by Joe Tracy, editor of Theme Park Magazine
Billed as “a celebration of the return of in-person experiences,” The Immersive Industry Homecoming Summit began today at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two-day event features speakers and presentions from the immersion industry.
Immersive Industry Speakers and Topics for August 29
Today’s speakers and presenters include:
- Jenny Weinbloom of Impact Museums
- Fri Forjindam of Mycotoo
- Michael Beneville of AREA15
- Andrea Moccia of Secret Cinema
- Scarlett Kim, director and artist
- Nataki Garrett, artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival
- Brian Moreland, Broadway producer
- Kim Adams co-founder of Adventure Lab
- Kiira Benzing of Welcome to Respite
- Alyssa Landry of Welcome to Respite
- Laika Young, Lead Experience Designer for Meow Wolf
- Mikhael Tara Garver, founder of 13Exp
The topics for today include:
- The Pulse of the Industry
- Mind-Blowing Spaces
- The Future of Theatre
- XR with Live Actors
- Experiential Empathy
Immersive Industry Speakers and Topics for August 30
Monday’s speakers and presenters, some virtual, include:
- Martin Coat of Dank Parish
- Jonaya Kemper, lead game designer on P3G Project at Carnegie Mellon University
- Owen Kingston of Parabolic Theatre
- Melinda Lauw of Whisperlodge
- Robin McNicholas of Marshmallow Laser Feast
- Aruna Ganesh Ram of Visual Respiration
- James Seager of Les Enfants Terribles
- Sara Thacher of Walt Disney Imagineering
- Stuart Wee of ANDSOFORTH
- Michael Jung of Walt Disney Imagineering
- Daniel Hemsley of Swamp Motel
- Ollie Jones of Swamp Motel
- Stephanie Riggs of Sunchaser Entertainment
- Andrew Scoville of Theatre of the Mind
- Nate Koch of Theatre of the Mind
- Bryan Davis of Lost Spirits Distillery
- Natalia Skibenko of Hello I/O
- Charlie Billingsley of the Museum for Black Girls
- Von Ross of the Museum for Black Girls
The Topics for Monday include:
- Virtual All-Star Panel
- A Conversation with Swamp Motel
- A Special Reveal
- David Byrne’s Theatre of the Mind
- Lost Spirits Distillery
- Large-Scale Interactive Technology
- Megapanel
- Keynote
Immersive Industry Homecoming Summit
The Immersive Industry Homecoming Summit is presented by Epic Immersive, a team that creates “story-driven immersive experiences with explorable, 360-degree worlds. AREA15 was chosen as the event site as it is home to the largest number of immersive experiences in one place.
The Immersive Industry Homecoming Summit was organized prior to the spread of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Epic Immersive added an online live stream for those who couldn’t make it to AREA15. In-person attendees are required to present a COVID-19 vaccine card to enter or proof of a negative COVID test, pass a temperature test at the door, sign a COVID-19 waiver, and wear a mask at all times during the event indoors and outdoors.
The founder and CEO of Epic Immersive is Steve M Boyle. The Associate Producer is Kimberly Flynn. Both are the producers of The Immersive Industry Homecoming Summit event.
AREA15, the location for the event, is “a district of immersive experiences.” It is the largest gathering of immersive experiences found in one place, including Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. The summit is being held in the location of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, which will be closed until the event ends.
Explore More (Resources)
- Website: Event Website
- Website: Epic Immersive
Note: Theme Park Magazine is in attendance at this event and will provide highlights at the end of each day.
