The Augmented World Expo (AWE) returns to Silicon Valley as a live event in the autumn of 2021. AWE is a conference and community that focuses on mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) and related technologies. This year, rather than being hosted in May as it traditionally has, AWE will be hosted six months later, on November 9-11, thanks to the pandemic and needing to plan around it. But the event will return to the Santa Clara Convention Center and will keep to its focus areas in both topics and expo booths. Event features familiar to prior attendees are returning, according to an official mailing, that include the:
- AWE Playground: Hands-on experiences, such as Birdly and Infinideck.
- Auggie Awards: Hundreds of nominees across 20 distinct categories will compete to be winners of Auggie Awards trophies.
- Pitch competition: Selected AR and VR startups will pitch in front of a group of venture capitalists to compete for the previously mentioned Auggie Awards trophy and the designation as a “Startup to Watch”.
- VR Lounges, happy hour parties, and special receptions will host visitors onsite and online for networking opportunities.
The AWE 2021 speaker list has been posted online. As is tradition, the topics are diverse and covers a broad spectrum. While the talks themselves aren’t posted yet, the agenda preview is, so it’s possible to get an idea where gaming fits as a puzzle piece in the AWE event. In the near future, it’s likely there will be more information about the specific talks themselves that will be featured at AWE 2021.
Also, you can find the the AWE 2021 exhibitor list online, which happens to be numbered at just over 100 as well. The gaming sphere in AR/XR/VR is represented by several companies, such as Unreal Engine and Exit Games.
To check out more info about the AWE event, visit the AWE link on E4G as the first link in the article or on the official AWE 2021 site. For folks interested in attending, early bird rates that save several hundred dollars will be good through June 25. Keep an eye on E4G for news and info about AWE 2021 as the event nears!
