Events are being completely redefined during COVID-19, with the word “virtual” becoming the driving concept at a time when physical gatherings are not possible.

Navigating this 2020 landscape, Michael Sugar’s Sugar23 has teamed up with experiential agency Blue Revolver to bring to market new virtual event technology. The companies tell Deadline they envision it having dramatic potential for brands, entertainment companies and consumers during the pandemic and beyond.

Details are being kept somewhat under wraps, but the companies cite the April concert by platinum-selling rapper Travis Scott held inside the videogame Fortnite as clear evidence of the evolution now under way. That show was hailed as a game-changing success because it broke through traditional media boundaries to create a new, native environment teeming with young audiences coveted by advertisers.

Sugar23 and Blue Revolver say their technology has some conceptual aspects in common with the Scott show, except they say it is more accessible to average consumers and has greater potency for concerts or in-store experiences. Through nothing more than a smartphone app, it brings multi-sensory moments into consumers’ homes without the need for virtual reality headsets or expensive equipment.

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