Virtual Edge Summit 2010 (http://virtualedgesummit.com/) – February 2010

Virtual Edge Summit 2010 is the only event that focuses exclusively on providing education, training and solutions for planning and producing virtual events, meetings and communities.  Over 2 days, dozens of experts will share their expertise with you, and be available for one-on-ones. The Virtual Edge Summit is Produced by the Virtual Edge Institute

The VirtualEdge.org website and Virtual Edge Summit event provide an easy and informative ‘Due Diligence & Best Practices’ destination for all stakeholders interested in virtual events, meetings and marketing.  

Virtual World Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) conference (http://www.vwbpe.org/) -  March 2010

The VWBPE Conference provides opportunities for virtual world communities to showcase projects, courses, events and research that lead to best practices in education. The end result of collaborating, sharing, and co-construction of knowledge during the conference is the creation of innovative and immersive environments in which virtual world residents can learn, work, and play.

     If you are reading this, there is a good chance you have used a Cisco Telepresence system to make sales calls or review details with clients. The effect that Telepresence has had on the corporate world has been undeniable.  The unprecedented success of Cisco Telepresence is now expanding outside of the corporate office and into a living room near you.  

30 minutes after the opening Networkers at Cisco Live keynote being broadcast live on 26 January in Cisco Live and Networkers Virtual ends Marthin De Beer, SVP, Emerging Technologies, Cisco will be availalbe to take your questions live. During the keynote, Marthin De Beer will spell out Cisco’s Video vision and strategy, innovations in creating a media-ready network and how we will enable customers to prepare their networks for increased demand and use of video.

To join the Live Exec Chat go to the Global Event News Booth and click on the Live Exec Chat link in the content menu. You can get to the Global Event News booth via banner ads through out the virtual space, by scrolling the World of Solutions floor, or via the left hand expandable Exhibitors navigation menu.

During this one-day live-virtual hybrid event taking place in parallel with Networkers at Cisco Live Barcelona you will hear compelling keynotes from two technology visionaries streamed live in the Cisco Live and Networkers Virtual Auditorium.  Marthin De Beer, Senior Vice President, Emerging Technologies Group delivers the Cisco keynote.  Bruce Thomas, Director of the Wearable Computer Laboratory, at the University of South Australia, will share his knowledge and vision of wearable computers, augmented reality and virtual reality. There will also be several live technical sessions for attendees to view, see below.

If you ask most people what the overall theme was at CES this year, they would most likely say 3D.   While 3D was the most talked about technology at the show, I would disagree that it was the overall theme.  I feel convergence was the real star at CES.    Internet connected TVs, new media center devices, video conference TVs, even Twitter on your TV.  The living room just got more connected. 

Bruce joined the Wearable Computer Laboratory in 1998 and during his time there invented the first outdoor augmented reality game AR Quake, and that is just one example of some very cool projects the team at the Wearable Computer Laboratory have or are working on.

Read more to watch a video showing AR Quake in action!

The movie is not only pushing the boundaries of progressive movie making, but the marketing effort associated with the movie is tremendous.   The movie has a full array of cross brand promotions with major food outlets, as well as a line of augmented reality action figures.   

Going home for the holidays and celebrating during the holiday can be challenging for folks. The cost and time off for travel as well current living arrangements, such as soldiers overseas or expats working in other countries, can dramatically limit the sharing of ‘merry holiday’ times. Technology can help bridge these geographic and economic gaps to enable a ‘jolly good time’ for all. Virtual environments and technology enable us to connect with our loved ones, visit our home town for a nostalgic tour, go on a much needed vacation, engage in charitable activities, and celebrate the holidays.

I have some great examples as well as a personal story to share.

There are some interesting concepts being presented or in use at events that go beyond the obvious uses of augmented reality for registration, navigating the venue, and connecting attendees on-site. For example imagine a kiosk at an event where you can leverage materials (either downloaded beforehand or available at the kiosk) that allow you to instantly create a 3-D model of a product that you can manipulate and control. This doesn’t have to be limited to just a 3-D model of a product it could also be an interactive example of a concept or solution or an artificial intelligence that can engage with the person at the kiosk. Of course this is contingent on the event producer enabling technology on site.