8 Metaverse Platforms You Need To Try in 2022
In the wake of the Corona Pandemic, hybrid or fully digital events have replaced physical events. While people are looking forward to going back to in-person events, it doesn’t mean that the era of digital event formats is over. Those formats are here to stay in the long term, which would allow the event industry to explore new avenues to give event attendees new and meaningful experiences.
Before the pandemic, the event industry was already going through a transitional period due to the digital revolution. Now, event professionals are looking for new ideas, formats, and concepts to allow events to take place no matter the external circumstances. Digital experiences are a solution that the industry can up with to answer participants’ desire to attend events from wherever they are. It led to blurring the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds even more.
This is where the metaverse comes into play. It is on everyone’s lips and has become an attractive option for event organizers who are looking to offer unique experiences to their participants. But what is the metaverse actually?
Metaverse: What is it really?
The word metaverse is composed of the two words “meta”(meaning beyond) and “universe”.
The metaverse refers to a concept of a shareable online world. It is to be seen as a universe that links our virtual, augmented, and physical reality in a digital space without internal boundaries. In this 3D digital world, the user can control an avatar to move and interact. The metaverse is intended to be a fully-immersive experience. It should be noted, however, that there is no clear definition as of yet, everyone has their own interpretation of what metaverse means.
Many believe that the metaverse will revolutionize any events held in a hybrid space. Events that take place in the metaverse have a combination of physical and digital components that can be experienced by the participants as a three-dimensional experience.
Some companies and event professionals that are already using the metaverse for their events are reporting that their attendees are already enthusiastically interacting there. It leads us to believe that this enthusiasm for the metaverse will keep increasing.
The biggest challenge is finding the right platform for event organizers to host their events. The problem is that there are platforms on the market that advertise enabling events in the metaverse but are in reality merely offering 3D experiences. The difference between virtual reality and the metaverse needs to be clear so that eventprofs choose the right platform.
Moreover, it will be crucial for event professionals to have a long-term metaverse strategy to adapt to the developments and needs of the market and to keep proposing unique event experiences.
In this blog article, we would like to introduce you to 8 metaverse platforms that we consider to be particularly interesting and promising.
8 Metaverse Platforms for your next event
1- Pathos Metaverse
This platform is a browser-based 3D events platform optimized for networking. Event organizers have the choice with this platform to rent one of the unique digital venues or own one themselves. This platform is an all-in-one solution aiming to make the event experience easy and enjoyable for attendees, event producers, brands, and sponsors. There are three basic options to choose from (Video Conference, Metaverse Avatar Experience, Super hybrid), which can be supplemented with add-ons as needed. The platform can be used for both small and global events.
2- Decentraland
The Decentraland platform is a true metaverse and offers its users a huge virtual world with a lot to discover. There is also an overview of numerous events hosted on the platform that you can join. It’s a nice way to familiarize yourself with the metaverse. Companies can create their own branded event spaces and visitors to the platform can then find them on their own.
3- Rooom
No special hardware or app is required for the rooom experience platform. It runs on any device and is free of charge in its basic form. The platform has a user-friendly interface and users can create and manage rooms themselves. They also have access to templates that make it easier for them to quickly display content in a 3D format.
4- Zreality Grids
This 3D, virtual, and augmented reality platform for businesses is suitable for all devices. This all-in-one platform offers virtual communication and collaboration spaces with avatars in highly realistic 3D environments. Whether for virtual showrooms, events, or collaborations, every kind of event can be hosted on this platform.
5- Virbela
This virtual world platform is specifically designed to solve the challenges of remote working and collaboration. With this platform, users can recreate their office, event, or university. For your event, you can develop a single stage or an entire exhibition hall with immersive booths. This platform allows you to create a unique experience for your attendees by customizing the space where your event takes place. Fireworks, breathtaking views, beach settings, dance competitions, speedboats – everything is possible.
6- Nextech AR
This end-to-end event solution offers many features such as AR navigation, 3D floor plans, interactive 3D product presentations, gamification, marketplaces, and immersive metaverse experiences on 8 different platforms. For events, there is a distinction between two different platforms: ARtize event platform and Map D. With the former, you can engage your attendees with holograms, AR product presentations, 3D product visualizations, and augmented reality experiences. Map D, on the other hand, includes all the event planning features you need to manage and execute any type of event. For example, you can use this platform to sell booth space and attract sponsors, provide a companion mobile app for in-person attendees, or run the event entirely in a standalone virtual venue.
7- BIZZLOGIC
This is a browser-based platform with a rather minimalistic design compared to other ones, but it is still completely customizable. You can either choose from a large selection of existing rooms or create a unique space tailored to your brand. There is a special feature that can scan a real environment and recreate it in the digital space.
8- eXvo
This platform from provider Allseated allows event organizers and promoters to create a fully branded and engaging experience for their attendees. A unique feature of this platform is that you connect with other attendees anywhere in the venue thanks to various live face-to-face interaction options.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, there are already a variety of interesting platforms that allow you to offer your event’s participants a memorable experience in the metaverse. Choosing the right platform for your event will depend on the features you need and your event goals. No matter the platform you choose to host your event on, you’ll find that the metaverse offers you a whole new way to deliver an exceptional experience to your participants.
But don’t forget that this technology is still evolving. Metaverse events have not yet become the norm and are only gradually being tried out by event organizers. It means that the room for improvement is great and that we can only anticipate more possibilities when it comes to planning a metaverse event.
Are you looking for a platform or software that focuses on engagement? Do you still need the right all-in-one solution for your next event? Then you should take a look at our Eventtech Tool Directory. Here you’ll find a list of tools, technologies, and software for event organizers that can help you with your virtual and/or hybrid event production.
Find more tips about how to host a metaverse event on our Pinterest board!
Written by:
Miriam Limbach
PIRATEx Communication Manager
