As I mentioned in my 'Hello Trade Show World' post, I'm an avid follower of new technology and love to keep up to date with the latest things going on in the consumer and mobile tech world.  One of the most interesting trends I've noticed lately is the use of Augmented Reality in our every day world.

If you haven't experienced augmented reality, and you have a smart phone, the easiest way is by downloading an app called Layar.  Once you fire that up, you'll see that if you hold it up while you are walking around, it adds context and information to what you look at in your every day life.  For instance, if you were walking by a restaurant, reviews and ratings would pop up on the screen.

So.... what does this have to do with trade shows?

Well, for a long time trade shows had nothing to do with augmented reality.  Then I came across this video which really opened my eyes to the possibilities that augmented reality could bring to the trade show world.  In my opinion, this could really be a big game changer.

There are a couple of things that really stand out to me in this video as aspects that could significantly change the interactivity level of trade shows.

3D Product Demonstrations

For a lot of our trade show exhibit clients, we can show all kinds of graphics and text about what they do, but it is really difficult to do a product demonstration.  The reason is that many of our clients are government  contractors, so demoing a new jet or a new weapons system just isn't feasible.  With augmented reality, I think the way we showcase their products could be greatly enhanced.  It would allow people to view them from all angles by spinning them around, zooming in to different aspects, etc.

Digital Literature

Using QR Codes, it seems that we'd be able to provide attendees with literature digitally.  This is a big deal for the many trade shows that are focusing on 'going green'.  Additionally, it ensure that your literature doesn't end up in the trash or lost.  People will have digital copies that they can easily search or share with friends.

I hope you are as excited as I am about the convergence of augmented reality with our industries.  The possibilities really do seems to be endless.  Who knows what next exciting technology will get a trade show twist.