Summary
A new sort of entertainment centre that uses lasers and hologram technology to make animals and artificial places appear all around the guests. Nothing like this has been seen before and it was one of the finalists for Time Magazine’s technology of the year.
A Hologram Zoo is like a regular zoo except all the animals are made of laser light. They look real and act alive, but you can put your hand straight through them because they are holograms. Guests go to various artificial holographic places like Africa, Asia the North Pole etc. Guests can pat a lion, see a 82 foot whale, be in an elephant stampede or have cherry blossoms fall all around them in Japan. This is the world’s newest most high tech entertainment chain.
Highlights
-Brand new type of technology that has never been seen before.
-Was used in the Australian Museum’s hologram dinosaur show in Sydney.
-Highly profitable trials.
-Significant worldwide media attention so far (over 110 articles, including Wired and BBC).
- You can regularly change the content to keep people coming back.
-Five full 30 minute hologram shows already created with more being produced.
- The parent company Axiom Holographics is a world leader in hologram technology and their customers include: Bentley, Airbus, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Four Seasons resort etc.
-One of the finalists for Time Magazine’s technology of the year.
The Technology
Previously, hologram equipment cost millions of dollars and was only used by top universities and science centres. A new technology break through by Axiom Holographics has allowed the price to drop to about 5% of what it previously cost. This allows holograms to be used in public entertainment centres.
The technology was built by Axiom Holographics who usually make hologram devices for defence, government and science centers around the world. They have now moved into entertainment as well with this new chain of public centers.
Axiom has won some of the world’s biggest awards for hologram technology.
Their new entertainment technology was one of the finalist for Times Magazines technology of the year in 2023.
Throughput
The full center set up described in this document can comfortably take 80 people per hour, but up to 100 people per hour can be accommodated.
Public Trials
The first trial was in Brisbane over Christmas holidays. This was done in an old shopping centre with very little advertising and the centre made around $240k (AUD) in 38 days. It opened on the 10th of December and sold every ticket until Christmas before it even opened.
The second trial was the equipment being used for Sydney Museum’s Hologram Dinosaur Show. It made around $550k (AUD) in 42 days, with weekends making over $22k (AUD) a day.
The Business
Hologram Zoo is made up of special equipment consisting of two enclosures that project multiple different hologram animals, a 62 foot hologram tunnel, and a holographic sky roof.
This equipment is very portable as it was originally created for travelling museum shows.
You buy the equipment and then either set it up as a permanent installation or take it travelling from place to place.
Customers visit the center and pay for the experience.
The experience lasts for around 30 minutes for a single session or around an hour for a double session. There are many different hologram shows, so customers can visit multiple times for different experiences.
Competition
Hologram Zoo is not virtual reality (VR) with screens over people eyes that can cause people to feel unwell. This is a brand-new technique that uses lasers to project holograms in the air.
This is not flat 2D projectors on walls from shows like “Van Gogh Alive” or “Team Lab” in Japan. This is a new technology that Axiom Holographics created, and patented.
No other organisation has this sort of technology or anything like it.
Example of a traveling show
You rent a larger “popup” space in a mall or shopping centre such as Westfield, Stockland’s, etc. Warehouses and other such public spaces could also be used.
This space would be about 2700 square feet with at least one wall being more than 75.5 feet in length.
Usually your show would be there for 2-3 months, though you can do longer or shorter.
You set up the equipment this takes about 7 days with 4 people.
You run the show.
There is a lot of content so you could do Africa for two weeks then North Pole, followed by Asia, then Dinosaurs etc. There are already five full shows with more on the way.
There are also seasonal additions like Christmas or Easter. These are smaller, typically around 6 minutes or so. You can add them to the main show, or have them as a separate attraction.
Shows could make up to $300k to $600k each at standard occupancy rates, depending on time and location.
When the show is finished you pack down and move to the next location.
If you choose to do a permanent installation rather than a traveling show, these work best in tourist areas. We do not advise having a permanent show in a non-tourist location, even though these can build up the birthday trade and local reputation. We do not yet have a successful long term trial to compare it to, but the decision is yours.
Staff and duties
You will usually require one staff member at the counter to welcome guests
and one to assist guests in the center.
