Tomorrowland – Around the World Virtual Festival
Most concerts and live festivals around the world were canceled during 2020 with the exception of a few summer events where social distancing was the main priority. Many artists took to the realm of live-streaming. Tomorrowland, however, one of Belgian’s biggest festivals, pulled off a completely virtual festival with over one million people that tuned in.
Tomorrowland partnered with DogStudio to put on this one-of-a-kind-event, who created and designed a three-dimensional, immersive virtual world for ‘festival-goers’ to explore.
Prices for the festival started at just 20 euros to encourage consumers to hop onboard. Some of the big-name artists on the lineup included Eric Prydz, Katy Perry, and David Guetta.
Fenty Skin – House Party
In the beauty industry, launch parties are a fairly common occurrence. These parties allow brands to build prestige and excitement, which eventually leads to more online engagement. This virtual reality ‘House Party’ took place in the summer, giving guests the chance to come and party with Rihanna.
Glossy wrote that guests were able to explore various rooms, including a living room that featured a live stream concert of Rihanna and some cool celebrity guests, including Lil Nas X. Fans could even head into the ‘bar’ and discover unique cocktail recipes. Of course, the bar included a chance for virtual explorers to click around on various Fenty skin products and learn more about ingredients.
Fortnite – Travis Scott Astronomical Concert
Travis Scott might have taken the trophy for the best virtual gig of 2020 thanks to the incredible 12.3 million viewers who watched his virtual Fortnite concert back in April. Fortnite’s first virtual concert back in 2019, which featured Marshmello, only attracted around 10 million, making this particular show a fairly large jump.
This particular event is a prime example of the strong power and investment of gaming fans. Some of the biggest brands in the world are beginning to see the importance of the gaming industry and finding new ways to capitalize on it. Many looked at this event with Fortnite and Travis Scott as an example of what to expect in the coming years.
While the idea of in-game events isn’t recently groundbreaking by any means, the COVID-19 lockdown increased the demand for these types of events. Many feel the need for virtual escapism and connection during these scary times.
Final Thoughts
With new innovations in virtual technology, we can expect that these types of events are here to stay. Brands now have the ability to recreate real-life experiences online, which they should certainly take advantage of.
