Co-Mo Connect Capturing Leads for Available Land with PlaceVR Technology

360-Degree Video and 3D Renderings Give Site Selectors a Sense of Place Through Virtual Reality

Co-Mo Connect may have just launched its 360-degree video promoting available land in Tipton, Missouri, but its initiative to use immersive technologies for economic development is already generating discussions and leads.

"As we've been working on our VR initiative, we've been able to show our partners and residents that we're investing in the community and the region and they like it," said Corey ten Bensel, Director of Member Care for Co-Mo Connect. "The excitement has created lots of new conversations, and we're already getting inquiries on properties."

Co-Mo Connect has contracted with Golden Shovel Agency to produce a series of four videos and promote their economic development message with a digital marketing strategy. Outsourcing these services was a strategic decision that gives Co-Mo Connect access to skills and capabilities that they don't have in-house.

"We had been talking about hiring a full-time economic developer but when we sat back and evaluated what we really needed to accomplish, it made more sense to find a partner that could deliver what we needed through a variety of skill sets rather than having one person try to do it all," said ten Bensel.

By utilizing immersive and digital technologies, Co-Mo Connect can push forward its economic development initiatives while travel concerns and restrictions are in place. They plan to maximize the increasing attention that corporations and remote workers are placing on rural America as a more affordable, safe, and desirable place to live and do business compared to large metro cities.

"What Co-Mo Connect is saying to the world is - we have room for you. You can bring your high-tech businesses and jobs to Missouri," said Aaron Brossoit, CEO of Golden Shovel Agency. "Their choice of tools to relay that message is not going to be lost on people and investors who want development partners who are progressive thinkers, and they're seeing the effects of that already."

Co-Mo Connect is active in economic development and is focused on goals that will bring more jobs and residents to the nine-county area that they serve with Fiber-to-the-Home Internet, IPTV, phone, and electrical service. The decision to use immersive technologies to attract attention to their communities in Missouri is one that allows them to stand out while providing them with the ability to be flexible.

CO-MO CONNECT exists to improve the quality of life for the region it serves with fair and reasonable prices for electric, Internet, TV, and phone services. It also works to support its communities through economic, civic, and educational opportunities.

GOLDEN SHOVEL'S PLACEVR is a full-service economic development firm specializing in workforce attraction for economic and community development. PlaceVR is a revolutionary new approach to economic development that harnesses emerging 360-degree videos and VR technologies to create immersive experiences that drive businesses and workforce recruitment. Our productions combine a depth of experience in both VR production, marketing, and communications to bring life to an entirely new strategy for attracting businesses, talent, and visitors.