We’re incredibly happy to welcome Edward Saatchi, co-founder of Oculus’ renowned Story Studio, to VR World Congress 2017. Edward will be speaking on his experiences with Oculus Story Studio on groundbreaking projects such as Henry and Dear Angelica.

We’re also very proud to welcome 3D software and content creation tool provider Bluegfx on board as bronze sponsors of VRWC. As an authority in industry-specific technology, Bluegfx work with innovative and inspirational clients leading the way in games, design visualisation, film and TV.

We also have a great selection of speakers to announce alongside Edward, including head of Mercia Fund Management’s Digital and E-commerce Division Mike Hayes as well as VR healthcare professional Dr Charles Nduka of Emteq.

We’re also welcoming regular New York Times 360° filmmaker Drew Gardner, and journalist/BBC Click Radio Correspondent Sam Downie, who will be speaking on using 360 films to highlight issues concerning domestic abuse.

Last but by no means least, we’re proud to see UK-based VR game developer Coatsink return to the VRWC expo hall. They’ll be showing off their latest project at the event, and we can’t wait to see what that will be!

Once again our latest lineup of announcements only furthers VRWC’s commitment to providing a varied and unique event designed to cater for VR across its massive spectrum of related industries.

View the full list of speakers, sponsor and exhibitor below:

Speakers:

Edward Saatchi, Oculus Story Studio

Edward is a Co-founder and Producer at Oculus Story Studio, arguably the world’s leading VR storytelling specialists. Starting the studio in 2013 in an effort to pioneer, share and excite in a new medium, he would go on to produce the studio’s first two original pieces - Henry and Dear Angelica.

Edward will be speaking on his experiences with Oculus Story Studio - backed up by his extensive past in filmmaking and entrepreneurship .

Mike Hayes, Mercia Fund Management

As head of Mercia Fund Management’s (MFM) Digital and E-commerce Division, Mike’s main focus is to build a portfolio of digital media, gaming and e-commerce EIS and Seed EIS investments. Mike brings over 23 years’ experience in interactive businesses and at multinational games company SEGA, he was CEO for Europe and America.

Mike will be providing an insightful and useful talk focus on the opportunities out there for virtual reality investment. It was Mike’s division, for instance, that funded UK VR specialists nDreams.

Dr Charles Nduka, Emteq Ltd - Virtual Reality in Healthcare, from research to rehabilitation

Charles Nduka is a surgeon, technologist and internationally recognised facial muscle expert.  He has won numerous R&D awards including from the Wellcome Trust, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Charles will be speaking on how virtual reality offers extraordinary opportunities for researchers and healthcare practitioners.

Drew Gardner, Gardner Creative

Drew and his company 'Gardner Creative' has been working in 360 imagery for 5 years shooting immersive projects for Rolls Royce, Louis Vuitton, Crossrail, Sports Illustrated and The New York Times.

Drew will be delving into his work for New York Times VR (NYT VR) and the huge number of projects created under that banner. He’ll also be providing technical details on how to rig 360 video and get the best results.

Sam Downie, BBC - 360 Docs: Bringing Domestic Abuse into the light

Sam Downie is an experienced Broadcaster / Investigative Journalist with the BBC World Service, TWiT TV, ITV Studios and other TV and Radio platforms. He's currently experimenting with pushing the boundary on 360 VR live streaming and the psychology behind how we as Humans interact with it all.

Domestic Abuse is around us but how much of it is focused upon silent voices? How do you hear them? Producing 360 films for Police training helps to identify them, it helps to bring the subject into the light, to ask more deeper questions. Sam will be speaking on this unique topic, helping to bring the issue into the limelight.

New Bronze Sponsor:

Bluegxf

Bluegfx provides 3D software and content creation tools to some of the most exciting creative studios in the entertainment industry.

As an authority in industry-specific technology, Bluegfx work with innovative and inspirational clients leading the way in games, design visualisation, film and TV. They pride themselves on their outstanding technical expertise and the level of personal support and guidance they provide to their clients, whether tiny start-ups or established industry giants. Their excellent reputation is validated by their coveted position as Autodesk Gold Partner.

Exhibitor:

Coatsink

Coatsink is a passionate and talented game development team working on games for PC, VR platforms, console and mobile. Currently, they’re working on some original projects for release on PC, Oculus Rift/Gear VR, PSVR, Vive and console as well as some high-profile contract work.

We’ll be revealing what Coatsink will be displaying at VRWC17 as we draw closer to the event!

Tickets for VR World Congress 2017 are available right now, with full three-day delegate tickets (which will grant you access to all of the speakers and exhibitors above) currently available for £300.

We hope you'll be joining us and our new speakers and exhibitors from April 11th - 13th for VR World Congress 2017!