Immersive Event Research Articles

Conclusion: Reshaping horizons: the future of events in a post-pandemic world?

PurposeThe purpose of this theme issue is to explore the enduring changes and innovations shaping the future of the event industry in the post-pandemic world. While much of the existing literature focuses on the immediate impacts of COVID-19, this issue aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the broader transformations, including the integration of sustainability, emerging technologies, and evolving event formats.Design/methodology/approachThe theme issue encompasses a range of methodologies, including systematic reviews, bibliometric analyses, and in-depth case studies. The papers examine various aspects of the event industry, such as the adoption of hybrid event formats, the role of new technologies, and the importance of sustainability in event planning. Each paper contributes unique insights into the future direction of the industry by analyzing trends, technologies, and practices that are defining the next era of event management.FindingsThe findings highlight a significant shift in the event industry towards sustainability, with an increasing emphasis on eco-friendly practices, waste reduction, and the use of sustainable materials. Emerging technologies are also transforming the landscape, enabling more personalized and immersive event experiences. The rise of hybrid and micro-events is identified as a key trend, providing flexibility and inclusivity while maintaining the benefits of in-person interactions. These developments suggest a permanent change in consumer expectations and engagement strategies within the event industry.Originality/valueThis theme issue offers a holistic analysis of the innovative practices, technologies, and trends that are defining the future of the event industry. By bridging the gap between immediate pandemic responses and long-term industry transformations, it provides valuable insights for academics, practitioners, and policymakers looking to navigate the next era of event management.

Continuous remote monitoring of neurophysiologic Immersion accurately predicts mood.

Mental health professionals have relied primarily on clinical evaluations to identify in vivo pathology. As a result, mental health is largely reactive rather than proactive. In an effort to proactively assess mood, we collected continuous neurophysiologic data for ambulatory individuals 8-10 h a day at 1 Hz for 3 weeks (N = 24). Data were obtained using a commercial neuroscience platform (Immersion Neuroscience) that quantifies the neural value of social-emotional experiences. These data were related to self-reported mood and energy to assess their predictive accuracy. Statistical analyses quantified neurophysiologic troughs by the length and depth of social-emotional events with low values and neurophysiologic peaks as the complement. Participants in the study had an average of 2.25 (SD = 3.70, Min = 0, Max = 25) neurophysiologic troughs per day and 3.28 (SD = 3.97, Min = 0, Max = 25) peaks. The number of troughs and peaks predicted daily mood with 90% accuracy using least squares regressions and machine learning models. The analysis also showed that women were more prone to low mood compared to men. Our approach demonstrates that a simple count variable derived from a commercially-available platform is a viable way to assess low mood and low energy in populations vulnerable to mood disorders. In addition, peak Immersion events, which are mood-enhancing, may be an effective measure of thriving in adults.

Deus Ex Machina: Sophia Robot Techno Deity

ABSTRACT Sophia, the world’s most recognized humanoid social robot, is a performer in an unfolding narrative central to our historical moment—the technological transfiguration of the planet. She is a performance medium, an alluring protagonist, exemplar, harbinger, and coevolutionary vector of a dramatic event being played out in real-time: the merging of humans and technology and a new way of being. The world is her stage, and we participate in an all-encompassing immersive event that retraces mythic narrative patterns as old as humanity: the myth of the goddess who appears to guide and comfort at a time of profound change in an increasingly accelerating and complex world.

Sustainable aligners unveiled at immersive event in London

Sustainable aligners unveiled at immersive event in London

Story Starter: A Tool for Controlling Multiple Virtual Reality Headsets with No Active Internet Connection

