Imagine if you could take a virtual 3D interactive journey of your next holiday destination before leaving home? You could experience the sights, check out the hotels and choose the best restaurant to try out. All helping to reassure you you’ve picked a great place for your next holiday. Beek is making this a reality. It is a
3D tourist guide to promote New Zealand regions, businesses and facilities to tourists.
Says Director, Ben Knill, “It’s a bit like a Google Streetview for tourists but with better resolution, functionality and features. Beek uses multimedia, panoramic images, visitor information, sound, video and maps to show tourists around a location; give them a sense of the experience and give them a tool to virtually visit the activities, attractions, restaurants and accommodation from their computer.”
Ben started in the Creative HQ programmme in November 2009 and already, his concept for Beek has been tested with a pilot involving a day out to Eastbourne in the Hutt region.
“It's a virtual visit starting with a trip on the ferry from Queens Wharf,” says Ben. You stop at Matiu/Somes island, have a look around and learn about the different species and incredible history of the island and then continue on to Days Bay with visits to the Boat Shed to hire a kayak, Chocolate Dayz cafe for a coffee and cake and the Cobar restaurant if you want something a bit finer.
We've linked all these providers together via Beek's 3D interactive guide that allows a visitor to jump onto one of the businesses’ websites and plan a visit with the whole day in mind. For example you can visit the restaurant website, see where to get the ferry, and get an idea of what you can do on the way there to make a day of it. By linking the place, businesses and tourism operators together in a 3D space, our aim is to encourage cross promotion and market the destination as a whole using a interactive multimedia experience.“
Ben says feedback from the businesses has been positive with everyone impressed by the experience the user gets – helping to raise awareness of what their business offers.
Ben has used this pilot to market a second pilot in Petone. It involves a walkthrough of Jackson Street, where you can visit a section of attractions, shops, restaurants and cafes. “So far, we’ve got a sample of 20 businesses who have bought into the Petone pilot.”
Ben embarked on his idea for Beek when he came to New Zealand last year and realised travel and tourism is such a massive component of the economy. “Having used 360degree panoramic technology before I could see the potential to apply it to the New Zealand tourism industry and help international visitors research and book their trips here.”
Ben’s research highlighted that people find booking online hard because of lack of trust, too many options and not enough details. “We interviewed friends and family who are booking holidays and identified where we could make the process easier, more fun and engaging.” He got in touch with Creative HQ and says joining up has been a fantastic move to keep his business focused.
"I'd tried to set up something similar in the UK and always seemed to end up living hand to mouth without any clear strategy or growth. This time is very different as I am working on a plan and achieving milestones as I go.
“The challenge is to make a good plan and stick to it, and not get sidetracked if opportunities come along that do not fit with the strategy even if they mean more money upfront.
“Creative HQ has injected a large dose of intelligence into our plan and what we do is so much more effective as a result. Creative HQ is a great environment to be in. For most people starting by themselves it can be quite lonely working from your bedroom so it's great to be part of something bigger, lots of fun and plenty of networking opportunities.
Ben says Beek is now working on getting some investment and plans to expand the service into international markets within a year.