Nov 4, 2021
How Holograms Are Being Used for Internal Communications
Including how DHL uses holograms for town halls
Recently I published Hologram Technology and Internal Communications: A Hypothetical Case Study where I made the case that, with savvy management, internal comms should explore using holography to engage employees.
One of the companies I mention in that article is ARHT Media, a leading company in hologram communications. ARHT has partnerships with WeWork and NATO, so I was curious whether the company’s HoloPresence technology was being used for internal corporate communications.
- Turns out, yes. DHL, NATO, and Moneris are using ARHT’s hologram technology for internal communications.
What follows is a conversation with Andrew Dorcas, SVP of Global Sales and Marketing for ARHT, about the company’s hologram technology, its uses in corporate settings, and additional benefits to beaming busy execs around the world. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How do you describe ARHT Media?
Our mission is to create memorable connections that generate emotional impact. We enable that intimacy to come to life through HoloPresence™.
There are conversation products, there are presentation products. The meetings that matter the most is where ARHT plays a role. We are an investment beyond a free FaceTime or Google Meet video call. Zoom and Microsoft Teams can make meetings efficient, but they don’t have the emotional impact. Our technology is for meetings or events that matter.
How does the technology work?
Our patented software has an ARHT Engine that enables virtual and in-person HoloPresence™ technology through broadcast and transmission. The software allows for high definition, low latency, encrypted beaming. The tech is supported by a patented screen system that can be portable or fixed.
You need a screen or a medium on which to project the hologram; it can’t just appear in thin air. The screen, which can be up to thirty feet across, is the portable element. The permanent fixture is a HoloPod, which is seven feet wide and five feet deep. This depth in the HoloPod creates the illusion of 3D. The realism is the best on the market.
Who is your target audience?
We cater to several audiences, such as healthcare, education, entertainment, technology, and professional services. They all have two common denominators:
- presenters are in high demand and
- they want to have a greater impact on meetings and events than they’ve had in the past.
Take, for example, professional services, like an investment firm. Their executives and industry experts are high demand individuals. They probably say no to more meetings and events than they say yes to because they just don’t have the time to cover all the potential business. They need to be more efficient. They travel but later they regret all the wasted time that travel entails. Our HoloPresence™ technology helps eliminate some of that waste. We can make them more efficient without compromising the quality of their service.
How is your technology being used for internal communications?
Our product is not for the brainstorm or internal company meeting. It’s for the event where you want to present an idea where action is expected as a result.
Town halls are a great means of getting top brass closer to regular employees because employees get to ask questions in a much more compelling and meaningful way. Body language is over 50% of communication, after all. Our technology allows that realism to come through. You can’t hide from someone who is standing in front of you.
DHL is a great example. Their CEO hosts a quarterly town hall with employees using our technology where he also makes time for Q&A. They have also used HoloPresence™ for annual meetings and an Americas conference. All of these events were internal only. Another company, Moneris, has used our technology for their sales conferences.
NATO is another example of how our technology is being used internally. They are using HoloPresence™ for training as well as some internal events. One of the benefits is that it’s more cost-effective than having instructors fly back and forth between the U.S. and Germany. We’re helping reduce their travel expenses, in addition to empowering them to be more efficient.
What other benefits are there in using holographic communication?
We can help companies reduce their carbon footprint. Imagine you have managers flying back and forth between three cities a few times per month. If they switched to our technology to hold those meetings, our system would pay for itself in eight months. In five years they will save more than one million dollars and eliminate tons of pollution. Travel P&L is a big line item we can reduce in budgets.
On top of all that, HoloPresence™ allows busy executives to be home at the end of the day to be present for the things that really matter.
