NEW YORK (PRWEB) March 05, 2021
NYC Media Lab will unveil an innovative “Exploratorium” conference and meeting VR technology platform as part of its "Technology + Storytelling: Engaging The Immersive Future” event, to be held March 10.
The forum, which is free and open to the public, will reveal new trends and innovations in immersive storytelling through discussions and demos.
“ohyay,” which is currently in alpha form, was designed to meet the challenge of creating a large virtual experience that can give attendees the ability to be part of a large event – big rooms with lots of people – while still having the option to participate in smaller demonstrations and conversations.
“We knew that our events had always been a place where people could gather, connect, learn and share,” said Steve Rosenbaum, Executive Director, NYC Media Lab. “But in a world where COVID had us all working from home, all the platforms for virtual events we looked at felt like trade shows. We wanted something playful, immersive, and engaging. We wanted a platform where people could explore our stages, dive deep into demos and be able to engage with others. And we’re excited to be working with ohyay.”
“Ohyay began as an experiment to make hanging out online more fun, and has evolved into a tool for building immersive and interactive virtual environments,” said Aletta Hiemstra, Communications and Community Manager of the platform. “We’re thrilled that NYC Media Lab has chosen ohyay for their space.”
"Technology + Storytelling: Engaging The Immersive Future,” which will be held from 10 AM to 3 PM ET on March 10, will feature panels and presentations, a networking session in eight unique rooms and spaces, and an afternoon featuring eight AR/VR storytelling projects curated by the Media Lab team and Lance Weiler of the Columbia University Digital Storytelling Lab.
The New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and AWE (Augmented World Expo) are presenting sponsors of the event, which features a keynote by Evan Shapiro, Chairman of the Board, One Day Immersion, on "How to Navigate the Media Wars and Save your Film Career,” a fireside chat with Connie Kennedy, Head of LA Lab/Epic Games, and a panel on "BLM, Immersive Film & Activism."
Founded in 2010, NYC Media Lab is dedicated to driving innovation and job growth in media and technology by facilitating collaboration between the City's universities and companies. The consortium was created through a partnership between the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYEDC), NYU Tandon and Columbia University, which served as the founding academic partners. The consortium has grown to include five additional New York City universities and 22 leading media and technology companies.
To register for the event, please visit: immersivefuture.eventbrite.com
About ohyay
ohyay is a browser-based video communication platform that gives anyone the power to create a virtual space — no code necessary. Since December 2020, our community of creators has built a wide variety of experiences, from classrooms to film festivals. For more information, contact team@ohyay.co.
About the NYC Media Lab
NYC Media Lab connects media and technology companies with New York City's universities to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent development. Comprised of a consortium including New York University, Columbia University, The New School, CUNY, School of Visual Arts, Manhattan College, and Pratt Institute, NYC Media Lab's goals are to generate research and development, knowledge transfer, and talent across all of the city's campuses. Created in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, the Media Lab is built on corporate membership. Member companies—which include Bloomberg, Havas, The New York Times, Verizon, and more—participate in roundtable events on technology issues; connect with one another and with faculty, students, and other university resources; and direct prototyping projects on various areas of interest from AI and spatial computing to 5G and immersive XR. More information is available at nycmedialab.org.