Augmented Reality (AR) tech company Grub Lab is launching a new app to encourage families back into hospitality venues over the Easter break.

The new AR experience – a venue-focused egg hunt – aims to bring Easter to life for children and to bring families into venues to help the sector’s recovery.

Using Grub Lab’s AR Easter Hunt app, kids can search for Easter eggs in hospitality venues across Australia.

Venues receive a pack that includes a cut-out of Hoppy the Bunny, AR-activated Easter egg stickers to hide around the pub, posters, promotional digital screen for TVs, plus a ‘How To’ video and instruction guide for easy set up.

Kids or their parents only have to download the app and begin the search for eight Easter eggs around the venue.

After each egg is scanned, kids can watch them as they are transformed into a 3D experience that includes an appearance of the Easter Bunny, giving parents a free moment to relax during the Easter school holidays.

Once all eggs are collected, prizes such as a free meals or drink, chocolate eggs or Grub Lab’s Scan & Play activity packs, can be awarded by the venue. 

Grub Lab is a start-up from the Hunter Valley in NSW that focuses on tech innovation in the hospitality sector.

Grub Lab secured $1.25m in seed funding last year to advance the technology, and more capital raising rounds are in the works to fund its evolving product range and expansion plans, according to its CEO Mick Carr.

Carr said told Australian Hotelier that the company is selling the AR Easter Hunt app, which took eight weeks to develop, at cost in a bid to help the struggling hospitality sector.

“It’s got a lot of design work in it, plus marketing on top,” he said. “With venues still struggling, this gives families another reason to visit their local venues over Easter.”

Since launching last year, Grub Lab has been adopted by over 1400 venues, according to Carr.

Other AR apps developed by Grub Lab include AR-enabled kids colouring packs, an NRL-themed activity pack, and a Christmas SantaGram.

More AR products are on the way, Carr says, with upcoming launches based on a new partnership with Universal Studios to be announced soon.

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