Meetings when you can’t meet
VR TeamSpace from Box Bear allows teams across the country or throughout the world to meet just as they would in the office. High quality avatars which follow your head movement, open their mouths when you talk, and mimic your hand gestures make the experience natural and intuitive.
PowerPoint slides, video clips, PDF documents, web sites and more can be shared and discussed, and meeting notes are automatically generated as you go along. VR TeamSpace is focussed on real business needs and providing the features you need to conduct your meeting at least as effectively as if you were meeting face-to-face.
With universally positive feedback from our primary beta test partners we are now offering VR TeamSpace to other companies.
Conference or collaborate
Video conferencing is a flawed solution. All participants need a stable, high-speed internet connection for videos to be shared. Even then it is not an intuitive, immersive solution. It can be difficult to tell who is talking, speakers often cut across each other and all-important body language is lost beyond the video frame.
VR TeamSpace meetings are immersive and intuitive. Participants share the virtual space and the experience. Audio is directional so it is easy to work out who is talking and, as you turn to face them, they can see that they have your attention just as in the real world. Hand movements can be seen by all and simple gestures we take for granted like pointing work once again.
VR TeamSpace gives the context often lost in video conference calls. Corporate branding on the windows, posters on the wall, a welcome slide with agenda and participants. All these subconsciously focus participants into “meeting mode” for a productive session. Conversely, for brainstorming, the environment can be changed to encourage free thought – ‘real’ thought clouds, meeting around a table at the top of a mountain…
In a video conference call it is easy and natural to get distracted by emails, texts and other events in the office or at home. In VR TeamSpace participants are focused on the discussion and work efficiently and effectively.
Business benefits
VR TeamSpace meetings offer many benefits over face-to-face meetings and video conference calls including:
Flexibility – national/global teams can meet at a moment’s notice without having to gather in a single location. Participants can be in the office, at home or on the road… wherever is convenient for them in their timezone
Productivity – staff spend less time travelling, need less recovery days and are more focused in meetings so these are shorter
Attendance – removing the need to travel makes meetings easier to join
Environmental benefits – enhanced green credentials through a potentially significant reduction in travel
Reduced costs – travel, accommodation, staff subsistence, meeting room rental…
“The key difference is being fully immersed and engaged, there’s no escape as soon as you put the headset on”
Graham Addison
Global Marketing Director, AstraZeneca
(beta test partner)
Beyond meetings
The underlying ideas and technology from VR TeamSpace also drive VR Studio – Box Bear’s solution for virtual conferences and seminars. Expert presenters and a chairperson are immersed in a virtual studio complete with the PowerPoint decks, videos etc for their presentation. A production team create a high-value live stream using virtual cameras just like in a real-world studio environment. The stream can be viewed through a standard web browser on a desktop PC, tablet and mobile with no limit on audience size.
Pre and post session questionnaires, event registration, audience polls and full Q&A are available to enhance the experience and provide valuable insights for the sponsoring organisation.
Technical details
Hardware support – Oculus Quest, Pico Neo 2. Other VR Headsets coming soon, observers on Microsoft Windows
Number of participants – up to 15 active participants in the room. Unlimited observers through Microsoft Windows app
Internet connection – minimum 10Mbps download and 5Mbps upload speed
Avatar – photo-realistic created from a single ‘passport style’ photograph
Documents supported:
- PowerPoint (excludes some slide transitions such as particle effects)
- Web sites (Internet/Intranet)
- Online streaming video
In the press
BBC News (17 July 2020)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53279226
London Loves Business (18 August 2020)
https://londonlovesbusiness.com/new-vr-products-launch-to-disrupt-the-events-and-business-world/
businesscloud.co.uk (25 August 2020)
https://www.businesscloud.co.uk/news/berkshire-start-up-reveals-its-meetings-and-events-vr-products/
ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) (27 August 2020)
https://www.icaew.com/insights/viewpoints-on-the-news/2020/aug-2020/accountancy-the-great-shift-to-lifelong-learning
More about Box Bear
Box Bear Digital is an established evolving media agency based in the UK, with in-house creative and technical teams. Video production, 2D and 3D animation, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality under one roof with end-to-end support to help you make your next project a success.