The use of augmented reality (AR) is enhancing the public's experience at trade shows, sporting events and other live gatherings and events. For those not familiar, AR uses a device to view a real-world environment that is enhanced with various digital elements, providing users with new and visually exciting ways to experience content.

AR is different than virtual reality (VR) in that it does not obstruct the view of a user's surroundings. Instead, it supplements the real world with images, video, text and more. This application is likely to have a larger impact for live events as it can add and enhance the current entertainment as opposed to taking the person into a different experience entirely.

Jared Kristensen whose company, Audience Republic, uses tech to enhance marketing for concerts and music festivals, shared his thoughts on AR in a recent article with Australia’s The Industry Observer: “For AR to really get mass adoption, I think it needs to go beyond mobile and into wearables, like glasses… Everything from enhancing the visuals of a show, to on-site communication with fans, to replacing mobile apps for set times and directions, to user-generated content. For me, AR is the No. 1 technology I see impacting the future of events, and I think it will have a very positive impact.”

The trade show industry has indeed been an early beneficiary. AR has grown in this sector for a while, despite a lack of adequate mobile platforms, but with the emergence of AR-enabled smartphones, exhibitors now have more opportunities to connect with attendees using immersive experiences.

Retailers are also embracing the technology, which could bring AR further into the mainstream. For instance, can make it so users can see how a table, sofa or other piece of furniture might look in their actual living room.

The digital revolution is driving an overhaul of Major League Baseball, particularly with regards to the fan experience at several stadiums nationwide. The league has its own digital arm, MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), that is overseeing upgrades that do everything from improve cellular connectivity and Wi-Fi within ballparks to enabling fans to order hot dogs, beer and even merchandise from their seats.

Even more exciting, through a program designed by Apple dubbed ARKit, MLB plans to add AR elements to its popular At Bat app during the 2018 season. The app is opened an average of 8 million times a day during the season to rank atop all U.S. sports apps in minutes consumed, reports comScore. MLBAM demonstrated a functional prototype during the waning days of the 2017 season at San Francisco's AT&T Park that wowed baseball writers and tech journalists alike.

ARKit blends the device's motion-tracking sensors to overlay virtual images on the screen alongside the real objects. "What are the game scenarios where augmented reality makes the experience more fun for the fan? We've identified some keys," Chad Evans, senior vice president of mobile product development for MLBAM, said to USA Today.

For instance, users will not only be able to call up batter-pitcher match-up statistics, they'll be able to see a graphic indicating how big a lead a runner is taking off first base and in what scenarios he might be most successful stealing second. The app will also be able to provide such other information as fielders' range and show the gaps in defensive alignments that may be the best chance for the player at bat to get a hit.

Other sports leagues are following suit. National Football League fans visiting Times Square in Manhattan can now come as close as any non-player can to getting on the field for real. Launched in November, the NFL Experience Times Square is an interactive, 40,000-square-foot attraction that combines AR, 4D cinema and more to simulate the full player experience. Exhibits will use AR through Kinect technology and visual effects to allow people to see themselves in the full uniform of their favorite team. Holographic representations of players and coaches will interact with the fans throughout. The NFL partnered with Cirque de Soleil to produce the Experience content.

Such innovations have left the public eager for more. Could instant replays in AR be in our future? Can the At Bat app eventually anticipate when a record might be broken? Patience. As the great New York Yankee Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot just by watching."

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