‘An immediate sense of co-presence’: Firms turn to VR as bridge for in-person connections at conferences, events

By Jessica Davies

I’m standing on the ground floor at a conference when I spot a delegate who I wish to talk to on the balcony above. So I press the trigger on my hand controller and a green laser beam instantly flies me to her side.

You can’t do that on a Zoom call. Neither can you teleport yourself from one conference space to another like an intergalactic traveller. One moment I was in a luxurious high-rise meeting space overlooking the coastline of Miami Beach, the next I had zapped myself to a sun-kissed outdoor space to catch a presentation that leaped out of a giant screen in 3D.

These are among the joys of attending a conference in virtual reality. There’s no walking to the venue in the rain, no queuing for a crowded lift, and no missing a keynote because the room was full. More pertinently in a pandemic that has forced conferences from CES to Davos to go digital, VR offers a more engaging experience than the outside-looking-in feel of being one of hundreds of faces in a video link.

After years of largely failing to deliver on its promise, VR’s time might have come. VR is being used in podcast production because it captures “subtleties, gestures and warmth” that are lost in distanced interaction, says Karolina Komarnicka, of The Leadership Network’s The Real Place podcast. The technology is bringing “a sense of material presence” to art installations during lockdown, says Louis Jebb, arts commentator and CEO of VR company Immersivly.

“When you put on a headset you have complete attention,” says Andrew Hawken, CEO of Mesmerise, a technology company which creates conferences in VR. “It’s like physically going to an event, you dedicate time and go, as opposed to vaguely paying attention to a screen while doing your emails or shopping.”

I’m speaking to Hawken’s avatar as he takes me on a virtual tour. It’s like Obi-Wan Kenobi training a Jedi apprentice as we flit around the venue by firing beams at the floor. The intention is not to create an otherworldly experience but “an immediate sense of co-presence,” something that’s missing from the remote working culture of 2021. “VR offers a unique way to be in the same environment together,” he says.

We use our lasers to “snap on” to armchairs, turning to face each other as you would at real life conferences. Spacial audio ensures you only hear voices of delegates nearby. Avatars come with names so that delegates can connect with people they know but also make new contacts, including sponsors and speakers.

Early in the pandemic, Mesmerise produced a VR-based investment conference for Morningstar, the financial services giant. It replicated the McCormick Place Convention Center in Morningstar’s hometown, Chicago, and delegates were able to take part in “Morningstar Sustainable City”, a VR game that demonstrated the impact of ethical investment choices on the world around them.

“We noticed attendees were highly engaged and appreciated the added flexibility VR gave them when it came to choosing which talks and presentations to attend,” …read more

Source:: Digiday