eXchange by Allseated

Welcome to exchange where we discuss what's next for intentional experience design with expert change agents. This season focuses on demystifying the metaverse and explaining how the foundations of this emerging reality will change how we all come together. In this podcast summary, we’re visiting with change agent, Doug Hohulin, technology & innovation advisor in the areas of 5G/6G and XR/metaverse.

Does the metaverse exist?

The metaverse is:

• Here, it’s just not evenly distributed

• The internet plus 3D, VR, network, cloud, and AI

• Whatever the Internet is going to be in 2030 

• 

“As an engineer, I want people to forget about the technology and just have immersive, enjoyable experiences.”

Spatial, it’s immersive

Does the metaverse offer meaningful experiences?

Yes, you can have meaningful connections. People talk about the real and the virtual worlds, but every connection whether physical or virtual, can be meaningful or unmeaningful. The question is can I use emerging technology to enhance meaningful connections. As an engineer, I want people to forget about the technology and just have immersive, enjoyable experiences.

What's the equitable use of the metaverse for most people?

Equitable use depends on answering the following questions: 

• Is it available?

• Is it affordable?

• Is it relevant to my life?

• Do I have the readiness to use the technology?

How will metaverse impact work life?

“[It’s about] providing meaningful connections and relationships, bypassing any time and space, where you can connect to people anywhere around the world.”

A lot of the adoption for this technology has come in the wake of COVID. Now remote work and globalization are here to stay. So, 70% of people in China use XR technology for business (B2B or B2C).In the United States, in the west, it’s only 30% for business.

Why is the metaverse inevitable?

Because technology is inevitable. People are investing lots of time and effort and money in the metaverse. And just like the technology was inevitable in the past, it will be in the future.

The best part of the metaverse will be?

Providing meaningful connections and relationships, bypassing any time and space, where you can connect to people anywhere around the world.

What's missing in all digital communication right now?

Connecting everyone equally. Only 5 billion people are connected to the internet. In Africa, 50% of them are using 2 or 3G technology. So, it's equivalent to using technology 20 years ago. We're working on making technology more equally distributed.

What would it take for people to want to work in the metaverse? 

1. They're ready for it. 

2. It's relevant to their lives

3.They understand how they could use these tools today

4. The technology user interfaces need to keep getting better

5. Devices need to get lighter. In the next five years, we'll be using our smart glasses like we’re using our phones today

What's a positive change with increased adoption of the metaverse?

It will allow us to connect with people around the world so we can understand them better. People who like to teach who can help people who aren't ready for some of this technology to learn.

What's your biggest worry about what the metaverse could bring?

The question is how to not become addictive and isolated with the metaverse. Are you using themetaverse to connect with others to have a more immersive experience? If at the end of the day, if you've been using VR/metaverse technology and you haven't had a meaningful connection with a human, you're doing the metaverse wrong. Think about: can I have a meaningful relationship with a human and not just AI?

Listen to the podcast.

Guest Bio – Doug Hohulin

After recently retiring from Nokia after 33 years (and Motorola 22 years) in account management and business development, Doug has retired to work on immersive metaverse technology full-time. He has worked with 1G-6G, automated vehicle, tele-presence, distance learning, tele-medicine, and metaversetechnologies.

About Allseated

Backed by more than a decade of innovation, Allseated sets the standard in 3D virtual reality solutions and digital experiences for the events industry. Allseated powers virtual and hybrid events for some of the world's leading corporations. In 2022, the company launched Meetaverse, a platform that makes it easy to build corporate metaverses. Allseated.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lighting Round Bonus Episode for this month's upcoming interview with Doug Hohulin

Are you Wondering what the Metaverse is? 

Allseated EXVO is now bringing the Metaverse experience to the B2B events. Learn more by downloading the Metaverse eBook. Head over to Allseated.com/E-book

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to exchange where we discuss what's next for intentional experience design with expert change agents. This season focuses on demystifying the metaverse and explaining how the foundations of this emerging reality will change how we all come together. In this podcast summary, we’re visiting with change agent, Rabindra Ratan, Associate Professor, Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University.

Does the metaverse exist?

