Introducing Pladia

Pladia
4 min readSep 13, 2024

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A platform for the visitor attraction sector

Pladia is a product suite designed to revolutionize visitor experiences by seamlessly blending physical and digital spaces. Our innovative platform enables cultural organizations to build, guide, manage, and improve on-site visitor experiences, to create engaging and personalized encounters for diverse audiences.

Our mission is to empower our community to craft creative and accessible visitor experiences that leave lasting impressions and ensure long-term success. Built on rigorous research and extensive prototyping, Pladia offers a unified platform of premium software products.

After a decade in the making, our platform is now available to institutions seeking to transform the way visitors explore and interact.

Where we came from

Pladia originated from Art Processors, leaders in experience design and creative technology. Art Processors created The O, the world’s first location-aware museum guide at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania.

“It was immediately clear we had something special — The O had over 95% uptake. Replacing traditional wall labels created a democratic experience for visitors, or as David describes, ‘No viewpoint privileged.’”

Nic Whyte, Co-founder, Pladia

David Walsh, Mona’s founder, describes the impact of The O:

“You can keep finding pathways that are revealed by this extremely flexible technology that enables everyone to have a fully guided experience — or no guided experience — to have the experience that they want to have, and it’s almost invisible that their experience is being created for them.”

After years of incubation within Art Processors and leveraging over a decade of expertise, Pladia is launching as a standalone business. This separation allows Art Processors to focus on providing white-glove service, leveraging their extensive expertise to deliver customized experiences and technical support. Meanwhile, Pladia can dedicate its efforts exclusively to scalable product development, building and refining innovative products with a robust customer experience.

Our founding philosophies remain core to our offering. Pladia Empower embodies flexibility and user-driven experiences. Event Sync offers unlimited range and scalability for audiences of cultural festivals and events.

Where we are today

Pladia Empower

“Early adopters have hit the ground running, implementing our products in a matter of days. We’ve had an extraordinary response, and we remain committed to continuous learning and staying at the forefront of our industry.”

— Andi Mastrosavas, CEO, Pladia

No cultural center is the same, and our scalable, modular products harmonize with spaces of any shape or size. Our diverse customer base highlights our solutions’ versatility and adaptability.

“With a foundation in ‘visitor-centered design,’ our products excel by adapting to the unique interests, preferences, and needs of every visitor. There’s no one-size-fits-all here.”

Anna Nicholson, Head of Product & Design

This philosophy is evident in our products’ user experience from the moment of uptake. Our products are designed primarily for the web. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are browser-based and don’t require a visit to the app store, making them more accessible and user-friendly, ultimately driving greater adoption and satisfaction.

Reducing friction is essential to keep visitors engaged. Pladia’s engineers, with deep roots in the cultural sector, have designed our experiences to adapt seamlessly to challenges like unstable network connectivity and sprawling layouts.

“We want the experience to be front-and-center, not the tech. We know that many museums face technical challenges with reliable cellular and WiFi connectivity, and so we’ve designed Pladia to continue to work in these environments. PWA features, preloading content and offline operation ensure the experience follows the user to every corner of the venue.”

Danielle Madeley, Principal Engineer

Where we’re going

Collaboration is at our core. Our customers’ expertise in their visitors, collections, and spaces is crucial to keeping our products cutting-edge. Customer feedback is driving ongoing improvement through regular discovery and agile development.

“Our product development process is anchored in customer feedback. By maintaining an ongoing dialogue, we ensure our roadmap reflects and anticipates their needs, leading to premium experiences for customers and visitors alike.”

Andi Mastrosavas, CEO, Pladia

One of the key advantages of choosing a product over a custom solution is the continuous updates and addition of new features.

“We’ve got some exciting features in our roadmap. Sticking to our roots in navigation, our patent-pending, beacon-free algorithm delivers wayfinding in an entirely new way. And while we’re careful not to chase trends, we are exploring AI-powered features. Stay tuned.”

Anna Nicholson, Head of Product & Design

We’re seeking institutions in the United States and Australia with a strong appetite for innovation, willing to test and learn with us. If you’re ready to build a better digital experience, we’re eager to meet you.

Browse our offerings and book a demo at: https://bit.ly/3zhBvJi

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Pladia

Pladia is a software suite designed to revolutionize visitor experiences by seamlessly blending physical and digital spaces.