on low speed to combine. Add butter and beat until it is flattened into nickel- and dime-size pieces and dry ingredients look a bit like sand, about 2 minutes. Cut cream cheese into 8–10 pieces and add all at once to mixer. Beat until dough starts to clump together in pieces (but not so long that it forms one large mass) with pieces of butter and some cream cheese still visible, about 1 minute longer.
Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half. Pat each into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill just until firm, 30–45 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together orange zest, nuts, jam, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Set filling aside.
Working one at a time, roll out dough between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment paper, dusting with more flour and turning over and rotating as needed, into ⅛”-thick ovals about 18×11″. Spread half of filling over each oval, leaving a ½” border. Rotate dough so a long side is closest to you and roll up into a tight spiral, using parchment to help you lift it as you go. If dough is sticking, chill 5 minutes before proceeding. Chill rolled-up dough until firm, at least 60 minutes and up to 1 day (wrapped in plastic).
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Finely grind raspberries in spice mill or with mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small bowl; mix in remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar. Brush tops of dough with egg. Sprinkle with half of berry sugar and cut into wedges 2″ wide at the base and ½” wide at the point. Make each cut on a diagonal, changing direction each time so that short and wide ends alternate. Divide rugelach between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until deep golden brown, 28–34 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets, sprinkling with remaining berry sugar while still warm.
Do Ahead: Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Cowboy Cookies

Ingredients

2.5 cups oatmeal, blended
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz. (2 cups) chocolate chips
1 (4 oz.) Hershey’s bar, grated
1.5 cups chopped nuts (optional, but REALLLYYY good with)

Directions

Preheat oven to 374 degrees F
Blend oatmeal: measure and process in a blender to a coarse powder
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy
Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well-blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed
Add flour mixture; mix until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and nuts (if using)
OPTIONAL, BUT DEFINITELY SUGGESTED: cover dough and chill for 30 minutes (add 1 minutes or 2 of cook time if using chilled dough)
Roll dough into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet
Bake for 10 minutes
Take cookies out of over 1 or 2 minutes before the cookies are cooked, since they’ll continue to cook on the baking pans
Let cookies cookie for two minutes on baking sheet before transferring to rack to cool completely.
Serve with vanilla ice cream on the side and enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk

Buttercream Frosting

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
5 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Food coloring

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined, then add flour mixture gradually until totally combined.
Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
When ready to roll, preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out dough until 1/8” thick. Cut out shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Freeze 10 minutes (so your shapes hold while baking!).
Meanwhile, make frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar and beat until no lumps remain. Add cream, almond extract, and salt and beat until combined.
Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
Let cool, then frost and decorate as desired.

No-Bake Cookies

There is always a lot of cooking and baking around the holidays. What is great about these cookies is that they kinda just fit right in with everything else you are doing, like a byproduct of all your efforts is rewarded with cookies!

Preparation

While you’re doing your other baking, save any egg whites that may be left over from other recipes.
Have these cookies ready to go when the rest of your baking is done when you shut your oven off (we will use the heat left in the oven after you turn it off!)

Ingredients

Egg whites
Sugar
Vanilla (or mint) extract
Pinch of salt
Chocolate chips
Nuts (Optional)

Directions

Use a mixer to beat the egg whites.
Slowly add sugar until it stiffens and has peaks.
Stir in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Fold in the chocolate chips (and nuts if you want to).
Stir with a spatula. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and drop mounds about 2 inches apart.
When you remove your last item from the oven and turn the oven off for the night, put this tray in there when you do. Ensure the oven is off, and let this tray sit in the oven overnight (do not open the oven to check on it, or the heat will escape).
In the morning, you’ll be rewarded with a batch of light and crisp, yummy cookies!

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Doggie Cookies

Approx 25 treats

Ingredients

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
½ cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter (avoid peanut butters that contain Xylitol)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon water, or more if necessary (Optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl; stir until combined.
Transfer mixture to a work surface and work it with your hands until mixture starts to come together. Add 1 teaspoon water at a time (only if needed) to help make the dough workable, but don’t add too much as it should be dry and stiff.
Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until dog treats are golden brown and crunchy, about 40 minutes. Let cool before serving to your dog.

Starmark Earns Platinum and Gold Hermes Creative Awards

Starmark’s creative excellence shines on in 2022, with recognition by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, sponsors of the Hermes Creative Awards. One of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world, Hermes honors messengers and creators from around the world who bring fresh ideas to life in digital and traditional media.

Platinum: Amelia Island Weather-Triggered Campaign

To make Amelia Island, Florida, stand apart from other warm weather destinations at the height of the winter season, we leveraged our blue skies, beaches and quaint island surroundings in a different way. We partnered with PadSquad to implement digital ad technology that would enable us to show specific immersive ads triggered by cold weather events. The execution was dazzling and so were the results. So much so that this year the Amelia Island Weather Trigger campaign also won two gold Addy awards and Best of Interactive.

