Toronto’s Exhibition Place Debuts Immersive VR Tour of Beanfield Centre
August 24, 2023
For decades, on-site tours of meeting and event facilities have played an essential role in helping event planners make well-informed decisions about venue and space selection and logistics. But with event professionals facing increasing time, budget and travel limitations, digital site tours using virtual reality (VR) technology have become an increasingly helpful tool in enabling planners to explore venues from anywhere in the world without having to leave the office.
Today’s VR tours offer immersive and realistic experiences, allowing planners to navigate through event spaces, view different room setups and understand layouts as if they were physically there. Besides being a cost-effective solution, digital tours save planners time by allowing them to quickly assess multiple venues in a short period of time, thus accelerating the venue selection process.
As a result, more destinations and event facilities are creating VR tours to meet the growing demand of event clients. Case in point: Toronto’s Exhibition Place, which recently unveiled an immersive VR tour of one of its state-of-the-art meeting and event facilities, Beanfield Centre, at the 2023 Canadian Meetings + Events Expo (CMEE), held Aug. 15-16 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
How it works
Meeting and event professionals at CMEE were able to immerse themselves in a “digital twin” of Beanfield Centre’s facilities through branded VR viewers. Beyond being able to virtually explore the space, planners were able to navigate through various room layouts and setups – from banquet to classroom – to better envision how the venue’s versatile spaces can be used for events of all shapes and sizes.
The Beanfield Centre VR tour can be made accessible through a link where meeting planners can experience the tour and peruse room setups through branded VR Viewers. Those interested can reach out to the facility’s sales team at: sales@explace.on.ca. Meanwhile, check out a preview video here.
Why it matters
According to Exhibition Place General Manager Laura Purdy, the facility’s new VR tour caters to the industry’s demand for digital connectivity and reflects Exhibition Place’s dedication to being at the forefront of innovation.
“We’re excited to offer this leading-edge technology [to enhance] the site visit experience for meeting planners,” Purdy said. “Similar to our debut of Wi-Fi 6 at the Beanfield Centre in 2022, this VR Tour responds to the need for enhanced digital connectivity across the meetings and events industry. It has become clear that these advances are resonating within our industry, and we’re excited to be among the first in Canada to offer a VR Tour for a venue on this scale.”
Back story
Purdy said the Exhibition Place team decided to move forward with a VR tour of Beanfield Centre after researching trends and recognizing the need for enhanced digital connectivity to meet the demand of today’s events, the majority of which rely heavily on technology. The team then tapped and collaborated with Toronto-based agency Narrative Pictures in a process that involved scanning Beanfield’s rooms and furniture to build the digital version of its spaces virtually.
The 160,000-square-foot Beanfield Centre is a LEED Silver conference venue, designed for meetings, conventions and galas. Located in the former Automotive Building, the Art Deco structure is connected to Enercare Centre, offering 1 million square feet of exhibition space.
What’s next
The Exhibition Place campus is currently exploring the possibility of expanding its VR tour to encompass its additional venues, which include the award-winning LEED Platinum Enercare Centre, Canada’s largest exhibition and convention venue, according to Exhibition Place officials.
The Beanfield Centre VR tour can be made accessible through a link that allows meeting planners can experience the tour and peruse room setups through branded VR Viewers. Those interested can reach out to the facility’s sales team at: sales@explace.on.ca. Meanwhile, check out a preview video here.
Partner Voices
Every day, MGM Resorts hosts organizations and individuals from around the world with a diverse array of business purposes, needs and expectations. But they all have one thing in common—a host committed to making their meetings sustainable and unforgettable through close partnership and responsible meeting practices.
Harnessing the Sun
Meetings at MGM Resorts are predominantly powered by the sun, thanks to its innovative 100-megawatt solar array. As the largest directly sourced renewable electricity project in the hospitality industry, the solar array features 323,000 panels and produces up to 100% of MGM Resorts’ daytime power needs in Las Vegas.* Built in 2021, the solar array reduces the carbon footprint of meetings—and all of MGM Resorts—while still delivering an enlightening and electrifying guest experience.
Leading Water Stewardship
Knowing water is essential to operations, guests and employees, MGM Resorts has long employed various conservation measures and has doubled down on its commitment in recent years to become a leading corporate water steward. In 2022, MGM Resorts President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle signed the CEO Water Mandate, a United National Global Compact, becoming the first gaming company to endorse the initiative. The company replaced more than 200,000 square feet of real grass with drought-tolerant landscaping in Las Vegas and pledged to reduce water use by 33% by 2025 and by 35% by 2030. Between 2007 and 2022, MGM Resorts saved more than 6 billion gallons of water through water conservation.
Fostering Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
MGM Resorts serves a world of diverse people, perspectives and experiences by cultivating a workforce culture that embraces all of humanity. From mindful recruitment and hiring practices to meaningful social responsibility initiatives, MGM Resorts is a welcoming and inclusive space for veterans, individuals with disabilities, people from diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ+ community members and more. The company’s commitment to supplier diversity drives innovation by extending competitive opportunities to local and diverse-owned suppliers, while the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program provides diverse-owned businesses tools and resources to enhance and grow their businesses.
Paying it Forward
MGM Resorts knows that great companies must serve the greater good. That’s why paying it forward is part of its approach to meetings and events. Through the Feeding Forward Program, MGM Resorts collects and preserves unserved and untouched food from conventions held at its properties, then safely donates to food-insecure people through a partnership with Three Square, Southern Nevada’s primary food bank. Since 2016, MGM Resorts has donated more than 3.7 million meals, with a goal of 5 million meal donations by 2025. Donations include unserved perishable prepared foods from events, perishable unprepared food from MGM Resorts’ kitchens and nonperishable food items from minibars and warehouses.
From world-class venues and experiences to industry leading responsible meeting practices, MGM Resorts is proud to host meaningful and sustainable events.
*Not including The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
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