In Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality News
October 16, 2019 – In less than three weeks, attendees and exhibitors will be gathering in Vancouver, Canada, to attend this year’s VR/AR Global Summit. The VR/AR Association’s (VRARA) annual event, which is now in its fourth year, will take place on November 1 & 2 at the city’s Parq Casino and Conference Center, and will host 1,000+ Executives, 120+ Speakers and 70+ Exhibitors from around the world.
With key industry players in attendance, and with announcements expected from the likes of Niantic, Varjo, and others, it is likely that early next month we will see some exciting news coming from some of the biggest names in augmented and virtual reality.
With over 230 companies active within the fields of AR and VR in the city, Vancouver is now one of the largest AR & VR industry ecosystems in the world. Furthermore, according to a recent annual report published by CBRE, Vancouver is also ranked as the 12th best city in the world for tech related jobs in general. Both facts indicate that next month’s conference will be extremely well placed to attract several industry experts and leaders.
Attendees this year will include the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Magic Leap, HTC, and many more. This year’s lineup of exhibitors and speakers is set to deliver compelling insights on the current and future state of augmented and virtual reality and the impact the technology is having (and is expected to have) on specific industries such as enterprise, education, defense, entertainment and healthcare.
“VR/AR may seem like just a game to some, but in reality, it is having an impact on almost every area of our lives, allowing us to engage with our environment on an entirely new level. This technology has now been used in everything from Viacom’s groundbreaking AR Show for Missy Elliott’s MTV Vanguard! Award, to the US Military’s cultural sensitivity training for overseeing troops,” said Nathan Pettyjohn, Founder and President of the VR/AR Association. “The world-class group that will come together in Vancouver shows how diverse and boundary-pushing the industry is becoming – any company in VR or AR tech that has their sights set on growth should be at the event ready to collaborate and share their ideas.”
Several special events will be taking place leading up to and during the summit, including a VIP cocktail reception to kick the event off, a Marvel experience, ecosystem meetings, a VRARA Women’s meet up, an LNG interactive art show, ‘Speed Dating’, and developer workshops from Lenovo, Magic Leap, HTC, and more.
Furthermore, this year, the lineup has been purposefully split almost equally between men and women. The VRARA has stated that it is trying to keep the industry not only inclusive, but a leader in celebrating and furthering the progress of women in tech. To mark this commitment, Co-Chairs, Anne-Marie Enns and Sophia Moshada will launch the VRARA Women’s Committee at this year’s summit.
Overall the event aims to not only educate attendees on the far-reaching practical applications of AR and VR, but to also explore the newest trends and creative expressions that are possible with these technologies. One example of this will be a newly-released augmented-reality experience, which will allow attendees to harness unexpected powers right in the middle of the exhibition floor.
Tickets are available here, and VR/AR Association members are eligible for a discounted rate. To learn more about the event, and to find out about exhibitors, speakers, and schedules, visit the VR/AR Global Summit website here.
Image credit: VR/AR Global Summit
About the author
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.