Mostly, the metaverse doesn't exist yet. It's as if you had said the Internet doesn't exist yet in 1991. The Internet had existed for decades as a form of ARPANET and then opened up to the masses of early adopters. Yet, the phenomenon that was the Internet that changed dramatically the social and cultural fabric of everyday life just wasn't there yet.

That's where we are now with the metaverse. We've got a bunch of early adopters, willing to spend some time in a virtual world, It's accessible. You don't need to be a millionaire to jump into a virtual world and hang out with thousands of people, not simultaneously yet, but you can have immersive virtual experiences. There are metaverse-like experiences in the same way as in ‘91 with America Online.

“We'll be drawn to these spaces as individuals, as humans who want to do our human things that we do now through other media…. Companies will be drawn into these spaces with the potential to influence people through advertising, direct sales….”

The way that the Internet changed our expectations of interacting with each other is going to happen again with the metaverse. I can say meet me in this virtual world. I can assume that you can get easily from one metaverse-type experience to another in the same way as, today, we can very easily jump from one social media platform to website, to browser…. but we're not there yet. The user experience isn’tgreat. The technology is getting way better and cheaper. So, that's why we're optimistic about the metaverse. 

What does the metaverse offer in its potential?

There’s potential for stronger social interactions, feeling like you're really with someone, being able to give your grandkid a drawing or a frame, and then they make some art, and they hand it back to you. Being able to sit with your colleagues and look at an object that someone has designed, see it from all angles, and critically analyze it together. Stronger social interactions drive human motivation to do other things: build families, companies, to help each other.

We'll be drawn to these spaces as individuals, as humans who want to do our human things that we do now through other media. We might be able to do it better or more immersively in the metaverse.Companies will be drawn into these spaces with the potential to influence people through advertising, direct sales of virtual items. If you need to have a meeting where you are sharing digital objects, that metaverse makes so much more sense than really any other modality. We could sit in a 3D meet space, and then look at a 2D screen together, and kind of rotate it, but you're not getting that experience. If you're selling 3D objects, you probably want to meet and experience those things in a three-dimensional, immersive space. It's hard to fully understand and appreciate on a flat screen. 

The other piece is productivity. I have students who write research papers, they've got different monitors up, and you can bring other people into that space. Unlike a Zoom meeting where, when you're trying to share similar things, we can only share one screen at a time. It just becomes so much more efficient than in a Zoom meeting or a physical meet space. Just getting everyone around a table together and having so many people look at different screens at the same time is pretty difficult. The metaverse is not as good as it's going to be, but it's already better for some use contexts like that, regardless of what industry you're in, as long as you're kind of in an information worker role.

Why is the metaverse inevitable?

The metaverse inevitable because we humans just can't stop building new stuff. The technology is progressing incrementally. As we see the potential for the metaverse to emerge, we just run to it.

The best part of the metaverse will be?

Sharing truly connected moments. 

What's missing in all digital communication right now?

We need more human empathy. When we interact with people through mediated communication, we lose that sense of individual identity, our sense of self that allows us to temper some of the things we are likely to say to a stranger whose feelings we don't care about.

What would it take for people to want to work in the metaverse? 

We need experiences that are seamless and less fatiguing and taxing. I can put this headset on and spend an entire class period with my students. Everyone has a great time, but we are tired afterward. As augmented reality becomes easier to use and less invasive, I think it'll be easier to work in the metaverse. 

What's a positive change with increased adoption of the metaverse?

Potentially, we could see an improvement in environmental degradation. If, we can truly replace business travel with metaverse technologies, then, in theory, that would reduce our carbon footprint. At the same time, you've got to think about net change. We've got to spend all these resources on facilitating the metaverse through server time and mining crypto, if we're still doing that to support the metaverse. So, I would hope there's a net benefit in terms of climate change.

What's your biggest worry about what the metaverse could bring?

Privacy. The information the headset collects as you're moving around, involves things related to your body, the locus of your health information. If you have something you want to keep private, the headset, or at least the company using that data to allow you to move in the metaverse, might have access to that. So, we need strong privacy protections - government-supported, HIPAA-type regulations. 

Listen to the podcast.

Guest Bio – Rabindra (Robby) Ratan (taken from bio at robbyratan.com).

