The distractions of a home environment is one of the biggest challenges facing virtual events and conferences. And it’s one that U.K.-based tech company Mesmerise is hoping to fight with the launch of GatheringsVR, a new platform that builds immersive, virtual reality-powered worlds for online events.
The new offering debuted at the 2020 Morningstar Investment Conference, which ran from Sept. 16-17. The event’s 6,000 guests could pay $149 for a traditional ticket, which allowed them to view sessions on a virtual platform from Intrado. Or, they could pay $699 for the enhanced VR experience.
Each VR attendee was mailed a sleek, branded package housing a wireless Oculus Quest headset and controllers. During the event, they were transported to a serene outdoor world filled with greenery and eye-catching Morningstar-branded banners. Twenty live and on-demand speaker presentations were streamed on a large screen in a central auditorium area, and various VR-fueled exhibition booths and sponsor activations came from the likes of PGIM Investments, Fidelity, and PIMCO.
Attendees could travel to a central auditorium area, where live and on-demand content was streamed on a large screen.Photo: Courtesy of Mesmerise
Michael Ogden, a Mesmerise product manager who was at the forefront of developing the GatheringsVR technology, said the goal was to help people connect in a meaningful way, even if they couldn’t physically travel. “There was an opportunity to make something that was going to help people—but also to make something that had a human heart at the center of it,” he explained. “So when I pitched it initially to the team, I didn't open with virtual reality. I opened with a photograph of people cheers-ing at a table to remind us that whatever century we're in, people have always gathered and shared stories with each other. Virtual reality is a platform that allows you to do that.”
In addition to the 3D experience, Morningstar's VR attendees got a few extra perks—including interactive games and activities. For one called “Sustainable Cities,” players could invest in different industries in a virtual city and get real-time feedback on the environmental impact, all based on datasets from Morningstar. In another called the “Bee Garden,” players could grow virtual plants and help the bees pollinate. The VR experience also included a Chicago skyline, as a nod to the conference’s typical home base. To move through the experience, users simply pointed the handset to indicate where they wanted to teleport.
A bonus? Attendees all got to keep the headsets, which means Morningstar has a built-in audience for future VR-based events. (Mesmerise can also rent out the headsets for a lower price point.)
Ogden said his five main goals when designing the technology were that it was “welcoming, inspiring, elegant, communal, and empowering.” The team was also conscious of the fact that there was no in-person facilitator to help attendees figure out the technology, so it had to be accessible even for first-time VR users. “I think the success of [the Morningstar Conference] was we delivered something that was coherent and people understood where they were—and then we can build on that success," he said.
Mesmerise, which typically focuses on providing AR and VR experiences for training and entertainment, plans to upgrade GatheringsVR every few months. Later in October, the team hopes to add attendee avatars that can interact with each other; future updates will include enhanced networking opportunities, social media integration, personalized meeting spaces, and more.
Ogden noted that with all future updates, the priority will always be on the user experience. “You always have to be designing with the end user in mind, rather than just being dazzled by what's possible with the technology,” he said. “Who's this for? What do they need? … It’s people first, and then it’s tech.”
To move through the experience, users simply pointed the handset to indicate where they wanted to teleport.Photo: Courtesy of Mesmerise
