Advancements in technology are making virtual visits more immersive and invaluable tools in deciding the right event venue. We had the privilege to talk with the Experience Columbia SC sales staff about their focus on virtual site visits.

What does an effective virtual site visit look like?

An effective virtual site visit should work very similarly to an in-person site visit. It’s an opportunity for Experience Columbia SC to showcase its strengths and give users firsthand insight into our destination. Throughout the interactive experience, the user can go where they want and see what they want to see, just as they’d be able to do in person. But an effective virtual site visit should also be able to provide perspectives and experiences one can’t get in-person – like aerial views of the destination. No viewpoint should be inaccessible. You can act like you’re physically walking down the street, popping inside and outside of attractions and venues with ease, or you can take things to the sky and soak in the bigger picture. There should be video as well as imagery, plus interactive components to keep the user engaged. We want it to be an exciting experience. We want the user to keep clicking, keep exploring, keep coming back.

What do you say to planners who might be skeptical about virtual site visits?

A virtual site visit is beneficial because you have the ability to view the destination at your own pace, for as long and as often as you wish. If you’ve ever toured a facility and realized later on that you forgot to take a measurement or forgot to look at how far the nearest restroom is, you know how frustrating that can be. Access to a web link means you can easily refer back to a venue. Virtual tours allow you to see a site several times before making a decision to book, which is not only convenient but also leads to more confident decisions. Additionally, our tour is user friendly and feels “live.” It never hurts to see things from a different perspective. So we encourage planners and visitors alike to just try it out. If it’s not what you expected, you’re always welcome to come for an in-person site visit, too.

Why do you think virtual site visits are here to stay?

While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the travel and tourism industry in many ways, one particular impact has been the rising need for and importance of virtual content. Attractions and destinations alike hit the ground running to find immediate virtual solutions early on and are now in the position of incorporating virtual opportunities as a permanent fixture in long-term strategic planning. Virtual meetings and experiences have become the new normal, offering a simple, creative, and accessible way to navigate things moving forward. Plus, virtual opportunities such as this offer an undeniable convenience. Planners can now tour a location at any time of day or night and do so comfortably and safely. Quick turnaround times no longer have to be an issue. You can conduct site visits of multiple cities in a single day, eliminating what would have been days or even weeks of travel.

Tell us more about the virtual site visit that Columbia, SC offers

In recent years, we had been looking at ways to offer our business and leisure visitors the opportunity to experience the region from the comfort of their own homes. The COVID-19 pandemic expedited this process and we partnered with SKYNAV to obtain advanced premium 360-degree virtual reality tours, as well as an array of 3D and virtual experiences for the destination.

The platform is the first sky-to-ground virtual tour of the city and allows users to get a taste of the connectivity, vibrance, and appeal of Columbia SC before being here in person. With almost 200 photos in the virtual tour, users are able to walk down Main Street, tour the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, experience our riverwalks and Lake Murray, see a guest room in a downtown hotel, and more. This is SKYNAV’s most comprehensive tour to date and each tour is full of interactive elements, including image galleries, YouTube videos, and trackable actions. Beyond seeing the destination, you can even hear specific areas, creating a layered and more realistic experience.

So far, our clients love the creativity of the virtual tour. They love the ease of being able to open the link anytime, anywhere. One client loved it so much, they even shared the link with their board of directors.