Leicester Cathedral brings its story to life with first audio tour
Imagineear is proud to announce the launch of Leicester Cathedral’s first ever audio guide.
Located in the heart of the city, Leicester Cathedral is best known as the final resting place of King Richard III, whose remains were reinterred in the Cathedral’s nave in 2015. The audio guides are delivered on 50 Mirage™ devices, with a specialist audio descriptive tour for blind and partially sighted visitors on 5 Piccolo™ devices.
The guide was introduced as part of Leicester Cathedral’s reopening after a 22-month restoration and the construction of a new Heritage & Learning Centre. Following a competitive tender process, Imagineear was appointed to produce the Cathedral’s first audio guide. The Cathedral team viewed it as a key addition to the refreshed visitor offer, complementing the new facilities and interpretation on site. The tour highlights include the Tomb of King Richard III, the Redemption Windows and other stained glass inspired by the Arts and Craft movement as well as the story of the Cathedral and its architectural features.
Imagineear worked closely with the Cathedral to develop the content, blending a newly written script with expert interviews, historical insights, and original music composed and performed for Richard III’s reinterment service. A local voice narrates the tour, adding authenticity and a strong connection to the Cathedral’s story and its role as a centre of worship and community life.
The Very Revd Karen Rooms, Dean of Leicester, said “We are delighted to have worked with Imagineear on our new audio guide, giving visitors an engaging and personal experience as they visit and hear the stories of Leicester.”
As Leicester Cathedral begins its next chapter, Imagineear is delighted to help bring its heritage to life for current and future visitors.
Discover the stories of Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium
The Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, built for the 1928 Summer Games – the only time the Olympics were held in the Netherlands – has long been a landmark of sporting and architectural history.
Now, visitors can experience its rich heritage in a brand-new way with the Imagineear multimedia tour, which combines storytelling, quizzes, video clips, and archival photographs to bring nearly a century of history to life.
The tour begins just outside the stadium walls, overlooking Stadionplein, before turning to the 46-meter-tall Marathon Tower, a striking symbol of modern Amsterdam in the 1920s. It was here that, for the first time, the Olympic flame burned continuously throughout the Games, a tradition that continues to this day.
Visitors learn about architect Jan Wils and his vision for the stadium, a design that blends harmoniously with its surroundings, as well as the story behind Amsterdam’s successful Olympic bid. As we walk inside the stadium grounds, the tour dives into the 1928 Games themselves, which drew nearly 670,000 paying spectators. These Games also marked a milestone in women’s participation in gymnastics and athletics, with 274 women competing from across the globe.
After the Olympics, the stadium quickly became a hub for Dutch sport. From 1930 to 1996, it served as Ajax football club’s main venue for many of their matches, it is where Johan Cruijff played some of his most memorable matches. That legacy remains alive today — the roofed interior sections of the stadium have since been converted into offices, one of which now houses the Johan Cruijff Foundation.
But the story doesn’t end there. Over the decades, the stadium has hosted countless sports and cultural events. Highlights include the start of the Tour de France in Amsterdam in 1954 (the first time it began outside of France), 77 international matches of the Dutch national football team, and concerts, like performances by Leonard Cohen. The tour also shares the complex and sometimes difficult chapters of the stadium’s past, including hidden spaces used by Dutch citizens avoiding forced labor during World War II and the commemoration of the four female Jewish gymnasts from 1928 who were tragically murdered during WW2. Today, the stadium continues to support athletes, including local clubs, the HERA women’s football team, and Olympic champions, while embracing sustainability and inclusivity.
As Rifka Boot, Communication Manager at the stadium, explains: “The multimedia tour offers a wonderful glimpse into the rich history of our stadium. With a touch of humor along the way, you’ll not only experience the highlights but also discover surprising facts and stories you probably didn’t know before.”
With the slogan “A Playground for Progress”, the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium continues to inspire visitors, blending sporting history and culture. Thanks to Imagineear’s multimedia tour, everyone can now step inside this living piece of history and experience its stories firsthand.
