Brisbane successfully delivers first-ever virtual expo

Earlier this week, organisers of QODE Brisbane, a Brisbane technology conference, partnered with YouTube to stream its conference live, as well as allow its attendees to visit exhibitor booths with the help of virtual reality, instead of cancelling the festival.

Speakers from the US and Israel were among those who took part virtually, while some local speakers included Nine CEO Hugh Marks and Queensland chief scientist professor Paul Bertsch. The event was streamed free of charge, with those who originally purchased a ticket to attend the event in person, refunded.

TAFE Queensland’s Robert Petherbridge giving a presentation

Aside from watching speakers on a YouTube channel, the event also teamed up with a Brisbane Virtual Reality company, Visitor Vision, to offer a new way for people to view the conference exhibits.

“One of the key reasons people attend conferences is to visit the exhibitor booths to gain further insight into the products and information available, and for those exhibiting, it’s a really important way to access that market,” chief QODE officer Jackie Taranto said. She added that visitors could even “jump on a call to chat with the exhibitor as they would face-to face”, aside from being able to virtually walk through exhibitor booths.

As a result of the programme being online, an exhibitor can also access information about who has visited the booth, the company they’re from and their interest level, which is often more information than they might be able to gain about a potential customer in a traditional setting.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said it was fitting that a technology-based solution would see QODE Brisbane proceed.

“These extraordinary circumstances call for innovative solutions and what better way to ensure this important global event goes ahead than by embracing the latest technology,” Schrinner said.

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