Agenda

Description

Across the country thousands of VR Arcades are popping up, from bespoke VR Entertainment Centers to Mom and Pop Arcades. How do you enter this exciting new Market, and what opportunities exist today? Is now the time to open a VR Entertainment Center or content development studio?

Who should attend?
1.) Entrepreneurs and Investors considering entering the Location Based VR Space
2.) Content Studios considering product development for Location Based Entertainment
3.) Event planners and Experience Operators considering operating VR Experiences at Events
4.) Venues considering hosting VR Events

We will address

The (5) User Roles of Location Based VR UX, and how they work together
- The Guest
- The Event Agent
- The Experience Operator
- The Venue
- The Product Developer

Tools for operating a great VR event
- Consumer grade vs Professional Event Grade Gear
- Things you didn't realize you need, from hygiene to tripods
- Event agent tools to grow and manage a guest list
- Sample Event Budget for a profitable Mom & Pop Arcade

VR UX Product Design for Location Based Entertainment
- Professionally Operated Product vs Consumer
- Sports Ladders vs a Park Rides, retention or throughput
- Guest Media Take Aways
- VR Content for the Instagram

Legal and Budget Considerations
- Balancing the Budget, who pays who
- Product Marketing Events and Loss Leaders
- Hiring the skill sets needed for the best Agents and Operators
- Why you must have an event waiver, stories from the trenches

Speakers

Adam Bruce

VR Producer & Immersive Product Designer , VRLab

Description

Ellen DeGeneres, America's most loved comedian and popular TV host, entered the augmented reality era with the "Game of Games" show. Over 900,000 app users get to tune in and play along with Ellen with AR by unlocking prizes that jump from the TV screen into viewers' phones. The app has hit 741,614 AR gift box markers scanned from NBC broadcasts of Game of Games, during the weekly Play Along Live game.

At AWE, HitPoint Studios gives an insight into the creative and technical process of building the "Game of Games" Game app and how to connect traditional TV shows with AR technology.

Speakers

Alexa Hook

Digital Games Producer , The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Paul Hake

CEO , HitPoint Inc.

Daniel Leary

Digital Co-Executive Producer , The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Description

Storytelling strategies vary among platform, media and genre. As technology changes how we define storytelling, we’ve find ourselves as test subjects within different experiences. Are today’s game consoles tomorrow's set top box? Is the future of narrative a real time vr experience or a branching narrative? Or is leaning back making a come back? Dive into this interactive session that questions where the line is for the future of storytelling?

Presented by The Television Academy’s Interactive Media Peer Group

Speakers

Eric Elder

AR/VR Industry Liaison & Adjunct Professor / Executive Director , Loyola Marymount University, XR Wizards Lab

Maureen Fan

CEO & Co-Founder , Baobab Studios

Ted Schilowitz

Futurist , Consultant

Mehrad Noori

Director, Global Programming , NBCUniversal International Networks

Ryan Bell

Media Specialist , Nasa JPL

Lori H. Schwartz

CEO and Founder , StoryTech

Description

Artificial intelligence is increasingly prevalent in every aspect of our lives – and its impact on the entertainment industry is taking shape. As the video space becomes increasingly saturated and engagement rates continue to drop, AI-powered avatars are becoming the “what comes next” in mobile entertainment. Armando will speak about this new form of interactive content: how AI avatars are becoming increasingly lifelike, how emotional insights gleaned from AI avatars can change interactions with computers as we know them, and how the intersection of these innovations offers creators an opportunity to deploy AI avatars across the entertainment industry.

Speakers

Armando Kirwin

Founder , Artie

Description

The medium of 360/VR requires a new taxonomy for discussing point of view (POV). The simple designations of first, second, and third person that we use to categorize books, movies, and video games don't cover all the options and combinations available in this new, immersive medium of virtual reality. Using my experience as a 360/VR content creator, professional screenwriter, and Professor of Virtual Reality Filmmaking, I have created the new taxonomy for VR, which will allow us to better discuss, analyze, and communicate clearly about this medium. I will present -- and explain the applications of -- this taxonomy, which includes 4 POV tiers: 1) Narrative, 2) Visual, 3) Experiential -- whether the viewer feels invisible, acknowledged, active, or passive -- and 4) Transcendental -- the viewer’s relationship to gravity, time and space.

Speakers

Eve Weston

CEO/Creator of Realities , Exelauno

Description

Gaming and entertainment technology is evolving rapidly to become more immersive and interactive. Significant investment in 5G infrastructure will enable more content to be delivered to consumers while simultaneously giving those customers more control and detail. Currently, content developers and broadcast/streaming services are working to determine the best container for delivering that content over 5G. MPEG-H is a leading contender as it allows delivery of a single type of audio/video experience to its customer base over multiple platforms (e.g. VR/AR, music video, film, streaming or broadcast). Likewise, MPEG-H can be used for mobile, PCs, the car and a multitude of connected devices, forever changing the workflows of mixers and broadcasters having to work on numerous (and separate) audio mixes for each method of content consumption.
Furthermore, MPEG-H also enables the end consumer to personalize their entertainment experience like never before. Examples would be to allow the hard of hearing to adjust the dialog of a sports broadcast independently of the other audio or allowing the super fan to remove the commentary altogether. Additional features include playing back the entire soundscape on headphones with high immersion using spatial audio processing and allowing the HRTF’s of a device to be changed on the playback device for an even more detailed and accurate representation of the audio. In this talk, we will talk about how THX is working with the industry to enable the creation and delivery of next-generation immersive content to enhance the entertainment experience for consumers.

Speakers

Patrick Flanagan

VP, Audio Architecture , THX

Description

The future of live experiences such as sports, concerts and theatre venues is radically changing. The rollout of 5G will trigger a revolution in AR and spatial mapping technologies.

Nexus Studios, a leader in immersive storytelling, and AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, are working closely to enhance live experiences with immersive technologies.

By creating a highly accurate digital overlay of the venue that can be accessed via your phone’s camera, venues will soon offer an array of new services to offer customers.

In this session we'll explore the opportunities within this digital infrastructure, and cover new ways for brands to engage with customers.

Together, Nexus Studios and AEG are designing the venue of the future.

Speakers

Robert Thacker

Vice President of Strategy, Digital and Analytics for Global Partnerships , AEG

Luke Ritchie

Head of Interactive , Nexus Studios

Description

Like so much else in technology and culture, the worlds of gaming and entertainment are under increasing ethical scrutiny from press and public alike. In XR entertainment, the unique characteristics of immersive media add extra layers of complexity and subtlety to ethical questions. XR entertainment creators have a responsibility to understand and address issues including privacy and safety, volition and agency, trust and truthfulness, and nuanced problems of representation. Our panelists will take a thoughtful view of these ethical dimensions with a special focus on potential solutions and best practices.

Speakers

Brenda Laurel

Principal , Neogaian Interactive

Nicole Lazzaro

President , Xeodesign Inc

Samantha Gorman

Co-Founder , Tender Claws

David Levitt

CEO , Pantomime Corporation