Platinum: NextTrip Journeys Campaign

NextTrip Journeys is a luxury travel planning/concierge brand that curates personalized vacation experiences for destinations spanning the globe. Our award-winning campaign concept — “Dreamed by you. Designed by us.” — captured the vacation imagination of our audience with aspirational copy and images that strategically gave consumers a clear idea of the brand’s accommodating function and role, while playing up the dream phase of planning a vacation.

The campaign was delivered via display ads, and paid social videos. We also created a series of dynamic Facebook ads with copy that appealed to different personas.

Platinum: Charter Schools USA Campaign

Home to more than 75,000 K-12 students at nearly 100 schools across five states, Charter Schools USA is one of the biggest, highest performing education management companies in the country. Together with Starmark they’ve now created a cohesive, consistent marketing approach, including a centralized digital strategy to boost leads and enrollments.

Facebook ads and forms, paid search ads and display ads drove prospects to each school’s landing page, capturing user data for follow-up. We also helped Charter Schools USA launch new schools by creating Instant Experience ads that provided users with in-depth information and visuals.

Gold: Play+ Football Campaign

Play+ is a digital tool that empowers users to fund their sports book account and get instant payouts with just their phone. In other words, it takes the wait out of winning. To bring this idea to life Starmark created a campaign that featured a pair of Play+ football players to show users how easy it is to “Score instant access to your winnings.” The campaign burst onto social, display and streaming networks with various executions that generated excitement as well as clicks. During the five-month campaign, Play+ got 150,000 new signups.

Gold: Amelia Island Meetings Campaign

As travel and business operations started to resume following the pandemic, meeting planners needed to reshuffle, replan and rebook events that were put on hold. We wanted meeting planners to know that on Amelia Island, Florida, they would find “Island Inspired Meetings.” We created an integrated meetings B2B campaign utilizing headlines that put a twist on meeting terms, while pairing them with images of the island’s tranquil outdoor settings.

The “Island Inspired Meetings“ video showcased the best of this one-of-a-kind island. Other campaign elements included social media in-feed videos, story ads and an Instant Experience ad that captured the essence and charm of the destination.

Honorable Mentions for Branding, Digital Ads and Interactive

Starmark produced a lot of work to be proud of this past year — work that made an impact for our clients. In addition to our six Hermes trophies, the agency earned an Honorable Mention for our branding work for TalentForge, a Broward County initiative that connects young adults with area employers for real-world work experiences. Our Momentum campaign for the University of Florida also earned two Honorable Mentions for digital marketing and a landing page.

“We are humbled to achieve such creative recognition for our clients across so many disciplines and verticals. There’s nothing we love more than turning high performing campaigns into big wins — and then investing our learnings back into the work!”
— Dale Baron, Starmark Executive Creative Director

Higher Education, Travel & Hospitality, and B2B Sales Case Studies for Doing Business in the Metaverse

We know the Metaverse and Web3 are taking over the B2C marketing world, but what about when it comes to B2B, education, and travel? We explored these topics in our final live session, “Case Studies of How To Do Business using Web3 and the Metaverse,” which examined three unique case studies: one focused on higher education with Morehouse College’s VR expert, Muhsinah Morris; another uncovering travel and hospitality learnings Metaverse Hospitality’s Tommy Farr, and a unique B2B sales opportunity with Nick Romeo of Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures. The results? Extremely impactful. Let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?

Metaversity Learning Works

According to Dr. Morris, education via the Metaverse truly works! As were many colleges and universities, Morehouse College was faced with several COVID-19-related educational challenges, like low student engagement and participation via Zoom. Dr. Morris and her colleagues decided to try something new. They applied for a grant enabling them to launch a pandemic “Metaversity-style” learning atmosphere using virtual reality and avatars to teach their courses.

What did they discover? Student attendance, engagement, and achievement increased across the board.

They also saw notable improvement with students with learning challenges’ overall performances, including a young man whose speech impediment became non-existent in the Metaverse. Though he had difficulty presenting his classwork in real life, when he presented as his avatar, he had flawless diction and speech. He conveyed feeling much more at ease and comfortable in the Metaverse, stating, “I felt like you all saw me differently and I saw myself differently.”

Inclusivity is Still Lacking

Representation matters — no matter the platform. Unfortunately, even in a progressive world such as virtual technology, we have a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity in regards to race, ethnicity, gender, people with disabilities, and more. From a lack of diversity in culturally appropriate avatar options to limited rehabilitation resources for disabled folks, Dr. Morris and her team pushed the developers towards providing a more inclusive Metaverse for people of all backgrounds. This paid off in the Engage Metaworld, which greatly enhanced their Avatars to allow students to create self images of themselves that they felt were authentic and comfortable, some even envisioning themselves as historians, professors, etc.

