Experience Heritage Intern wins U of York Intern of the Year Award

Published by XR Stories

Further success for XR Stories interns

Ashley Loo, an XR Stories funded intern, won the University of York Student Intern of the Year award at a celebration at Heslington Hall. 

Ashley, an Interactive Media student, received the award at a special event held by the Student Internship Bureau, which celebrates the achievements of University of York interns and the opportunities provided by local businesses. Ashley impressed the judging panel with her work as a UX designer with Experience Heritage, researching accessibility issues and redesigning screens for a new Heritage Trail app commissioned by the National Paralympic Heritage Trust (NPHT).

Bethany Watrous, founder and CEO at Experience Heritage, said, “I’m so proud of Ashley – she’s so deserving of this award! We adored having her as part of our team and she was a great help to the development of our product. Her work researching and designing UX features ensured that our current as well as future projects will be more accessible to more people.”

Ashley said, “As the UX designer on this project, my aim was to design a system that brought comfort to people with accessibility needs – creating multiple designs and testing them to gain real-time feedback from potential users. This has supported me in constructing customisable screens that provide enjoyable experiences for people with visual impairments or mobility difficulties.”

Another University of York student, Elliot Mann, was awarded runner up Intern of the Year for his work as a creative technician under the XR Stories internship programme. 

Published on 12 December 2022

Experience Heritage is York Press' Trader of the Week

This article was written by Maxine Gordon of The York Press and published on their website on 17 July 2022.

How brother & sister Bethany & Brant bring history to life.

PRESERVING our history is important in a city like York - but making it engaging for new generations is vital too. So take a bow Bethany Watrous and her brother Brant who are breaking new ground in how we bring history to life in the digital age.

The siblings have launched a business, Experience Heritage, which reveals our past through digital interactive media such as mobile apps and virtual reality. Recent work includes a downloadable heritage and nature walking trail through Tang Hall.

And with Bethany based in York and Brant in the US it is a truly international business - based, rather aptly, in one of York's finest historic buildings, Guildhall.

So congratulations on being our traders of the week.

Each week we are shining the spotlight on the independent businesses that really make York special.

If you would like to nominate a York trader - or perhaps you run a local business and want to tell us what makes you special - you can tell us more via this online form:

www.yorkpress.co.uk/trader/

Here's more about Bethany and Brant's story:

How long has the business been going?

Experience Heritage is in its third year of business. Founder Bethany Watrous started the company as she was completing her Master's in Buildings Archaeology from the University of York. During this study, she realised there was a gap in the market for digital media companies who understand the specific needs and goals of the heritage sector.

What does it sell?

Experience Heritage brings history to life through digital interactive media. Using 3D models, mobile applications, augmented and virtual reality, and historical research, we help our clients tell immersive stories of the past.

Tell us about some local work

The latest project was for Parlormade Scone House where the team created a photogrammetry model of the interior and exterior. It was created by taking hundreds of pictures by drone and by hand and then using specialised software to lace those pictures together into a 3D model. They also added informational points around the model so people can learn more about this historical building on the Shambles.

They have also worked with the Tang Hall History Group, Tang Hall Big Local and St Nicks Centre for Nature and Green Living to develop an app called Discover Tang Hall. It's a heritage and nature walking trail app that helps people learn more about the people, places and green spaces of the Tang Hall area through text, image and audio content. It can be found on Google Play store or the Apple app store.

Why is this business special?

Creating digital solutions for visualising and communicating heritage, Experience Heritage’s mission is to help preserve cultural heritage around the UK and the world by helping heritage organisations create engagement and accessibility to heritage sites. With authentic digital storytelling, our work helps clients ensure crucial funding for conservation, staffing and upkeep.

There are few digital studios who specialise and have backgrounds in heritage. This dual specialisation in digital media and archaeological research means that we speak our clients' language, transforming historical research into immersive and interactive content to engage audiences of all ages, and creating heritage engagement solutions suitable for delicate historic environments.

How has it adapted during the Covid-19 crisis?

The main adaptation we've undertaken is a heavier focus on certain products we provide. The impact of Covid on our clients meant a shift in their solutions for delivering heritage to their audiences. Museums and heritage sites were searching for solutions to continue to engage audiences while in-person interaction wasn't always possible. This meant an increased interest in solutions such as 3D model online artefact exhibits and heritage trail mobile applications.

Won any awards?

