Gothenburg presents: Digital site visits to a SMART destination

A preview of what it will look like was presented at the large IMEX fair in Frankfurt last Tuesday, where the meeting industry from around the world is present. It was an opportunity to showcase how Gothenburg plans to make the destination accessible via a digital platform.

"Those who have been to Gothenburg and are familiar with the destination tend to make decisions more easily and recommend us. We are not as well-known as many of our competitors. Therefore, it is important to showcase what we can offer," says Fredrik Lundgren, project manager at Gothenburg Convention Bureau.

The visitor guide is based on a further development of Gothenburg's digital twin, which is a digital copy of the city. It is under development with the support of the Omniverse platform from NVIDIA. Several famous places and landmarks are included, as well as several hotels and facilities such as the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers.

The meeting organizer can be invited to visit the digital environment where a guide shows around, and the visitor chooses what they want to see in terms of hotels, facilities, restaurants, entertainment, and attractions. It is also possible to choose different times of day and different seasons.

"We discussed how Gothenburg can take another step forward in sustainability and increase accessibility. What we showed at IMEX is a first step with a video showing a taste  of how a visitor can be guided around Gothenburg," says Fredrik Lundgren.

There is still a lot of development work remaining, and the plan is to have a test version ready by early 2025 and a full version the following year. In addition to being a tool for organizers, the goal is to increase accessibility to Gothenburg for visitors with disabilities. The development will take place in collaboration with several partners.

IMEX Frankfurt is where the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry comes together annually for the largest trade show of its kind in Europe. Gothenburg Convention Bureau exhibits annually to capture inquiries, secure business, build relationships, and ultimately recruit congresses to Gothenburg.