What Is a Digital Twin, and Why Is It Important to Event Professionals?

Digital twin technology is one of the fastest-growing concepts in the tech industry.

But if you haven’t heard of the concept, we’ve put together a primer on what it is and why it is important to the future of virtual events. 

Digital Twin Technology Defined

As IBM explains, “A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system designed to reflect a physical object accurately. It spans the object’s lifecycle, is updated from real-time data and uses simulation, machine learning and reasoning to help make decisions.” In other words, it is creating a highly complex virtual model that is the exact counterpart (or twin) of a physical thing. The ‘thing’ could be a car, a building, a bridge, a jet engine, etc.

GlobalLogic defines it in even simpler terms: “a digital twin is a virtual replica of a real-world object that is run in a simulation environment to test its performance and efficacy.”

The Benefits of Digital Twin Technology

So why has digital twin technology been getting so much buzz and attention? As IBM explains, digital twins let us understand the present and predict the future.

“A digital twin is a vital tool to help engineers and operators understand not only how products are performing, but how they will perform in the future. Analysis of the data from the connected sensors, combined with other sources of information, allows us to make these predictions.

With this information, organizations can learn more, faster. They can also break down old boundaries surrounding product innovation, complex lifecycles, and value creation.”

Examples of digital twin technology in use today can be seen in numerous industries and applications.

• As noted in Wikipedia, one “specific example of digital twin technology is in the automotive industry where automotive engineers use digital twin technology in combination with the firm’s analytical tool in order to analyze how a specific car is driven. In doing so, they can suggest incorporating new features in the car that can reduce car accidents on the road, which was previously not possible in such a short time frame.”
• Healthcare is another industry where the benefits of digital twin technology can have a significant impact. Bernard Marr & Co writes about how a digital twin of a patient or organs allows surgeons and health professionals to practice procedures in a simulated environment rather than on a real patient. “Sensors the size of bandages can monitor patients and produce digital models that can be monitored by AI and used to improve care.”

What Digital Twin Technology Means for the Future of Virtual Events

Beyond industries like automotive, healthcare, manufacturing, and others, the concept of digital twin technology combined with the immersive experience of 3D gamer environments is poised to positively continue changing the way we experience virtual events.

• Immersive digital venue twins combined with the mobility of visitors as avatars offer the potential for a wholly new and emotional event experience.
• Serendipitous encounters of avatars, infotainment, and intensive networking through numerous interaction possibilities, as components of each live event and focus of the virtual event platform, let attendees experience a whole new world in photorealistic 3D venue twins.
• Spatial experience, interaction possibilities, and product staging with high information content open up new opportunities for companies in terms of attendee reach, interactivity, and information transfer.

The pandemic has taught us that ongoing transformation and evolution are imperative for events – especially for virtual events as screen fatigue impacts attendance and attention.

Prismm has spent years recreating thousands of hotel and event venues into digital “twins” starting with their Prismm virtual venue tours. Planners can now use these virtual environments as the foundation for creating the next iteration of an immersive virtual event, which can either be a standalone virtual event or run concurrently with a face-to-face event to reach larger audiences.

And because digital twins often serve as a living and breathing model, planners can see how attendees explore and interact with the space to determine adjustments for the next event iteration, improve operations, increase efficiency, and iron out any problems or issues before they arise in a real-world environment.

To see examples of Prismm in action, contact the Prismm team for a demo.