Selling an experience has become in many ways as important to brands today as selling physical products. Industries including retail, hospitality and entertainment are investing in new technology to engage customers.

Brick-and-mortar retailers have seen an evolution of customer expectations and have tried to integrate more digital experiences, but even some of the most traditional markets are beginning to turn a corner.

Traditional Industries, Modern Experiences

This movement is rapidly evolving, and industries are weighing investment differently. Tammuz Dubnov, CEO and Founder of Zuzor, an experiential engagement solution provider, works with companies across industries to implement immersive digital experiences.

“In my experience museums are in the know, but also just a little light to invest because of their budgetary concerns or limitations. But they are very good at being creatively on the forefront, and being pretty knowledgeable.” Dubnov said. “They are undergoing an overall evolution from being very educational to what I would almost call ‘selfie factories’.”

The Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco was emblematic of this revolution, according to Dubnov. However, other traditional industries are still struggling to adapt to change.

“The industry I see as kind of having an existential crisis almost would be movie theaters. They are effectively really struggling because of Netflix, because of the boom of Hulu and Apple jumping into original content. Going out to the movie theater is less and less attractive,” he said.

Reprogramming Hospitality

The movie-going experience at a theater has largely stayed the same over the decades, and another traditional industry has not adapted to modern technology easily. Similarly, restaurants have stuck to a tried-and-true blueprint for generations, but Dubnov sees an untapped market emerging.

“There’s a few examples of amazing restaurants that are a true digital experience. That’s an industry that’s slower to evolve, even though those that are doing it are winning and really making amazing experiences and also very successful business-wise,” he said.

Elsewhere in the hospitality industry, Dubnov explained that hotel lobbies are receiving attention, but cruise ships are more aggressively pursuing ways to implement digital experiences into their entertainment strategies.

The Keys to the New Car

Dubnov was recently at InfoComm 2019 in Orlando, Florida, where he spoke on the Disruptive Display Technologies Panel. This rapidly evolving industry is opening up new possibilities for customers and AV providers, but the industry is still learning.

“The clients want you to build them a Lamborghini but they don’t really know how to drive it, and are also scared to drive it,” Dubnov explained.

Every AV provider wants a more engaging product with access to analytics, but that comes with unique management needs.

Generally, the industry is moving towards content creation and experience in Dubnov’s eyes.

“I think that is where the conversation is going in general. It’s less and less about pixel pitch and lumens.” Dubnov said. “I kind of compare it to Steve Careers. The AV professional now has to be like Steve Careers. They need to be technological and know all the AV specs of course. They need to be visionaries, which means they need to know what the client wants even before the client knows what they want.”

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