Twins XR: A Virtual Hall of Fame Experience
Posted on March 16, 2021 by National Sports Forum | Selling It | SUBSCRIBEPROGRAM TITLE
“Twins XR: A Virtual Hall of Fame Experience”
By: Ryan Luong
Dear Faithful Readers,
It’s MLB Spring Training season! I’m really looking forward to a great upcoming season of baseball in 2021, and fingers crossed teams will begin filling up their stadiums with fans once again.
On this edition of the Selling It feature, we take you through the Minnesota Twins XR Experience. Read more to see just how this virtual experience unfolded for their fans. Enjoy!
Carlie Dawson
Marketing and Communications Manager
Program Description:
Businesses and venues have been shutting down or limiting capacity all around the world due to the global pandemic. However, virtual spaces don’t need these types of safety precautions. The Minnesota Twins realized this situation and pivoted virtually by partnering with local Minnesota company REM5 STUDIOS to bring the Twins XR: A Virtual Hall of Fame Experience to life. This 100% FREE XR experience resembled an easy to use online gaming platform and VR headsets were NOT required (although you could use one if you’d like). Upon entering, fans were prompted to choose their avatar from a variety of historical Twins uniforms. From there, users were greeted with a screen of controls and a world of virtual fun directly at their fingertips. Using the WASD keys on the keyboard, users were able to navigate through a virtual Hall of Fame filled with Twins memorabilia and pictures. Fans were encouraged to venture into movie theater style rooms and watch the best Twins moments, featuring highlights from different Twins greats. Using spatial audio, fans heard videos become louder as they approached the screen and become quieter as they left the room. The Twins capitalized further on this sound technology by allowing users to speak freely into their microphones allowing others in the vicinity to hear and communicate with them. The fully immersive experience ran for a limited time, beginning on February 10th.
Objectives:
Humans are inherently social creatures and seek out social interaction when possible. As the global pandemic dragged on and social interaction remained sparse, demand for innovative ways to connect had continued to rise. The Minnesota Twins realized the situation in front of them and brought an experience to their fans at home with Twins XR.
Twins XR allowed the organization to connect with their fans virtually in an authentic and safe way. The event also helped fill the gap of their regular in-person off-season events, Twins Fest and Winter Caravan. Realizing that work from home has probably brought Zoom fatigue onto all, the Twins created a different approach that was an unique and innovative way to bring a sense of shared experiences and help unite the fan base further. Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer, who was present on TwinsXR said that, “This is cutting edge, obviously. This is what I think baseball envisions when you are talking about the younger demographic and getting younger audiences involved in the game.”
Partnership:
The Minnesota Twins teamed up with REM5 STUDIOS for this experience, located conveniently in their own backyard. REM5 STUDIOS focuses on developing engaging XR experiences. Bringing Twins XR to life was a 5-month process from conception of the idea all the way to launch. With Target Field currently closed to fans like many sports venues across the country, the team was able to unite their fans still while generating excitement. This partnership fused together sports fans with a fun and interactive technological experience.
Results:
Twins XR boasted a healthy 6,000 unique visitors at their virtual Hall of Fame experience. 1,000 of those users loved it so much that they came back for more fun creating approximately 7,000 total visits to the initiative. These visitors averaged approximately 10 minutes on the page, (which is an eternity in internet time). The buzz around TwinsXR is still ongoing as the team is still working on compiling and tracking down all media/social impressions from the experience!
Looking Ahead:
Twins fans should be excited to know that their team is hoping to dive into and further their use of virtual events as we move forward. The second screen experience is here and is here to stay. The Twins hope to continue with innovative technological advancements in the future. Stay tuned for the summer as the Twins have another interactive initiative planned in Twins XR.
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