The Metaverse is coming. It’s not a matter of if, but when. As the event industry looks for higher quality, immersive, and engaging event experiences that connect people, the Metaverse could be the answer. It has the potential to be the bridge that combines in-person and online programming to build engaging communities, connections, and learning experiences.
The metaverse is a collective virtual open space that employs virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) combined with cross-platform digital avatars to create 3D spaces where people can interact. It is the next level of internet interactivity that has potential to create experiences where people engage in ways well beyond what we’re capable of today.
Event planners must not underestimate the potential of the Metaverse to better engage customers, employees, and event attendees in ways never seen before.
Events and the Metaverse: We’re Not There Yet
There is no question the Metaverse is in its infancy. Adrian Segar, Founder, Conferences that Work and frequent commentator on event technology, said, “I have yet to see something plausible. There are a lot of sparse use cases and hype, but the technology is still far from practical implementation.”
While Metaverse technology is more of a concept than reality, it has not stopped companies from betting on its future.
- Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms and investing $10B to acquire and develop software and hardware
- Sony invested $2B in Epic Games to build a Metaverse
- Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, a video game developer for $70B to build and transition the Metaverse
- Nvidea, a leading GPU developer is focusing on building tools and providing resources to Metaverse developers
- Unity Software bought Weta Digital for $1.5B to focus on Metaverse
- Apple, with1.8 billion users, is investing $25B in multiple new products, and according to Apple CEO, Tim Cook, plans to “Spend accordingly” in the future
Segar is right, of course. It is still a long way from being a tested, accepted technology. With so much corporate investment over the next few years, we will reach the tipping point where this technology will evolve, use cases will increase, and the Metaverse will become part of in-person and online events. We’re not there yet, but if engagement is the overall goal of any event, the metaverse offers promise.
On the Edge of Transformational Shift
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that it is going to take years to build a “functioning Metaverse.” He said at the Southwest Festival that “it will be one of the most interesting challenges of the next decade.”
In time, the Metaverse will be a game changer for events and planners must become early adopters of this technology. It has potential to be the solution for better programming, content delivery, engagement, and learning. The more engaged the attendee, the more they will take away and continue using.
Bill Gates wrote in his end-of-year blog, “Within the next two or three years, I predict most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera image grids—which I call the Hollywood Squares model, although I know that probably dates me—to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars.”
Change Is Coming – and Adoption Will Be Rapid
According to a Gartner survey, by 2026, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the Metaverse for work, education, entertainment, social media, and work. The Metaverse adoption rate will move quickly and be adopted faster than the acceptance of the internet, mobile phones, and tablets. If the technology develops as predicted, the Metaverse will disrupt and redefine the event space.
We’re on the edge of a transformational shift in which the Metaverse will play a larger role. Will Curran, Chief Event Einstein of Endless Events believes the Metaverse is part of the world’s shift to Web3. Curran agrees that the Metaverse will change the way we do things. “We’re entering the third phase of the internet where data, currency and engagement are managed much differently. I see how the Metaverse could be part of Web3.” Curran describes the different stages as:
- Web1 was a very static internet where no changes could be made. Think the old AOL
- Web2 was where people contribute on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and other web services
- Web3 is a decentralized internet
- Data is free to move with its owner producing a persona that you take everywhere as easily as copying and pasting profiles from one social network to another
- Cryptocurrency through the Blockchain will be accepted.
- People will be more engaged than ever before using technology like the Metaverse
Today, platforms do allow you to use virtual identities, avatars, and inventories tied to just one platform, but in the future, you will not be tied to just one. People will be able to share their profiles across many platforms.
“The mobile phone is a modern distractor at events.” Curran adds. “I take polls, ask questions, and interact in chat rooms using my phone. In the future we will take these distractions off our phone and put in our actual vision through glasses. Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and others are investing in AR glasses that will eventually change the way we engage and interact at meetings and events.” This is the Metaverse.
Find Ways to Make the Metaverse Work for Your Attendees
Whatever elements of the Metaverse you eventually incorporate into your events, they should be ones which augment experiences. This means understanding your customer, knowing what information and experiences are important, and how they like to learn, engage, and immerse.
The Metaverse can be beneficial. However, if it’s unnecessary or overly complex, it may frustrate attendees. That is why we’re still some time before the Metaverse becomes mainstream. A New York Post article provides a glimpse of what could be our future with the Metaverse:
“’I want to walk through the grounds of Trinity College, Dublin, to turn the pages of the Book of Kells, and I’ll be able to do that in VR,’ said British futurist Andrew Curry, referring to the 800-year-old gospel scrolls housed at Ireland’s top university. In its fully realized form, the Metaverse promises to offer true-to-life sights, sounds and even smells, where a tour of ancient Greece or a visit to a Seoul café can happen from your home,” Curry said. “Decked out with full-spectrum VR headsets, smart clothing and tactile-responsive haptic gloves, the at-home traveler can touch the Parthenon in Athens or taste the rich foam of a Korean dalgona coffee.”
Imagine creating your own personal avatar with VR, AR, and AI technology to attend a new product launch. As an avatar in the Metaverse, some interactions might include:
- Connect live one-on-one discussions with a product manager, marketing, sales, or R&D
- Stroll the trade show floor, interact with people, product, and educational programs
- Attend a workshop as your avatar, ask questions live, network, collaborate on whiteboards and interact in 3D environments
- Engage with product, turn it around, open it up, assemble it, etc.
- Use AI or machine learning to better understand customer needs, interests, and personas
- Interact with the digital economy, where users can create, buy, and sell goods (NFTs).
Branding and Sponsorships Will Benefit from the Metaverse
The metaverse is coming to events. These examples demonstrate the potential power of the Metaverse. It simply offers yet another way to connect – and stay connected. They are exciting predictions about what the Metaverse will offer – and it will impact not just events, but all kinds of life experiences.
- Using virtual classrooms to experience immersive learning during events
- Interacting with avatars representing employees for onboarding, customer service, sales, and other business interactions
- Purchasing items and trying them on through your online avatar – or even selling swag at events for attendees’ avatars to wear
- Selling branded digital art, collectibles, and assets (NFTs) during events
Events Already Rely on Technology – Embrace Continued Evolution
Even as we continue to hold in-person events and strive for the best possible in-person engagement, incorporating technology that allows more human-like engagement and collaboration on a huge scale has potential to increase event ROI. It’s hard to predict exactly when everyone will make the shift to 3-D, avatar-driven, interactive communication in the metaverse, but there’s no doubt it’s on the horizon.
What Can Event Planners Do Now to Be Ready?
Remain focused on event engagement. If you keep engagement as your focus, it will help you distill between technology for technology’s sake and technology that brings something unique and special to your event attendees. Continue to be flexible and ready to adopt new technologies that make sense for your events as they are introduced. Augmented Reality is already disrupting the traditional event experience; what you must keep in mind is that events are now driven by attendee expectation. It’s no longer just a “build it and they will come” model. It’s a “know your attendee and why they are attending and tailor the entire experience on making sure their needs are addressed” model.