Category: VRTO

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Canada’s VRTO Conference and Expo Returns for 2019 in June

Every year for the videogame industry June is dominated by one event, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. When it comes to virtual reality (VR) the technology has made inroads largely thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and PlayStation VR. If you really want to see what going on in VR then a dedicated event is much more informative, like the Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference & Expo (VRTO) being held in Toronto, Canada next month.

This will be the 4th VRTO conference and expo, featuring a mix of keynotes, panels, presentations and roundtables from over 35 thought-leaders, developers, producers, inventors and designers. There will also be an exhibition hall with VR, augmented reality (AR) and 360 content alongside art installations from local Universities and select hardware.

The speaker lineup for 2019 includes:

  • Tiptatat Chennavasin – Venture Reality Fund co-founder
  • Blake J. Harris – Author of The History of the Future
  • Douglas Rushkoff (internationally acclaimed author “Present Shock,” “Team Human”)
  • Sarah Vick – Intel Studios
  • Kent Bye – Voices of VR Podcast
  • Lee Vermeulen – Alientrap Games (Modbox)
  • Laura Mingail – Entertainment One (owns Secret Location)
  • CJ Hervey – Dark Slope Studios (Scarygirl Mission Maybee)
  • Blair Renaud – Iris VR Inc.
  • Brave Williams – Husson University, New England
  • Shachar Weis – Packet39

VRTO 2019 takes place at the Toronto Media Arts Centre from 1st – 3rd June with only 150 Conference Passes. A full conference 3-day pass retails for $450 CAD excluding fees and tax. A VIP package is also available which includes the full 3-day conference pass, a 1.5-hour Exhibitor preview on Saturday, 1st June, a private networking reception (Sunday 2nd June), VIP delegates goodie bag, priority registration and special events entry, access to the VIP networking lounge throughout the conference.

Additionally, the Ontario Tech University and OCAD University are co-presenting/hosting a full day workshop on 31st May, at VRTO, for 30 students and neophyte developers who want to build their first quality, functioning VR experience applications.

If you can’t make it to VRTO then there are still plenty of other VR events taking place across the year such as AR & VR World in June (UK), VR on the Lot in October (US) and VR Days Europe in November (EU). For the latest updates, keep reading VRFocus.

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VRTO Canada’s VR & AR convention Announces Lineup

VRTO, also known as the Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference and Expo, is one of the largest events of its kind in Canada and the event organisers have now revealed details on its updated line-up of speeches, panels and other events.

Among the line-up will be an expert panel on the future of Out-of-Home virtual reality (VR) entertainment, led by James Jensen from The Void, Ed Callaway of AMD and Aaron Pulkka of Two Bit Circus. There will also be a multi-sensory pavilion where works curated by computer science academic Dr. Maria Karam will be presented for attendees to try, which will include VR experiences along with augmented reality, haptics and other innovative interactive technologies.

“One of the biggest challenges for VRTO 2017 is unpacking the sheer scope of the many titans of the industry and unique exhibitions coming together for the first time under one roof.” said Keram Malicki-Sanchez, VRTO Founder and Executive Director. “VRTO is not a tradeshow — it is a symposium, a mesh of unique installations by world-class artists and inventors and a training ground for those looking to lead the industry. From inventors like Steve Mann, Graham Smith, David A Smith, and Maria Karam to leading researchers like Stanford University’s Walter Greenleaf — discussing decades of mental health research — or Peggy Wu — discussing VR for the Mars astronauts — to industry leaders and researchers from Google, Microsoft, AMD, Jam3, Modiface, OCAD, the Canadian Film Centre and Ideaboost — everything has been curated and engineered for maximum impact at VRTO.”

The event is planned to begin on Sunday, 25th June until Monday 26th June at the Rogers Communication Centre of Reyerson University in Toronto. Further information on the line up, along with ticket information can be found at the official VRTO website.

VRFocus will continue to report on upcoming VR and AR related events.