Hospitalized and Ill Children Whisked Magically to Ice Show

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, young hospital patients and shut-ins can experience the holiday cheer of a giant ice and sculpture show through the magic of virtual reality video. "Elf-Venture in ICE" is being made available, free of charge, to patients at Children's Hospitals here and around the country and to other kids, thanks to VIVA VR Studios (www.vivaVRstudios.com) of Rockville, MD., in partnership with Gaylord National's ICE! Featuring Christmas Around the World.

"Our goal is to surprise and delight kids who are too ill to venture out with a unique VR experience that will transport them into the magic of the North Pole, even for a few minutes," said Emily Greene, VIVA's chief creative officer.

The four minute 360˚ experience, "Elf-Venture in ICE," can be viewed free on most mobile devices or VR headsets. The video is available to anyone at http://vivaVRstudios.com/ice/.

"VR video has the capacity to bring people to whole new worlds, real or imagined," said Lorne Greene, VIVA's chief executive officer. "But it's more than just fun. Letting kids – and others – virtually escape the confines of a hospital room or sick-bed has huge therapeutic value, too, as we're increasingly hearing from pediatric and other medical practitioners."

"Making this available for free is just part of our way of giving back to the community, and supporting the medical professionals who work wonders for area kids every day," he added.

VIVA VR Studios is also leveraging the power of virtual reality to help other organizations. For example, they created a virtual reality "ride-along" experience in a medical transport helicopter, to alleviate patient and family fears of a stressful situation.  Some 5,000 children are transported to hospitals in the Children's National Health System every year by the pediatric-only Skybear Air Transport flight team. Now, anyone can go behind the scenes to see this elite team in action by watching the virtual reality video, available at http://vivaVRstudios.com/ (click Children's Hospital ride-along).

The firm also recently produced a virtual reality holiday card for the Washington Nationals baseball team, has produced feature VR videos for Audi of America and for other local, national and global firms and nonprofits.

In "Elf-Venture in ICE," one of Santa's elves guides viewers through an interactive adventure through a spectacular indoor winter wonderland, allowing hospitalized and other kids to explore a variety of the holiday scenes which were created from millions of pounds of ice at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington Harbor, MD. In the VR video, the Elf talks directly to children, jokes and helps the viewer explore the magical scenes in search of misplaced presents.

About Gaylord National's ICE! Featuring Christmas Around the World

ICE! is an indoor winter wonderland featuring two million pounds of ice sculptures and walk-through experiences that include two-story ice slides, tunnels, and icy carvings that celebrate different cultures through holiday scenes. The exhibit is at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

About VIVA & VIVA VR Studios

"Elf-Venture in ICE" was created by VIVA Creative and its innovation lab, VIVA VR Studios.  Ranked among the most innovative event technology companies in the world, VIVA Creative and VIVA VR Studios help brands create marketing that moves people. Founded in 2001 by creative, production, and technology innovators, the company is headquartered in the Washington DC area with sales regions in all major markets. For more information, visit www.vivacreative.com, www.vivaVRstudios.com or on Twitter @VIVAcreative.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION on VIVA Creative and VIVA VR Studios: 301-670-9700 

MEDIA CONTACT: Steve Hirsh  [email protected]  202-441-1516

SOURCE VIVA Creative; VIVA VR Studios