What's New? Marketing Magic as a VR Event!

What’s New?

Amazingly, I finally took the plunge into VR. I started with headphones and then, 2 weeks ago, I “invested” in an Oculus Quest 2 headset. My business partner hasn’t seen the expense show up on our credit card, so I’m safe for another week or so. Luckily, he doesn’t read these blog posts either. 

Why?

“Why VR?”, you may ask. Well, I’m glad to enlighten you. The reason is that there are no networking events. Physical networking events are gone - like the endangered White Rhino. With this pandemic, there are no events to attend. No breakfasts. No lunches. No dinners. No bars. Nothing. Even if there was, I wouldn’t attend. I’m under strict self-imposed quarantine. I’m COVID-free (been tested - negative) but the mandate comes from my wife. She’s a nurse - on the front lines, every day - and doesn’t want any viruses coming her way. She is taking enough risks just going to work every day. 

I know some organizations are offering “networking” events using video and screen sharing but I can’t find anything that grabs my attention for longer than 2 minutes. The speaker has to be outstanding or I end up bailing on the event. I’ve tried Zoom calls - zzzzzz. I tried Google Meet - actually, I haven’t found any on that platform. And MS Teams bores me to death. Honestly, the only guy who is hosting Zoom events that hold my attention is Joe Apfelbaum (try saying that clearly 3 times - App-fell-bomb - easy). Joe is entertaining, engaging, and enlightening. If you get the chance, be sure to join one of his Zoom calls - brilliant.

I don’t mind meetings online. Video meetings, especially with clients, are fine. It’s the events that put me to sleep. I joined a “panel discussion” last week - I still have the marks from my keyboard embedded in my forehead. Maybe it is just me. Maybe I should get more sleep at night but sleeping is boring too. 

What I really want is a networking event that is online, virtual, and interesting. Is that too much to ask? I want an event that I can attend remotely and an event that captivates me. Something different from the faces staring at me on Zoom. One lady was picking her nose. Really? 

Why VR for an Event?

Because of the adrenalin rush of stepping off the edge. Literally. No, scratch that, I mean virtually.

I have a good friend, Donna McTaggart, who has been mucking around in the world of VR for at least 3 years. She inspires me, so much so that I called her up using an old-fashioned thing called a phone and asked her if there was anything in VR land suitable enough for events. I wasn’t expecting much. 

To be honest, she surprised me - blew my socks off actually. She introduced me to AltspaceVR - the land of promise. She stressed that attending an event would be simple - just 4 easy steps. Download the software. Set up an account. Log in. Join an event. 

As you can guess, it isn’t quite that simple, but almost. The good news is that once you have an account, you can join events using just a computer, in what is called 2D. You can even set up an avatar. See, I have a red hat. 

You can move around. You can teleport and port to different worlds. You can add “wearables” like butterfly wings. You can listen and talk. You can even fly. A host can “kick” out annoying people (a true blessing that is a bit awkward in reality events). It’s quite amazing. Really! 

There are a few things you can’t do. External speakers and mics don’t work. Headphones - ear muff style - work much better. Touching other people is a no-no but you can’t do that in 2D anyway. “Why?” you ask. Well, in 2D you can’t use your hands. Your avatar has a set of hands, but they just hang by your side - like limp broken wings. Some people have hands that move - they are the ones with the fancy VR headsets. Now that I have a headset, I’m one of those arrogant people with moving hands. I haven’t learned to flip the bird, but I will soon - top of my list.

And Macintosh computers don’t work. Well maybe they do - there is no definitive answer on this. There is supposed to be a version of the app for Macs, but rumor has it that it is buggy. So, if you have a Mac, the lesson is > Get a real computer. With Windows. With 2 buttons on the mouse. 

Gosh. I just heard a whoosh as a thousand people unsubscribed. Oh well. 

What is Marketing Magic VR?

You are just full of great questions. I’m glad we are having this talk. 

Okay, Marketing Magic VR is a monthly meet-up of avatars (behind every avatar is a real person) interested in marketing. We had our first event on AltspaceVR last Thursday, November 17th. Donna was the event producer. She did an excellent job. Marc Binkley did the presentation on the topic of Branding and Triggers. Very enlightening. Twenty-two people showed up. Twelve left within 15 minutes. 10 hardcore friends of mine lasted the full 60 minutes. All were bribed with promises of coffee, wine, beer, smokes, and, for Yogi, a slice of New York-style cheesecake. 

When’s the Next Event for Marketing Magic?

I’m so glad that you asked. The next event is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15 at 4 pm MST. However, there is no speaker, yet. I’m working on finding our next speaker. Let me know if you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. 

Can we Continue this Conversation?

You bet. Contact me if you have any questions. Your options for connecting are:

Phone: 403-703-2247

Email: jeff@anduro.com

Twitter: @JeffxNelson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffxnelson/

Facebook: Old news. Don’t bother connecting with me on Facebook.

Or find me on AltspaceVR: JeffxNelson

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jeff Nelson