VR Days Europe’s Media, Arts and Entertainment Summit will shine spotlight on Location-Based VR
The Media/Arts/Entertainment Summit is one of three market-specific summits being hosted during VR Days Europe 2018, which takes place in Amsterdam from 24 to 26 October. Each summit will feature presentations from leading VR experts, panel discussions and roundtables. Its theme will be ‘Location-Based VR’.
Background
Virtual reality arcades and other location-based VR entertainment venues are big business: according to the latest Futuresource Consulting VR Tracker Report, consumers are expected to spend $299 million there in 2018, rising to $809 million in 2022. Currently much of the growth of location-based VR is being driven by VR arcades: worldwide, these brought in $79 million in 2017 – 40% of all location-based VR revenue. Over the next five years, higher-end location-based VR will play an increasing role, with multiplayer VR experiences making up 41% of global location-based VR revenue by 2022.
For the industry and investors, the biggest concerns are ROI and technology obsolescence. At the Media/Arts/Entertainment Summit we will talk all about this, and also about the three pillars of the business:
1-Content: Is VR a new storytelling medium? Or is it a gaming platform? Or both?
2-Business Models: Who is making money in VR and how?
3-Technology: Where is it heading, and how do you manage the risk of obsolescence?
Why attend?
Attendees can discover the most successful business models for location-based VR; how to raise money for projects; how to time their investments to avoid technology that rapidly becomes obsolete; and they can gain a better understanding of the importance of Esports to LBVR.
What’s on the programme?
The Summit will consist of two parts, both at the Kromhoutal. The first, from 10:00 to 11:30 on Thursday 25 October, will comprise three Roundtable discussions, each involving 10 to 15 attendees. (See below for details on how to apply to participate.)
The second part, which is a conference on Location-Based VR, will run from 13:30 to 17:00 on Friday 26 October. It will be made up of three panel discussions and two presentations.
The Media/Arts/Entertainment Summit has been co-organised by Bob Cooney, the world’s leading authority on LVBR, with three decades’ experience in this field.
Panel Discussion: Is Hollywood Good or Bad for LBVR?
Big blockbuster franchises like Star Wars and Terminator have sparked widespread interest in LBVR. Does the Hollywood model work in location-based entertainment? Unlike movie theatres where one ticket-taker can deal with hundreds of guests at a time, the operating margins on VR are much thinner. Can another slice be cut from the pie? Speakers include:
Jenna Seiden, Lumo Labs
Ronald Menzel, Dreamscape
Julian Sarmiento, Digital Domain
Panel Discussion: Who is Making Real Money from Virtual Reality?
While many companies claim to be making a success out of LVBR, some pundits question the viability of the business models. On the one hand, Zero Latency, The VOID and VR Studios are all rolling out platforms at scale, while on the other, IMAX VR has announced closures. Hundreds of VR arcades are coming and going, and new models like Periscape at JFK Airport in New York and Virtual Reality Rooms in Sydney are still emerging. Who is really making money in LBVR, and which business models show the most promise? Speakers include:
Amy Peck, Periscape
Leif Petersen, HOLOGATE
Bill Tustin, Centertec
Elisha Karmitz, mk2
Panel Discussion: The State of the Art and Future Trends in LBVR Hardware
VR technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and many operators are understandably concerned with obsolescence. From the new all-in-one headsets, to breakthroughs in tracking systems, to haptic devices and suits, we will explore how an operator can create a framework to evaluate what technology to invest in and when.
Dimitri Mikhalchuk, Teslasuit
Florian Carls, Hologate
Kevin Williams, KWP (The Stinger Report)
Leland Hedges, Pico
Presentations
Walk the Wireless – Trevor Blom, Technical Lead, Vertigo Games
Around the World in LBE – Joanna Popper
Global Head of Virtual Reality for Location-Based Entertainment, HP
Roundtable: Driving Traffic to Your LBVR Attraction
After deciding what platforms to use, the second biggest challenge of LBVR is driving traffic. Should you pay more rent for higher visibility, or are you better investing that into marketing? Like explaining TV on the radio, how do you communicate the value of an immersive VR experience to someone who is new to VR? Top minds from real estate, marketing and breakthrough LBVR operators will discuss these challenges, and come up with key recommendations.
Roundtable: Raising Real Money for Virtual Reality
In the early days of VR, money was flowing indiscriminately into VR startups. Now that the hype bubble has burst, raising money requires more consideration and creativity. What types of companies are investors looking for now? What types of strategic investments are being made? What non-traditional methods are entrepreneurs tapping into? Leading VCs, financiers and entrepreneurs will discuss the challenges and solutions involved in keeping the funding and innovation flowing.
Roundtable: Exploring the Intersection of LBVR and Esports
While LBVR is emerging, Esports is exploding: valued at $500 million in 2016, the global Esports market is predicted to grow by 22% per annum, reaching over $1 billion by 2022. Is there a place for VR Esports in the location-based market? Some see the two as a match made in heaven, while others think they are strange bedfellows. Solution providers are making big bets in this area, although nobody has really proved the model. Experts from Esports, VR and gaming companies will discuss what needs to happen for LBVR Esports to live up to its promise.
Applying to participate in roundtables
Roundtable sessions are designed to share and gather knowledge on a specific topic. Each session is guided by industry experts, covering relevant subject areas and technologies. To facilitate real intimacy and knowledge transfer, between 10 and 15 attendees may join a specific table. To ensure that the roundtables are meaningful, they need to have the right balance of participants: we aim to bring researchers, service providers and clients together.
To apply to participate, please go the VR Days website and fill in the form. You must have a VR Days accreditation (All Access or Summit pass). We will let you know if your application has been successful by Friday 19 October.
All-access tickets for VR Days Europe 2018 are available for €299 ex VAT. For more information on the event, and to purchase tickets, please visit: www.vrdays.co
Additional information is available from:
Joe Hosken, Director of Content and Communications: jhosken@iseurope.org
Benjamin de Wit, Founder VR Days Europe: benjamin@vrdays.co
About VR Days Europe
VR Days is a leading business-to-business event for the professional virtual, augmented and mixed reality industries. It was established in 2015 as one of the first professional XR events in the world, establishing a prominent role in uniting the emerging community, inspiring creatives and innovators, and developing business opportunities. With substantial year-on-year growth, VR Days has grown to become THE European XR event. In 2017, VR Days entered into a partnership with Integrated Systems Events, allowing the event to leverage industry expertise in sales, operations, marketing and content development. This makes VR Days a truly international entity with a global reach. To learn more about VR Days Europe please visit, www.vrdays.co.
About Integrated Systems Events
Integrated Systems Events organises, manages and develops leading business-to-business events for the professional audiovisual, electronic systems integration and IT industries. Integrated Systems Events was established in 2003 as a joint venture of two trade associations CEDIA and AVIXA, and has grown every year since. With employees engaged in sales,operations, marketing and content development across Europe, we are a truly international company with an international reach. Our flagship event, Integrated Systems Europe, is the best-attended AV trade show anywhere in the world, attracting over 80,000 attendees and more than 1,200 exhibitors to its Amsterdam location every February. Visit www.isevents.org.
