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It’s another busy day at Expo 2020 in the bustling Middle Eastern metropolis of Dubai. Many in the crowd enjoy the warm Arabian winter weather. But a group of visitors are eager to get out of the sun. They want to enter a dark enchanted forest that is almost half a world away and explore it virtually.
They came to the New Zealand pavilion at Expo for an augmented reality show that promises to set a new standard in food marketing and consumer education.
The experience plays on their senses of sight and hearing to help them identify and understand the complexity of the tastes of Mānuka, a type of pure native forest honey that is celebrated around the world for its health benefits. health, its biological qualities and its sustainable origins.
A New Zealand company and world leader in Mānuka honey, Comvita came to Dubai to win new customers.
The magic begins
The experience begins like this. Each spectator is seated in front of a tray with two samples of honey, a tasting spoon and a glass of sparkling water cleansing the palate.
They each put on a HoloLens 2 headset when the lights go out and the magic begins.
Suddenly, a life-size beehive hanging from a native New Zealand punga appears in the darkness. A 3D virtual beekeeper arrives and guides them through a lush primitive setting.
A swarm of bees buzzes around the room, searching for native Mānuka shrubs with tiny, delicate pink and white flowers full of nectar.
Now is the time to start tasting. The natural accents of each honey’s taste profile float around guests to help them identify the flavors they can smell – apricot, caramel, marshmallow and others.
To add a little extra wonder, HoloLens causes the tasting spoon to leave a trail of sparkles in the air when dipped into a jar of honey – just like a magic wand.
The Comvita HoloLens show was curated by New Zealand design agency Blur the Lines.
emotional experience
Its founder and creative director, Danielle Barclay, says the agency has created “an emotional experience” that connects a participant’s mind with their taste buds.
Two years ago, Comvita and Blur the Lines built a multi-sensory honey tasting center, called “Wellness Lab”, in New Zealand’s most populous city, Auckland.
“This space was designed to mimic the purity of the product – all white textures to allow the honey to shine through, with an undulating acoustic ceiling. We had to incorporate three projectors, surround sound speakers, radiant heaters, sprinklers, air conditioning and lighting,” says Barclay.
This immersive experience has become a hit with tourists and locals alike. But when Comvita decided to go the Dubai route, the team opted for a virtual approach using HoloLens.