Inside Grayson Perry’s powerful “Delusions of Grandeur” at the Wallace Collection
On the occasion of Grayson Perry’s 65th birthday, the Wallace Collection unveiled Delusions of Grandeur – its largest and most ambitious contemporary exhibition to date.
This temporary show is a rich and provocative testament to Perry’s imagination, blending satire, auto-biography, and a deep engagement with history and craft.
At the centre of the exhibition is Shirley Smith, a fictional, impoverished artist from London’s East End. A survivor of trauma and mental illness, Shirley serves as Perry’s invented counterpart and a vessel for exploring layered themes of identity, class, biography, and emotional resilience. The exhibition, Perry explains, is a kind of portal “where there are shifting layers of authenticity, of history, biography and mental health.” His invitation to visitors is simple but profound: “Give yourself up, and you will enjoy it all the more”.
The exhibition spans a wide range of media; including tapestries, ceramics, silverwork, furniture, prints, and even a duvet cover. The works are often direct responses to pieces in the Wallace Collection itself. Fragonard’s famous The Swing, for example, is reimagined as a bold neon tapestry entitled Fascist Swing, stripped of its male figures and brimming with political and cultural commentary.
To bring Grayson Perry’s immersive vision to life, the Wallace Collection collaborated once again with Imagineear, its trusted partner in audio tour experiences. Using Imagineear’s robust Mirage™ device, the audio tour offers visitors a compelling and deeply personal way to engage with Perry’s work.
Having previously created audio tours for some of his earlier exhibitions, Perry was keen to do the same for Delusions of Grandeur. From the outset, the process was highly collaborative. Imagineear offered guidance to Perry and the Wallace Collection team on structure, how long the tour should be, how many stops to include, what kind of imagery to use, and how to shape the visitor experience. Together, they developed a set of questions that would guide the narrative.
The resulting audio guide is unlike any other. Perry is unscripted, spontaneous, and unfiltered, his voice leading visitors through the exhibition with the same wit, vulnerability, and insight found in his artworks. “This is the most personal tour we’ve ever worked on,” says Will Penswick, Project Manager at Imagineear, “and, in many ways, the most ambitious in terms of audio storytelling’’.
So how was this intimate tone achieved? The audio began as a recorded conversation between Grayson Perry and Dr Xavier Bray, Director of The Wallace Collection. In post-production, the team at Imagineear carefully edited the dialogue, reshaping it into a seamless monologue. The effect is one of Perry speaking directly to each visitor – an experience that feels natural, fluid, and deeply human.
While Perry’s voice is the primary guide, the audio tour introduces another character at key moments: Shirley Smith herself. Perry, though her creator, felt it wouldn’t be authentic to voice Shirley. He envisioned how she would sound – grounded in her imagined history and background. Imagineear then sourced a voice actress who could embody her fully. A recording session was arranged, and Shirley was brought vividly to life.
The audio experience is not just an addition to the exhibition – it’s integral to it. It doesn’t aim to be technically exhaustive or universally translatable. Instead, it tells a story with emotional honesty and creative daring. As Will puts it, “When you have an exhibition like Sir Grayson’s there is no need to embellish the work. You just help make space for their voice to be heard.’’
A fresh new look for Arsenal!
Arsenal Football Club, a long-standing client of Imagineear, are continuing to welcome record-breaking visitor numbers from all over the world to their iconic grounds in London, the Arsenal Emirates Stadium.
The Emirates Stadium Tour is a popular attraction for international and domestic visitors. Fans connect with their incredible stadium, favourite players and match-day experiences through the drama and excitement of the players’ tunnel, changing rooms, stands and the press conference room.
In the latest evolution of the Club’s multimedia offering, Imagineear have produced a brand new digital tour which reflects the sophisticated stadium technology and modern spirit of the Club. The new tour brings to life the stories and fascinating history of this much-loved and historic football team.
Delivered on Imagineear’s MPTi™ device, the new multimedia guide features an elegant and sleek design in line with the Club’s beautiful new branding whilst being jam-packed with engaging interactive features and games for all visitors.
