As enterprise Metaverse adoption evolves, companies are beginning to experiment with the programs and objectives they can achieve in virtual worlds. At the Economist Impact’s Metaverse Summit 2022, senior business leaders had the opportunity to explore new ideas and then experience the Metaverse for themselves during an innovative hybrid event, held in San Jose, CA and Virbela.
Even if you missed this year’s event, you can still immerse yourself in Virbela’s Open Campus any time. Download Open Campus now to check it out on your own or email sales@virbela.com for a personalized tour.
About Metaverse Summit 2022
Metaverse Summit 2022 gathered international business leaders across roles and industries to define how the Metaverse and other mixed-reality experiences can add social and economic value through organizational efforts. As companies shape their real-world ambitions for the future, the Metaverse and web3 technologies are central to realizing meaningful return on investment.
“Organizations are determining what success looks like in the coming decades. They realize they need to understand the value that already exists in emerging spaces like the Metaverse—and how they can adopt similar approaches for their own markets,” shares Helen Ponsford, Senior Programme Editor and Head of Trade, Technology, Industry Events Programming at The Economist. “By hosting a major portion of our summit in Virbela’s enterprise metaverse, we were able to provide experiential proof of the concepts our panelists shared.”
Metaverse Summit 2022 comprised more than 100 global speakers across more than 60 sessions. Topics included how to accrue brand value, how to meet and exceed user expectations, safety and accessibility, the ability to solve real-world problems, interoperability, the role of touch as a primary sense, empowering developers and investors to support Metaverse evolution, and more.
The New Face of Hybrid Events
Metaverse events are becoming increasingly popular as more people spend time gaming or interacting in other VR/AR platforms. For the Economist’s Metaverse Summit, attendees joined the event in person in San Jose, CA and in the Metaverse in Virbela.
In Virbela, attendees had the freedom to explore a virtual world designed to look and feel like a modern city. Within the virtual world, attendees personalize avatars in order to walk, run, teleport, or enter a subway station to travel to different locations. An outdoor environment connects buildings with paved and natural paths, dotted with rustling trees. Light moves as it does in the real world.
In this environment, attendees were able to mingle freely, network and discuss the event’s insights and takeaways. Conversation feels natural as a result of spatial audio that fades with distance. Private volume areas allow for discussions no one else can hear, letting attendees discuss how learnings might apply at their companies without concern for confidentiality.
Sessions took place in the Virbela Auditorium, a large presentation space with a stage, web boards, administrator volume controls, and theater seating. In the Expo Hall, a trade show-inspired environment featuring corridors lined with booths, nearly a thousand attendees interacted with event sponsors to learn more about the Metaverse, web3, and other technologies.
Events like Metaverse Summit 2022 are gaining traction across all industries. While the in-person connections of the event in San Jose allowed people to experience one kind of environment, the accessibility of Virbela allowed attendees to have a different kind of firsthand experience.
Event planners are turning to hybrid events like this because it allows more people from more places to attend, eliminating many of the expenses that are part of throwing and attending high-value conferences.
Bringing Your Company into the Metaverse
For organizations ready to get started in the Metaverse, Virbela can help. Our experts assist executive, senior, and mid-level staff design events and programs that let you set benchmarks and plan details that work for you. If you’re interested in hosting thought leadership-style conferences, like Metaverse Summit, or want to offer your attendees other formats, our event teams are here to support you all the way. For more information, reach out to sales@virbela.com.
