Ashley Crowder, CEO and Co-Founder of VNTANA, believes in bringing experiences to life. Whether companies want to show off their brand products, offer a fun experience, or provide instruction at virtual conferences VNTANA is making that happen with holograms.

Crowder graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in engineering. Following some valuable manufacturing experience, she gained at Gulfstream, Northrop Grumman, and BP, Ashley wanted to find a way to combine her love for art and technology. While working at BP, she got a weekend job light programming for DJs to get hands on experience while experimenting with various mediums and began to ask questions about how we could “put more digital into the real world.” That’s when she became involved in mixed reality.

Crowder co-founded VNTANA in 2012 with Ben Conway. Conway was a fellow USC graduate who now divides his time between overseeing VNTANA company operations while working with Fortune 500 brands to create interactive hologram experiences to engage conumers while driving revenue.

VNTANA has patented software that makes it easy to create hologram experiences. VNTANA’s software is shaping the future of e-commerce by making it easy to create a 3D version of every product in the world which can be used online as well AR and VR.

VNTANA’s patented technology has been used by many Fortune 500 brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Intel, Nickelodeon, Lexus, Disney, ABC, and Marvel. Hologram experiences have been a huge hit at events such as Comic-Con, SXSW, and CES.

https://youtu.be/ULJwWbIGJ1g

VR esports

That’s all great, but how could holograms be applicable in the field of VR esports?

For one thing, holograms can be used for demonstrations. Whether they take place at conferences or esports stadiums, holographic displays can display game characters, weapons and other objects. This would be an interesting feature while people wait in line for demos.

The technology can also be used to project holograms of VR esports pro players who can interact with fans in the holographic environment. This might include walking them through some basic concepts of the game, answering questions, and sharing recommendations for better gameplay.

One of my favorite uses of holograms is consumer engagement. VNTANA worked with Immersive Artistry to create a hologram installation at the Pro Football Hall of Fame that offers fans a presentation on how football parallels the game of life. For VR esports, holograms could be used to display a history of virtual reality, share examples of how VR esports offers opportunities for people with physical challenges, etc. There are endless possibilities for using holograms to engage consumers.

And of course holograms can be used to increase brand awareness. When my son, 21, discovered I was working on this article, he actually said he’d enjoy interacting with a holographic display that allows you to “build” your own gaming computer at a convention. There’s an idea for HP, Intel, Origin, Dell, or another forward-thinking company interested in a new way to highlight their gaming PCs!

Based on my son’s enthusiasm about seeing products displayed holographically, I’d say Crowder’s expectations for the uses of holograms are accurate.

“We truly believe it’s the future of shopping,” says Crowder. She explains that brands are struggling to get their assets into VR games and VNTANA’s software enables companies to convert their assets into a format usable for mobile AR as well as augmented and virtual reality headsets.

“We can help sponsors bring their products into this new virtual world,” states Crowder.

Regardless of how companies choose to use holograms, a new generation is being raised with access to greater amounts of technology integrated into their everyday lives. With rapid advances in VR, AR, and MR, the use of holograms for product placement, promotion, or training in the rapidly expanding field of VR esports will be the kind of experience users might expect and VNTANA can help make this happen.

Note: The author has provided her honest opinion about the services offered by VNTANA and she has received no compensation in products or otherwise.

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