Experience Heritage was recently named on the Digital Enterprise Top 100 Index. We were also nominated for the Federation of Small Businesses Sole Trader of the Year Award 2022, The Hustle Awards Most Innovative Tech category 2021 and was a national finalist in the Santander University Emerging Entrepreneurs competition in 2020.

Be our next trader of the week

Tell us your story more via this online form: www.yorkpress.co.uk/trader/

Five female leaders share their stories on International Women's Day

This article was originally written by Nadia Jefferson-Brown at York Press and published on 4th March 2021.

FIVE female leaders will be sharing their stories at an event looking at the role of entrepreneurial women in driving the region’s economy.

The free webinar, on International Women's Day, Monday, will showcase the women's experiences and reflections on how times of economic and social change could make entrepreneurship more accessible for the next generation.

Speakers include Professor Kiran Trehan, University of York's Pro-Vice-Chancellor for partnerships and engagement and director of the Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Leadership, Economy & Diversity.

She is a key contributor to debates on leadership, enterprise development and diversity in small firms and business, and has led leadership, enterprise and business support initiatives.

Professor Trehan is also widely published, and in 2019, became the president of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE).

She said: "Whilst women are more skilled than ever with over 56 per cent of university graduates being female, there are still fewer women than men occupying senior roles in business and on boards and the average national pay gap between women and men is 17 per cent.

"It’s sad but true that for many women, they simply don’t have the same opportunities as men and Covid-19 has worsened the situation.

"IWD is a great platform to showcase women and their contribution to our economy. I am looking forward to this event and invite people to join us to hear the unfiltered stories of women who are re-addressing the productivity gap."

Other speakers include Bethany Watrous, who graduated from the University of York in 2019 with a Masters in Archaeology of Buildings.

She founded Experience Heritage, which provides 3D modelling, photogrammetry, augmented and virtual reality, mobile and web development, film and photo editing services.

Ann Gurnell, marketing director of York-based Ideas Group, and Delma Tomlin, director of the National Centre for Early Music, join the line-up along with Lady Jane Gibson, founding chair of Make It York and a director of the York & North Yorkshire LEP.

FSB unveils finalists of its Yorkshire and Humber 2022 awards

This article was written by Nadia Jefferson-Brown of The York Press and published on their website on 26 January 2022

JUDGES have revealed the finalists who have made the cut in prestigious awards showcasing business success stories in our region.

Entries have closed for the Federation of Small Businesses' Yorkshire and The Humber 2022 awards, with the shortlist including a host of entrepreneurs in York.

The FSB will announce the winners at a ceremony at the Principal Hotel, York, on Friday, February 25.

At the 2020 Awards, judges crowned 12 businesses of different shapes and sizes from across various sectors of the economy, from self-employed businesses to established larger businesses with up to 250 employees.

A spokesman said: "The standard was fantastic and this year we hope to celebrate even more great businesses."

Carolyn Frank, FSB development manager for York and North Yorkshire, said: “We are so excited to welcome all our finalists and guests together next to month at The Principal.

"This will be a great celebration of the resilience and success of the small business community and one of our first large-scale face to face events for a long time.

"Everyone who entered was a winner, that’s absolutely no cliché this year. In a tremendously difficult trading period, the self-employed have dug in and achieved against all odds and are leading the economic recovery.”

She added: "Our finalists reflect our wide variety of members from sole traders to high-growth and international business and the 12 categories reflect this.

"Winners in York will go on to represent Yorkshire & The Humber in our prestigious national final, flying the flag for our region against the rest of the UK and we are proud of each and every one of them already."

Tracey and Georgia Rae, the mother and daughter duo who launched Rae & Rae Independent Opticians, in Bishopthorpe Road, York, during the pandemic, are contenders in the micro business category.

The Potions Cauldron Ltd, which has just opened the Potions Express at York Railway Station, in addition to its shop in Shambles and Hole in Wand attraction in Coppergate, is in the running for the high growth business title.

Contenders for the self-employed/ sole trader title include York-based Experience Heritage, which brings history to life through innovative digital storytelling; and Little Seed Group, a marketing, PR and social media agency, also based in the city.

Also in the running is Mr B Hospitality, set up by Philip Bolson, former general manager of The Grand, York, to help individuals, SMEs, organisations and developers achieve goals, from starting a business to developing in confidence; along with Sharmini's Inspirational Indian Cuisine, a York-based cookery school set up by Sharmini Thomas.