Meta-Travel

So, how does the Metaverse apply to travel and hospitality? For starters, hotels are using VR for employee training, concierges are using it to conduct virtual tours which lead to real-life hotel bookings. Once travel and hospitality guru, Tommy Farr of Metaverse Hospitality, saw opportunities in his field, his company built a business hotel with a conference center and meeting rooms; a hip hotel with a nightclub DJ and lounge; and a vacation hotel complete with a pool, golf course and spa! Who else is ready for a virtual vacation?

Metaverse B2B is the Bee’s Knees

Curious how B2B sales translates into the Metaverse? So were we. That’s why we chatted with Nick Romeo, Sales Director at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures. After COVID-19 put travel and tourism on the back burner, tour operators were in trouble and FAM tours came to a screeching halt. Since 75% of Romeo’s business consists of European travelers, they needed to find a safer, more cost-effective way to show off their attraction to prospects and travel agents around the world.

Enter: Starmark. Our agency built a Metaworld (AKA Meta-attraction) for Boggy Creek to conduct business in. Instead of agents traveling to Orlando for a tour, Romeo could safely “walk” his European clients through the park virtually at a fraction of the cost. He could also use these virtual tours to introduce clients to the park’s new butterfly pavilion — opening this fall and built entirely in VR way ahead of time to conduct pre-sales. This became a B2B sales effort to try to get more buy-in and excitement from travel agencies that would ultimately drive more bookings world-wide.

The results are still rolling in, but so far they’re faring well and setting themselves apart from other Orlando competitors.

High Risk, High Reward

Our expert, Tommy Farr, acknowledges the inherent risks in building an immature platform and realizes that sometimes you make big investments, only to get the “carpet pulled from under you,” as our host, Dan Grech, puts it. Unfortunately, after investing over 10K in virtual hotels, one of Meta Hospitality’s Metaworlds utilizing NFTs got shut down due to regulations. But according to all of our experts, this experimental phase is bound to have some growing pains.

Corporations are consistently “falling” or “failing forward” (as Dr. Morris calls it) by testing the waters and laying the framework for others. Once perfected, it’s bound to take off — likely with a company we’ve never even heard of yet. Just because big players like Meta broke the internet with Web2 and Facebook, that certainly doesn’t mean they will dominate Web3 and Metaverse in the future. It could be one of your businesses instead!

So, what’s the consensus? Operating your business in Web3 and the Metaverse is a big investment, with a potentially huge payoff. Dan Grech recaps the conversation nicely: “What we’re seeing are examples of early adopters — people spending time and money, risking falling forward, but immediately differentiating themselves from the competition and putting themselves in a position to be ready for Web3, which is inevitable and coming.” So, is it worth it? That’s a BIG yes from us.

For more on Case Studies and other business endeavors in Web3 and the Metaverse, watch our entire series on Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse.

How to Engage Employees & Recruit Talent Using the Metaverse

The hiring process is broken. Too many good candidates are getting overlooked for the wrong reasons and compatible career matches are dwindling. The problem? No concrete data. In our third webinar session of the four-part series, “Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse,” we chatted with Scoutible founder and CEO, Angela Antony, and Starmark’s Chief Digital Officer, Brett Circe, to learn more about talent recruitment and employee engagement in the Metaverse. Here’s what we discovered:

What’s Scoutible?

Angela Antony was looking for ways to improve the hiring game, so she invented her company, Scoutible; an innovative platform that uses award-winning gaming technology and data (developed by Harvard and Stanford scientists) to help people identify their professional skills, styles, strengths and passions in an engaging, accurate way. Once discovered, skills are used to empower candidates to find the right job for them and vice versa — all regardless of educational backgrounds or prior work experiences. Scoutible’s Meta world is currently in beta and we can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Beyond the Resume

According to Antony, “By creating a gamified solution, we can harvest the soft skills that matter most in the Metaverse and create real-life opportunities.” The game measures a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses to understand their professional styles. This way, everyone is seen for their strengths. Based on a resume alone, certain people would not have even been brought to the table. But thanks to Scoutible, they have been found as top performers in their field. Now, candidates can be hired for their skill sets over anything else.

A New Form of Head Hunting

Scoutible is also working to find people that fit the employer’s profile at a lower cost due to its accuracy and efficiency. For example, over 900 applications were placed for an engineering position, but there was one leading applicant over hundreds of Ivy leaguers: a full-time auto mechanic that taught themselves to code at night. This person may have easily been overlooked in a traditional hiring process. Antony makes an interesting point in that the employer or the prospective employee makes the decision for the job in the first ten seconds, meaning that first impressions are incredibly impactful. So, from a diversity, inclusion and belonging standpoint, the Metaverse really eliminates unconscious bias, as well as geographical barriers with its digital representation of the professional world. This enables companies to hire candidates based on their strengths instead of locations or resumes.