Immersive events are becoming increasingly popular, allowing multiple people to experience a range of VR content simultaneously. Onboarders help people do VR experiences in these situations. Controlling VR headsets for others without physically having to put them on first is an important requirement here, as it streamlines the onboarding process and maximizes the number of viewers. Current off-the-shelf solutions require headsets to be connected to a cloud-based app via an active internet connection, which can be problematic in some locations. To address this challenge, we present Story Starter, a solution that enables the control of VR headsets without an active internet connection. Story Starter can start, stop, and install VR experiences, adjust device volume, and display information such as remaining battery life. We developed Story Starter in response to the UK-wide StoryTrails tour in the summer of 2022, which was held across 15 locations and attracted thousands of attendees who experienced a range of immersive content, including six VR experiences. Story Starter helped streamline the onboarding process by allowing onboarders to avoid putting the headset on themselves to complete routine tasks such as selecting and starting experiences, thereby minimizing COVID risks. Another benefit of not needing an active internet connection was that our headsets did not automatically update at inconvenient times, which we have found sometimes to break experiences. Converging evidence suggests that Story Starter was well-received and reliable. However, we also acknowledge some limitations of the solution and discuss several next steps we are considering.

Not by what we see: how Christian religious beliefs influence market and community logics in a rural context

PurposeThis study aims to address decision-making processes of Christian entrepreneurs living and working in rural areas. The authors draw on the institutional logics perspective and stewardship perspective to demonstrate how religion influences rationality and entrepreneurial decision-making processes in a rural context.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative interpretive approach supported by ethnographic fieldwork. Qualitative and interpretative analyses are used to access deeper insights into the decision-making processes of Christian entrepreneurs in a rural environment. Data include short-term immersive events, observations and interviews as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions lifted in the region.FindingsThis study reveals that normative (religious) commitments – a sense of moral duty and action influenced by religion – and a high-religiosity context – where religion permeates diverse aspects of life – lead to behaviors that are perceived as rational and normative. In this context, the normative relationship between a market and a community logic, alongside a logic of religion, are all linked through a stewardship perspective. A broad focus on the development of community and place also safeguards business and community interests.Research limitations/implicationsSince the findings are based on one rural area and one religion, future studies should address a broader range of geographical areas and religions. In this study, uncertainty arising from COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the resumption of business exchanges also influence the decision-making processes of the entrepreneurial participants. While the findings reflect the normative dispositions and the decision-making processes that are inherent in this context, an even broader examination of rural entrepreneurship will benefit our understanding of entrepreneurial decisions in terms of rationality and place.Practical implicationsThe findings reveal that entrepreneurs who relocate to a rural, high-religiosity context should first assess how the community affiliated through a set of beliefs – expects actors to behave. Additionally, applicability to other religions requires further consideration.Originality/valueThis study answers the call to examine entrepreneurship and the underpinnings of rationality that challenge mainstream debates on entrepreneurial decision-making and religion. The findings answer this call by advancing the knowledge of the decision-making process of religious entrepreneurs. In this respect, the findings present a context where rational business behaviors, influenced by a market logic, are transformed through exchanges with a community informed by a logic of religion. A conceptual model illustrates the nature of this context and associated processes.

Funding decisions and the role of trust: a qualitative study of reward-based crowdfunding in the creative industries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate funders' decisions in supporting reward-based crowdfunding (RBCF) in the creative industries by providing insights into the role of trust in the decision-making process of funders. In doing so, the authors examine how trust is developed through online interaction.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from interviews and participation at short-term immersive events and gatherings. In addition, data were gathered from online discussions and social media platforms related to RBCF campaign. Qualitative analysis was performed to offer a deeper understanding of funder decision-making processes.FindingsNew insights were revealed into funder decision-making processes. Using foraging practices, funders participating in RBCF campaigns build trust before framing their final funding judgments. The paper’s findings highlight the interplay of organizational competency with previously uncharted relational dimensions associated with funder decision-making processes. The authors also revealed how nascent and experienced funders differ in their evaluation of risk.Originality/valueThis study offers an understanding of funder decision-making processes in creative RBCF campaigns. Their support of RBCF campaigns in the creative industries can present some potential risks. Further investigation is still required to reveal the funder's decision-making process. By looking at the roles of trust, the authors provide a conceptualization of competence and the relational dimension of trust, and how trust is developed as a means for mitigating risk.

