TowardXR will be attending Laval Virtual this April in Laval, France. The event, which began in 1999, has grown into a massive annual crossroads of European and global VR/AR expertise, and we see it as an important component of the role we want to play.
For some, it may seem strange for a US-focused company to make its first conference visit an international one. After all, it’s easy for companies in a single geography to think of themselves purely in those terms, especially if natural constraints force that level of focus.
Case in point? If you are a financial advisor in the US, you think in terms of your state because various products are regulated on a state level (insurance) and/or have location factored in when you sell something to a client.
You also think in terms of the domestic US because of the suite of products available there, especially as relates to tax-advantaged retirement accounts, mutual funds, etc. Of course, accredited investors will have access to additional options, and real assets can span borders - but even then, regulation and tax laws serve to keep your practice focused.
The danger comes when you commingle local business practices with an equally local understanding of technology. If TikTok has shown us anything, it is that dominant forces in social media and other technologies can come from external geographies.
But beyond this simplistic viewpoint, we feel that there is a lot to be gained from seeing how people in a crossroads of cultures come together to experience and interrogate interactive experiences. This is truly an area of technology that is still negotiating its place in the human narrative, and future client experiences affecting even small US companies will be designed in the most unlikely places, perhaps by people in entirely different industries.
We have long said that, when it comes to digital experiences, companies do not compete with the best features available in their industry; they compete with the best features available in any industry. More than ever, we feel that having a truly global perspective on XR technologies is the most surefire way to deliver top service to our clients.
Obviously, we’ll be posting our thoughts after the conference as well (and yes, our white paper is still coming. Thanks for your patience.)
In the meantime, if you’re attending Laval as well, drop us a line at info@towardxr.com - we’d love to see you there!