These are the duties of the counter staff member :
1) receive payment from customers or welcome those who have booked in online
2) arrange them in groups
3) show them a one minute instruction video
3) give them glasses
4) receive glasses back at the end
5) give the customer a Projectogram at the end
6) put the glasses in the sanitizing boxes for one minute.
These are the duties of the floor staff member :
1) answer questions or assist the guests with any concerns or special needs they may have (eg: a child need to go to the bathroom, so they must leave this group and be reallocated to the next one).
2) Look after the duties of the first staff member if they need to go on a break.
There is almost no cleaning as there are no food or tables and the environment is relatively dark.
Branding
This is an equipment sale, not a franchise. We do not licence you our logo or name. Instead the name “Hologram Zoo” is an open source brand that any one can use. We will give you the imagery and branding graphics to go with this name which is in the public domain.
Territories
This is an equipment sale, not a franchise so there is no way to dictate territories. However, to avoid our customers accidentally appearing to close to each other with a touring show we will be encouraging our customers to communicate their next touring locations on our customer web platform.
In addition to this we will not sell more than 1 set of equipment per million people to those who use the equipment as a traveling show. How the population borders are divided is at our own discretion.
Re-selling
This is not a franchise, so you do not need our permission to sell the equipment to someone else. If you do choose to sell to someone else, we will offer them the same support and ongoing obligations that would have otherwise been offered to you.
Communication
We will have a meeting with you each quarter to show successful techniques that others are using in advertising. We will also speak to you about new shows that are in development, and look after you in whatever reasonable ways we can.
Price
The price is $290k (USD) for the full set of equipment, and content.
This can be paid $290k upfront, plus $50k per year for support and continued content / experiences.
(this excludes shipping and local sales taxes)
It is not a case of the first payment is for the equipment and the second is for content and maintenance. Instead, both payments are for the full five year package including content and maintenance. You have the option of paying the whole amount upfront and receiving a 15% discount.
At the end of five years when the full payment is made you may feel you have enough content that can be continuously rotated, or you may choose to continue purchasing new content from Axiom as well as ongoing maintenance, but it is entirely your choice.
The software is on license dongle devices and the licence is updated each year to continue operation. The licence will be updated each year when the next part payment is received.
At the end of the five years when the full payment is made your dongle device will be updated for permanent continuous use, thus requiring no further updates.
There are no franchise fees, or franchise agreements, as this is not a franchise, it is an equipment sale.
This is what you get:
1) digital pictures and videos to use in your own advertisements.
2) 1 * Sky Roof. (24 foot ( plus 7.3 foot for an optional fence) x 10 foot x 11 foot high)
This is a small tunnel like structure where people walk under a projection of a sky and various animals. (1 projector, 1 computer)
3) A Hologram Tunnel (63 foot x 12.2 foot x 11 foot high)
This also consists of metal poles that clip together with fabric covers as well as electronic hardware. (5 projectors, 1 computer, 2 graphics cards)
4) 1 * Double Hologram Enclosures (10 foot x 40 foot * 11 foot high)
These are metal poles that form some walls and a fence as well as electronic hardware.
(1 projector each)
5) 200 * glasses
6) 5 * glasses recharger stations
7) 6 * glasses ultraviolet sanitation boxes.
(You put glasses in to disinfect and clean them of germs. This takes 1 minute)
8) 2 * Projectogram display cabinet
9) First 10,000 Projectograms
10) Transportation boxes for all the items that must travel from place to place.
All of these devices are portable and have been created to be assembled then disassembled.
(You must supply your own point of sale system and cash register )
Optional additions you can purchase:
1) 1 * portable light box arch way with the hologram zoo Logo ( to uses as a front entrance)
2) 4 * portable signs that have changeable front faces
(with different front faces for the different content)
3) 1 * portable counter with hologram zoo branding
4) 8 * plastic trees and 8 * plastic vines to decorate with.
These are the things you will need to keep purchasing :
More Projectograms. Giving these to each guest adds perceived value to the show. Each show has 4 different types. You can give one per person or one per family. These cost around 39c each, and come with the red and blue glasses. (The price may change in future according to inflation and supply.)
Installation
There are three choices.
