Insurance conventions tend to be fairly vanilla events. We wanted to shake things up. So we built what appeared to be an ice cream stand where attendees could take a break from the chaos.

However, this was more than your average ice cream stand.

This was an augmented reality experience that simulated an earthquake.

When attendees arrived at the stand, they saw what appeared to be a glass window revealing people walking through the hallway.

Suddenly, thunderous rumbling was heard. Then, using the magic of augmented reality, the ground on the other side of the glass appeared to shake, the walls cracked, the ceiling came crashing down, furniture fell from the floor above and finally, a steel beam smashed into the glass, appearing to shatter the display.

The experience ended with FM Global’s new tagline, RESILIENCE IS A CHOICE, and a message to learn more at their booth.

The experience was showcased in San Antonio in an area with heavy foot traffic outside the exhibit marketplace at RIMS 2018, a three-day conference of over 10,000 risk professionals. Designed to emulate an ice cream stand, it easily drew in over a third of unsuspecting attendees.

The “earthquake” began with rumbles produced by hidden speakers, capturing people’s attention. Suddenly the ground in the augmented hallway started swaying. The ceiling cracked and split open. Finally, a steel beam flew towards the stand, shattering the glass “window” before a branded “RESILIENCE IS A CHOICE” message appeared onscreen, with a drive to the FM Global booth to learn more.

At first, attendees were surprised and taken aback by the earthquake. However, after realizing what was going on, they quickly started playing with the experience, shooting videos of themselves and their colleagues “surviving” the earthquake and later sharing the content with their social networks.

— FM Global had by far and away the #1 share of voice against all brands participating at RIMS 2018, with a 60% share of voice.

— FM Global mentions on Twitter saw a 972% YOY increase at RIMS, surpassing the initial goal of a 250% increase.

— Other than the overarching event hashtag (#RIMS2018), FM Global’s brand hashtag #ResilienceIsAChoice was the most used and saw a 2,900% increase YOY.

— FM Global’s social media content surrounding the convention and augmented reality experience garnered over 4MM impressions (nearly half of the social impressions for all of 2017), 157K engagements, and a 15% increase in followers on Twitter in one week (compared to a 15% increase in followers for all of 2017).