The concept of “virtual events” – live interactions in networked environments where physically separated groups might participate in shared experiences (performances, exhibits, meetings, workshops, classrooms, etc.) has been with us at least since the late 1980s, when various forms of videoconferencing and 3D virtual environments like the “Cave” were being developed.
These and similar technologies have been in a continual state of development since, and are used frequently in some areas of society and work, from corporate boardrooms to automotive design and professional game development. But the hoped-for global transformation – the annihilation of distance in live presentation, education and collaboration – remains unfulfilled.
However, in the last few years crucial elements have dropped in price and complexity enough to become ubiquitous consumer technologies. Skype videoconferencing and the Microsoft Kinect motion sensing product are two examples, though the spread of high-speed internet is the biggest single shift.
At the same time, other types of networked technologies, such as mobile devices and highly portable physical, chemical, and visual sensors, are making much richer modes of interaction possible.
We believe there’s a tremendous opportunity to revisit the concept of “virtual events” and create a conceptual architecture which fosters the development of a deeper, more effective, varied and powerful portfolio of tools, techniques, practices, and models.