We’re incredibly excited to finally announce the first wave of speakers and exhibitors for VR World Congress 2017.

Since we announced the details for VRWC17, we’ve received an incredible number of applications for speakers and exhibitors, far exceeding even the huge number from 2016’s event! What’s more, it’s been fantastic for us to see the legacy of VRWC16 going on strong, with many participants from that event looking to be involved once again.

Speakers

So without further ado we’d like to introduce the first round of fantastic speakers, specifically curated for their wide ranging skills, specialities and interests.

Dr Wendy Powell, University of Portsmouth

Dr Wendy Powell is a pivotal academic at the University of Portsmouth. Her research focuses on the ways in which VR systems and software can influence behaviour and perception, and improve health.

In her talk, she’ll be providing an overview of the areas in which VR is already being used (or has the potential to be used) for improving health, drawing on examples from her own work as well as leading researchers and clinicians around the world.

Mitch Turnbull, Bramble Media

Mitch Turnbull is an award-winning Producer/Director with over twenty years experience in the feature film and television industry. She has produced and directed factual programmes for broadcasters and studios including Disneynature, PBS, NHK, BBC, National Geographic and Discovery.

Mitch will be speaking on how she tackled building narrative when she produced and directed factual 360/VR experiences for the UN and BBC Earth.

Sarah Jones, Coventry University/Perspectives VR

Returning speaker Sarah Jones is an immersive storyteller who uses original 360 films to interrogate ideas of virtual embodiment, multi-sensory experiences and changing perceptions. Sarah is also co-founder of VRGirlsUK.

Her talk will discuss how adding different sensory experiences to films changes the level of immersion an audience feels. It will draw upon new data and audience studies to highlight how presence can be optimised through adding heat and smells to film.

Luciana Carvalho Se, Realities Centre

Luciana is a founding member and head of business development for the Realities Innovation Centre & Academy in central London, a new hub, accelerator and incubator for thought leadership in the UK’s VR/AR industry. She’s a dedicated member & organizer of Code First Girls, SheWorx, Women of Wearables, EmpowerHack, VR Manchester and Women in VR UK.

Luciana will be speaking on unlocking the power of ‘NeuroVR’,  exploring recent findings on the treatment of phobias, PTSD and mental health issues using VR, and theories around the virtual-physical illusion of presence. A discussion that asks how neuroscience has been affected and/or advanced by the development of immersive tech.

Dr Isabel Van De Keere, Immersive Rehab

Isabel is the CEO and Founder of Immersive Rehab, a VR health tech start-up that focuses on the creation and development of interactive rehab environments & games in virtual reality that will improve the effectiveness of physical rehabilitation.

People with limited mobility in upper limbs, due to stroke for example, often cannot engage with objects due to lack of strength. This slows down their recovery process and can be very demoralising. Through virtual reality, Immersive Rehab offers effective physical rehabilitation that keeps them engaged with their physical rehabilitation programme. Isabel will be discussing Immersive Rehab’s work and findings in her talk.

Samantha Kingston (and many more fantastic Women in VR), Virtual Umbrella

Another returning speaker, Samantha Kingston is the award winning client director for VR marketing agency Virtual Umbrella. She is a advocate and proactive voice for women in tech and VR, and Co-founder of VRGirlsUK. In 2016 she won the regional and national New Business awards at the Venus Awards and became Bima 100 2016.

Samantha will once again be hosting the ‘Women in VR’ panel at VR World Congress, bringing many of the best women in VR together to look at how the industry has changed for women since VRWC16 and how it can continue to move forwards.

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We’re very proud to have each of these speakers, and we hope that you’re equally excited to hear them share their thoughts, findings and knowledge.

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Exhibitors

Alongside this fantastic collection of speakers, we’re also delighted to reveal three new exhibitors for VR World Congress 2017. The VRWC17 expo will be an standard-setting event, hosted on Bristol’s beautiful Millennium square with a huge and diverse range of companies showing their best-in-class experiences, products and services.

Already announced are Headline sponsors AMD, Silver sponsors BMT Group and VR World Congress hosts Opposable VR.

Our newly exhibitors are a perfect demonstration of the variety that will be on offer at the expo, all of them using incredible new technology for totally different means.

TruVision is one of the UK’s leading virtual reality studios providing VR solutions specifically for the construction industry. By using their expertise to fully utilise the new technology, architects, property developers and interior designers have all thrived from the ability to visualise their plans in incredible detail by virtually stepping into their creations like never before.

We love to see VR used for new and exciting things, so when TruVision signed up for an expo space we jumped on the opportunity. We hope guests will enjoy seeing TruVision’s inventive architecture/construction solutions, and perhaps leave with some ideas of their own.

SeeSense are a returning exhibitor, and specialists in providing professional miniature camera solutions including high quality camera systems and lenses for VR360 use. For those attending the conference with an interest in 360 filming (of which we’re sure there’ll be many), we believe that SeeSense are the premium option for information on camera choice and overall knowledge.

C.A.M.E.R.A. is a specialist motion capture research and development studio based at the University of Bath. They collaborate with industry to create new tools and processes for motion capture and virtual/augmented reality, and provide commercial motion capture services to content creators in games, film and TV.

Safe to say we’re very happy to have such an inventive, cutting-edge studio at the VRWC17 expo. Plus, expect a very interesting announcement in the new year regarding C.A.M.E.R.A’s set-up at the conference.

nymbl are a technically astute moving image production studio that specialises in beautifully crafted 3D animation, mesmerising motion graphics and exceptional virtual reality experiences. Based here in Bristol and with an excellent track-record of astounding projects, we can't wait to see the imaginative VR experiences that nymbl will be displaying at VRWC17!

Owl VR produces 360˚ video and Virtual Reality experiences, stereoscopic (3d) content for 360˚viewers and 2d content for YouTube and Facebook 360 video. OWL VR also designs and builds custom camera rigs developed though their experience shooting 360˚ video.

OWL VR will be showcasing some of their recent 360˚ video work and will also be displaying their new range of 360˚ camera rigs with multiple camera sync including the first public exhibition of the OWL VR GoPro Hero 5 rig.

Latest showreel available here.

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You can grab tickets for VR World Congress 2017 right now, with full three-day delegate tickets (which will grant you access to ALL of the speakers and exhibitors above) currently available at a special early bird price of £200!

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