Notre-Dome comes to life at the Historic New Orleans Collection

Written By Alicia Vial

Situation

Conceived and produced by Histovery, a French technology firm, in collaboration with the Public Institution in Charge of the Conservation and Restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition is a traveling exhibition that brings world heritage to life with a 360-degree augmented reality immersion into the 850-year history of Notre-Dame Cathedral and its ongoing restoration in the aftermath of the tragic fire on April 15, 2019.   

The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) is a museum, research center and publisher dedicated to preserving the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Because of the organization’s work to restore and maintain historic buildings in the French Quarter and steward them for future generations, the organization was excited to host Notre-Dame de Paris to pay tribute to New Orleans’ French roots while embracing the promise of technological innovation to explore the many layers of history. 

Notre-Dame de Paris provides an interactive journey into the past, present and future of one of the world’s great architectural landmarks. It’s a visually stunning experience that offers visitors an immersive tour through time to explore the cathedral’s history, the effects of the devastating fire and real-time updates on the massive restoration effort returning The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site to its former glory.  

Visitors to the exhibition would be issued a HistoPad™ – a portable, touch-screen tablet developed by Histovery that served as their portal to key moments in Notre-Dame’s history and restoration. The intuitive device’s user-friendly technology was accessible to visitors of all ages. Its narrative would be presented in 13 languages and supplemented by a virtual treasure hunt for children and an onboard selfie studio. The HistoPad™ tour through Notre-Dame’s history would take place in galleries designed to envelop the visitor in a multi-sensory experience—including audio of the cathedral’s organ and tolling bells, a full-size replica of one of the structure’s famed chimera statues and a projection of one of Notre-Dame’s iconic rose windows, which survived the fire.    

Strategy

The goal of this campaign was to generate media attention for the exhibit among locals and visitors, driving at least 10,000 visitors to HNOC for the duration of the exhibition. Since HNOC is a free museum, there would be no cost to visit the exhibit, but visitors would need to reserve a time in advance.  

To reach the campaign goal, objectives were put into place to get stories to the local media market as well as regional publications. Based on the research phase of this campaign, Gambel Communications drafted a strategic media list, crafted media and background materials talking points and identified/trained spokespersons. Because the technology made the exhibit available in more than a dozen languages, both French and Spanish media outlets as well as Vietnamese community leaders (all of which have a strong presence in the New Orleans area) were included in the PR strategy.   

Once all of the logistics for the exhibit and its subsequent programming were in place, Gambel Communications began strategic media outreach to targeted outlets and reporters. Gambel Communications hosted one-on-one media tours and secured in-studio broadcast and radio appearances discussing the historical importance of the cathedral as it relates to New Orleans. Notable media tours included New Orleans & Company, as well as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, the second oldest in the country. 

Complimentary programming for “Notre Dame de Paris” included three separate screenings of the 1923 silent film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. HNOC’s program team created a fun event that showcased the highs of the landmark film while also poking fun at the lows. The event featured live local music, running commentary and a French multi-instrumentalist to create a new original score performed live during the event. Prior to the screenings, guests enjoyed a private viewing of the 360-degree augmented reality exhibition. Between the jesters, comedic commentary, puppets and drinks from a local distillery, the event produced three sold-out evenings of laughs.   

Because the exhibit was family-friendly and educational, multiple school groups, including an international and French immersion school, were invited to attend field trips to HNOC. Additionally, HNOC hosted a sensory friendly weekend where children and adults who prefer a more sensory inclusive experience were able to explore the exhibit with adjusted lighting, reduced foot traffic and a specially designed treasure hunt to build a stained-glass window for the cathedral using the HistoPad™.  

Results

Due to an overwhelming response from the public and exhibit reservations nearly maxing out every day, HNOC requested an extension to keep the AR experience in New Orleans for an additional two weeks. On the final day, visitors were lined up down the block, online tickets sold out and some visitors had to be turned away due to the tremendous closing day turnout. 

More than 20,000 visitors experienced the 360-degree augmented reality immersion into the 850- year history of Notre-Dame Cathedral and its ongoing restoration in the aftermath of the tragic fire – far surpassing the 10,000-visitor goal. 

Story placements included all major news outlets in New Orleans, including the cover and a two-page spread in a weekly arts and entertainment insert in the daily newspaper, a story in the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ weekly newspaper, inclusion in both major Hispanic publications as well as regional coverage by multiple travel magazines, including AAA Explorer. Additional placements around the opening reception, the sold-out films screenings and sensory friendly day helped the total story placement for this exhibit climb to 61 stories with an estimated reach of 94.M readers, far surpassing the objective of 12 stories.       

In summary, the campaign far exceeded the stated goals and objectives. “Notre-Dame de Paris” is being hailed as HNOC’s best performing exhibit, so much so that the French technology firm that created the exhibit has since invited HNOC to consult on future openings throughout the country.   

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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