Top 5 Virtual Experiences that Stand Out from the Crowd

Virtual experiences exploded during the pandemic, and a handful of standout examples suggest they'll have staying power well beyond it.

Five experiences worth knowing

World Athletics launched the first 3D virtual museum in sport, while Real Madrid built a digital replica of the Santiago Bernabéu, complete with real-time translation for international fans exploring together. Manchester City let fans quiz a holographic Pep Guardiola in a virtual press conference and explore the dressing room, echoing the Dallas Cowboys' selfie booths with virtual players. Real Betis and the St Louis Blues have both launched digital fashion and metaverse shopping experiences, while the Cleveland Cavaliers paired an NFT collection with real-world rewards like jackets and sneakers through virtual lockers. Perhaps most striking, AC Milan broadcast a full match into a metaverse room for fans in the Middle East and North Africa, letting 7,000 virtual attendees chat, take quizzes and move their avatar around a shared virtual room.

Combining physical and digital experiences is clearly here to stay — the door into the virtual realm is wide open, and these five examples show just how far organisations are already willing to push it.