The Kennedy Center, internationally renowned as a venue for performance and arts, is building a name for itself in a new arena: virtual reality. For the opening of their new $175 million dollar expansion at the REACH facility’s opening festival, the Kennedy Center was ready to implement new, unique ways to activate the new space, and virtual reality fit the bill. 

But implementing new technology comes with challenges.“Often, people are reluctant to try out new technology in public for fear of looking silly or being uncomfortable. At REACH, we were able to create a safe space for individuals to try something new – and open the technology to a much larger demographic than the younger tech-savvy crowd that usually tends to gravitate towards it,” says Joseph Cathey, whose company Capitol Interactive orchestrated the guest experience at the REACH Festival’s virtual reality lounge. 

Capitol Interactive also developed the VR application for playing back the 360 degree VR films that were shown, a task Cathey says, that was “made easier by having great content.” “The films that were curated were really the star of the show. We were lucky to feature content from some of the best VR filmmakers in the world.”