A collective immersive experience space for the sea: when AI becomes the storyline
WMH Project designed a 320-350 sqm collective immersive experience space dedicated to the Mediterranean maritime world in Marseille. The setup combines free-roaming virtual reality for 30 people with a conversational AI embodying the memory and spirit of the sea throughout the journey. The model targets 75,000 to 85,000 visitors a year, blending culture, education and entertainment.
What is a collective immersive experience space for the sea?
It is a permanent venue where visitors move through a journey blending the real and the virtual, in groups. The format designed by WMH Project provides for a simultaneous capacity of 30 people, a 30-minute cycle (20 minutes of free-roaming virtual reality + 10 minutes of rotation) and a gross surface of 320-350 sqm. The route is built around several space-time capsules that lead from the past to the present, and on to a forward-looking window onto maritime futures.
Why make AI the narrative thread?
Because a conversational AI turns a linear visit into a living dialogue. Here, the AI is personified as the "memory and spirit of the sea": it awakens in the immersion airlock, converses through holograms of maritime figures, reacts to hull sketches turned into navigable 3D models, arbitrates strategic role-play and guides VR dives through visual recognition. A sovereign conversational engine, hosted in France and GDPR-compliant, serves as the multilingual backbone (FR/EN/ES).
How does the business model hold up?
The sweet spot lies between surface area, rotation and average ticket. With 30 people, a 30-minute cycle and a 55% average occupancy rate, the model targets annual revenue of around €1.6M incl. tax and a yield of roughly €4,700 to €5,000/sqm/year — above the classic museum ratio (€1,000-2,000/sqm/year) and in line with the upper range of location-based entertainment. The pricing: €24 full, €21 average, €16 reduced.
How to structure the launch and activation?
The plan rests on four pillars — awareness, traffic and conversion, community, embodiment — and three phases: pre-launch (poetic teasing, interactive site, press relations), launch (opening night, open-doors weekend, outdoor campaign) and activation (mini-films, school and corporate programmes, hybrid conferences). The digital ecosystem extends the experience through online ticketing, an AI assistant and a WebXR digital twin.
What are the benefits for a territory and its partners?
Such a venue becomes a destination and a local landmark, able to fill low seasons through school groups and MICE. It also opens industrial synergies (VR hardware at preferential rates, co-branding, beta-test ground) and strong institutional visibility around culture, innovation and environmental transition.
Designed and orchestrated by WMH Project — We Make It Happen.
FAQ
What is the capacity and duration of such an immersive journey?
The optimal format hosts 30 people simultaneously over a 30-minute cycle (20 minutes of free-roaming virtual reality and 10 minutes of rotation), on a gross surface of 320 to 350 sqm.
How is artificial intelligence used in the journey?
AI acts as the narrative thread: it guides, converses, personalises the visit, embodies maritime figures as holograms and turns sketches into 3D models. It relies on a sovereign conversational engine hosted in France and GDPR-compliant.
What business model applies to this type of space?
With a 55% average occupancy and a €21 average ticket, the model targets around €1.6M in annual revenue and a yield of roughly €4,700 to €5,000/sqm/year, above the classic museum ratio.