For decades, on-site tours of meeting and event facilities have played an essential role in helping event planners make well-informed decisions about venue and space selection and logistics. But with event professionals facing increasing time, budget and travel limitations, digital site tours using virtual reality (VR) technology have become an increasingly helpful tool in enabling planners to explore venues from anywhere in the world without having to leave the office. 

Today’s VR tours offer immersive and realistic experiences, allowing planners to navigate through event spaces, view different room setups and understand layouts as if they were physically there. Besides being a cost-effective solution, digital tours save planners time by allowing them to quickly assess multiple venues in a short period of time, thus accelerating the venue selection process. 

As a result, more destinations and event facilities are creating VR tours to meet the growing demand of event clients. Case in point: Toronto’s Exhibition Place, which recently unveiled an immersive VR tour of one of its state-of-the-art meeting and event facilities, Beanfield Centre, at the 2023 Canadian Meetings + Events Expo (CMEE), held Aug. 15-16 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 

How it works

Meeting and event professionals at CMEE were able to immerse themselves in a “digital twin” of Beanfield Centre’s facilities through branded VR viewers. Beyond being able to virtually explore the space, planners were able to navigate through various room layouts and setups – from banquet to classroom – to better envision how the venue’s versatile spaces can be used for events of all shapes and sizes.

The Beanfield Centre VR tour can be made accessible through a link where meeting planners can experience the tour and peruse room setups through branded VR Viewers. Those interested can reach out to the facility’s sales team at: [email protected]. Meanwhile, check out a preview video here.

Why it matters

According to Exhibition Place General Manager Laura Purdy, the facility’s new VR tour caters to the industry’s demand for digital connectivity and reflects Exhibition Place’s dedication to being at the forefront of innovation.

“We’re excited to offer this leading-edge technology [to enhance] the site visit experience for meeting planners,” Purdy said. “Similar to our debut of Wi-Fi 6 at the Beanfield Centre in 2022, this VR Tour responds to the need for enhanced digital connectivity across the meetings and events industry. It has become clear that these advances are resonating within our industry, and we’re excited to be among the first in Canada to offer a VR Tour for a venue on this scale.”  

Back story

Purdy said the Exhibition Place team decided to move forward with a VR tour of Beanfield Centre after researching trends and recognizing the need for enhanced digital connectivity to meet the demand of today’s events, the majority of which rely heavily on technology. The team then tapped and collaborated with Toronto-based agency Narrative Pictures in a process that involved scanning Beanfield’s rooms and furniture to build the digital version of its spaces virtually.

The 160,000-square-foot Beanfield Centre is a LEED Silver conference venue, designed for meetings, conventions and galas. Located in the former Automotive Building, the Art Deco structure is connected to Enercare Centre, offering 1 million square feet of exhibition space. 

What’s next

The Exhibition Place campus is currently exploring the possibility of expanding its VR tour to encompass its additional venues, which include the award-winning LEED Platinum Enercare Centre, Canada’s largest exhibition and convention venue, according to Exhibition Place officials.

The Beanfield Centre VR tour can be made accessible through a link that allows meeting planners can experience the tour and peruse room setups through branded VR Viewers. Those interested can reach out to the facility’s sales team at: [email protected]. Meanwhile, check out a preview video here.