Anne, Steve and Nathalie are on a bit of a high after manning the Orchid Systems booth at Rejuvenate 2022, a virtual conference convened by Robert Lavery and Associates for Sage 300 partners and end-users. (To be perfectly honest, Anne is currently sleeping off her high, after doing an all-nighter due to the time difference between Sydney and North America.)
As mentioned in the promotional emails, the event was hosted on a "metaverse" platform called EXVO.
From our perspective, the platform lived up to the hype.
- Participants were able to stroll around a virtual outdoor venue, surrounded by fresh air and mountains.
- Upon approaching an exhibitor's booth they could see who was manning or visiting the stand, click a button to enter, and engage in a real-time video conference.
- We often had multiple people engaged in conversation. Others would approach to see what they were missing out on, and join in.
- At designated times, all participants would find themselves being ushered into a central hall to listen to keynote addresses before returning to the exhibition areas.
- Those too shy to approach the booths could also stroll down a side alley to browse and download brochures.
In short, it had many of the hallmarks of a regular conference & exhibition.
It's true that nothing quite takes the place of a face-to-face event, but this was certainly the next best thing we've experienced to date. Rejuvenate 2022 provided a tantalizing glimpse of the way conferencing is evolving as businesses negotiate the new normal of hybrid working and reduced travel.
Many thanks to Robert and Nancy Lavery for the effort they put into making it happen. We hope the other attendees found it as worthwhile as we did.
