At the base of the technology stack lies the hardware that powers the immersive experience. This includes AV devices such as projectors, digital displays, and the cameras and microphones that gather raw content in high fidelity. In the middle of this technology fabric lie the video switchers that channel signals between displays and live streams.

The hardware relies on software to function correctly. This ranges from the firmware that drives its inner functions to collaboration software that organizes live production workflows.

IT underpins both the hardware and software. These teams form a critical support system for the immersive experience by ensuring smooth operation, strong connectivity and seamless data transfer. In a client environment, a strong partnership with IT is one of the most important parts of solution development.

Immersive and collaborative environments would be nothing without the appropriate content. This is where human creativity and ingenuity come to the forefront. Producing compelling content to build and maintain audience engagement requires smart partnerships between artists, designers and technology experts.

Panasonic often works with third parties to create powerful solutions that combine hardware and software capabilities in new and exciting ways. One such partnership was with video production software developer Cinemaker Inside, which led to the creation of an iPad-based control solution called LiveCTRL. The software lets production crews switch video between multiple cameras in Panasonic's PTZ line directly from the iPad, sending various inputs to different output devices, including live streaming platforms.

These partnerships can also yield new hardware. Panasonic's status as the official technology partner for immersive entertainment company Illuminarium enabled the two companies to work together on an innovative 360-degree short-throw projection lens. This hardware now powers some of Illuminarium's most impressive entertainment experiences.

Hardware teams and content creators often collaborate closely on immersive experiences because content relies heavily on the capabilities of the hardware, such as brightness, vibrancy, and size, to achieve the wow factor. When the City of Cincinnati transformed itself into a dynamic public art display as part of its BLINK festival, Panasonic stepped up with an array of digital projectors to turn the city's historic buildings into canvases for public art. Panasonic teams worked closely with content creators to ensure the most vibrant results from the laser projection technology.

Consultative partnership between Panasonic and clients' IT departments is key to delivering complex immersive solutions. Panasonic Connect engages clients with consultative projects and complements these with services, such as remote monitoring, all of which help deliver the most reliable solutions possible.

These partnerships help to create hardware configurations that suit the environment at hand. When Panasonic worked with Texas A&M University to create an immersive education system, the team collaborated with educators to rethink traditional notions of what a classroom represented. The final installation included a wide array of equipment, from short-throw projectors for smaller classroom environments to large-format laser projectors for larger arena-style lecture halls.

The power of business collaboration to create immersive experiences is especially evident in large outdoor presentation spaces. Panasonic Connect worked with the city of Los Angeles to create an incredible immersive experience as part of LUMINEX 3.0, the public space digital arts festival. Content creators worked with hardware experts and IT operators to project multimedia art projected in massive displays up to 150 feet wide on buildings in the Los Angeles core.

Establishing strong partnerships that deliver successful first projects builds trust, which can lead to new opportunities for collaboration in the future. For example, Area15, an innovative entertainment district just off the Las Vegas strip, initially worked with Panasonic on a 7,500-square-foot 360-degree projection-mapped immersive experience about Van Gogh's work. Impressed by Panasonic's initial work on this project, Area15 signed a five-year contract to deliver more immersive projects the following year.

Short-term projects that become long-term relationships can deepen the experience for project designers and audiences. For example, Panasonic and the LUMA Festival have been partners for ten years, consistently delivering innovative AV solutions for the event that lights up buildings in Binghamton, N.Y., each year. The level of collaboration and trust between Panasonic and the festival's designers continues to deliver work that draws audiences from far and wide.

Depth is only one aspect of a successful partnership. The other is breadth. It is important to deliver a wide array of components and services to support the many moving parts that help to create a stunning immersive event.

The eSports solution that Panasonic delivered to Ferris State, for example, is multifaceted. It draws on many different kinds of AV tech. The KAIROS video production system takes dozens of inputs from various sources, including Panasonic cameras. This solution, layered with comprehensive consulting and support, creates a partnership that can grow with the client's needs.

In the best partnerships, technological expertise, attention to detail and a driving vision combine to create new experiences and products that have never been seen before. This is how Panasonic's partnership with Igloo Vision evolved, enabling the startup to create immersive learning environments in an innovative new format that no one had ever seen before.

What happens when you combine the trust built through long-term partnership with driving vision and innovation? It can change the world. For example, Panasonic partnered with Olympian Swimmer Katie Ledecky to inspire educators and students to live more sustainably. Panasonic and Ledecky worked with Discovery Education to design a virtual field trip for students and teachers. The trip took participants to Japan to virtually "meet" with Panasonic scientists who were exploring new ways of living and working.