Written and produced by Imagineear, highlights include: 360 videos and photography, player interviews, quizzes, puzzles and design your own kit games. Where’s Gunnersaurus? is a particular highlight featuring the Club’s beloved mascot!
The new tour is available in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese and includes a British Sign Language option for increased accessibility.
‘We are absolutely delighted with the new update on our Imagineear devices here at Emirates Stadium Tour & Museum!’ said Megan Lloyd-Jones, Tour and Museum Operations Manager at Arsenal Football Club. ‘Through the modernized design, thoughtfully crafted script, and brand new interactives, the devices truly bring the story of the club to life! It is a delight to witness supporters of all generations and from all over the world engaging with the new content, bringing them closer to the club.’
The Arsenal Stadium Tours operate 7 days a week throughout the year: Stadium Tour – Arsenal Emirates Stadium Tours | Arsenal Direct.
The Titanic arrives in Seattle…and Brisbane!
As the hugely successful Titanic. The Exhibition continues its journey around the world, Imagineear is proud to continue providing audioguide devices to its visitors.
Curated by Claes-Göran Wetterholm, the exhibition features carefully selected artefacts and personal stories that best convey the philosophy behind the display: fostering empathy and a sense of connection with all those aboard the ill-fated ship.
Imagineear has partnered with Musealia throughout the exhibition’s travels across Europe and America, and will continue to provide its audioguide devices as the exhibition arrives in Seattle.
One visitor, Leonardo T. said, ‘Great setting, full of original items from the passengers and crew. Audio is precise and full of information as well as curiosities. Definitely worth seeing.’
In addition, Titanic. The Human Story, recently opened in Brisbane, Australia, the first city to host the exhibition in Australia, which has already sold over 60,000 tickets in just a few weeks. ‘By focusing on the human aspect of the Titanic’s legacy, this exhibition introduces a fresh narrative that sheds light on previously untold stories of the Titanic’s passengers and crew’ said Luis Ferreiro, Director of Musealia.
This revamped version of Titanic. The Exhibition, has been in development for the past three years. Imagineear is supplying 600 handheld Mirage™ devices, 3 Audio Visual Sync stops, and an Imagineear Web App, enabling visitors to access the audio content on their own smartphones.
Imagineear’s partnership with the Rijksmuseum continues
Imagineear is proud to count the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, as a client and this long-standing partnership has grown substantially with the delivery of 900 of Imagineear’s Maestro™ multimedia guide devices, bringing the total to 1,200 devices on-site.
The Maestro™ is Imagineear’s most sophisticated handheld multimedia device delivering high-impact, immersive visitor experiences. Beautifully designed, packed with innovative features and robustly engineered for high-volume, all-day operations, the Maestro™ also features an HD quality 5.5” touchscreen for speedily delivering crystal clear content.
The Rijksmuseum tour, delivered on the Maestro™, includes a rich variety of thematic audio and multimedia tours, as well as a highlights tour in 11 different languages, showcasing many of its 8,000 artworks, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and van Gogh.
“The Rijksmuseum is one of Imagineear’s most prestigious clients”, says Eleonore Heijboer, Imagineear’s MD Europe. “We are extremely proud that Imagineear’s Maestro™ devices, our newest and most advanced hardware, are now available to visitors using the great Rijksmuseum app.”
The Rijksmuseum’s current temporary exhibition, Frans Hals, Way ahead of his Time, is one that we highly recommend visiting. Be sure to experience the multimedia guide and try out the Maestro™ as you enjoy Hals’ unparalleled masterpieces as well as the rest of the galleries.
Imagineear adds prestigious American institution, The Peabody Essex Museum, to its American portfolio
Our American client list continues to grow and we are excited to now include The Peabody Essex Museum in our portfolio.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the United States. Its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as well as twenty-two historic buildings.
The Peabody Essex Museum chose Imagineear as successor to their previous audio guide provider, recognising our professionalism and ability to implement and deliver outstanding services and technical support, remotely.
Audio content is delivered to visitors via our intuitive Imagineear Web App (IWA) solution to their own smartphones or, alternatively, via our robust and reliable on-site device, the Mirage™.
Content is available in both English and Mandarin.
