Discover an innovative ecosystem on an immersive stroll

An immersive experience is one in which what we experience, what we feel, what we are told, enables us to create an alternative reality for ourselves. It is considered immersive from the moment it is perceived as all-encompassing and multi-channel, where it plays with one or more of our senses.

The immersive experience can be factual, in the form of a free or guided stroll through a real or reconstructed universe. It can also be fictional, with virtual interactions, for example. Immersion can be fictional or real, collective or individual. In all cases, it is successful when participants feel they are an integral part of the universe in which they find themselves.

The immersive experience allows us to cut ourselves off from the real world for a moment. But this doesn't necessarily mean plunging into a virtual space. Children, for example, have immersive experiences on a daily basis, inventing stories and environments for themselves. It's this little spark that some interactive and immersive scenographies hope to rekindle.

At Future Agency, we offer an immersive experience in "real life" with our innovative walks, which allow you to immerse yourself in an unprecedented environment and discover, in real immersion, the reality of the sector of your choice.

Today, when we talk about immersive experience, we generally think of virtual reality, augmented reality or video games. But immersive experience is not necessarily about technology. In fact, immersive and experiential devices are not limited to VR headsets, although they are of course a major component.

There are other sensory, emotional and narrative levers that can be used to immerse participants in a story and get them to experience strong emotions. In fact, this is what we offer learners during our innovative walks: a unique experience, an immersive journey into the reality of innovative companies.

The sensation of immersion refers to a feeling of mental, physical and/or emotional absorption. The viewer's attention is completely captured by images, a story or a video game. We've all experienced this at least once, even unconsciously, one of the first immersion media being books. We then disconnect sensorially from the "real world", imagining the scenes, picturing the smells, sounds and so on. But in an immersive experience, the cursor is pushed further to blur the boundaries between the real and the virtual, and offer total immersion.

To create an immersive experience, we can therefore play onspatial immersion, sensory immersion, visual immersion, fictional or narrative immersion, etc., and even offer several at once for an even more all-encompassing experience.

A closer look at two types of immersion that are widely used in the event industry:

• Fictional immersion: this refers to the idea of entering completely into a fiction. Whether it's a book, a film or any other kind of fictional content, the individual is totally absorbed by the imaginary universe depicted, momentarily losing awareness of the real world. Fictional immersion, also known as narrative immersion, is an excellent vehicle for learning. It's the lever we activate on our innovative walks, which enable you to discover the professional reality of a sector through an immersive experience.
• Sensory immersion: this occurs when sensory stimuli cut you off from reality. This type of immersion is increasingly used in the cultural world: many exhibitions and museum visits today are immersive, with devices that appeal to all 5 senses. For the visual sense, visitors can be immersed in a set design. For the auditory, technologies that reproduce real sounds are used. The sense of smell can also be stimulated, with the diffusion of scents and perfumes. Finally, during an immersive experience, visitors can also touch objects or taste products. Among the best-known immersive tours are the Atelier des Lumières in Paris's ^11th arrondissement, and Tim Burton's immersive labyrinth in Paris, which immerses visitors in his world.

Escape games, virtual and augmented reality headsets, immersive and interactive museum tours, sensory boutiques, 3D tours... Today, there are a huge number of immersive experiences, formats with technology, without technology, and even formats that are very old (immersive theater, for example, is still hundreds of years old).

To add an immersive dimension to your business events, you can use :

• Virtual reality: this is the most widely used technology for events, as it pushes the immersion envelope far enough to create a futuristic experience. Thanks to a vr headset, users are immersed in a 3D environment, modeled or recreated in a real world. Immersed in this virtual sphere thanks to the various simulators, the experience is quite personal.
• Augmented reality: sometimes confused with virtual reality devices, it enables digital content to be viewed in 3D in a real environment, thanks to special glasses.
• Immersive décor: animated and interactive decors, decoration, scenography, projections, sound systems... During a professional event, all these elements can help immerse employees in the chosen universe. The escape game is another example of immersion through décor, particularly popular for team-building events. These immersive structures offer a collective experience and encourage exchanges.

Whatever the type of company (SME, start-up, large corporation...), immersive experiences can energize business events. By offering a different, memorable experience that generates strong emotions, you can make your event a memorable one for all your employees and guests.

Depending on the objectives of your business event, the immersive experience can be geared towards entertainment or learning. In all cases, offering your employees a unique, personalized experience not only enhances your brand image, but also strengthens their commitment.

Immersive group experiences can also be designed to encourage teamwork and collaboration. Your employees can, for example, take on challenges, complete missions or solve puzzles together in a realistic or fictional immersive environment. Whether it's a virtual game or an immersive setting, generating shared emotions helps to strengthen team cohesion.

By stimulating the senses, an immersive experience can also be a powerful lever for boosting creativity. Freed from the constraints of reality, an immersive experience can nurture employees' creative thinking.

Technology makes it possible to create amazing immersive experiences. Among the most widely used are :

• Virtual reality: the immersive experience par excellence. By immersing participants in a fictional environment using a vr headset and allowing them to interact with virtual objects, VR offers experiences that succeed in reducing the boundary between the real world and fiction. But VR does have a few limitations: users are restricted in their movements, and it's a personal activity.
• Augmented reality: also contributes to immersion, but to a lesser extent. Augmented reality technology makes it possible to place virtual objects or elements in the real world. Often used on smartphones, its immersive capacity is therefore limited.
• Projections: this technique projects images onto real surfaces that serve as a backdrop, such as the architecture of a venue. These projections can create impressive visual effects and recreate an entire universe.
• Spatialized sound: hearing also plays an important role in the sensation of immersion. Spatialized sound immerses the audience in a specific sound environment. This process can be used to create immersive soundscapes.
• Holograms: real 3D images, this technology lets you interact with holographic objects.
• 360° mapping: this involves projecting 3D images onto moving objects or surfaces. 360° mapping creates breathtaking animations and visual effects.