VR Brought the Culture Back

COVID-19 posed massive challenges to businesses world-wide. How will companies maintain a team when everyone is remote? Can coworkers really connect through Zoom? Brett Circe’s Starmark decided to roll with the punches and face the issues head-on — literally. They sent all employees (AKA Starmarkers) Oculus Quest 2 headsets. How did they train up their staff? By having them attend a virtual holiday tree trimming party dedicated to teaching them how to use VR. Brett recounted that the holidays are a great time to bring coworkers together to connect and unwind in fun and festive virtual environments — each that were a surprise to the teams every time. Thanks to holiday parties, happy hours, and hangouts in VR, Starmark’s culture was able to make the comeback it needed to post-pandemic.

VIRTUAL COLLABORATION

Of course the Metaverse has its advantages and disadvantages, but Circe finds that when employees wear the headset, they are fully immersed in meetings — without email, text or chat distractions. Starmark practices Agile Methodology, which heavily emphasizes individual interactions and collaboration over products and tools, and VR is the perfect place to gather for their “sprint retrospectives.” These “retros” are where teams celebrate their accomplishments, and debrief on their most recent sprint (the last two week’s worth of work). Upon going remote, each retro meeting has been held in different VR environments that generate more conversation and better focus than other virtual predecessors like Zoom or Google Hangouts. Starmarkers are finding collaborative projects in the metaverse to be increasingly fruitful, productive and as a bonus, downright fun — as long as you keep a straw nearby to hydrate.

Want to learn more about the Metaverse and Web3? Check out our full series, Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse, for tips on how to market your business holistically in a virtual world.

What You Need to Know About Finance & Legal in Web3

With a new world comes new currencies, transactions and laws. So, what does that mean for Web3 and the Metaverse? Since companies are now using NFTs to sell products, education, travel, and real estate, it’s time for businesses and marketers to hop on the bandwagon. A little intimidated by all this? Don’t worry. We asked WGMI Media CEO, Brett Malinowski, and Winston and Strawn’s Blockchain guru, Kimberly Prior, for some guidance in our second webinar, “The Financial and Legal Implications of Web3 for Business.”

A little intimidated by all this? Don’t worry. We’re here to break it all down for you.

THE BASICS

Blockchain. NFTs. Cryptocurrencies. Learn the terms to understand our new reality.

Cryptocurrency: Decentralized (AKA not owned by a bank or corporation) digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography. Cryptocurrencies run on a distributed public ledger called blockchain, a record of all transactions updated and held by currency holders.

Blockchain: What cryptocurrencies run on — a digitally distributed, decentralized public ledger that facilitates the process of recording the tracking transactions and assets. Similar to a public database, it can be audited by anyone. But it cannot be edited.

NFTs: Non-fungible tokens. A record on a blockchain associated with a specific digital or physical asset (started with art). It can be owned, sold and/or traded.

New Drop: A business launching a “new drop,” just means they are “dropping” a new, usually exclusive NFT collection of digital wearables (similar to a loyalty rewards program).

WEB3 BUT MAKE IT FASHION

According to Brett Malinowski, NFTs are the biggest opportunities of our lifetime because Web3 is about ownership by the people. Blockchain and NFTs are the infrastructure that makes this possible. You own your data, and you can sell it if you choose. You can buy, own and sell NFTs too, which can connect to both the digital and real world.

Fashion brands like Nike are starting to explore digital commerce with NFTs that have both digital and physical components. For example, if you want to dress up your digital avatar in Roblox with new Nikes, you can pay for the drop, and they will send you exclusive new pairs of digital kicks for your avatar, as well as physicals pair in real life. Pretty awesome.

ART PROVENANCE & COLLECTABLES

Is that an original Dali or a knockoff? People have been using art as a commodity since the beginning of time. What’s fantastic about Web3 technology is that blockchain establishes provenance (the history of ownership), so this was a natural place to start for artists.

Another trade that’s ripe for the NFT space are collectables. Stamps, Pokemon, and sports cards are becoming more popular in Web3 and becoming gamified in the digital space. As in real life, the rarer the card, the more money it’s worth. As a bonus, they are much easier to keep track of digitally than the old school way of hoarding them in your mancave or she shed.

LOYALTY & REWARDS PROGRAMS

Restaurants like Komodo in Miami are also starting to use NFTs for luxury food and exclusive experiences to be accessed via Web3. For example, our NFT expert, Brett Malinowski, bought an exclusive NFT that is available to only 300 people worldwide. The owner of each NFT earns the right to order a fun and exclusive dessert dining experience. While a $300 NFT and $60 dessert may seem pricey, since Malinowski owns the NFT pass, he can sell it to get his investment back (and possibly gain money doing so if the value increases).

Brett also mentioned Starbucks’ new rewards program powered by Web3, Starbucks Odyssey, that will “offer rewards members and employees the opportunity to earn and purchase digital collectible assets that will unlock access to new benefits and immersive coffee experiences.” Loyalty and rewards programs everywhere will be undergoing this type of huge digital transformation in the near future.

