Údarás na Gaeltachta and WestBIC hosted an evening Seminar, “Building your brand using Immersive Technology”, on Wednesday 4th March in GMIT Mayo Campus, Castlebar. The event was held in conjunction with the Digital Media Department at GMIT Mayo Campus, as part of the Digi2Market EU Project.

The event was chaired by Sean O’Coisdealbha, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Lead Partner on the Digi2Market project. Digi2Market was established to address some of the challenges facing companies in peripheral areas. Working with immersive technologies such as 360-degree video, virtual reality and augmented reality, Digi2Market is exploring how these technologies can be used in digital marketing and brand communication to help increase online impact and expand market share.
The seminar featured some very interesting local branding experts including Alastair McDermott from The Website Doctor, who gave a presentation on the importance of branding and outlined some tips on branding in the digital age; and Niamh De Búrca, CEO of Gnó Mhaigh Eo who looked at the importance of differentiation in branding with a special focus on the Irish language. Ronan O’Neill from GMIT Digital Media Department then introduced the first 360-degree case study developed by the Irish Partners on Digi2Market which was completed in conjunction with Lough Lannagh Holiday Village, Castlebar.

Then next stage of the seminar involved a presentation from Tommy Krappwies, CEO of Bumm Films. Tommy’s presentation was streamed live from his studio in Germany and he gave a very informative talk on the key points of storytelling for film and video. Joan Fahey from WestBIC was the final speaker of the evening. Joan outlined some of the supports available for companies through the Digi2Market project, and the proposed Expression of Interest process for companies interested in taking part. More than 20 participants attended the seminar and the session ended with a lively Question and Answer session.