Jamie Biesiada
I've been writing about virtual reality (VR) a lot lately, whether it's about travel advisors using the technology in the sales process or creating your own content.
If you're looking for an easy way to check out the technology and some professionally created content, look no further than Perillo Travel VR.
The name is no coincidence. Steve Perillo, CEO of Perillo Tours, is also the CEO of Perillo Travel VR.
Much like Perillo Tours was a pioneer in travel television advertising, Perillo Travel VR hopes to be a pioneer in VR in the travel space, president John Graham said. He believes VR is particularly well-suited for travel.
"It's going to create an immersive experience where you're going to sit there and say, 'Hey, wow, I really want to go,' and it's going to help agents close sales quicker," Graham said.
Perillo Travel VR's app recently launched with a handful of professionally shot VR videos. Graham hopes it will become a hub for travel advisors to access content to share with their clients, and he's offering to send Google Cardboard-like headsets branded to Perillo Travel VR to any interested agents.
"Any travel agent that wants a Perillo headset can request one, and we'll send it free of charge," he said, encouraging agents to get in touch with him via email at [email protected].
Graham and Perillo launched the VR company a year ago. The company has partnered with Infinite Mixed Reality Studios, a London-based company that shoots the video Perillo Travel VR uses. The content (either photo or video) can be viewed in VR or on a phone or computer. (On phones, tablets and laptops, users can swipe with their finger or a mouse to move the photo around or move their phone or camera to see different parts of the photo).
"Most people are still going to watch it in a 360 experience on either a smartphone or on a tablet or on a laptop, but we're providing the agents with our custom-branded headsets so they can actually have a VR experience by inserting their phone," Graham said.
As of last week, Perillo Travel VR's app (which shares the name of the company and can be downloaded for free) featured three VR videos and four photos, but Graham said that content will be ramped up in the coming month. He expects more than 50 pieces of content to be housed on the app by next month. Not all will be filmed by Perillo Travel VR; he said the company will host other suppliers' VR content, too, to help them get exposure to travel advisors.
"We really want to become a platform for the agency community, for the meeting planner community," Graham said.