25 May 2023 | Sam Sprigg
Everything Everywhere AWE at Once
AWE USA 2023

AWE USA is one week away. We’ve put together the ultimate pre-event summary post to summarize everything from all pre-event summary posts everywhere, all in one easy-to-refer-to place.


On that note, we’ll keep the intro short and get straight to it (in alphabetical order, we promise, even though the Afterparty is mentioned first):


AWE Afterparty

On Thursday June 1, 8-11pm, join us for an unforgettable experience at this year’s AWE Conference After Party, produced by Michael Ronen!

The official 'Future Selves Unleashed Afterparty,' an eco-friendly, tailgate-style AWE party will be located within walking distance from the Santa Clara Convention Center, at the Hilton Hotel Santa Clara, directly across the street. AWE badge required for entry.

Plus, once things wrap up at 11pm, the bars at both the Hyatt and Hilton will be staying open as late as they can to accommodate any guests that want to keep the party going.

Agenda and Agenda Tracks
View the full agenda here, or check out the 14 expertly curated agenda tracks covering the hottest topics & companies speaking at AWE 2023.
All on-site XR activations at AWE 2023
Find out about on-site activations, including Web AR games on your conference badge, personalized avatars, unique AWE Snapchat lenses, a digital tour of the Expo Hall, AR skating games, and more.
Auggie Awards Ceremony and Finalists
The 14th Annual Auggie Awards & XR Prize Ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 1, from 7-8pm in the Mission City Ballroom (Main Stage).

Learn all about this year’s finalists for the 2023 Auggie Awards - the XR industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony.
AWE.LIVE
Use the awe.live platform to review the agenda, build your schedule, view the Expo Hall map, and make connections with fellow attendees. Download the AWE app for iOS and Android, or log-in at awe.live.
AWS Robot Dog
AWE is a (robot) dog-friendly event this year, and AWS will be bringing Spot, a Boston Dynamics robot, along for attendees to meet.
Charging Stations
Charging stations are located throughout the convention center and outside of the Niantic Lounge.
Coffee
Wednesday, May 31: 10-11am at the Mission City Terrace. Sponsored by Squars.
Thursday, June 1: 11am-12pm inside the Expo Hall. Sponsored by Pico and Ultraleap.
Friday, June 2: 10-11am in the expo Hall.

Early Registration and Registration Hours
Registration is open in the Santa Clara Convention Center’s Main Lobby on the following days and times:

Early Reg Pick Up - Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 4-8pm**
Day 1 - Wednesday, May 31, 2023, 7am - 6pm
Day 2 - Thursday, June 1, 2023, 7:30am - 7pm
Day 3 - Friday, June 2, 2023, 7:30am - 4pm

**We highly encourage you to pick up your badge on Tuesday to avoid the Wednesday rush.
Event Wrap Up and Best in Show Awards
Event wrap-up and Best in Show awards will take place on the Main Stage on Friday, June 2, at 3:45pm.
Expo Floor Map

The AWE Expo Floor will open on Thursday, June 1, from 11am-5:30pm.
On Friday, June 2, doors open from 10am-3pm.

Exhibitors
Find out about the 300+ exhibitors showcasing the latest AR and VR products and solutions at this year’s event.
Food Purchases
Food is available for purchase throughout SCCC and Hyatt - AWE does not provide food and you can purchase it any time.
Happy Hour
Join us on Thursday, June 1, for Happy Hour from 5:30-6:45pm in the Mission City Ballroom (Main Stage), Lobby & Patio Area. Network, enjoy a cocktail and some light snacks too.
Khronos Developer Forum
Khronos will host a series of BOFs, tutorials, and interactive workshops. Working Group members from OpenXR, 3D Formats, 3D Commerce will bring the business leaders and developers at AWE up to speed on the latest Khronos capabilities and extensions. The Forum will also feature a guest session from the Metaverse Standards Forum on the road ahead for open standards supporting the XR community.

The Khronos Developer Forum will be located in Meeting Room #203 from May 31-June 2.

