Meet us at The Economist Metaverse Summit - Digital Catapult

Event overview

Building connections and communities through mixed reality

The vision of the metaverse—a virtual world that anyone can plug into—was born in the minds of science-fiction writers, but is today shaping real-world strategies of the world’s leading brands. The 2nd annual Metaverse Summit will offer a wealth of use case studies and in-depth perspectives providing senior business leaders with the knowledge—and tools—to unlock the new opportunities this technology brings.

As this virtual space continues to grow and evolve, firms are learning how they can extend the omnichannel experience to include it. The question remains—will the metaverse live up to its promise as a viable customer platform, and can brands create immersive, engaging experiences that connect authentically with consumers? How can they shift from a web 2.0 to a web3 mindset?

The Summit will bring together executives, policymakers, innovators and technology experts to discuss the business benefits for the metaverse and how to unlock new revenue streams.

The expert speakers will look beyond the hype and uncover the prospective value of these immersive experiences.

Digital Catapult is pleased to be able to share our expertise and thought leadership on this stage.

Hear from us

Digital Catapult experts on stage:

10th October, 3:00 pm PDT

Panel discussion – Building a better workplace with immersive technology

Use of the metverse at work is still in its early stages. With so much potential for metaverse-driven transformation, how and where should organisations focus their efforts?

Discussion topics:

Reality check: what is the benefit of integrating immersive experiences into the world of work?
Which challenges and risks need to be considered?
What steps need to be taken to evolve not only legacy mindsets but also tech stacks?

Panellists:

Alejandra Parra-Orlandoni, Vice-president, responsible innovation, global portfolio division, Takeda

Amy Hedrick, Founder and chief executive, Cleanbox

Alan Smithson, Co-founder, MetaVRse

Jessica Driscoll, Director, immersive technology, Digital Catapult

Moderated by: Robert Fine, Executive director, International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association (IVRHA)

10th October, 4:30 pm PDT

Panel discussion: Moving at the speed of innovation: how can policy keep up?

Developments in technology could catalyse new regulation and, in turn, mass adoption of the metaverse.

Discussion topics:

How should regulatory frameworks evolve to support the growing digital economy?
What approaches to regulation can be taken to encourage authentic personal expression in the metaverse?
Free parking for all: how can a metaverse monopoly be avoided?

Panellists:

Dr Christina Yan Zhang, Chief executive, The Metaverse Institute

John Bradley, Community lead, Metaverse, World Economic Forum

Nathanael Fast, Jorge Paulo and Susanna Lemann chair in Entrepreneurship, and associate professor of management, USC Marshall

Francesca Ginexi, Privacy policy manager, legislation, Meta

Moderated by: Dr Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult

Our speakers

Dr Jeremy Silver

CEO

Jeremy Silver, CEO of Digital Catapult, is an entrepreneur, author and angel investor. He is a Trustee of the British Library and a member of the UK Creative Industries Council. Jeremy sits on the boards of HammerheadVR Ltd, Imaginarium Studios Ltd and FeedForward.AI.

Jessica Driscoll

Director of Immersive Technology

An immersive technology specialist Jessica Driscoll is Director of Immersive Technology at Digital Catapult. She has an MA in Digital Culture and Technology and experience of working with a variety of technologies from virtual reality, augmented reality and haptics in the creative and industrial sectors.