Are Virtual Reality Tours Best When Viewing London Office Space to Rent?

Modern technology is once again making our lives easier and presenting companies with new opportunities to reach wider audiences in less time. Virtual reality (VR) is one of the newest phenomena which has swept the nation in recent months and this has now, inevitably spread to business. London office providers are no exception to this latest trend having snapped up an opportunity, offering their clients the chance to tour London office space to rent in virtual reality.

The Technology

Basic virtual tours of London office space to rent have been available thanks to the likes of Google for many years now but the aid of virtual reality gadgets such as goggles and headsets allow this to be taken one step further. Virtual reality works by projecting images in front of your eyes making you feel as though you are within the setting being streamed to the device, in this case it is London office space to rent, via a mobile phone, computer or games console.

The most basic form of virtual reality is that of head mounted displays (HMD) where a mobile phone is attached to a headset. The imagery enables you to fully feel part of the setting through following the movements of your head and gaze as you explore the available London office space to rent. Depending on the type of headset being used, images will either be on one or two LED displays which focus and shape the picture to create stereoscopic 3D images similar to those which our eyes create naturally.

London Office Space to Rent Using Virtual Reality

Providers such as i2Office were one of the first to offer their clients such a service with the opportunity to tour their new Fenchurch Street London office space to rent in virtual reality. I2 Office CMO, Rob Strachan told Londonoffices, ‘With two new locations at Fenchurch Street and Victoria, virtual reality gives us the opportunity to create an interactive environment where clients get a realistic look and feel for the business centre while it is still a building site. Having recently launched at Fenchurch Street, this immersive technology transports clients into the i2 Office Club Space and has been a successful, new way of inspiring our clients and showcasing the new concept. It’s a fantastic asset to our sales team and a fun, new experience for clients.’ This London office space to rent offers a range of work space including comfortable booths, cosy lounge areas and shared workbenches, all of which feature on-trend interiors and a contemporary feel that can be experienced first-hand thanks to virtual reality.

Co-working London office space to rent is especially well suited to the benefits of virtual reality. The atmosphere and environment within co-working settings are highly important for potential clients and virtual reality will allow people a first-hand insight in to this without having to actually commit to renting a space; sort of a try before you buy concept.

Other Businesses using Virtual Reality

One company who are already taking advantage of this initiative is that of MEC Recruiting. During last year’s South by Southwest tech conference MEC included the virtual reality headsets within their recruitment drive, allowing people the chance to see how they fit in to a certain career path. In an article for Ad Week, MEC’s global chief talent officer Marie-Claire Barker explained, ‘We see from our lens what the culture is like, but what we want to do is let them experience themselves in the culture of MEC.’ The same concept can be applied to co-working spaces or even communal areas within private London office space to rent, allowing potential clients to feel more certainty when committing to a specific office.

Other London based businesses are also making the most of this newest trend. Sotheby’s for example have allowed visitors to their exhibitions to actually step inside the painting itself and gather a greater understanding of the piece.

Designers have been commissioned to create the first 360 degree art experiences for their surrealist exhibitions in the hope to reach out to tech savvy buyers allowing them greater appreciation of art. One of the main pieces within the exhibition is René Magritte’s Le Repas de noces with an estimated price tag of £1.2million. The 360 degree version of the painting brings the featured lion to life with imagined scenes of what would be ‘behind’ it. If the project is successful it will be rolled out to exhibitions across the gallery.

Looking for London Office Space to Rent From Over Seas

The ability to be able to view available London office space to rent via virtual reality is particularly helpful to those who are looking to move to London from across seas or from other locations within England.

Currently, clients relocating their office from a far typically have one day in the city when they are available to look at office space. Not only is this difficult for providers to try and fit them in to their schedules but it can be quite tiring and overwhelming to clients.

Having to view four or five options of London office space to rent in one day can make it difficult to absorb all the qualities of each space. Offering the client the opportunity to virtually tour a list of spaces in their own time saves plenty of energy and allows the client to view at their own pace.

First Hand Experience

Our Central London Sales Manager, Schae, experienced a VR tour for herself and agrees that the technology will revolutionise tours of London office space to rent , especially for overseas clients, ‘VR office tours are great for multi-site visits, saving travel time and cost across London. However, the greatest benefit is being able to see an office before refurbishment starts or whilst it is still a construction site; you can literally walk around as if you were in the building. Buying off of a plan helps secure great introductory rates for your ideal space and can allow bespoke configurations to be created. Virtual Reality also allows international colleagues or Directors the ability to view a potential office from another country, cutting down negotiation time on a deal and saving on travel costs if they wish to view before they sign.’ Physical tours can of course then be arranged once a client has found an office which they feel they may want to rent, making the client’s experience much smoother.

It certainly isn’t difficult to see the benefits of using virtual reality particularly when dealing with the sales of London office space to rent. This new technology is one of the rare modern developments in which we can see instant appeal within the world of business. Making life easier for foreign clients, giving peace of mind to those in co-working and offering a more instant service all round makes virtual reality a winner with Londonoffices.

Londonoffices.com are specialists in London office space, providing a free, personal service for companies seeking a London based home for their business. If you are currently seeking a new home for your business call us on +44 (20) 3856 8704 and get the ball rolling.