Family brings free-roam VR to the Gold Coast
Yoland Swasbrook teamed up with members of her family to bring free-roam virtual reality entertainment to the Gold Coast, becoming Australia's third Zero Latency VR venue.
How did you first discover virtual reality?
My uncle Malcolm (co-owner) has always loved VR. He often builds racing and flight simulators using virtual reality in his shed. Our family has enjoyed coming together to try them out for many years. We intend to bring Malcolm's simulators into our venue as additional attractions for our customers. One includes a 360 degree rotating rocket.
What's your connection to the Gold Coast?
I was raised here, while my husband Tristan moved from New Zealand as a young teenager. The Gold Coast will always be home. Everyone else lives here permanently too.
What's special about Australia's Gold Coast?
The Gold Coast boasts 10 million visitors each year which is an incredible amount given the population is only 600,000. Brisbane, our neighbouring capital city only receives 1.1 million visitors a year. The Gold Coast is well known both for our beautiful beaches and the large array of entertainment options such as the theme parks, local attractions, events such as schoolies and Nikon600 car races. The Commonwealth Games helped put the Gold Coast on the world stage and it has continued to boom since. Our Mayor’s direction for the city is to continuously grow our Tourism sector.
How do you feel about being the person that brought VR to the Gold Coast?
It's a real privilege and honour to be able to offer such a unique and mind-blowing experience on our home turf. There is nothing greater than seeing the faces of our customers when they pull off their headsets after a game, absolutely buzzing, smiling and laughing. Also, reading all of the amazing reviews never gets old. How lucky we are to be offering an experience that lights people up.
What's the appetite in the Gold Coast for technology-powered group entertainment?
There is a demand from locals, local gamers and the tourist market for VR entertainment. New attractions are popping up with VR offerings, but they are always tethered technology, and nothing compared to what Zero Latency VR brings to the market.
How has the experience been in working with the Zero Latency VR team?
We have met many of the staff from Zero Latency VR headquarters and felt like they work with us as part of a team. All areas are covered from marketing, operations, staff training etc. We feel comfortable enough to contact the team anytime with even the simplest question and always receive the help we need.