At the top of a fictional virtual mountain in winter, surrounded by an impressive mountain panorama at sunset, a cable car installation featuring the latest premium products from LEITNER can be visited and used. The vehicles behave – both on the cable and during the ride in the valley & mountain stations – physically correctly, just like in reality. Thus, especially when using a VR headset, a cable car ride is experiential as if you were really on site. In a large mountain hall on the plateau, there are life-size models of vehicles and selected project references from LEITNER to discover. Those interested can also explore this virtual world "on foot" and collect various info boards that offer insights into the various products and technological innovations from LEITNER. In addition, two viewing platforms with glass floors provide an impressive alpine experience, including the screeching of birds of prey high in the air.

LEITNER – one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of cable cars – has always relied on its unique strengths and outstanding standards, which are appreciated by customers worldwide: At the leading international trade fair Interalpin 2023, LEITNER wanted to offer its international guests a unique digital innovation highlight that meets its corporate standards.

For this purpose, BREITETIEFE / NFBrands.X conceptualized and realized the "LEITNER Metaverse Experience" as a world premiere. 

An existing cable car project can only be truly viewed and experienced physically at its location of construction. Interested parties must travel to this site, often from far away. Future cable car projects have so far been made visible mainly with 3D visualizations. What such a project will actually "feel" like has been difficult to simulate until now.

Both problems can be (partly) solved with metaverse implementations. Thanks to VR headsets and the continually improving various technological possibilities, impressive immersive simulations can now be realized immediately, massively reducing the need for travel and enabling real training/inspections/presentations. Additionally, planned projects can be made not only visible but also genuinely experiential for all stakeholders (including laypeople) already in the planning phase.

The LEITNER Metaverse Experience was – and still is – unique. Never before – and still not again – has a professional, true-to-the-original and "usable" cable car simulation been published on a globally publicly accessible Metaverse / Immersive-Web platform. A very specific and meaningful use case was created for using metaverse technology, providing real added value.

Unlike a proprietary or purely standalone VR application, the LEITNER Metaverse Experience on the online platform Spatial.io is freely accessible and usable on any device (smartphone, laptop/desktop, VR headset). This is absolutely unique for both LEITNER and all types of users. The hurdle to using such a tool is thus, de facto, no longer present.

LEITNER can now invite people to their virtual cable car simulation simply by sending a regular web link. This represents a significant improvement/expansion of existing communication, presentation, training, recruitment, and sales possibilities. Regardless of where the individuals are in the real world: now they can meet on LEITNER's virtual mountain and examine and immersively experience the latest products together.

This project allows LEITNER to score points both externally and internally. On the one hand, partners/suppliers/customers can be impressed with this digital innovation. On the other hand, internally, skepticism towards new technologies is lowly reduced, and the advantages are brought to the forefront. In recruiting, LEITNER can appeal to young, tech-savvy individuals and differentiate itself from the competition.

For LEITNER's sustainability strategy and vision, metaverse simulations also play a significant role, as the reduction of the CO2 footprint – due to massively reduced travel activities – will have a relevant impact on future balances.

A challenge was adapting the existing provided original 3D data from LEITNER to convert so that details & quality are maintained, while the data volume is reduced enough to meet the restrictive requirements of the Spatial.io platform. As no comparable project had ever been realized before, there were numerous firsts to accomplish. The most impressive experience is visiting the LEITNER Metaverse Experience with a VR headset. For this, the various data had to be specially prepared, and all aspects of spatial UX & UI design had to be considered.

For both LEITNER and BREITETIEFE / NFBrands.X, this project represents a unique reference that clearly distinguishes them from their competition. Due to the great positive reception, numerous contacts have already been made. The project has also already been presented as a showcase use case for an entire industry at national and international conferences. There are already concrete discussions for follow-up projects, both with LEITNER and other interested parties and industries. Above all, the public accessibility, quality of the simulation, and diverse application possibilities generate great interest. Since there are hardly any comparable projects, there is, at least for the time being, a very valuable unique selling point.

Furthermore, since the publication, various data regarding use and acceptance have been collected and continuously evaluated. These provide relevant added value for future projects.

Try it yourself now:
The LEITNER Metaverse Experience on Spatial.io

"Many thanks to the company LEITNER, especially to Gotthard Schöpf, for the foresight and trust in our vision and competencies. We were all rewarded with an extraordinary project that will forever be the first of its kind and thus has an indelible entry in the (marketing) history of all involved individuals and companies."

Matthias Lechner
BREITETIEFE / NFBrands.X, Project Manager