COVID-19 – Shooting 360 Virtual Tours in Lockdown

Coronavirus has brought us all to unprecedented times, with the UK and much of the rest of the world currently in lockdown or quarantine. Currently, the first question people ask us is of course “Can you shoot virtual tours in lockdown?”. We’ve put together some answers to this and other vital COVID-19 frequently asked questions here:

Can you shoot virtual tours in lockdown?

Yes, we can shoot 360 tours in lockdown whilst complying with government regulations. We can shoot your 360s safely, with your cooperation and by taking sensible precautions.

How do you get to us?

For safety reasons we cannot currently use public transport and thus would always travel to a shoot by car. This may have a small impact on travel expenses but will otherwise make no difference to our clients.

What about on the shoot itself?

We keep personnel to a minimum with just one photographer from our side. We can ensure that social distancing regulations are adhered to. We take other precautions, such as keeping touching of doors, furniture etc, to a minimum. We use disposable gloves where appropriate. Every shoot is different and we take sensible precautions on each one.

Why should I consider having a 360 tour now?

This depends entirely on your business and set-up. Many businesses are struggling because they can’t physically allow prospective customers inside their premises. In the hospitality sector, a virtual tour allows online viewers to see inside, thus encouraging them to make remote bookings for when lockdown ends. For retailers, being able to virtually ‘open your doors’ is good content that will generate interest. But in addition, the 360s can also be used as part of the sales process, as it is for this kitchen designer. Companies may have spent thousands or even millions on an exhibition stand which nobody can currently see. By having a 360 tour you can still bring the exhibition to a global audience. Similarly with art exhibitions – they can still reach an audience online. A manufacturer of controlled entry systems can move their sales process online, with customers scoping out the different systems in situ.

Isn’t it better to wait?

Again, this depends on your business. What we do find is that this is often the best time of the year to shoot 360 tours when exterior 360s are required – the grass is green, trees are in leaf and the light is mostly sunny and bright with less risk of grey days, rain or high winds. This is often exactly how clients want their exteriors immortalised in the 360s. There are certain advantages in that there are fewer staff and no general public on site which makes it easier!

While it’s impossible to recreat a face-to face experience, we are all having to adapt, and this can be a great opportunity to improve your remote selling capability.

We hope that this helps answer some of your most pressing questions, but please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to discuss this further.

Stay safe and well, with best wishes from the Eye Revolution team.

Header image by Pete Linforth