Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Cool real world use case on for Sinespace's Breakroom (a media partner to this blog) featured on VentureBeat — a virtual world-based tech conference:

BlockDown is a direct response to the worldwide quarantine, which effectively canceled an April conference EAK Digital had been planning to host in Istanbul. CEO Erhan Korhaliller said in an interview that he had worked on the event for five months and wasn’t prepared to let it go. He considered simply staging the event on a video conferencing system but found the options boring — especially at a time when most people are working at home and yearning for a colorful, engaging alternative to boost their spirits.

“The current virtual events are like one-way communication, and it’s very difficult for people to interact,” said Korhaliller. “Sinespace is more like a cinema-style 3D world. It really allows people to immerse themselves in the experience.”

During the first virtual world hype phase of 2006-2007, a number of startups tried doing this, but the return on investment was negligible. BlockDown, by contrast, brought in lots of paying customers:

In April, Korhaliller held a pilot conference for BlockDown, attracting 1,000 people from around the world, who paid $25 each to hear talks and network online. The pilot event also had 10 paying sponsors, who set up 3D exhibit booths that automatically grab the details of visiting attendees…

“You can really personalize your character, and you can be whoever you want to be,” Korhaliller said. “You don’t have to worry about always being judged by the way you look or the way that you dress. I think that’s really important, with blockchain, [in terms of] breaking down borders.”

New features [for the June BlockDown] include one-click selfie group photos and LinkedIn exchange — plus a networking party with live music and dancing on the deck of a swanky virtual yacht. The dance floor will have special lighting and effects that will make the experience more lively, May said. And BlockDown can be hosted at a fraction of the cost of fancy real-world events.

Much more here on VentureBeat.