Metaverse buzz has been circling for some time now, with certain companies taking the plunge into the new digital experience and others laying low to watch the landscape unfold. It’s unclear how fast the concept will continue to gain traction with there being some issues that still need addressing. In some experiences, there have been consistent bugs and user errors, but whether you’re pro-metaverse or not, one thing is for certain— the metaverse experience is a new and immersive way of engaging with customers and clients without geographical restrictions.
How does this affect the larger industry? For starters, the metaverse’s impact can be looked at through a few different lenses. In theory, this is meant to be a way to engage audiences on a larger scale without any in-person barriers. While this was the only option for business conferences and events throughout the pandemic, there are still added benefits of being fully digital, despite us now having the option of physical events. The pandemic aside, companies can save on a multitude of costs for physical venues, catering, in-person staff, etc. Plus, there is no limit to the amount of people they can invite, meaning unlimited engagement is made possible with clients and prospects.
As mentioned, some companies have already started their plunge into this new digital experience. One of which being Afro Tech, one of the largest series of Black tech conferences in the US. Their events bring together a multitude of professionals from within the tech industry—from young entrepreneurs in the space to leaders who are making waves. This conference experience has taken new shape with the transition to digital during the pandemic and showcases a completely online, borderless experience for its attendees.
Hotwire had the pleasure of attending the Afro Tech World Metaverse event earlier this Spring. The event focused on networking, recruitment, and digital activations, including virtual keynote speakers. The digital experience included programming stages, an Expo Hall with 50+ corporate sponsors, and recruiters. The two-day online conference hosted in the metaverse was also well-organized, with opportunities to engage with other avatar attendees and even had a metaverse “staff” that was responsible for ensuring the user experience flowed smoothly for everyone in attendance.
All in all, the event was a great experience and a transformative way to interact with other brands and professionals in the tech space. The immersive and engaging platform even allowed us to personalize our own avatars with features like hairstyle and color in addition to customizing our avatar’s clothing. These capabilities helped to bring an upgraded level of personalization to the virtual space and made each user want to engage even more. There was even a portion of the day where we got to view a virtual firework show, further demonstrating the quality of personal touches integrated by the event organizers.
As more improvements are made in the coming years to the varying ways that the metaverse can be experienced—i.e more digital activities added for even fuller immersivity, increased creative aspects to the user platforms, and more—the interest and curiosity in attending one of these fully-online gatherings will be sure to spike.