Ooredoo deputy Group CEO and Ooredoo Qatar CEO Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulla al-Thani, as well as COO Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani led the delegation during the visit, which aims at fostering close ties with Snapchat and exploring technologies that would be used at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Jeremi Gorman, chief business officer, and Ben Schwerin, senior vice president Content and Partnerships, represented Snap Inc.
With the world waiting to see what Qatar can do at the World Cup, a primary focus for the visit was to explore the technology Ooredoo will be using during the upcoming tournament. Fans at the football extravaganza will experience three key new augmented reality (AR) experiences using Snapchat’s latest capabilities.
An augmented reality billboard will bring the Ooredoo Tower mural to life and celebrate the World Cup coming to Qatar; a series of fan lenses, representing the 32 countries taking part in the competition, enabling fans to cheer for their favourite team with unique AR effects; and a ‘juggling challenge’ – the first-ever augmented reality keep-up game designed for fan zones and beyond.
All these augmented reality experiences will be made available via the Snapchat app to millions of football fans and will be powered by Ooredoo’s speedy and robust 5G network in Qatar.
The meetings between senior representatives of the two entities centred on how Snap will support Ooredoo’s digital transformation agenda in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, leveraging 5G and augmented reality innovation as key pillars to showcase the best in technology for Ooredoo’s customers.
Other areas of collaboration included how to better use the partnership with Snapchat as part of Ooredoo’s digital marketing strategy and how the two entities can support one another in growth markets to drive customer acquisition and engagement across Ooredoo’s international footprint.
The Ooredoo delegation also had the opportunity to visit Snap’s creator lab and experience the latest in augmented reality hardware products, including augmented reality glasses Spectacles and Pixy, Snap’s flying camera.
Sheikh Nasser said, “We were delighted to conduct this visit with a partner that plays such a key role in our ongoing development and digitalisation journey. We have a strategic commitment to investing in technology and innovation, aligned with our support for Qatar National Vision 2030, and a phenomenal responsibility to football fans around the world as a major sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar.
“Our visit gave us an incredible insight into the vastly enhanced fan experience that we will provide during the event, and we’re hugely excited to share this with fans in the near future. We extend our gratitude to all at Snap for their hospitality, and look forward to a long, mutually beneficial partnership for the years to come.”
Schwerin said, “We are grateful and excited for the partnership with Ooredoo. As a camera company dedicated to scaling augmented reality, the partnership offers a unique opportunity to innovate with new AR experiences that enhance the fan experience for Snapchatters, making the football celebration more immersive, fun and engaging for the millions of fans visiting Qatar. We will continue to work closely with Ooredoo to delight their more than 55mn customers across markets by bringing the very best that Snapchat can offer.”
