the size and scope of the experience with the number of customers likely to come and how long it
should take customers to move through it. “You’ve
got to get all of that right the first time, or people
won’t come back,” he says.
Estimating Skills Required
All of this uncertainty can significantly impact
schedules and budgets, Mr. Christopher says.
Because his team has never built a VR theme park,
they have to do a lot of estimating. They anticipate
that building three different 3-minute virtual experiences will cost roughly three times the budget of
a feature film, but no one knows for sure.
The unfamiliar technology also heightens the
need for clear communication. When Mr. Christopher was working on a prototype for another VR
project, he provided the project team with clearly
The Workplace of the Future
Source: 2016 GE Global Innovation Barometer
defined storyboards and a script, only to discover
the team didn’t follow them. “In the movie industry, people always listen to the director,” Mr.
Christopher says. “But in the game world, there is
no director.” He now tries to be explicit with his
VR teams to make sure his vision is achieved.
Confident that VR will remake theme parks
around the world, Mr. Christopher sees early
endeavors such as L.I.V.E. as an opportunity to
identify common risks, build a project template
and hone the right set of skills for the project team.
With every new project, they will be able to apply
lessons learned to reduce the time, cost and risk.
Realizing a few risks in this early era of virtual reality is okay, he says, “Because once this is built, we
will be able to build more around the world.”
—Sarah Fister Gale
of business executives believe that the
startup ethos is becoming the norm for
creating an innovative company culture.
of employees think that flexible working
hours, part of the startup ethos, create the
most productive working environment.
81%89%
A rendering of The Void in Lindon, Utah, USA
A rendering
of L.I.V.E.
Centre in
China
