Introduction
Whether you are already working in it, are suspicious of it, spend your days extolling its benefits or believe we just don’t need it, there’s no denying ‘it’ (the metaverse) has become a ‘thing’ of now. In May 2021 I began my voyage of discovery to find out what it all means and most interesting, what it can do for businesses.
Right now, the definition of the metaverse is still evolving, which isn’t much help. The description that makes the most sense to me is ‘it’ (the metaverse) is a virtual world in which 3D environments are created for people to work, learn, play and socialise together.
Thanks to perpetual innovation and trail-blazing tech companies, it is now possible to help global brands bring their teams and customers together from around the globe to network, learn and socialise in their own bespoke, digital 3D environments, without a single flight taken.
Kate Brown
Twist Events
kate@twistevents.co.uk
Who’s already on board?
Since Oct 2021 when Facebook re-branded as Meta, many of the world’s biggest brands have been seriously playing in the metaverse playground. Nike has launched a range of £65,000 trainers called Nike Dunk Genesis Cryptokicks that can be bought as NFTs. For those unfamiliar with NFTs, ‘Non fungible tokens’ are digital tokens housed on a blockchain, used to represent ownership of unique items, mostly in art, fashion and photography. Gamers can enjoy parading around Nikeland, the company’s own 3D world, in their brand new trainers… which don’t actually exist.
In the US, some talented, pizza-loving developers made it possible to order an actual Domino’s from inside Decentraland, another virtual reality platform where you can buy plots of land to build on and monetize. This is an example of where the metaverse meets reality, where business in the metaverse can complement business in the real world. The mind starts to boggle… Perhaps like me, you are still perched on the NFT fence and arguably so given the negative impact they appear to have on the environment. It is understood the computer power generation required to maintain block chain technology is a significant contributor to carbon emissions and possibly climate change.
Heineken demonstrated their amusement at metaverse fever through the mock launch of their new virtual beer, a self-aware idea that “pokes fun at the beer brand and many other brands that are jumping into the metaverse with products that are best enjoyed in the real world.” (Bram Westenbrink – Heineken Global Head of Brand)
What does this mean for the world of events?
Speaking to companies these past few months about their events, I have noticed two things. Firstly, the veritable leap back into face-to-face events, which is welcome news for the events industry and great news for teams who have missed out on conversations, collaborations and doing business old style for two years.
I have also noticed a general curiosity mixed with suspicion of the metaverse. For
many companies there is a strong argument for shifting aspects of customer activity onto their own bespoke digital 3D environment that is rich in engaging content. It may be that your customers are already operating in this space or are heading that way.
The metaverse offers a new space for brands to connect with their customers in a powerful way, to offer in depth training opportunities and showcase incredible content detail. Imagine the iconic Spitfire, recreated as a 3D digital model that you can walk through, see the finest detail and click on interactive features that bring up videos, facts and awe-inspiring insights into the aircraft’s history!
The training opportunities internally are also plain to see – the image with the dome is from a virtual world we created for Johnson & Johnson Vision EMEA to facilitate staff training, as well as provide a space for colleagues from different countries and regions to connect and bond.
We got some great feedback on this, not only for the content we created to populate the virtual world, but also simply for the world itself – users found it far more engaging than ‘just another’ online meeting.
Final thoughts
It seems whether you are a metaverse believer or denier, whether you opt to steer clear or jump aboard, the metaverse has arrived.
Just as the internet had a few years of nascence, so too will the metaverse. Sure, there are improvements to make, these are early days, it won’t be for every company.
My sense though is the metaverse gives companies options, exciting new ways to engage with customers, to offer global training programmes and to promote new products, all of which can sit alongside doing business face to face… and that is exciting.
Kate Brown,
Twist Events
If you want to find out how the metaverse and digital 3D environments can help your business, why not drop us a line: hello@twistevents.co.uk