Face-to-Face and Online Interprofessional Immersive Experiences: A Qualitative Study

At the study site for this research, Interprofessional Education taught in distance learning courses can be challenging for faculty, impacting student engagement, motivation, and success. A qualitative case study was conducted with students to explore participant perceptions of their engagement following their participation in a virtual synchronous immersive experience. The study took place during four consecutive semesters beginning in the Spring 2019 term. Participants at the study site are learning in a healthcare strategic planning course class that focuses on interprofessional collaboration as a basis of health strategy. Data was collected using open-ended questionnaires to determine students’ online versus face-to-face immersive learning experiences. Findings suggest that due to their engagement experiences, participation in a virtual Immersive Learning Simulation experience may be a viable substitute for the traditional face-to-face learning experiences. After the Immersive Learning experience, participating students and the healthcare experts were asked to respond to a questionnaire to assess their perceptions of the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities offered by the online immersive event. This research study offers new information about students’ and healthcare experts’ perceptions of an online immersive IPE experience while identifying possible strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.

‘It creates a whole linkage with your ancestral line’: language socialisation, family lineage, and language choice at diasporic Irish immersion events in Ontario

ABSTRACT Colonialism and displacement have not only led to the migration of millions of Irish people and the endangerment of the Irish language, but also to a subjectivity in which it is possible to struggle against the risk of language loss. This paper explores the importance of sharing stories and information about family at second-language Irish immersion events in the diaspora as a cultural behaviour of prime importance that arises out of this subjectivity. These stories are important in the way that they recontextualize family experiences into a diasporic community of practice and because they occur independently of the institutional prerogative to speak Irish at immersion events. Paradoxically, this form of sharing is both foundational to the diasporic Irish-speaking community of practice and poses a challenge to the primacy of Irish as the preferred language of immersion events.

Movements and diving behaviour of white‐chinned petrels: Diurnal variation and implications for bycatch mitigation

Abstract Many seabirds dive to forage, and the ability to use this hunting technique varies according to such factors as morphology, physiology, prey availability, and ambient light levels. Proficient divers are more able to seize sinking baits deployed by longline fishing vessels and may return them to the surface, increasing exposure of other species. Hence, diving ability has major implications for mitigating incidental mortality (bycatch) in fisheries. Here, the diving behaviour and activity patterns of the most bycaught seabird species worldwide, the white‐chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis), tracked from Bird Island (South Georgia), are analysed. Three data sources (dives, spatial movements, and immersion events) are combined to examine diverse aspects of at‐sea foraging behaviour, and their implications for alternative approaches to bycatch mitigation are considered. The tracked white‐chinned petrels (n = 14) mostly performed shallow dives (<3 m deep) of very short duration (<5 s), predominantly during darkness, but only 7 and 10% of landings in daylight and darkness, respectively, involved diving, suggesting that surface‐seizing is the preferred foraging technique. Nonetheless, individuals were able to dive to considerable depth (max = 14.5 m) and at speed (max = 2.0 m·s−1), underlining the importance of using heavy line‐weighting to maximize hook sink rates, and bird‐scaring lines (Tori lines) that extend for long distances behind vessels to protect hooks until beyond diving depths.

Immersion Experiences About Homelessness and Psychological Processes of Nursing Students: A Pilot Study.

Across disciplines, research findings demonstrate that positive exposure to members of stigmatized groups is effective in reducing social stigma. This study explored differences in nursing students' psychological processes about people experiencing homelessness related to a community immersion intervention. This descriptive exploratory study examined change from pre- to postintervention. Linguistic inquiry and word count explores affective psychological and social psychological processes of undergraduate and graduate nursing students. Average word use for overall affective and social psychological processes showed significant difference postimmersion intervention. No significant difference was found between affective and social processes postimmersion intervention in relation to nursing students' gender, previous experience with people experiencing homelessness, or previous nursing experience working in an emergency care setting. Affective and social psychological processes had significant differences after an immersion event. This supports that a well-designed immersion experience can be effective in both graduate and undergraduate programs and across student characteristics. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(4):216-219.].

