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Makemedia will be exhibiting at ITEC on 22-24th May 2013. You can visit us on the Presagis stand as we will once again be partnering with the software company. We will be showing work from our latest projects in the construction and defence industries so visit us and find out what we can do for you!
To arrange a meeting with Makemedia at ITEC 2013 call us on 0845 017 8777 or email info@makemedia.com.
Today I was very pleased to receive a big box full of copies of the Presagis Calendar 2013. Makemedia’s award-winning project for the Building Leadership Simulation Centre in Melbourne is featured in August.
Want to meet and talk about how we can provide 3D simulation, training and content to you? We’ll also bring you a free calendar! Call 0845 017 8777 or email info@makemedia.com.
Stay in touch to hear about our 3D news: Sign up to the Makemedia newsletter here.
Makemedia in the Presagis Calendar 2013
Want to understand how the Building Leadership Simulation Centre works? Check out the video below to see the centre, including industry leading 3D content from Makemedia. We also provided the software and hardware set up for the centre.
Interested in seeing a demo? Want to talk about innovative 3D training projects for your company? Get in touch by calling 0845 017 8777 or by emailing info@makemedia.com.
You might have read our recent blog about What Publishers Need To Know About Trends For The Future Of Digital and noticed how we are just at the beginning of the journey when it comes to the integration of mobile devices into our lives – amazing when you think about how pervasive these technologies already are.
This week saw the release of Ofcom’s 2012 International Communications Market Report, fascinating reading that shows just how big a deal mobile internet is to British audiences. Here are some of the top line figures.
“Half (51%) use a laptop most often to connect to the internet, while 6% prefer smartphones and 6% other connected devices. Only 37% use a desktop computer as their most frequent means of accessing the internet.” Ofsted
“UK adults also like to shop on the move. Over a fifth (23.1%) of UK smartphone users use their device to visit retail websites – the highest level out of the five largest European countries.” Ofsted
Mobile devices have opened up a whole new way to access audiences and potential revenues. This isn’t the old desktop browser system; users expect specific design for mobile devices and the great user experience that accompanies this. This is a pressing opportunity to design new content and websites – and to compete in creating exciting content. Which leads to the question, “How do I target mobile device users?”
When it comes to websites this means re-thinking the traditional approach to design – which is where our in house UX expertise comes in handy! For a few years “App” was the big buzz word, seeing a lot of companies jump on the App bandwagon without fully considering their target audience and business needs. You can read about the potential disadvantages of Apps here. However, it is important now to look forward to using other techniques, such as building with HTML5 and Responsive Web Design.
Responsive Web Design is about coding your website so that the design can alter depending on the browser width, meaning that the website is viewed for best design and experience across all mobile devices, regardless of whether that is a smartphone, tablet or laptop. The video below shows how this works for Infrastructure Online:
Some markets are super competitive. What if utilising best practice design and technology isn’t enough to keep you ahead of the competition? What about creating truly unique content? This is where 3D on mobile devices can help. With this technology you can visualise anything – your product, your venue, a journey or something completely imaginary – and then allow users to interact with the model or environment in a variety of ways. This offers a level of engagement that reaches beyond the traditional website experience.
As an example, the Makemedia Stadium and Venue Explorer, which is used by venues to support corporate and hospitality sales and ticket sales, is now available on mobile devices, as you can see below (Video coming soon). Make sure you suscribe to the Makemedia newsletter to ensure you are kept up to date with our exciting upcoming 3D developments.
Interested in creative 3D solutions for your business? Want to see a full demo of Stadium Explorer on mobile? Get in touch by calling 0845 017 8777 or by emailing info@makemedia.com.
Sign up to the Makemedia newsletter here.
The Hundred Club from Saracens RC Stadium Explorer tool.
The Master Builder Association of Victoria’s Building Leadership Simulation Centre, aka BLSC (built in conjunction with Schrijver Project Management), was conceived using both digital and real life aspects to create the most realistic and effective database, created using Presagis Creator and Vega Prime. This means that trainees are immersed in a familiar physical environment, with portacabins, accurate documents, live phone lines, construction equipment and actors, and can also explore realistic 3D simulations of different types of building sites at varying stages of completion.
This training experience is tailored for building site managers from international construction companies. Makemedia provided detailed 3D content and hardware setup for the project.
From the award-winning Makemedia simulation for training building site managers.
BLSC General Manager Marc Lyon said,
“The Building Leadership Simulation Centre will revolutionise the way training is delivered across the construction industry. Utilising state-of-the-art simulation technology, the facility will help building companies enhance workplace safety, improve construction quality and reduce project costs.
Makemedia helped turn our vision for this groundbreaking facility into a reality. Their skills and professionalism have helped us reach a quantum leap in training now and for years to come.”
Makemedia Director Nick Wood said, “We are proud to be showcasing UK talent across the world and it is of great satisfaction to myself and the team to be recognized for our innovative simulation projects.”
The Award is given to the client or partner whose application provides a high degree of realism and performance. To be eligible, the application must be deployable as an independent application. Additional criteria for evaluation include the scope of both the application and its configuration.
Want to talk about innovative 3D training projects for your company? Please do get in touch by calling 0845 017 8777 or by emailing info@makemedia.com.
Makemedia is very excited to see the launch of the Building Leadership Simulation Centre in Australia on Tuesday 7th August, a project created for the Master Builders Association of Victoria in conjunction with Schrijver Project Management.
