Restaurants Canada, Nextech AR Team Up to Launch Virtual Marketplace
Restaurants Canada and Nextech AR Solutions Corp., have teamed up to bring the Canadian restaurant industry into the metaverse.
Restaurants Canada and Nextech, a Metaverse Company and provider of augmented reality experience technologies and services, will introduce the 365 Marketplace at the RC Show 2022 May 9-11.
“The 365 Marketplace offers a one-stop-resource for international communities to connect with the Canadian foodservice market, and vice-versa,” says Roy Little, Interim President and CEO, Restaurants Canada. “Our partnership with Nextech AR Solutions offers industry professionals the tools they need to help better serve the Canadian market and establish global connections. We look forward to bringing the virtual 365 Marketplace platform to the industry to break down barriers and encourage business across borders as the global foodservice industry revives post-pandemic.”
Watch the 365 Marketplace sizzle reel video
Designed by Nextech AR Solutions, the platform creates a hybrid blend of virtual event space and international marketplace, with up to 5,000 virtual vendor profiles serving 30,000+ members. 365 Marketplace aims to be a thriving center for ecommerce, using unique 3D augmented reality technology to showcase products in their truest form, allowing members to interact at a higher level. The company sees this opportunity as being the Shopify of the foodservice industry with 3D/AR by providing the platform and the tools for the foodservice industry to build its online presence.
Bringing Restaurants Into the Metaverse
The 365 Marketplace brings the restaurant industry into the metaverse, providing a completely digital marketplace where 3D models and AR experiences, including holograms, can be utilized to connect Buyers and Sellers and provide a much more interactive experience than a traditional online marketplace, says Nextech.
The 365 MetaMarketplace launch opens up an opportunity for Nextech to expand this same marketplace model into other industries’ globally, as it provides a replicable platform which can be modified to fit other industries requirements. Live Streaming and 360 Product Embeds are distinguishing capabilities of the marketplace, as well as sponsorship revenue opportunities with sponsor ads within the marketplace.
As part of the metamarketplace, the new 'Pavilions' feature gives organizers even more opportunities for sponsorship and promotion of their content. Pavilions are easy to create using a series of drag-and-drop tools that automatically connect content already entered, such as full vendor, speaker, and session profiles.
Nextech is currently testing this marketplace technology with additional select clients and plan to offer it for all soon. Nextech anticipates the marketplace to potentially be the beginning of a very profitable avenue of revenue, as it expands its technology further into the marketplace sector.