EDUCATION

Training and education are now being powered by NFTs. For instance, a training participants who owns an NFT may get additional access to a Discord with instructors, as well as additional materials beyond the standard coursework. When they complete the training, they can sell that NFT on the marketplace for the next person who wants to learn. This could disrupt the ongoing training and education sector, making it more accessible and affordable for people of all backgrounds to garner an education in their interest of choice.

LEGAL LEARNINGS

OK. So how does all this apply to the law?

SECURITIES LAWS

Securities Laws, enacted by The Securities Act of 1933, prohibit fraudulent sales and transactions in the capital market. However, regulators are having trouble updating and establishing what constitutes breaking the law in the virtual space. What marketers can do to protect themselves now is be sure they read the terms and conditions closely and use resources like CoinDesk or the Digital Chamber of Commerce to keep up to date with new and upcoming laws and/or double check their legal developments.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS

Kim Prior suggests all investors seek legal council, use licensing agreements and comply with privacy laws to protect themselves from lawsuits. You can expose yourself to risk if you have not evaluated the legal ramifications. Just offering NFTs for exclusive access to an experience seems okay, but what can get tricky is the concept of royalties or transactions-based compensation in the secondary market.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

According to Brett Malinowski, when it comes to protection from the law, “it’s all about the language.” He says, ironically, oftentimes the investors targeted are the ones trying to do it right. Prior states that lawyers now need to figure out the right model that will keep business owners in the clear, because large crypto clients want guidelines and regulations. As murky as Web3’s waters are, Prior also expresses that inclusivity is the core principle of cryptocurrency by providing people access to money that would not have been possible before.

Still a little confused? That’s okay, it’s a lot of information all at once, and we’re exploring a subject at the leading edge of technology. For more crypto guidance, Malinowski suggests following Crypto media outlets and other experts like Zeneca, JRNY Crypto, and Ellio Trades if you’re interested in learning more.

Curious about other elements of The Metaverse and Web3? Check out our full series, Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse for tips on how to market in a whole new (virtual) world.

Web3 and Metaverse Webinar Highlights

Hi there! We are sorry you missed season 6 of our Masterclass series, Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse. We recorded every session and you can watch all 6 hours from the entire season if you like! But, don’t worry. We’ve created a summary with key takeaways, action items and expert advice — all you have to do is answer a couple questions for us. See you next time!

How Brands Are Rewriting the Rules of Marketing in the Metaverse

Virtual reality has become the new reality for brands and business owners. It’s time to fully immerse ourselves in the Metaverse and Web3, because it’s taking off in the marketing world. According to the first of our four-part webinar series, “Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse,” here’s what you need to know when it comes to brand representation in the virtual space, straight from our guest experts’ mouths.

WHAT’S WEB3? WHERE’S THE METAVERSE?

Web3: The 3.0 or third version of what the internet is or what it may become. Web1 was the build out of websites, Web2 is defined as the rise of social media, and Web3 will be more about commerce among the people, and the ownership of your own information and data.

The Metaverse: There is only one Metaverse — just like there is only one Internet — but it does not yet exist. Immersive virtual spaces/worlds and experiences that are facilitated by the use of virtual and augmented reality do exist. One day, all of these worlds will be interconnected, as is the internet, at which point the Metaverse will be official.

IDENTIFY BRAND GOALS

Start by aligning with your brand’s goals and KPIs. What is it that your company is trying to accomplish? Where is your audience? Are they even in the Metaverse? If so, our experts agree that there are two key ways brands can market and establish their brand in the metaverse: either by having a product to sell, or an experience where people can have a positive brand interaction.

Miller Lite Metaverse Super Bowl ad

“What you’re finding brands do successfully, is this notion of creating a space where people can connect with one another that are either interesting, casual gaming, or social, or the like,” industry expert and Managing Director of Cuttlefish, Inc., Jay Miolla says. The Venture City partner and investor, Franchesca “Cesi” De Quesada Covey, echoes this sentiment, explaining that where Web3 differs from Web1 and Web2 are with longstanding relationships and engagements with a brand’s customers by creating exciting, fun, immersive experiences that connects people intimately with a brand. She emphasizes that it’s not just about amazing experiences, it’s also about “giving audiences something to take home with them after they leave.”

For example, Bacardi showed high utility by featuring musical artists in their Metaverse, putting their songs into NFTs, and giving away parts of the songs as NFTs to brand-loyal customers. This allowed customers to have an unforgettable experience, but also a way to take the brand home with them.

PLAY… BUT EXERCISE PRUDENCE

Miolla of Cuttlefish, Inc., suggests the first thing to do in the Metaverse is to let your curiosity run wild. Familiarize yourself with as many new virtual spaces as possible. Set up a crypto wallet, take notes, grab usernames, stockpile assets, research your competitors and see what they’re doing. Whether you’re exploring gaming or social interactions, take note of the experiences you find the most interesting and apply it to your future VR business endeavors.