The centre sees Melbourne become home to a world-class simulation training centre for the construction industry, with Makemedia providing 3D content, scoring system and hardware set up.
The award-winning virtual construction sites are projected onto a 15m wide 180° curved screen at the centre and are run from Presagis software, for which Makemedia are the official demo provider. The multi channel projector system runs through the Presagis Vega Prime runtime engine, with the graphics being created using Presagis Creator. Over 50,000 reference photos were used and over 500 models were created for the environment.
The centre uses 3D technology, replica site sheds and a team of trained actors to create an immersive, interactive learning environment. It will have the capacity to train thousands of building professionals a year, from project managers right through to apprentices. Not only will this training save costs in a dangerous industry, it can save lives too!
Makemedia Director Nick Wood, who has worked closely with the centre on the project, said, “After months of hard work and numerous trips to the other side of the world, we are really pleased to see the launch of the BLSC centre and to have worked so closely with Master Builders as their supplier. This is one of a number of global projects Makemedia is undertaking this year and we’re particularly proud to be showcasing British talent worldwide.”
Learn more about the centre and training offered in this video:
Writing a good brief doesn’t need to feel like this! Clear and concise is best.
Starting with a clear brief is the first step to a successful project, whether that is a website build, a training simulation or any kind of web application. It makes life a lot easier in the long run to get it right first time – and time is money! There are many articles and brief templates out there that are a good starting place, however there a couple of things that seem to always get missed or thought about later on the project that should be considered up front.
So here are Makemedia’s suggested top 5 items you may have forgotten to include in your brief.
Although it’s important to consider what your website will do and who it aimed towards, many brief writers forget to consider the nitty gritty of content. Who will export the content from the old site or who will be writing your new content? Do you need to use an external provider for copy writing or to review SEO quality? Will all the copy be ready by the go live date? What are your deadlines? A web build that is held up by late content is going to eat away at your budget.
It can be a mistake to jump on the “lets-build-an-app” bandwagon without considering the true needs of your business. Clients need to consider their own unique aims, then how these would be best served. This may be by building an app OR a responsively designed website may serve these needs better. What is essential is that you consider your mobile strategy to extend the relevant life period of your investment and remain competitive.
If you don’t clarify who really has the sign off on the project there is a strong chance you will be wasting your time and budget later on. Imagine the following scenario. The head of department gives a department manger the responsibility to sign off phases of the project. The manager is happy with a phase and signs it off. However, when the head of department sees it later they want changes. To implement the changes at this stage is far more costly than to have done it before the sign off where time is built in for amendments. Either the manager needs to have full culpability for the project or the head of department needs to be identified as the true decision maker.
You might not want to give an exact figure but even a ball park range will help to identify that you are approaching the right size of agency and set expectations. Having a full proposal written up for you from an agency that is far too expensive or not well resourced enough to serve your needs will waste time on both sides. The scope of what you want to do could be highly varied with many different possible solutions but a good agency will give you the best possible solution to fit your budget – and they will want to work with you again in future so giving you the best value is in their interest too!
Your brief should communicate clear business objectives and the critical success factors for the project. Anything added to the scope should lead back to these aims. Have a colleague read through your brief to check that it is clear and concise. Are you communicating what you are trying to achieve to a new potential supplier who hasn’t got to know the business fully yet? Naturally, a good agency will be practiced in extracting this information but it will save you time during that process. Save even more time by ensuring that your internal team all understand the project aims so you can relax in the knowledge that your team are communicating your needs correctly.
Please do add your tips in the comments!
If you are looking for a supplier for a website, simulation or other digital project please get in touch on 0845 017 8777 (select option 1) or email us at info@makemedia.com.
Makemedia are proud to have been nominated for 2 categories in the 2012 Unity Awards.
We will be visiting Amsterdam at the end of August to attend the awards and network with other Unity users. In the meantime, you can check out our trailers for the projects below:
To get in touch regarding your project please call Makemedia 0n 0845 017 8777 or email info@makemedia.com.
Deloitte have released their annual review of football finance with a tasty infographic (see below). This shows positive revenue growth for the Premier League (+12% in 2010/2011) and a whopping growth of annual revenues from £170m to £2271m since 1992. Unsurprisingly, successful clubs are the ones who spend more on player wages.
Interestingly, annual investment in stadia and facilities equalled £15m for Premiership and Championship clubs (2010/2011). Lets hope clubs are making the most of that investment to generate revenue from their stadia!
If you are interested in finding out how Makemedia could help you to generate revenues from digital innovation and best promote your stadia with products such as Stadium Explorer please get in touch on 0845 107 8777 or tellmemore@stadiumexplorer.com.
The Deloitte Sports Business Group presents the Annual Review of Football Finance 2012
Amongst the many exciting events attracting global visitors to London this year (Olympics, Paralympics, Jubilee), the ITEC conference is a stand out event for Makemedia. This year we will be exhibiting at Stand K110 with Makemedia partners Presagis where we will be showing projects including our latest demos for Presagis and our award-winning industrial training simulation and scoring system that is now being exported as far afield as Australia.
Come and speak to us if you are interested in how Makemedia can help you with full project management of your simulation projects, including:
Click here to see examples of our 3D simulation work.
If you would like to arrange an appointment to meet Makemedia at ITEC 2012 please get in touch with Nick Wood at Nick.Wood@makemedia.com or call +44 (0)1273 779784.