Start-up facilitates a virtual open day for secondary school with a 360-degree tool
“Only the smell of the school building is still missing”. This was the way the virtual 360-degree tool was described by the visitors of the online open day of the Willem van Oranje College in Waalwijk. Although the pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works for many entrepreneurs, this does not apply to entrepreneur Thierry Maasdam. During this period he mainly sees opportunities that he knows how to make smart use of.
Seizing opportunities during a lockdown
This is how facilitating a virtual and interactive tour came his way. He launched a software that allowed visitors to take a tour of a secondary school. ''A virtual tour is a good alternative for many organizations to interact with the visitor who cannot physically reach the location due to distance, lack of time or due to the current government measures, for example, which means that many companies have to remain closed'' says Thierry.
Maintaining the personal touch
'' Yet for many companies, the personal approach is an important element of their strategy and persuasiveness so that visitors may become customers through the professional impression you give online. A virtual tour is interesting, for example, for schools and universities that organize open days but are now not allowed to invite more people to the location. A virtual environment can also be a good alternative for museums and other locations that depend on (paying) visitors, '' explains Thierry.
In addition, they offer a link with Zoom, with which you can welcome users through so-called “welcome teams” or hold interactive sessions in one or more rooms.
“This is great for open days at schools or an onboarding or in-house day at companies for new employees or interns who have not yet had the opportunity to experience the office, but who want to give an impression of the company. The image of a company says a lot about the corporate culture. ''
Endless possibilities
He can bring any place to life through 360-degree photos; In every photo, it is possible to add interactive elements to a so-called '' hotspot '' or to have them float in space (for example on a billboard or television screen). Think of interactive elements such as photos, video images, forms, documents (Word, PowerPoint, PDF), and websites. Even video calling is one of the possibilities. Visitors can join a meeting, information session, or session whenever they want and live chat with the visitors. In addition, he offers extensive analytics of the number of participants and visits to rooms, so that the rooms can continue to improve, but also which rooms are most popular. In short, the possibilities are endless.
More than just a tool for secondary schools
After receiving very positive feedback on the virtual open day, Thierry sees it as more than just a tool for secondary schools. He says that his tool could also be interesting for showrooms of car dealers or interior design shops, for example. In short, he sees a lot of potential in it and does not intend to sit still in the near future.