"Virtually redefined occasions and digital realms emerge"
Last night, a hundred folks—VR/AR aficionados, curious tech geeks, and passionate specialists alike—piled into our digital hub, World. Over two months since the virtual version of the annual shindig, these digital-only our World Days were a chance to reflect on the virtual journey we've been on these past weeks.
Rising from the ashes: the phoenix reborn
The excitement of discovering the digital realm was long gone, replaced by the warmth of reunion. Our World has become a familiar haunt for many, and since the digital event in April, many have taken to this digital space to keep exchanging, sharing, and meeting. Two months on, the digital world created in VirBELA has come alive with meaning thanks to gatherings like these our World Days. Packed with insights, these events continue to fuel the exploration of these new digital realms.
Laurent Chrétien, our CEO, set the tone in his opening address: "Welcome home!" The mission at our World was to make online virtuality not just a temporary solution, but a lasting and personally owned reality. He spoke of the rebirth of a phoenix through the rise of digital realms. The pandemic forced us to find new ways to work, connect, and organize events. As the world saw a return to normalcy, it became clear that these virtual solutions had a place in our future. Some, like telecommuting, even seemed to offer sustainable ways to preserve the planet. But how do we keep using these digital realms without burning out? How can we embrace new technologies in a way that's respectful yet accessible to all?
A world of infinite possibilities
The success of virtual gatherings
Months before, the idea of hosting conferences and meetings in a completely digital world would have seemed absurd. In-person was the way to go! But now, the realm of virtual and augmented reality has embraced these alternatives and seen the benefits. Othman Chiheb, Product Marketing Manager for HoloLens Microsoft, discussed the Microsoft Area within our World.
The Microsoft Area was a dedicated space during the our World, constructed in a mere five days after Microsoft pledged its support for the digital event: "Microsoft has a long-standing relationship with our physical event." Microsoft teams didn't hesitate a moment in pledging their support for our digital World, sensing the importance of urging such initiatives.
The enthusiasm was equally strong among Microsoft partners and speakers handpicked for the three-day digital soiree: "Our partners were thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking event." The quality of the program was built in just 24 hours, leading to a stellar success. Attendance ranged from 70 to 100 people, dwarfing the numbers of physical events: "Over 3,200 avatars flocked to the Microsoft Area on the first day," reports Othman Chiheb, "and 460 during Mark Day’s keynote."
Bridging the gaps within the XR community
Othman Chiheb already saw the benefits of a digital event, most notably the substantial cost savings compared to physical events. He also explained that our World helped forge stronger bonds between Microsoft customers. The same went for Andrey Lunev, Community Activist for XR Crowd. In his lecture, he detailed how the XR community stayed connected during the quarantine. Digital realms provided a vital lifeline.
Andrey Lunev started by recounting how, in March 2020, he had looked forward to more events, only to see them all canceling. To keep the XR community connected, virtual reality—the heart of its universe—seemed the logical choice. #ZeroEvent was born: "it's a weekly gathering of the community." The goal was to keep the conversation going, but it also afforded an opportunity to test digital platforms: "We all wanted to explore the social interactions, and the only way to do that was to meet in VR and try out the platforms." Many platforms were tested: Engage, VirBELA, VR Chat, AltspaceVR, Rumii, Glue Collaboration.
It was these virtual meetups and testing sessions that eventually led to the choice of VirBELA for our digital event. They also helped to grow the bond between all players, especially between our World and XR Crowd. Digital realms weren't just helping the XR community stay connected during isolation—they also spawned new content and studies.
Building, enhancing, and ensuring the success of these digital realms
A shining example of online platform: the story of VirBELA
Once the initial excitement of exploring digital realms and their boundless possibilities had worn off, it was essential to ask the question: how can we improve these existing digital realms in line with current demands? What features matter most? These are the questions on the mind of Alex Howland, the founder of VirBELA. He created the platform in 2012 while studying at graduate school. He participated in a competition to find the best way to improve educational outcomes. This is when he pitched the idea of using digital realms to bring people together from all over the world, to learn with a fun tool, and to foster interaction in a globalized economy.
Today, VirBELA has expanded from 20 employees to 75 over the last three months to meet the growing demand. Various sectors are interested in VirBELA, with the platform welcoming religious groups, support groups, consulting firms, and more. Hosting our World demonstrated its ability to organize international-scale events, allowing it to test and consider improvements for the future.
Several ideas swirl through Alex Howland's mind. He sees vast potential in the event space, remote work, and education. The emphasis for VirBELA, however, will be on keeping accessibility a priority. Efforts will be made to enhance the virtual reality experience, such as by improving the presentation and screen management experience. Plans also include integrating webcam sharing, so you can see the folks around you during small-group discussions.
