NCFA Fintech Confidential October 2021 (Issue 4)

associates and robotics working together
harmoniously—what I like to call a symphony
of humans and machines working together—
allows us to pass along a lower cost to our
customer.” As these “cobots” (robot coworkers
or collaborative robots) become
prevalent, it’s likely that our interaction in the
home with Alexa, Siri, or Roomba, will have
conditioned us to be accepting of our new
digital co-workers.
Talking points, instead of planned slides,
allow the audience to more easily move
from topic to topic based on their interest.
VR provides subject material on an asneeded
basis instead of going from slide to
slide. Immersive environments like virtual
and augmented reality and holographic
telepresence make more sense than ever.
Virtual reality is data-rich, providing a whole
new level to the conference experience.
Conferences are disrupted
by virtual reality. In 2018,
Cathy spoke at Lethbridge
College’s Merging Realities,
the first conference hosted
in virtual reality. Over three
hundred people registered
for the event. People
outfitted their avatars in
business attire.
At the time of this writing, companies are
getting rid of their corporate headquarters,
opting to stay remote even after the
pandemic subsides. Kara Swisher stated that
Zoom’s shares rose 60 percent in the month
of February 2020 as employees embarked
on a litany of Zoom meetings from home.
One managing director at Accenture asked
her team to buy Oculus Quests headsets so
they could meet virtually for daily tasks. In
the past she had only used VR for specific
training modules or client needs but after
a few weeks using VR with her team
she noticed “group energy and sense of
camaraderie are better than with any other
mode of communication.”
FEATURED
Virtual reality reduces costs to participants
since hosts do not have to rent out large
convention centers. It also opens the doors
to even more participants since people aren’t
held back by physical constraints. Vendors
create 3D booths to upload into the lobby.
“Instead of handing out pens and candy, they
can give away free credits to their product
or services, something that would actually
be more beneficial since it brings potential
customers right to their website instead of
a pen they’ll forget in a desk drawer,” said
Lily Snyder, digital technologist. “Vendors
who pay a premium can have a whole virtual
experience of their product or service in
action for participants to take part in.”
Since then virtual reality conferences like
Enablers of Tomorrow, Women in XR Venture
Fund Pitch Showcase, and Educators in VR
Summit are all examples of VR disrupting
business. Public speakers better engage
with audiences in “nonlinear conversations.”
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