Rabindra (Robby) Ratan is an Associate Professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University’s Department of Media and Information as well as Director of the Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab. Ratan researches the effects of human-technology interaction, focusing on how media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., equity, inclusion, motivation) across societal contexts (e.g., education, health, business).Learn more at robbyratan.com.

About Allseated

Backed by more than a decade of innovation, Allseated sets the standard in 3D virtual reality solutions and digital experiences for the events industry. Allseated powers virtual and hybrid events for some of the world's leading corporations. In 2022, the company launched Meetaverse, a platform that makes it easy to build corporate metaverses. Allseated.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lighting Round Bonus Episode for this month's upcoming interview with Rabindra Ratan

Are you Wondering what the Metaverse is? 

Allseated EXVO is now bringing the Metaverse experience to the B2B events. Learn more by downloading the Metaverse eBook. Head over to Allseated.com/E-book

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hybrid Event Planning Checklist For Your Success with Will Curran

Sometimes some great and talented people get held in multiple roles that they shouldn’t be in. This leads to poor performance, lack of motivation, and ultimately working below your potential. Learning how to specialize in what you do best and empowering your position can help you bring value to your organization. Specializing in one piece of the event and building a team around it will help you take your event to the next level. Do not DIY (Do It Yourself); instead, embrace DEI. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) will help you provide a lifelong value, bring new people, and get people to come back year after year. 

In this episode of the exchange podcast, we are joined by Will Curran, the founder and chief event Einstein of Endless Events. Will lead the leadership team and deal with many strategies to help clients make their events better. He also speaks at conferences about the future of events. In addition to being an event production company, they produce actual events and create a lot of content, enabling them to be the third-highest traffic website in the events industry. Their mission is to find new bleeding edge stuff to push the industry to the next level. 

During the episode, Will talks about the energy and excitement in the industry, the recipe that makes a good event, and what you need to optimize your outcome in events to create customers’ lifetime value that will sustain your organization for decades.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

[00:55] Curran’s career backstory and what he does in the event space

[03:34] Why planners aren’t prepared for hybrid experience attendees will demand in the future

[04:25] The walls that are preventing planners from moving despite their enthusiasm 

[07:49] The tools that planners need to optimize their outcome in events

[14:59] The constant broadcast and virtual events pivots  

[18:07] How learning has been made accessible in the event industry  

[23:11] The pro tips of removing barriers and bringing value in your organizations 

[27:16] Scaling your events using a hybrid to double or triple your returns  

[30:51] Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in event planning

[38:01] Investing in lifelong customers’ value in your event 

[40:35] Budgeting right and finding the right team to make more money

[44:03] How to reach out to connect and learn more about Will

[47:23] Lightning round, question and answer session

[52:53] Call to action 

Notable Quotes:

• “The role of the planners is constantly getting bigger and more intense on their requirements of what they have to do.” Will Curran
• “When you specialize on what you do, that when you start getting better.” Will Curran
• “The barrier to the knowledge is non-existent; the only challenge is time and balance of the things that you have to do.” Nick Borelli
• Settling for the complacency and not trying to improve from is what’s going to get you stuck feeling hopeless.” Will Curran

Links Mentioned:

Will Curran

Website: https://willcurran.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willcurran

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itswillcurran/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/itswillcurran

Nick Borelli

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Nick Borelli

Twitter: Nick Borelli 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lighting Round Bonus Episode for this month's upcoming interview with Will Curran

Are you Wondering what the Metaverse is? 

Allseated EXVO is now bringing the Metaverse experience to the B2B events. Learn more by downloading the Metaverse eBook. Head over to Allseated.com/E-book

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week’s episode of the exchange podcast, we are joined by Megan Finnell, director of meetings and conferences at Medical Group Associations (MGA). Megan has a degree in vocal performance, and she started her career in performance before transiting to meeting planning. According to her, coming from an artist perspective has really informed her meeting and event planning in creating holistic experiences. 

Event planning is a vital part of any successful event, whether hybrid, virtual, or face-to-face. However, with the current digital disruption, many event planners are fixated on a single hybrid experience. There is no way attendees on a computer will have the same experience as those on-site. Planning for hybrid events that will accommodate both traditional and digital content is the only ticket to success. So learning the pain points both in the face-to-face and virtual events to planning an optimal hybrid event is a big win.

