Jewish history education plays a crucial role at the US-based EVJCC community centre. As part of its Holocaust education efforts, this not-for-profit organisation used to host virtual guided tours of Auschwitz using traditional video conferencing and screen-sharing, under the Six Million Voices (SMV) brand name. 

Recognizing the inherent limitations of this approach, the EVJCC reached out to our team to develop a better and more scalable alternative that would be able to host different educational tours. The challenge was to create an immersive experience through a bespoke platform for live-guided virtual tours. 

The main aim? To offer a wider audience direct access to vital educational content while enhancing the overall visitor experience.

• Custom-developed CMS-based platform tailored for multiple guided virtual tours.
• Easy creation of presentations that incorporate panoramic shots, slideshows, interactive maps and videos.
• Top-notch audio and video quality through direct content streaming to visitors, instead of traditional screen-sharing.
• A/V signal from tour guides to visitors through WebRTC connection, similar to conference calls.
• Individual sessions with unique customer login URLS during scheduled time slots, for easy ticketing integration.
• Immersive visitor experience for large-scale history education.
• Future-proof platform ready to expand with fresh multimedia content and new tours

The custom platform is built on Meteor using the React framework. Key integrations include JW Player for video content and Vonage for direct video and audio communication between tour guides and visitors. 

We’ve also incorporated a robust chat environment, offering both group chats and private messaging features. 

Individual presentation sessions can be organised with unique meeting links, which are distributed to a separate ticketing and payment platform. This ensures that visitors receive the correct one-time access code for their selected time slot and corresponding virtual tour.

Custom virtual tour platforms play a crucial role in shaping the future of education. Tour guides have the flexibility to take full control and adapt the tour to the needs of their audience, while providing the opportunity for direct interaction. 

Simultaneously, premium audiovisual quality is ensured by directly streaming all content to visitors, eliminating the need for cumbersome screen-sharing via a traditional video feed. 

The platform is designed with updates in mind: integrations with realtime 3D spaces and 360° video are on the roadmap for the next version.

The one-of-a-kind educational platform proves that custom solutions with tailor-made features are the most versatile solution for organisations looking to move fast, generate ROI and focus on the experience for their internal and external end users. In addition, advanced art direction allows for a distinct visual identity that standard SaaS solutions simply cannot match.