Your building has plenty to show. Let everyone explore it.

02.10.26

Time to read: approximately 4 minutes

Ever found yourself checking Google Maps before going somewhere new?

You arrive at the building knowing what it looks like from the outside, but still wondering where reception is, whether there are steps, or where the toilets are.

For some people, those unanswered questions can mean a visit never happens. In AccessAble’s 2023–2024 Accessibility and You survey, 77% of respondents reported avoiding venues because they couldn’t find accessibility information.

Being able to explore a building in advance can help people answer those questions and feel more confident, informed and prepared.

That’s where a Matterport 3D tour, and the use of interactive Mattertags, can make a difference.

And for the lucky custodians of heritage buildings, there may even be opportunities to secure grant funding for digital engagement and interpretation projects, helping to make these resources available to a wider audience.

You know your building inside out. Your visitors probably don’t.

When your building is open to the public, there’s always someone discovering it for the first time. Where’s the entrance? Are there steps? Is there somewhere quiet to take a break?

For museums, theatres and other public venues, a Matterport 3D tour can help answer those questions before someone leaves home. And can give the people looking after the building a useful reference too.

Help people feel prepared and support inclusive access

For many visitors, particularly those with mobility, sensory or neurodiverse needs, understanding a building before arrival can make the difference between feeling confident about a visit and deciding not to come at all.

Every visitor experiences a building differently. A virtual tour can help people understand circulation routes, identify step-free access, locate accessible facilities and familiarise themselves with the environment before arriving.

For neurodivergent visitors or people who experience anxiety in unfamiliar environments, the ability to explore at their own pace can help make a visit feel more comfortable and predictable.

When combined with written accessibility information, virtual tours can provide another way to understand a venue before travelling. They can make an unfamiliar place feel more manageable.

At the Woolly Sheep Inn in Skipton, our tour shows the restaurant’s two seating levels, including the step-free lower dining area and the steps to the upper level. Guests can see the options before booking and request seating that suits them.

For a museum or theatre, a tour could highlight step-free routes between spaces, hearing loop locations, lifts, toilets, and quiet or low-stimulation spaces. Alongside clear written access information, it gives people another way to prepare for their visit.

Put useful information where people need it

For Merlyn Showers, we added clickable information points, known as Mattertags, to individual products in the showroom. People can explore and find out more about the pieces that interest them.

For a museum that could be: click on an exhibit to discover its story, see an archive photograph or listen to an audio description. In a theatre, a tag could explain where a hearing loop is available or help visitors locate a quiet space.

It gives people who can’t visit in person another way to explore the building and its stories.

Start with what would make a difference

Deciding what you want to achieve helps shape what to capture and which information to include. If you’re developing a wider heritage funding bid, it’s worth discussing whether these digital elements could form part of the project. The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports digital heritage work, subject to its criteria and requirements.

As we continue to develop our Matterport offer across Bowman Riley, we’ve seen the real value these tours can bring in supporting inclusive access and enhancing visitor confidence. We’d welcome the opportunity to help make visiting your building easier and more inclusive.

Help visitors feel confident before they arrive

Do you manage a building open to the public, such as a museum, theatre or sports facility?

Contact Rebecca with your building’s location, and what you’d like visitors to explore or understand before arriving. We can help shape the tour around your priorities and provide a quotation for your project or funding budget.

Enquire about a Matterport tour

Useful links

• Explore Pure Padel’s Darlington branch through the Matterport 3D Tour 
• VisitEngland: Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Toolkit — practical guidance on communicating accessibility, including the use of virtual tours.
• VocalEyes: Heritage Access 2022 — research and recommendations for improving online access information at museums and heritage sites.
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund: Digital good practice guidance — guidance on planning digital heritage projects and meeting funding requirements.