Rob has been hard at work improving the user interface of this system so it will be even easier for clients to work with and will underpin our tablet tours, interactive touchscreen exhibits and other products. We’ll make a full announcement when it’s ready to go.

But why choose this option over the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) approach? After all, if you rely on visitors to bring their own phones or tablets to view your interactive content that saves on the cost of providing equipment.

One reason to choose the tablet tour is that you control the platform that the content is viewed on and thus the quality of the visitor’s experience. If you rely on visitors to bring their own device, you are then obliged to create content that will display clearly on any device they might bring, whether IoS, Android or Windows based – and that’s where costs of development can start to mount up.

There is also some anecdotal evidence that the public can be resistant to using their own devices in this kind of setting. They are concerned about running down their battery and using up their data allowance. In family groups, there is often a reluctance to encourage children to have their eyes fixed to their own phone during a family day out.

So we’re not surprised to find clients preferring to offer their visitors a smoother, more reliable interactive experience that they are more likely to take up.

If the room has an imposing fireplace that is otherwise unused, this can be the ideal spot to create that impact without intruding on the integrity of the rest of the space.

We have created digital fireplaces at Caerphilly and Conwy Castles – although there is no reason why this technique couldn’t be used in palaces, stately homes and other historic buildings too.

At Caerphilly, the digital fire adds a sense of warmth to the Great Hall, also using music and images to convey the sense of celebration that the hall would often see, and telling stories from the castle’s history.

The digital fireplace system can be installed easily – all that is needed is a power socket and a chimney. Our bespoke expansion mount system is designed to be installed in listed buildings with no permanent fixing required which means that this imaginative way of interpreting the spirit of place is an opportunity for any historic building.

We enjoyed developing a photo system for The World of Beatrix Potter at Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District. A visit to Mr McGregor’s Potting Shed gives visitors the chance for a photo opportunity. They can choose for their photo to be incorporated into a selection of cute-as-a-button scenes with Mrs Tiggywinkle, Peter Rabbit or Jemima Puddleduck and have their personalised photo printed on their choice of souvenir items. It’s a great way to provide a richer family memory of the visit and to create some of that valuable secondary spend.

We worked closely with the electrical, fit-out and theming teams to make sure everything fitted together and worked smoothly. The components are easy to remove and replace to ensure ease of operation and maintenance – and minimum downtime for this revenue-generating system.