Details:

Live events have the ability to inspire and unite groups of completely independent individuals into communities of shared interests and passions. They can motivate us to actions that would seem impossible without that combined strength that inevitably builds when we stand side-by-side.

As the world collectively reeled from a global pandemic, the live event industry screeched to a halt, leaving many unemployed as others struggled to find some semblance of normalcy in a completely digital and seemingly isolated virtual event world. Because of the abrupt nature of the shift, the goal for most was simply survival by finding a safe means of transitioning content from live to virtual, but in the process, losing the passion and connection that made live events special.

There were some, however, that did not transition; instead, they dreamed and created and learned and fought - and sometimes failed - but ultimately strived to shape the next evolution of live event production. They designed truly immersive experiences. They connected people in ways that once again cultivated passion and inspiration.

Join us Wednesday, April 7th, 2021 in Virbela as we discuss how immersive technology is taking on hugely important aspects of our health and wellness.

What's The Format:

We will be using Virbela as Avatars to host the program. We suggest that you download, set-up, get familiar with the Virbela program and environment prior to the Meetup, as we will be unable to provide support during the event. The event will also streamed on Facebook.com/VRARChicago.

The virtual environment resembles a physical space, so you will be able to talk with other attendees during open networking both before and after the presentations. The sound is spatialized, so if at any point it feels too loud, feel free to move your conversation to another part of the room where there are less people.

We begin with informal networking and then start the stage portion promptly at 6:15pm CDT. There will be a handful of presentations before we move on to answer audience questions and then finish with more networking. We keep it simple and informal - this MeetUp is about you, our members, and not the host or presenters. Come and get your questions answered, take your next step into immersive technology.

6:00-6:15pm - Networking & Preparation

6:15-6:30pm - Introductions & Welcome

6:30-7:30pm - Panel Discussion and Q&A

7:30-8:00pm - Networking

Host:

Chris Wren - VRAR Chicago

Confirmed Panel:

Lisa M. Wurzinger - GO! Pictures KG & GO!insideVR

Antony Vitillo - New Technology Walkers

Dan Kuharchuk - Pulse Studio LLC

Robb Jibson - So Midwest, Inc

About Our Panelists' Companies:

GO!insideVR is an Extended Reality Studio established by GO! Pictures which focuses on 360°/VR/AR content creation, XR consulting, and interdisciplinary art&music event production. Besides the creation of new formats for XR, cross platform and transmedia entertainment GO!insideVR is involved in several R&D projects about XR storytelling tools and 6DoF media. Founded by Gero A.E. Egger and Lisa Maria Wurzinger in 2016, GO!insideVR creates immersive experiences and provides gateways for a broader audience to take part in the constantly evolving virtual world. Their work has been presented at various film festivals worldwide.

New Technology Walkers starts in 2017 by the passion of Antony Vitillo and Massimiliano Ariani for immersive technologies. It is a group of professionals that offers its expertise about innovative technologies (especially AR and VR) to all people and companies that may need it.

NTW mainly offers consultancy services for companies needing an AR/VR application, but it also develop some products of its own, like the game HitMotion:Reloaded, developed with the support of HTC and launched together with the Vive Focus Plus. It is a group strongly driven by passion, and by the willing to push forward the immersive technologies ecosystem.

Pulse Studio is a diverse team of artists and designers with backgrounds in Architectural Visualization, Game Art and Design, Experiential Marketing and Events we have a team that can tackle large and small creative projects in any industry. We serve as an extension of your design department. We work with our clients and their brand guidelines to create beautiful renderings, still images, virtual reality content, augmented reality content, custom video content, and motion graphics.

We believe in a collaborative process between our clients and our team ensuring their satisfaction with the design and messaging we are creating. We have taken our roots of designing 3D branded experienced and have evolved to help our clients create everything from the physical design down to the graphics, video content and interactive elements.

So Midwest, Inc. - Stepping on my first tour bus in 1997 to enjoy many journeys around the world with artists of all types, I find my self these days as a mutli discplinary artist trying to use technology to build to a cohesive and unifying medium that allows audiences to have memorable moments. Founding So Midwest, Inc. in 2009 basically as a tax shelter for my endeavors, what it has grown into is a studio of creative artists, coders and designers working on events of all ranges right here from the middle coast!

For more details about our presenters or their companies, please visit the event page on VRAR Chicago's Website.

Thank you to 1871, BUNDLAR, VirBELA, and FinTank for providing venue, management, marketing & logistics support and to our partners 2112, VR Motion Learning, XR Women, & International Game Developers Association (IGDA) to the VRAR Chicago event series.