Virtual Open House
Interactive open days where visitors walk around, explore departments, and talk to your team
A prospective student logs into your university's virtual open house. Instead of watching a pre-recorded webinar, she walks her avatar into a virtual campus. She visits the engineering department where a professor is chatting with two other visitors. She walks up, listens to their conversation about the robotics lab, and asks a question. Then she heads to the student life area where current students are hanging out, ready to answer questions.
That's what an open house feels like on Flat.social. Visitors don't just watch a presentation. They explore your space, meet your people, and have real conversations through spatial audio. Whether you're a university, a school, or a company hosting an open day for recruits, the format creates the kind of personal connections that a Zoom webinar never will.
Explore Departments Freely
Visitors walk between department zones, meeting staff and discovering programs at their own pace.
What is a virtual open house?
A virtual open house is an online event where an organization opens its doors to prospective students, recruits, clients, or community members. Visitors explore different areas, meet staff, attend presentations, and ask questions, all remotely. The best virtual open houses let visitors move freely and talk to people naturally rather than watching a one-way broadcast.
Why Host Your Virtual Open House on Flat.social
Meet Staff Face-to-Face
Visitors walk up to staff in department zones and start conversations naturally through proximity audio.
How to Host a Virtual Open House on Flat.social
- 1Map out your departments
Create a flat with rooms for each department, program, or area you want to showcase. A university might have: Welcome Hall, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Student Life, and Admissions. A company might have: Lobby, Product Team, Culture, and Q&A.
- 2Design each space
Use build mode to customize rooms. Place billboards with department info, photos, and links to applications or resources. Add NPC characters that display descriptions when clicked. Create audio isolation zones for different conversation areas.
- 3Brief your staff
Assign team members to stand in their department zones during the event. They'll chat with visitors who walk up. Create custom roles so staff can use build mode while visitors have view-only access.
- 4Promote and open doors
Share the open house link through email, social media, or your website. Enable guest access for easy entry. On event day, open with a welcome presentation in a Conference room, then guide visitors to explore.
- 5Facilitate connections
Run speed networking sessions to match visitors with staff for 1-on-1 chats. Place "Ask Me Anything" zones where department heads answer questions. Let visitors wander freely between sessions.
Open Your Doors to the World
Create an open house where visitors explore, meet your people, and ask questions in real time. Free to start.
Virtual Open House Scenarios
Three ways organizations use Flat.social for open days.
Faculty rooms with student ambassadors and admissions speed networking
Personal Conversations That Convert
Prospective students and recruits have real conversations with your team, creating the personal connections that drive enrollment and hiring.
Tips for Open House Organizers
A great virtual open house makes visitors feel welcome and informed. Here's how:
1. Staff every zone. An empty room with billboards is a brochure. A room with real people is an open house. Make sure at least one person is in every department zone during the event.
2. Use NPC guides at entrances. Place an NPC character at the entrance to each room with a brief description: "Welcome to Engineering. Walk up to any faculty member to ask questions." It orients visitors immediately.
3. Start with a welcome session. Use a virtual conference platform style Conference room for a 15-minute welcome talk. Then release visitors to explore. This gives structure without being rigid.
4. Run speed networking for high-value connections. Match prospective students with admissions counselors, or job candidates with hiring managers. The timed format keeps things moving and ensures everyone gets face time.
5. Keep the space open after the event. Leave the room accessible for a few hours (or days) so visitors can come back and explore at their own pace. The NPC guides and billboards work without staff.
Self-Guided Campus Tour
NPC guides and billboards provide information at every stop, so visitors can explore the full campus even outside live event hours.
Tips for Visitors
Attending a virtual open house on Flat.social for the first time? Here's how to make the most of it:
Explore everything. Use WASD to walk your avatar around. Visit every room, click every NPC, read the billboards. Treat it like walking through a real campus or office.
Talk to people. If someone is standing in a department zone, walk up to them. Spatial audio means the conversation starts naturally. Don't be shy. They're there to answer your questions.
Join the speed networking. If the organizer offers it, sign up. A 5-minute 1-on-1 with an admissions counselor or hiring manager is worth more than an hour of browsing.
Come back later. Many organizers leave the space open after the event. If you missed a department or want to revisit, just click the link again.
Virtual Open House FAQ
Explore More Use Cases
Create Your Virtual Open House
Give visitors a space to explore, people to meet, and questions to ask. Build your open house venue today. Free to start.