Team Dentsu Inc. Makes Its Debut at Tourism EXPO Japan, Showcasing Inbound Technologies from VR to Smart Vending Machines

The world's largest travel festival, "Tourism EXPO Japan 2016" (hosted by the Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan Association of Travel Agents), was held at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward from September 22 to 25. The event featured uniquely designed exhibits from 1,181 domestic and international companies and organizations, expert forums, and business meetings, attracting a record-high attendance of approximately 186,000 visitors.

The Dentsu Group made its debut appearance with the booth "Accelerating Japan's Inbound Tourism ~ Media & Solutions by Team Dentsu." As "Team Dentsu," in collaboration with regional newspapers, Baidu, Discovery Japan, and others, it introduced services related to tourism and inbound travel. Presentations were held throughout the day on a central stage set up in the booth.

　

Dentsu Inc.'s cross-departmental "VR Project" showcased its extensive expertise and technological capabilities in the rapidly growing VR (Virtual Reality) field, covering everything from original content creation to the design and implementation of experiential environments. As an application for tourism promotion, the booth featured the immersive VR4D system "TELEPOD," offering vivid viewing experiences. It showcased tourism content such as the Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Display in Niigata, an underwater stroll in the Kerama Islands of Okinawa, and Nikko Edo Village in Tochigi Prefecture. Visitors enjoyed an immersive experience, feeling as if they were actually there.

The VR4D system "TELEPOD." Interest is growing in applying VR technology to the tourism business. Other booths at the EXPO offering VR experiences included HIS, Haneda Airport, and the Macao Tourism Bureau.

The "Smart Vender," a digital signage vending machine enhanced for inbound tourists, was also exhibited at the Dentsu Ad-Gear Inc. corner. In addition to a large touch-panel LCD display capable of showing multilingual regional information for foreign travelers, transportation guides, commercials, news, and disaster information, it features a sensor-equipped camera. After purchasing a product, users can transform into characters via AR (augmented reality) and take commemorative photos with the background. Furthermore, the vending machine provides a free Wi-Fi spot via its built-in wireless LAN router.

The Smart Vender holds significant potential not only for inbound tourism and regional tourism businesses but also as social infrastructure, such as providing information during disasters and detecting terrorists or criminals using its sensor-equipped camera.