Cognac and the comportment of the quality Chinese consumer

The French cognac producer Hennessy recently staged a pop-up promotional event called Hennessy Declassified at the Galaxy Resort in Macau. The event coincided with the annual Golden Week holiday that in October 2019 commemorated the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, and aimed to educate Chinese tourists in Macau about the formative role of geography in the process of creating fine cognac. In this article, I provide a first-hand account of the immersive event and its efforts to cultivate consumer taste among a select group of post-Mao Chinese tourists. I demonstrate the ways in which China’s central government and the producers of Hennessy cognac both share a concern with the generative function of terroir and the relationship among topography and taste, and cooperate in a pedagogical program to produce discerning Chinese consumer-citizens.

MEMORY OF IMAGINATION – REFLECTIONS OF PQ 2019

The face of the Prague Quadrennial (PQ) has been slowly changing from the traditional gallery style presentation with national competitions toward an immersive experiential event, a festival. But the key question and the main mission of PQ is still the same: finding engaging ways to present and exhibit performance design/scenography. As the curator of the PQ 2019 and also for the next event that will happen in 2023, I present in this brief essay the changings that have been happening along the years, and not only by one curatorship but by a team of curators that work to discuss the artistic vision, where we collaboratively developed an overall concept for all projects of the festival - an example of the teamwork we sought in our exhibitions and performances. Keywords Curator. Curatorship. PQ 2019. Prague Quadrennial.

Immersive event experience and attendee motivation: a quantitative analysis using sensory, localisation, and participatory factors

ABSTRACT ‘Immersive events' is a growing category within the range of event typologies that includes participatory theatre, interactive launch parties, ‘escape rooms’ and dress-up cinema. A conceptual model reflects three core elements of the immersive events: Interaction, Sensory experience, and Localisation. A targeted online survey obtained a sample of n = 201 participants who had attended an immersive event within the past year. The results reveal that novelty and entertainment are highly important to attendee motivation. Gender, marital status, age, and education affected attendance patterns. Attendees were drawn to the uniqueness and participatory aspects of the immersive event. Deterrents to attendance were cost and perceived value. Rapid developments in digital technology suggest even greater degrees of immersivity on the horizon. These findings offer a timely contribution to the better understanding of the immersiveness concept, and its influence on attendee motivation and experience.

From the reflective to the post-personal teacher

Effective teaching is often connected to reflective practice. Reflection not only involves recording thoughts about what went well (or not) after class, but also to consider examples of potential bias in (re)actions to certain situations, and indeed, to one’s own evaluations of educational activities. This relates to the drive towards greater objectivity in education, and an emphasis on making educational practices and their evaluation explicit. In ‘Transcendence of the Ego’, Sartre (2004) outlines a theory in which a ‘pre-personal’ self produces itself through reflection. This production is unavoidable, and yet dangerous in how it is conflated with a more fundamental ‘pre-reflective’ state of being. This ‘pre-personal’ self, as the very foundation of consciousness, is only experienced in moments when one is fully absorbed in a task, conscious but unaware, uninterrupted by thoughts or reflections that might disrupt this ‘raptured’ state of being. Complete immersions in the task at hand find their place within educational settings, and thus, what Sartre deems as the move from the ‘pre-personal’ to the ‘produced’ self is relevant for teaching. But so too is what comes after that sense of exposure recedes. Such absorption in the task of teaching leads to might be called a ‘post-personal’ self and is often when moments of ‘good teaching’ can be found. But this proclivity for reflective action can disrupt the flow of such immersive events. This is dangerous for two reasons. Firstly, it frames teaching within a particular ‘temporality’ that fails to allow for the performance of teaching in the present moment. Secondly, it fails to account for what the experience of teaching entails. This paper attempts to argue for the space and value of such forms of suspension, and to call into question the overly metricised way in which teachers are expected to reflect.

Graduate Nursing Telehealth Education: Assessment of a One-Day Immersion Approach.

The ability to effectively understand and utilize telehealth technologies is an important skill for health care providers. Currently there is limited literature on integrating telehealth education into health care curricula. This article describes a one-day telehealth immersion event for graduate nursing students that combined lectures with hands-on training. Feedback from students was positive, and all participants expressed a need for telehealth education before graduating with an advanced practice nursing degree.