Have fun, but don’t blow a lot of money up front before you’ve done some testing and learning, Starmark’s Chief Digital Officer, Brett Circe cautions. He recommends starting small by using some pre-existing assets to see what works and what doesn’t before investing too much in one direction. For example, does your company have any existing 3D assets like 360° photos or videos they may have used for other purposes? If so, test and learn with them in the Metaverse before emptying your wallet.

Interested in learning more about Web3 and The Metaverse? Check out our full series on Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse for tips on how to conquer the world’s next big digital transformation.

Making Our Mark on Florida Tourism

When it comes to creating memorable tourism work, we always put our heart into our home state. Starmark’s creative efforts in partnership with the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) brought home six awards from the 2022 Florida Governor’s Conference Flagler Awards Ceremony, including Best in Show and four of their top honors — “The Henry” award.

Created by VISIT FLORIDA and named after pioneering developer and industrialist Henry Flagler, the Flagler Awards honor stellar tourism marketing that helps maintain Florida’s position as a top travel destination.

A Best of Show and Several More Wins for Amelia Island

There’s a lot to love about Amelia Island, Florida, and our marketing efforts made sure to spread the word to both consumers and the meetings market.

Every month, we delivered Amelia Island eye candy to the inbox subscribers in a series of New York Times Great Getaways Emails. This campaign earned Silver in the Direct Marketing category.

Our three “Henry” winners for the Amelia Island CVB included the Amelia Island Meetings Brochure, which lured meeting planners back to the island post-Covid by showcasing the destination’s ample outdoor venues, amenities and hospitality. This stellar meetings brochure also won Best in Show.

Also taking home a Henry were our series of four Instant Experience Travel Guides showed the different facets of Amelia Island, including family travel, arts and culture, romance, and spa and wellness. And finally, the Amelia Island Event Ads were recognized with a Henry for combining video and storytelling to promote the island’s signature happenings.

“We appreciate the recognition our marketing efforts have received from VISIT FLORIDA and our peers, and we are proud of the work we’ve produced with our creative partners at Starmark.”
— Amy Boek, Chief Marketing Officer of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau

An Award-Winning Reunion for PIE Airport

A timely and touching PR effort earned Starmark and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) The Henry award for Creativity in Public Relations. Inspired by an unexpected cross-country friendship formed during Super Bowl® LV in Tampa Bay, Starmark and PIE, with support from airline partner Allegiant, planned a super reunion.

This activation went from the airport to throughout the destination, and local and national media picked up the story and ran with it.

“We are honored to receive such a prestigious recognition in the competitive and innovative Florida Tourism industry. I am very proud of our airport team and our partnership with our agency, Starmark.”
— Jeff Clauss, Airport Air Service Development and Marketing Director for St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport

WEBINAR SERIES: Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse

Starmark has joined forces with the Miami-Dade Mayor’s office and Bizhack Academy for Season 6 of #BizHackLive’s Digital Marketing Masterclass series, “Ways to Prepare Your Business for Web3 and the Metaverse.” Hosted by Dan Grech of Bizhack and produced by Brett Circe of Starmark, these live, interactive webinars will offer tips and tools from industry experts to help business owners navigate the next big wave of digital marketing. Register for the free four-part series below!

Masterclass 6.1: How Brands Are Rewriting the Rules of Marketing in the Metaverse

From a company’s look and feel to its voice and tone, learn everything you need to know about brand representation in the virtual world in the webinar series’ first session.

Guests

Franchesca “Cesi” de Quesada Covey

Partner @ TheVentureCity and Tech Innovation Advisor @ Miami-Dade County

Currently at TheVentureCity, Cesi invests in early-stage companies and becomes an extension of a startup’s team by providing strategic growth insights and capital. She also serves as Tech and Innovation Advisor to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Before joining TheVentureCity, she drove cross-Facebook company strategy development and built and scaled business development teams supporting Internet.org, SMB commerce, and crypto efforts – Novi and Diem.

Jay Miolla

Managing Director @ The Cuttlefish, Inc.

Part strategist, part creative and part producer, Jay has been on the forefront of immersive tech for over 15 years, inventing and launching bleeding edge digital experiences for major brands. Jay is motivated to make the seemingly “impossible”, very possible and to prove that this medium will truly change the world and the way in which we interact with it. A frequent speaker on the topic of AR/VR/MR, Jay is happy to share his knowledge with anyone interested in learning about the space.

Jacqueline Jones

Head of Strategic Partnerships – Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging @ LinkedIn

As Strategic Partnerships Lead for Global Inclusion at LinkedIn, Jacqueline’s role is to unlock significant economic opportunities for diverse groups via thought leadership, partnerships and new product offerings. She creates synergies between business partners to open new opportunities, products and markets. She is known for her collaborative approach and skilled leadership of cross-functional teams. Her areas of specialty include: business development, product management, strategic planning, market research, sponsorship design, and content marketing.