A) The equipment is easy to put together. There are manuals and videos. We will give you up to 10 hours of online support for you to learn and understand how to set up the equipment yourself. This option does not cost extra, it is included in the price.
B) One of our team members can come to you and train your people in how to set up and pull down the equipment. There will be an extra charge for this.
C) We can send a full team to set up the center for you. This would make sense if it was a permanent installation, as you will not need to learn how to set up and pull down the equipment. There will be an extra charge for this.
Shipping
Shipping of the equipment to you is not included in the price and will cost extra.
The cost will depend on your location
Support
For five years you will be entitled to up to 20 hours of phone or web support per year.
If anything goes wrong talk to us and we will work it out with you.
Spares
As part of the original price we will leave you with a spare unit of each type of computer as well as a spare of each type of projector. We will train you in how to swap them over if a problem occurs.
Breakages:
Computers
Computers supplied are from Dell.
They are reasonably reliable and it is unlikely that they will break down.
They will be covered under Dell’s warranty.
If they break down after the warranty has expired, you can purchase either through us or directly from Dell.
We will need to set up the new computer for use. (In the current market the computers are around these prices: $5000 for the tunnel computer and $1500 for each of two graphics cards).
Projectors
The Laser projectors supplied are from Benq.
This is one of the largest projector brands with offices all around the world.
Laser projectors have a 20,000-hour life span and do not need bulb changing. This is around 8-10 years of life. They are generally reliable and are not known for failure.
General if hardware is going to break down it will do so in the first 2 months, if it gets past that then it is usually reliable long term.
They will be covered under Benq’s warranty.
If they break down after the warranty has expired, you can purchase either through us or directly from Benq.
The replacement fee is approx. $3000 each at present.
A tunnel has 5 of these projectors, a sky roof or enclosure has 1.
Other Equipment
Additional equipment produced by Axiom Holographics, or frames of the equipment, will automatically be replaced for the first five years if it is broken (unless breakage was maliciously done by the owner). After the five years, a list of parts and prices will be given to you according to production costs at the time.
Glasses
You will begin with 200 glasses. You will give these to the customers and receive them back at the end. You may have cases of customers breaking them in strange ways, “stepping on them or throwing them”, or customers may steal them even though they have no value to them outside of the center.
For the first five years Axiom will supply you with 10 new pairs of glasses each year, to assist in covering such losses. (Axiom produces these glasses ourselves)
If you want to purchase more then this, the price from Axiom Holographics is around $65 each, and this price is subject to change over time according to availability of components.
There is a cheaper brand of glasses that is created in China and is compatible with the system. These are around $30 each. We do not use them because you cannot tell how much battery life is left in them and so they often run out of power in the middle of a customer experience. They also occasionally overheat when recharging and should not be recharged overnight. Their battery life is a quarter of the glasses that Axiom makes. You are welcome to purchase these glasses from us to save cost, but Axiom is not responsible in any way for any of problems you may have with them, or any loss to you or others that they may cause.
Tunnel Skins
Your equipment will begin with coverings that show a variety of animals.
There will be seasonal skins available in future such as Christmas Halloween easter etc. Alternatively if you were just doing a dinosaur show you may want a dinosaur only skin.
New skins are around $7,000 each from Axiom Holographics.
Content
You will begin with 5 shows.
These are: Africa, Polar, Australia, Asia and Dinosaurs.
These generally go for around 30 minutes each.
Which consists of 5 tunnel journeys, 8 enclosures, 4 sky roofs.
Over the next five years you will receive a minimum of one new show per year,
(or you could be given more shows at Axiom’s discretion, depending on how many we produce ).
You will also begin with one piece of seasonal content: “Christmas”.
With you receiving a minimum of one new piece of new seasonal content per year over the next five years. This seasonal content is not a full show. A full show goes through the tunnel five times. This seasonal content will only do one lap consisting of one tunnel two enclosures and one sky roof.
You can add this to your existing show, or get larger volumes of people through at a cheaper price as a standalone attraction. (Throughput for one tunnel journey is around 400-500 people per hour).
The Future
In future, there may be IP licenced shows like
Spider Man, Transformer, Barbie etc.
These will have an added IP licencing fee per customer.
It is your choice whether you want to have them or not.
These will be in addition to the normal content you receive.