Collaborations Workshop 2018 (CW18) Report – Culture Change, Productivity and Sustainability

The Collaborations Workshop 2018 (CW18) took place at The School of Mathematics, Cardiff University from the 26th to 28th March 2018. 90 people attended the event to discuss the themes of the workshop: culture change, productivity and sustainability. With a mix of lightning talks, keynotes, Q&A panels, discussions with speed blogging, collaborative ideas sessions, mini-workshops & demos, a social programme and a Hack Day in the agenda, CW18 was a feature-packed and immersive event.

Reimagining ‘role’ and ‘character’: An approach to acting training for role-play simulation in the tertiary education setting

Abstract The efficacy of role-play simulation (RPS) education rests on its ability to comprehensively reflect real-life situations. The goal is to create immersive events or situations that enable a student to spontaneously respond in a controlled environment that nevertheless reflects their anticipated work experience. While an extensive body of literature exists that reports on the aims, working methods and outcomes of RPS across empirically based disciplines such as medicine and health, law, business, social work, engineering, management, and education, very little research has been published on appropriate or possible training models for the ‘actors’ in RPS. Reporting on a multi-part, interdisciplinary action research project based at the University of Newcastle, Australia, across the subject areas of drama and pharmacy (2012), and later occupational therapy (2013–18), this article examines an actor-training method that reimagines approaches to developing ‘role’ and ‘character’ in RPS and evaluates the outcomes for student learning.

Instrument Refinement for Measuring Self-Efficacy for Competence in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: Development and Psychometric Analysis of IPECC-SET 27 and IPECC-SET 9

ABSTRACTAssessing competence in interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) among health professions students is a high priority. This cross-sectional study built on the authors’ prior work that led to the development of the 38-item Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Self Efficacy Tool (IPECC-SET), an instrument to evaluate health professions students’ self-efficacy in interprofessional collaborative competency, and addressed two primary questions. First, could a unidimensional scale based on the IPEC competencies and assessing perceived self-efficacy for competence in ICP and be constructed? Second, could a shorter version of that instrument still meet criteria for unidimensionality and retain the ability to separate students in distinct levels of perceived self-efficacy for competence in ICP?Study participants were two cohorts of students from 11 health professions programs participating in an institutional interprofessional immersion event in 2015 and 2016. Statistical stepwise analyses were conducted using a Rasch rating scale model. The original 38 IPECC-SET items did not meet the criteria to generate a valid unidimensional measure of self-efficacy for competence in ICP, but could be condensed into a 27-item scale that met all set criteria for unidimensionality, with an explained variance of 61.2% and a separation index of 3.02. A shorter, 9-item scale demonstrated a separation index of 2.21. The nine items included also demonstrated a relatively equivalent range (54.93–45.65) as compared to the 27-item scale (57.26–46.16). Findings confirm empirically the conceptual suggestion from our earlier work that the four dimensions in the original IPEC competencies contribute to a shared underlying construct: perceived competence in interprofessional collaboration. Given the emphasis on ICP, psychometrically sound instruments are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of educational efforts to promote competency for ICP. Based on the findings from this study, both the IPECC-SET 27 and IPECC-SET 9 can be used to measure perceived self-efficacy for competence in ICP.

The Virtue of Variety: Opening the Doors to Wider Pedagogical Practices in UK Schools and Universities

The Council of University Classics Departments surveys of 1995 (CUCD, 1995) and 2012 (CUCD, 2012) demonstrated a restricted set of approaches to Latin teaching in UK universities with little evidence of activity outside grammar-translation and graded reading. Despite this, in the 2012 survey, some United Kingdom university tutors made claims for the benefits of experiencing more varied pedagogy, including communicative Latin, in their own previous study and in Summer School Immersion events (Lloyd, 2016a). In schools, a number of challenges continue to provide motivation to move away from current norms of provision (Forrest, 1996; Lister, 2007; Hunt, 2016). Meanwhile, in America, changes in curriculum and methods are being proposed and implemented to meet the challenges of falling enrolment on Latin and other Classics courses.