Masterclass 6.2: The Financial and Legal Implications of Web3 for Business

Going beyond the hype of NFTs and cryptocurrencies, this session will explore the practical business implications of Web3 with industry powerhouses.

Guests

Brett Malinowski

CEO @ WGMI Media

Brett Malinowski is an NFT entrepreneur that has established himself as a pioneer within Web3. With over 100K subscribers on YouTube, he has devoted most of his efforts educating on the early nuances of NFTs while showcasing the web2 business potential for viewership. He is the founder of WGMI media, one of the first media sources to focus exclusively on web3 and NFTs. Brett has had continued success with NFT brands like Magic Mushroom Clubhouse and NFT Academy that has been a central hub for creators, builders and NFT enthusiasts all over the world.

Kimberly A. Prior

Co-Chair, Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology Group @ Winston & Strawn LLP

Kimberly is a leading financial services regulatory attorney, advising financial institutions and other businesses with respect to legal, regulatory, and corporate matters. She has extensive expertise advising clients in the distributed ledger, blockchain, and digital assets sector.

Masterclass 6.3: How to Engage Employees and Recruit Talent using the Metaverse

How did companies adjust to quarantine? Can virtual reality actually help with talent recruitment? Get these questions answered and more at this engaging third session.

Guests

Angela Antony

Founder & CEO @ Scoutible

Angela Antony is Founder & CEO of Scoutible, the first gamified predictive professional metaverse designed to help anyone find and achieve their purpose. Antony spent 9 years at Harvard studying psychology, law, and business with a focus on labor market policy. She then worked at the White House zeroing in on one issue – more than 50% of all new hires fail because the most accurate and unbiased hiring criteria known to exist—personality and cognitive strengths—are never measured in the hiring process. Antony founded Scoutible to bring the power of psychology and science to hiring.

Brett Circe

Chief Digital Officer @ Starmark

With all aspects of business and branding now touching mobile, social and apps, Brett ensures that client strategies and tactics integrate seamlessly in the digital realm, in real time. As an internet pioneer, Brett won his first e-commerce website award from Yahoo! in 1995. He has served as president of three technology companies: TKOnet, OmniPilot Software, and most recently, FanWise, a social-reward technology for which he holds two patents. He likes to talk about AR/VR/MR and the Metaverse, Mobile Commerce, Advertising, Apps and anything latest, greatest, newest, best.

Masterclass 6.4: Case Studies of How To Do Business using Web3 and the Metaverse

Real-life case studies. Failures and success stories. New technologies. The series’ grand finale live session will teach practical tips and tools to take your business to the next level.

Guests

Dr. Muhsinah Morris

Director of Virtual Reality Project @ Morehouse College

Dr. Morris is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the VR Project, “Morehouse in the Metaverse”. She believes VR provides a pathway for creating inclusion in society for the neurodivergent through immersive educational experiences that more specifically target vocational rehabilitation goals. She is affectionately known as Dr. M.O.M. (Molder of Minds) by all her students. She continues to mold the minds of educators and students globally in the Metaverse. Her future is authentic transformation of the educational system for our future leaders using immersive technologies in the Metaverse. More recently, she founded Metaverse United, LLC where she helps people find where they belong in the embodiment of the internet called the Metaverse.

Tommy Farr

Founder @ Metaverse Hospitality Consulting Group

Tommy Farr went to school for Hospitality and Business at FSU before graduating on to the St. Regis Atlanta to further train in the hospitality industry. From studying wine in Switzerland to working for Michael Mina to traveling the world consulting with the best hotels, Tommy maximized his knowledge within the hospitality world surrounded by some of the best teachers. When the pandemic hit, a new passion within web3 and NFTs took over and Tommy wanted to find a way to combine hospitality and web3. Metaverse Hospitality was born and the first hotels in Sandbox were built.

Nicholas Romeo

Sales Director @ Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures

Hospitality/Tourism executive with over 30 years experience. Nick oversees all sales at the attraction including events (3rd party resellers, youth operators, DMC’s and meeting planners), development of education programs, and expanding new educational areas and exhibits within the park.

Weather-triggered creativity beats winter forecasts for Amelia Island

After a successful welcome back for travelers as pandemic restrictions eased, in winter of 2021, Starmark and the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau wanted to find a way to inspire spontaneous getaways for travelers in winter-weary northern cities. The answer was an award-winning weather-triggered digital campaign that outperformed all estimates for media performance.

How to avoid getting iced out by other coastal destinations

With travel advertising ramping back up on the heels of pandemic travel restrictions, Amelia Island needed a smarter way to start a travel conversation to avoid getting drowned out by larger coastal destinations hocking the same old sun and sand pitch. The team needed an approach that was more targeted and more incisive to beat the heat from competitors.

A cool insight drives an even cooler execution

The driving insight for this campaign came from team members from the northern and midwestern states about the low points of winter. You know, those days where you can’t imagine it getting any colder — until it does.

