A Virtual Tour That Wowed the Industry
How do you bring a cutting-edge training facility to people who can’t be there in person?
With a digital experience that feels like the real thing.
That’s what Lincoln Electric, the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, needed when it opened its state-of-the-art Welding Technology & Training Center (WTTC) — and turned to DeanHouston to bring it to life online.
Challenge
Lincoln Electric’s WTTC is a crown jewel of welding education. But with a global audience of aspiring welders and professional instructors, they needed a way to offer access beyond the building.
The goal: create a 24/7, immersive virtual tour that could introduce prospective students, customers and partners to the WTTC — no matter where they were in the world.
Strategy
DeanHouston scouted multiple platforms before recommending Matterport, a leading interactive 3D tool. Then, we got to work.
- ✅ Onsite content capture across classrooms, labs and custom training zones
- ✅ Full Matterport scan for 360-degree tour creation
- ✅ Interactive hotspots embedded with info, photos and callouts
- ✅ Custom landing page experience and tradeshow kiosk integration
The result was a truly immersive virtual walk-through that transported users into the facility from anywhere — phone, tablet, or desktop.
Growth
The WTTC virtual tour made its debut at FABTECH — North America’s largest welding industry trade show — and immediately stole the spotlight.
- 📍 Booth traffic surged as attendees lined up to explore the tour firsthand
- 📍 Tour launched live on Lincoln Electric’s website after the show
- 📍 Social, email and press amplified the experience to a global audience
“We were absolutely bowled over by the virtual tour that DeanHouston produced,” said Sarah Evans, Sales & Marketing Manager, Lincoln Electric Education. “The quality, attention to detail and level of interactivity exceeded our expectations, and the attention and response we’ve received since has been simply outstanding.”
Takeaway
When your facility is a brand differentiator, don’t just describe it — show it off.
Lincoln Electric’s virtual tour didn’t just showcase their investment in innovation. It opened the doors to a wider audience, delivered global visibility and gave their education team a powerful tool to recruit and inspire the next generation of welders.
DeanHouston didn’t just help build the tour. We helped Lincoln Electric build momentum.