A myriad of digital reality platforms to discover
Since 2014, Kent Bye has attended nearly 100 conferences and gatherings. When they started moving online, he was there too. He compared online events to their physical counterparts, and then asked the crucial question: what else does virtuality offer? What could it improve to make this virtual experience as engaging as reality?
A digital realm allows users to traverse a space, unlike an online conference where participants are essentially confined to a single location. In a digital realm, you can interact with others, hold small-group discussions, and make connections—almost as if you're really there. But the conversation can be a challenge, with Kent Bye pointing out the lack of private zones within VirBELA. He suggests introducing "lurking areas" around private conversation spaces, providing a buffer for potential interruptions and allowing users to understand the conversation's topic before joining.
This discussion centered on improvements continued during the panel, including Kent Bye, Asha Easton from Immerse UK, Liudmila Bredikhina from the University of Geneva, and Lorelle Vanfossen from Educators in VR. The challenge of social interactions in the virtual realm was a common theme. According to Lorelle Vanfossen, "a digital event requires space and breathing room, just like its physical counterpart." Meeting spaces are vital for an event, digital or physical, emphasizing the need to schedule time for networking and exchanges.
Digital realms and events thus have a promising future, but many aspects still require improvement to make the virtual experience as rewarding as reality. But these meetings were a ray of hope to reconnect with fellow members of the XR community, who are now eager to dive deep into every corner of the digital realm.
Digital realms: onwards and upwards
But then, how do we keep exploring these digital realms as we gradually return to the physical world? Valentin Régnier, Community Relations Manager at our World, shared his ambition to inspire meetings, collaborations, ventures, and projects, both in reality and the virtual realm. Digital realms are increasingly becoming an interesting tool to forge business opportunities by connecting people and sharing resources. This is why our World will remain accessible to companies, artists, researchers, scientists, and students who wish to continue learning and exchanging. Access will be granted via a membership, offering access to virtual meeting rooms, exclusive VR/AR content, and a vast directory focused on immersive technologies.
The surprises didn't end there, as Laurent Chrétien revealed plans for a new digital hub: the our World Congress Center. It will host numerous external digital events in the coming months, with June and July already jam-packed with bookings, according to the our World CEO. Additionally, our World announced a partnership with XR Latam to share the our World concept with Latin America: see you in 2021 for the Colombian exhibition!
Finally, and to build on the success of our World, Benjamin de Wit of VR Days announced the virtualization of the event co-organized by our World. "If people can't come to VR Days, VR Days will come to the people. We aim to host the most immersive event of 2020!" The program includes an online marathon of conferences, a virtual exhibition space, an immersive investment market, and a Church of Creation entirely within the digital realm. The aim is clear: "We're bringing XR to the masses!" An important challenge for virtuality to live up to.
Watch the conferences in replay
Additional Insights:
To ensure sustainable digital exploration while preserving accessibility and avoiding technological burnout, follow these best practices:
Best Practices for Stepping Up the Digital Game
1. Environmental Sustainability
- Green Technologies: Use eco-friendly technologies and infrastructure like green hosting services and energy-efficient data centers[3][4].
- Optimize Resources: Minimize high-bandwidth resources like videos and optimize images to reduce energy consumption[1].
2. Digital Accessibility
- Inclusive Design: Ensure the accessibility of digital realms for all users, regardless of their abilities, by adhering to accessibility guidelines like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)[3].
- Broadband Availability: Advocate for universal broadband access to make sure everyone can participate in the digital landscape[4].
3. Innovation and Growth
- Continuous Innovation: Encourage ongoing research and development to improve the digital experience, while fostering collaboration to tackle emerging challenges.
4. Social Equity and Inclusion
- Equitable Access: Advocate for equal access to digital experiences for all demographic groups, promoting diversity, and inclusion.
- Community Engagement: Listen to diverse communities to understand their digital preferences, ensuring digital realms remain relevant and beneficial to all.
5. Technological Efficiency
- Cloud and Remote Technologies: Embrace cloud-based and remote technologies to minimize resource usage and improve efficiency, similar to practices in broadcast production[5].
- Automated Monitoring: Implement automated monitoring systems to optimize server and resource usage, cutting waste and improving sustainability[5].
By focusing on these areas, we can strike a balance between sustainable innovation and social equity, creating more engaging and accessible digital realms.
- Engaging with the phoenix rebirth of digital realms, Laurent Chrétien, our CEO, raised the question: "How do we keep using these digital realms without burning out?"
- To ensure a sustainable digital journey, it's important to seek out best practices that balance environmental sustainability, digital accessibility, innovation and growth, social equity and inclusion, and technological efficiency.