During the episode, Megan shares about optimal event planning-based attendees’ pain points in face-to-face and digital events and staff passions to streamline efforts. We also dive into the strategies that can help you break down the silos to enhance skill utilization, improve your DX and attendees’ experience to scale up, and optimize your events for revenue generation. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

[00:01] Introduction to episode 

[00:55] Megan’s career background and how she landed in event planning

[03:44] The tools planner’s need to prepare for hybrid experiences that attendees will demand in future

[07:44] Why most event planners are fixated on a single hybrid goal 

[10:55] Purposing and designing events using content to provide value to attendees

[13:31] Planning hybrid events based on pain points in both face-to-face and virtual events 

[16:11] The main challenge in the planning and designing hybrid events  

[19:13] How to expand opportunities to find more resources or make more revenue  

[23:05] Staffing and restructuring teams based on people make up to streamline efforts 

[27:12] Reshuffling and breaking down silos to be more strategic in skills utilization

[31:16] Marketing and growing your DX in both face-to-face and virtual conversions 

[36:53] The key to the success in planning hybrid events optimally 

[39:06] How to reach out and connect with Megan and the exchange podcast team

[40:02] Question and answer session

[42:58] Call to action 

Notable Quotes:

• “There’s no way an attendee on a computer will have the same experience as someone on site.” Megan Finnell 
• “The most valuable thing attendee want is content, t; theynt to know the content that will benefit them.” Megan Finnell 
• “Most event planners got into digital events because they’re intuitive to human behavior.” Nick Borelli
• “Passion is an emotional and a rational thing.” Nick Borelli

Megan Finnell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganfinnell

Nick Borelli

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Nick Borelli

Twitter: Nick Borelli 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lighting Round Bonus Episode for this month's upcoming interview with Megan Finnel

Connect with Nick Borelli at. PCMA Sept 9-12. Make sure to catch his session Mastering the Art of Engagement for Outstanding Digital Event Experiences:

Monday 11am-12pm

Are you Wondering what the Metaverse is? 

Allseated EXVO is now bringing the Metaverse experience to the B2B events. Learn more by downloading the Metaverse eBook. Head over to Allseated.com/E-book

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Event professionals need to be prepared when it comes to hybridization. With the uptick in demand for hybrid experience, planners are primed for a lot of change in the future. The coming years will be a time of great transition. Especially now that attendees have been experiencing things differently in the new normal. It is the best time to experiment now that their habits have already been broken. 

In this episode of the exchange podcast, we are joined by Adam Parry, the co-founder, and editor at a publication called event industry news. Adam is also an event organizer, and one of the greatest things in his role is that he gets to interview and delve into the minds of people who can organize events.

Learning from others is one of those key things that make his job interesting. 

During this episode, Adam talks about change and what you need to qualify as planners to prepare for the hybrid experience that attendees will demand in the near future. Taking into consideration digital disruption and people's experiences. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

[00:56] Adam’s career backstory and what he does in the space

[04:39] Planner’s preparedness for hybrid experience attendees will demand in the future

[05:49] Walking in the right perspective when leading hybrid events 

[11:30] The infusion of the unprecedented dollars into the events industry

[17:12] The challenges on both physical and digital side of events in content creation

[23:38] The paradigm and the changes in live event space  

[27:22] Why there’s little forgiveness for event organizers who aren’t taking risks 

[29:11] Digitalization in the creation of more opportunities to make money

[34:22] Perspective shift to a publishing mindset in event planning

[37:07] Identifying what you need, being curious, and getting the right mindset

[41:56] Allocating time to discover and test things to enhance creativity

[44:59] Positioning yourself for the future through transformation

[47:23] How to reach out and connect with Adam

[48:48] Question and answer session

Notable Quotes:

• “One of the tools that are missed a lot in event planning is perspective.” Adam Parry
• “if you're not taking a risk now, you're never going to do it and if you're never going to do it, you're not going to thrive. Nick Borelli
• “If you want healthy and successful businesses in the event space, you need other revenue models and opportunities outside of events.” Adam Parry
• “Businesses would better if they allocated a percentage of everybody's time to go out and discover stuff.” Adam Parry
• “Most people don't like change, and that's why transformation is so slow to happen.”Adam Parry

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Upcoming Interview with Adam Parry: Lighting Round Bonus Episode

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.