ESD ILNY Tour 2022
A statewide interactive tour reimagining New York travel through RFID and AR storytelling.
In 2022, the Empire State Development (ESD) launched the “I LOVE NEW YORK” (ILNY) Tour - an interactive mobile experience traveling across all ten vacation regions of New York State; to reignite New York’s spirit of discovery through a statewide mobile experience that turned travel inspiration into interaction.
STRATEGY
We built the ILNY Tour around three core experience pillars:
Discover – Invite curiosity through design zones themed by region.
Engage – Use interactive technologies (RFID, AR) to unlock hidden content and regional “gems.”
Extend – Encourage ongoing exploration via digital follow-ups that let visitors continue their journey beyond the truck.
The digital roadmap led by me to ensured technology amplified storytelling, not replaced it. RFID badges let guests personalize their tour, while AR layers transformed static displays into animated travel stories.
EXECUTION:
Each stop on the tour was an evolving showcase of regional pride:
Exterior design: A dynamic wrap featuring ILNY’s visual identity and regional imagery, optimized for high-visibility outdoor settings.
Interactive zones: Visitors could scan RFID tags to trigger content such as local trivia, travel itineraries, or short AR scenes, each tied to a region’s culture.
Weather-proof build: Mobile unit engineered to withstand varied climates across the state’s summer season.
Content diversity: Artifacts, digital displays, and soundscapes specific to the Adirondacks, Catskills, Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, and more.
Operational logistics: The tour traversed all ten official vacation regions, coordinated through ESD’s approvals and multi-city scheduling.
