How Theo Tzia from virtual tour company Biztour is shooting for the moon with tsoHost’s help

On a typical visit to London’s Roundhouse, the air will be dense with sound – from the popping of corks and the hiss of ringpulls in the Circle Bar to the scrunch of chocolate wrappers and audience chatter in the Main Space auditorium.

On Theo Tzia’s visit, however, he could hear a pin drop.

Theo is no stranger to Night at the Museum style experiences. As the owner of virtual tour company Biztour, he’s been in guest free hotels, restaurants, gyms and retail shops.

“We often shoot places when the public aren’t there,” Theo told tsoHost. “Places that should be jam packed. It’s a funny feeling. You experience all these random ambient sounds that you wouldn’t usually hear.”

Theo describes Biztour as a ‘one stop shop’ for 360 degree virtual tours. During the past decade, the company has created virtual tours for more than 500 companies across multiple industries, from estate agents to theatres.

Pictured above: Theo at work

His work has also taken him across the UK, from Glasgow to Devon – one of Theo’s company’s favourite jobs was creating virtual tours of 54 Richer Sounds stores across the country.

Theo has also shot footage for virtual tours in overseas locations like Brazil, Morocco, Italy, Cyprus and Greece.

“It sounds glamourous, but it’s not always, like when you’re waking up at four in the morning so you can get from London to a venue in Manchester for 8am.”

Theo discovered his calling for 360 degree tours at university. During his time studying digital media production at The University of Arts London, he took a bolt on course in panoramic photography and was hooked.

“I gained this love of panoramic photography,” Theo said. “Piecing together 360 images and creating this immersive 360 world is as close to a first person experience as you can get and I knew it could really help businesses showcase what they had to offer and help break down the trust barriers between businesses and members of the public.

“Virtual tours are a powerful tool. I just wanted to get it out there after university.”

Pictured above: an example of Biztour's work

After graduating, Theo and a friend created some virtual tour examples and started going door to door to see if businesses were interested in having one made.

“When I started out virtual tours weren’t very mainstream and it was hard going door to door,” Theo admits.

However, it wasn’t long before interest picked up and Theo’s selection as a Google Trusted Photographer for its Google Business View programme, cemented his position in the virtual tour world.

“They were humble beginnings,” Theo says. “Virtual tours were seen as a luxury. Today, they’re much more of a necessity.”

The power of a virtual tour can be seen in the tour Biztour created for the Roundhouse. Despite being made seven years ago, it’s still used today.

“Customers regularly say that a virtual tour we made years ago is still so helpful today. Our tours range from £500 to £1,500 and if you look at how many visitors those tours have and the level of engagement they have, you get a great return on investment.”

Pictured above: an example of Biztour's work

Today, Theo relies on an in-house team of eight to help him carry out his work. He describes the team as a ‘well-oiled machine’.

Theo also admits that he relies on tsoHost’s services for the smooth running of his business. The entrepreneur started using tsoHost 14 years ago, after a friend recommended the company. Today, he has 39 domains and Webhosting Plus hosting with tsoHost.

“In my field, you need a website that loads fast and performs well,” Theo explains. “Our site loads in under a second.

“The main reason I have never really left tsoHost is because you can get support any time of day and that’s crucial for me as I work late.

“They’re always accommodating, they never make you feel stressed or pressured and they are always able to help. I’ve never had a situation where I have not been happy with tsoHost.”

So what’s next for Theo and his team?

“I like the idea of offering a service for people who can’t travel or have cultural experiences,” Theo reflects. “It might be people in hospital or care homes. I like the idea of giving people access to places they couldn’t usually access like Machu Picchu or the Acropolis.”

For more information about Biztour and its services, visit the Biztour website.

To discover more about the Web Hosting Plus plans that Theo relies on, head to the product pages.