Know Before You Go information
Find out about important “Know Before You Go” details, designed to help you have the best experience imaginable.
LBE Meetup
Get together for a casual meetup with others interested in the location-based entertainment space for XR on Wednesday, May 31, 12-2pm in the Great America Meeting Room Foyer.
Niantic Happy Hour
The Niantic Happy Hour takes place in the Niantic Lounge (noted below) on Thursday, June 1 from 3pm-5pm. Chat with the Niantic team to discover the latest advancements in augmented reality technology.
Niantic Lounge
Open everyday from 8am-5pm, the Niantic Lounge will be located in the Great America Ballroom and will include three full days of office hours where you can learn more about 8th Wall and Lightship, special programming and announcements.
AWE Nite Organizers Meetup
A special meetup for AWE Nite organizers during the happy hour. All are welcome, and people who are interested in starting an AWE Nite where they live are encouraged to come, to connect with fellow organizers, learn from one another, and grow the AWE Nite community around the globe.
AWE Playground
The AWE Playground is our 20,000 square foot AR+VR experience center featuring jaw-dropping, highly immersive and interactive demos not seen under one roof anywhere else (think more Theme Park than Trade show Expo).
AWE Pride happy hour and networking
Taking place during AWE Happy Hour on Thursday, June 1, from 5:30-6:45pm. Celebrate the first day of Pride Month with good times and networking for the LGBTQ+ community and allies at the top of the escalators above registration.
Schedule at a Glance
Find out information on the venue, hotels, conference dates and times on the Schedule at a Glance page.
Snap AR Lounge
Located in front of the Main Stage, the Snap AR lounge is the perfect place to make connections, chat with fellow attendees, or just take a break from the hustle and bustle of the event for a few minutes.
Speakers you don’t want to miss
Discover the full list of speakers at AWE 2023, and find out about some of the speakers and thought leaders that you definitely won’t want to miss at this year’s event.
Sponsors
See which leading XR companies are sponsors of AWE 2023, and find out about event partners.
Start-up Booths
Meet with the incredible start-ups that are taking part in AWE 2023 and showcasing their innovative solutions on the expo floor this year. The start-up zone is located in Hall B.
Start-ups and Investor Day

The Start-ups and Investor Day will take place on Thursday, June 1, and will include an investor panel from 1-2pm, as well as the Start-up Pitch Competition, which will run from 2:05-5:00pm (with a break in between).

Start-up Competition Finalists
Meet the finalists for this year’s Start-up Pitch competition, the winner of which will be handed the Auggie Award for ‘Start-up To Watch.’
AWE Swag
You’ve been asking for years, and we’ve listened. AWE t-shirts are now available for purchase (online only). All products are sold at cost, and we do not make any profit from our merch. Please note, items are unfortunately not available for purchase on site at AWE USA.
UX Meetup
On Friday 10:30am-12pm, at the Great America Meeting Room Foyer & Terrace, UX researchers, developers, and designers from across the globe will meet to chat about some of the great examples of UX they’ve seen throughout the conference.
Welcome Party – Sponsored by Zappar
Wind down after a busy first day and enjoy a cocktail and light snacks at the Welcome Party, sponsored by Zappar, from 6-8pm at the Hyatt Santa Clara Ballroom, Cypress Room & Mezzanine.
XR Guild meetup
Meet the XR Guild at AWE 2023 on June 1, from 1-3pm upstairs outside the Great America meeting rooms, just above the Niantic Lounge.
XR Job Fair, powered by XR Bootcamp
On Thursday, June 1, from 2-4pm XR Bootcamp will host a job fair in the AWE Expo Hall at booth #1251. Meet other XR job seekers and companies with open positions. Space is limited, so please reserve your spot.
XR Prize Challenge Finalists
Meet the 11 finalists for the XR Prize Challenge: Fight Climate Change and learn about their innovative XR solutions that can help tackle climate change. Finalists will also be located on the Expo Floor in the start-up booth area. The winner of the XR Prize Challenge will be awarded a $100,000 cash prize during the 14th Annual Auggie Awards & XR Prize Ceremony on Thursday June 1, from 7-8pm.
XR Women Awards and networking event

Join the XR Women as they honor the accomplishments of women in the XR industry with their yearly XR Women Awards in the categories of Innovation, Trailblazer, and Real World Impact.

The Awards will take place Thursday, June 1, at 11am on the Main Stage, with networking to follow.

The power of partnerships - success stories from AWE
Hear what AWE exhibitors and attendees have to say about the world's largest B2B community and event series.
The quality of connections - funding success stories from AWE
There’s no better way to learn about best practices for evaluating, adopting, implementing and scaling AR, VR, XR, the metaverse in the workplace—than diving into the content, community and conversations that will take place at AWE events.









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