Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Congratulations LSFM alumnus Joel Murray, digital marketing co-ordinator (left on photo,) and Visit Lincoln for winning Innovation in Tourism at the Lincolnshire Technology and Innovation Awards 2018 (7th June). University of Lincoln School of Film & Media 2011 graduate, also our industry mentor, said he was delighted on receiving this accolade:

I led on the project, with my background in digital, so am particularly happy! At Visit Lincoln we managed to get some funding from a central government pot to develop a project aimed at millennial travellers in the US to encourage them to explore England outside of London – there is more to the country than the capital! We did this in a group we are part of called England’s Historic Cities, and that’s the name of the app we created which is available to download on iOS and Android for free.

The idea of the app is the bring history to life using new technology. We worked with Lincoln Cathedral to come up with stories about its history as told by famous Lincolnshire explorer Joseph Banks. 

You must scan in items around the cathedral using AR to ‘unlock’ stories – some are just illustrations but some are VR experiences. It not only brings history to life in a new way but also make the cathedral accessible for those who can’t explore the whole place, especially the roof tours: maybe young children or those with accessibility requirements.

We have also got another round of funding to develop the app with AR tabletop tours of the city and AR portals planned – so watch this space!