Anniversaries abound
Martin Palicki, IPM publisher
The IAAPA Expo has always been a big party in many ways, but this year the celebrations seem even more special. As we’ve put together this issue (our 70th issue, wrapping up lucky year number 13), we realized many companies are celebrating milestones.
From the 15th anniversary of our cover story company, The Hettema Group, to Sally Corporation’s 40th birthday, there are success stories for companies of all sizes.
This is good news for all of us. While startups and new ideas are the lifeline of an industry, the stability that established companies provide is critical for expanding into new regions and marketplaces.
So while you are walking the aisles on the trade show floor in Orlando, don’t forget about the decades of experience and expertise surrounding you.
And while you’re there, be sure to stop by the InPark booth (#1771) – we’re having a beach party and YOU’RE invited!
Immersion and IP
Judith Rubin, IPM editor
People want to be immersed in stories and increasingly, the latest tech allows us to do that seamlessly. That seems to be what is demanded by today’s IP-centric media-based experiences.
What are the benefits of immersion? Guests stay longer, forget the day-to day-world, are emotionally engaged, spend more money and return more often.
Immersion is a product, somewhat intangible. Success is in the results. Immersion maintains the bubble of the experience. Is that a physical thing? A technological thing?
You can surround the guests with screens but if you also cue their brains, they can enjoy the fruits of their own imaginations. We get so immersed in our phones that we don’t know whether the plane has landed, our date has arrived, or the light has changed. Why? We’re part of a dialog or interface that we find compelling.
The guy texting, the teenager gaming, the woman reading a comic book have already blocked the outside world. It raises the question: What do we most need the technology to do?