ImagineAR augmented reality tech to power virtual holiday walking tours in Mississauga

ImagineAR Inc (CSE:IP) (OTCQB:IPNFF) said its virtual tour technology will be on display this holiday season at the Streetsville neighborhood of Mississauga, Ontario, thanks to a partnership with Ready Set Go Design.  The company’s technology will create augmented reality walking tours of Streetsville's main street, showcasing the area’s old world charm with more than 300 small businesses in a mix of heritage and modern buildings. Large group walking tours were cancelled this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), and this community collaboration project will help the Streetsville Business Improvement Area offer self-guided, interactive tours for anyone using their smartphone. The tours are being put on by RIC Centre, a not-for-profit business incubator, in partnership with Ready Set Go Design, which is utilizing ImagineAR’s augmented reality platform. READ: ImagineAR to deliver immersive augmented reality experience to Shoppers Drug Mart Ready Set Go will create engaging, interactive experiences that combine educational stops at key heritage locations with fun and promotional activations from local businesses, the company said. The walking tours for Streetsville will be live by December 8 with surprise visits from Santa for anyone who participates in the tour before December 24. "On behalf of the local business community, we are delighted to bring a virtual Santa to downtown Streetsville as part of the new ImagineAR heritage walking tours so families can safely get photos with Santa as part of their holiday celebrations,” Streetsville General Manager Amber Pajtasz said in a statement. “We are thankful for the generous support of Heritage Mississauga for providing historical images of Streetsville, video content, and fascinating stories of the village's rich history. We encourage residents and visitors to walk through and learn about our village during winter 2020/2021 when COVID-19 restrictions prevent us from hosting in-person events and walking tours." The idea is for augmented reality to provide local businesses with the opportunity to withstand and recover from the impact of the coronavirus.  "We are grateful for the opportunity to lend our experience and expertise to this project to bring families back into their communities for unique and socially-distanced activities this winter,” Ready Set Go President Mark Silver said. The ImagineAR mobile app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play. Signage will be posted at various locations along Queen Street South in Streetsville to let people know how to activate and join the tours, the company said. The interactive walking tours will be updated regularly with new business promotions and fun activities to encourage people to come back and enjoy the outdoors and main street businesses safely. Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel