MARBLE ARCH CAVE VR TOUR
TYPE & TECH Tourism Experience, 360 VR & Audio
CLIENT Tourism Northern Ireland
Journey into The Depths of Ireland’s Core in VR
During Covid restrictions, part of Ireland’s only UNESCO Global Geopark, Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh, was unable to welcome visitors. Teaming up with BBDO Dublin, we developed a virtual experience for Tourism Northern Ireland that allowed users to take a journey through the beautiful Irish landscape down to the depths of Ireland’s core, viewing the stunning underground cave network. Immersing them in the rich and expansive environment, the experience became available from the safety of their home via a 360 film and a virtual reality experience at the Visitor Centre.
“We’ve had great feedback from the client with the response to-date being fantastic, attracting new and returning visitors to the Geopark and also capturing the attention of other International Showcaves who are seeking to imitate the tour.”
– Jay Short
Client Services Director, Solarflare Studio
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Explore the Caves' 340 million-year-old history
Tourism Northern Ireland wanted to create a cutting-edge virtual reality experience that offered users a chance to escape, explore and place themselves directly in history. Driven by the team at BBDO Dublin, we provided technical support during the 360-degree panoramic shoot and post-production visuals and audio.
A Strategic VR Tool for The Tourism Industry
Shot in 6k with spatial audio, we worked with BBDO Dublin to ensure the narrative for the shoot maximised the quality and opportunity of panoramic viewing.
Allowing you to see, listen and feel as if you’re there, this immersive simulation was presented as an explorable 360 film and a VR experience.
Within a bespoke room at the Visitor Centre the VR experience surrounds participants in 6K footage, spatial audio, and stunning graphics.
Using a mixture of 360 footage and high-resolution 360 stills, we added additional effects and graphic touch-ups to elevate the shots. These included moving water, caustics on the ceiling, bats fluttering, water reflections, shot titles, and educational hotspots. Best experienced with headphones, the 360 spatial soundscapes truly levelled up the sense of immersion.
“It is always positive to see industries using a technology like VR in a manner that is considered and thought through from a strategic business perspective. This experience gave potential visitors a sneak preview of TNI’s sites in a never before seen way and establishes them as being at the forefront of innovation within the tourism industry.”
– Jay Short
Client Services Director, Solarflare Studio
Attracting New Visitors to the UNESCO GeoPark
Through simple head movements, visitors can now discover the beauty and fragility of the environment. With exclusive areas of the cave system rarely viewed by human eyes, they are surrounded by its serene ambience. The experience is available on Oculus Quest 2, Google Cardboard, YouTube 360°, and Vimeo 360°.
“Time and time again, Solarflare delivers. Technologically gifted. Their innovative offerings always impress customers. Whether it’s a reskin of an existing piece of kit. Or a bespoke experience. Timelines met without a problem. And when there is one, they’re quick to resolve. With their support staff always on hand and quick to respond. But, it’s on the bigger longer-term projects, where Solarflare come into their own. They provide unwavering support, at every point of the project lifecycle. Never losing their motivation and passion for the product or service. They ensure your customer experience stays optimised via updates, back-ups and training – so important in today’s technological marketing landscape. Your customers always experience the best service no matter when they interact with your brand. This is down to their commitment to always deliver the best user journey for their clients. We look forward to working with them on many more projects in the near future.”
– Barry O’Sullivan
BBDO
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