Tapping into the visceral experiences of winter weather and the mindset of wanting to escape from slogging through slush or being cloistered in the house, our team concocted a tiered campaign approach that dialed up the escapism as temperatures dropped in DC, Philadelphia, Boston and New York.

On any day where daytime temperature estimates dropped to a certain point, our standard campaign creative was replaced by the first stage of our weather-triggered ads. And on days with snowfall, a second creative iteration dialed up the appeal of a blue-sky getaway on Amelia Island.

It’s not every day that you see creative assets that are this eye-catching. I’ve worked on hundreds of creative builds in my career, but these really stood out. It’s the first time we’ve been able to build a format in such a personal way that takes a consumer through the entire journey end-to-end — brilliant strategy.
— Padsquad

Both creative approaches were tailored for winter-weary mindsets to grab attention and then pay it off with a quick Instagram-highlights-style tour of experiences awaiting travelers on the island.

Blue skies for the win

This is one of those campaigns where a simple human understanding won the day. We’re thrilled to see results that it worked even better than we expected.
— Dale Baron, Starmark Executive Creative Director

We knew the campaign was something special, but it performed even beyond our expectations. Our media partner reported engagement metrics more than 8x the benchmark performance for similar placements.

Between the end of December 2021 and end of March 2022, the two scrollers and the stories-style placements delivered combined impressions of over 3.1 million with engagement scores of 4.2%, 9.2% and 7.2%, respectively. All on a budget well below what competitors were spending during those months.

The approach clearly resonated with travelers, too, leading to a significant uptick in Amelia Island visitation during late winter and spring. And awards show judges also chimed in with a series of wins — two local gold ADDY awards, a district-level American Advertising award, an Adrian Award and a Hermes Award — for this clever, human-centric, weather-triggered campaign.

Capturing a Real-World Adventure in VR to Share With Travel Trade

A REAL-WORLD ATTRACTION CAPTURED IN VR: POWERED BY STARMARK

The Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures team tapped into Starmark’s virtual reality expertise to re-create the experience that Boggy Creek offers in a semi-scripted experience, sharing the breathtaking beauty of nature, including wetlands and wildlife, in an immersive VR experience.

Virtual reality can create entirely new worlds. But it can also bring the real world into a virtual one, making it possible to share unique, real-world places and geographies with those who have not been there in person.

With a compelling and innovative way to share the spirit of adventure they provide their guests even before their guests arrive in the Everglades, the Boggy Creek team gained a new sense of confidence and a new way to grow their business.

SHARING A REAL-WORLD ADVENTURE, ANY TIME, ANYWHERE

Tour operators and the travel trade are an important audience for Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures. They book entire buses of guests and recommend the park to hundreds of people traveling from all over the world. Most of these professionals have never been to the park, including many located in Europe, making it difficult to give them a familiarization tour. To help them understand the full Boggy Creek experience — and share the excitement and adventure with prospective guests — Boggy Creek sought a virtual experience that would bring it all to life by putting them right in the middle of the action. And to honor their time, we had to deliver it all in just a few minutes.

“The ability to give a tour operator in Germany or the UK a personalized tour while we are sitting in our office back in Florida is amazing.”
— Margie Bryan, Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures

The aim was to capture the thrill of whisking across the water as you spy turtles, birds and other wildlife in and around the sprawling walls of grass, encountering nature’s predators — including the American Alligator — from the safety of Boggy Creek’s U.S. Coast Guard-inspected airboats. Beyond the main attraction, Starmark showcases the breadth and depth of experiences visitors could choose. These included a seminole native village, gem and fossil mining, a baby alligator pond, the onsite barbeque restaurant, tiki bar, large pavilions, and the latest addition to the park, the butterfly encounter.

VIRTUAL REALITY AND 360° EXPERIENCES

Starmark created a VR experience that showcased the tours and activities Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures creates across the headwaters to the Florida Everglades.

Participants in VR can free roam explore the park, and hop on an airboat to enjoy a 2 minute scripted adventure showcasing everything the attraction has to offer.

In addition, the sales staff can meet with travel professionals in the UK and Germany in VR to give them a personalized tour of the property and explain everything a guest can do while in the park. These real-time interactive sales demos far exceed anything that Boggy Creek has done in the past with video or Zoom meetings alone.

“Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures is forward-thinking in their marketing and sales to the trade, and preparing for the metaverse now will give them a huge leg up on the competition in the future.”
— Brett Circe, Chief Digital Officer, Starmark

FUTURE WORLD-BUILDING

Phase one of the VR attraction was launched at the IPW trade show in Orlando, Florida. Future phases will continue to bring more Boggy Creek experiences into the virtual world. Prospective visitors will be able to explore, ask questions, buy tickets, and even be hosted as a metaworld in the Metaverse for guests around the world to enjoy 24×7.

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