The metaverse is the future, or so many who interact with the industry claim, a claim that can be backed up by the amount of activity pouring into the Web3-metaverse domain.

Engaging in the 2022 metaverse feels less like a Sims-style video game and more like government agencies creating virtual offices to connect with future generations of clients or nations facing the existential threat of climate change by using the metaverse to create digital versions of themselves. themselves.

One way brands and organizations are using the metaverse is by hosting large-scale virtual events similar to what they already do in real life.

This kind of metaverse activity has been seen in many iterations over the past year, one of which was the first metaverse fashion week in April 2022. The event invited fashion enthusiasts, designers, and brands into reality. virtual to participate in activities that reflected reality. -life events at fashion weeks around the world. Runways, DJ-led after-parties, commentary and more were included in the digital version of the iconic fashion industry event.

In the metaverse of The Sandbox, a Pride festival was held in June. Similar to fashion week, it recreated what could be experienced at a physical event, but with extras that were only possible through digital reality, such as a Gay Pride-themed game for festival goers. .

Follow the rainbow path to the Valley of Belonging to celebrate #Pridewhere you can be your most authentic self!@People0fCrypto presents a game that highlights cultural experiences among underrepresented communities in #Web3.

Come on! ⤵️https://t.co/w55FEwKjSZ pic.twitter.com/KHuB0exKWd

— The Sandbox (@TheSandboxGame) June 24, 2022

Most recently, Decentraland hosted a four-day music festival with mega headliners including Björk, Ozzy Osbourne and Soulja Boy. The event featured multiple stages designed with the aesthetics of the artist’s performance, along with other interactive attractions for festival goers.

Awesome performance, thanks for the show. @bjork @decentraland pic.twitter.com/LATzhvQyEl

— Agus (@Agus0xyz) November 14, 2022

Physical festivals of that caliber cost hundreds of thousands, even hundreds of millions of dollars in cases like the popular Coachella music festival. Adding to the costs, some festivals require years of advanced planning, with months of physical preparation. To say that it is a great feat to carry out a mega event is putting it lightly.

As festivals and large-scale events like fashion week continue to become digital and integrated into the metaverse, the question arises as to what it takes to create such an experience. Also, how is it different from its physical counterpart?

complex but creative

A common thread among those involved with large-scale metaverse events is that it is, in fact, complex. As it is still a relatively new evolution of online activity for planners and users alike, there is a steeper learning curve for everyone involved.

Akhbar Hamid is a co-founder of People of Crypto Lab, which hosted this year’s Pride festival at Sandbox. He told Cointelegraph:

“An important thing to remember is that hosting festivals and experiences in the metaverse is a very new experience and we are building and creating that model every day.”

This “model” includes a different set of logistics and planning depending on the virtual world.

Related: Al tech aims to make metaverse design accessible to creators

Hamid gave the example of The Sandbox. Since it’s not yet a fully open metaverse and is still in alpha, there’s a bit more planning involved:

“With metaverse worlds, you can create and build within existing worlds and change the look and feel of the existing user experience, which can allow you to run in a shorter time frame.”

In general, building experiences from scratch can take months, he confirmed, and then additional time is allocated for bug testing.

The limits does not exist

One thing that everyone commented on is the limitless possibilities to use space in the metaverse, which simply doesn’t exist in the physical world. Raluca Cherciu, CEO and co-founder of Unpaired, which operated the OxArena venue at the four-day Decentraland music festival, told Cointelegraph:

“In the metaverse, what’s possible takes on a whole new meaning and the laws of physics don’t apply.”

He went on to say that as a place with no spatial limitations, from an architectural point of view, they really could create anything the imagination conspired. In the metaverse, “you don’t have to worry about things like permissions and you can have much larger areas to play and build on.”

Related:Space digital art exhibits to level up metaverse experiences

Hamid also touched on the fact that in addition to having no space limitations in the metaverse, there are also no borders. People from anywhere can attend a metaverse festival and minimize typical festival travel costs such as airfare and lodging:

“This opens the doors to global festivals where everyone can share the same experience from thousands of miles away.”

However, in a borderless environment, problems arise. As Cherciu pointed out, a big hurdle is creating schedules that work across multiple time zones, which she says can affect event attendance.

community in the center

However, the community aspect is one of the most important elements for digital festival planners, and not just in the number of attendees. The community is the inspiration for everything that goes into building the experience.

Giovanna Graziosi Casimiro, a senior producer of extended reality and events at the Decentraland Foundation, told Cointelegraph that the goal of a metaverse festival is to give attendees an “unprecedented sense of belonging.”

He said there will be certain aspects of metaverse experiences that fall short, like the physical presence of thousands of people or hugging friends at a concert. However:

“I always like to stress that virtual events are not replacements for IRL events, but rather add-ons that allow for more holistic experiences.”

To make a completely complementary, cohesive, and intriguing virtual experience for its physical community, Hamid says a strong understanding of the community the festival is dedicated to is very important.

He said that creators need to make sure that “the game and experience you create speaks to the audience you’re celebrating,” adding:

“You want to create a moment that the existing Web3 community enjoys and an experience that the Web2 community will want to experience as they begin to explore the worlds of the metaverse.”

One avenue that shouldn’t be overlooked in bringing these experiences together is choosing artists with a genuine interest in engaging with their community in a new way.

web3 talent

As mainstream artists continue to break through in the world of Web3, festivals and other large-scale virtual events can help promote this trend.

Casimiro says that performances in virtual worlds open up much greater creative freedom for artists, stating: “They have completely free range to tell their stories and explore their unique narratives as they wish.”

She says the metaverse can even help artists personify themselves as characters or elements in their songs. Identity in the metaverse has been a big topic for users and digital avatars.

When it comes to artists, the metaverse is also “a space for the expansion of identity through storytelling.” This year, the entertainment network MTV introduced a new award for “Best Metaverse Performance” as the official competition category for its annual awards.

Another aspect of performance from the metaverse, says Hamid, is that those on the back-end can get live metrics and do “live social listening” to monitor community satisfaction with performance.

Large scale considerations

In addition to community satisfaction, there are other obstacles to consider when creating a digital festival.

“Keeping communication channels open and organized is one of the biggest challenges,” says Casimiro. “Especially when it comes to several different platforms.” He also said finding a balance between encouraging artists to push their creative limits and making sure technology is available to support these dreams.

Citing a long-standing problem that the Web3 space continually faces, which is education, Hamid stated, “We have to make getting into these spaces more accessible and educate the masses about all that can be achieved through this technology.” .

The simultaneous task of learning what it takes to host a digital festival while educating communities on how to participate is no easy feat. However, Hamid believes that festivals are one of the best ways to do it.

“Cultural moments like festivals, like Pride, Women’s History Month, Black History Month are great times to create unique metaverse experiences that help educate mass consumers about new technology,” said.

Thinking in the future

The metaverse isn’t going anywhere. According to a Q3 DappRadar report, hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into metaverse development in the last quarter alone.

The metaverse continues to be a large component of the success of other Web3 tools, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). According to industry watchers, what will contribute to the success of the metaverse and its major events is one overriding thing: accessibility. Hamid said that the future of metaverse festivals “will be accessible from any device anywhere.”

Related: The metaverse is becoming a platform to bring fashion communities together.

Casimiro added that he has been producing virtual concerts since 2019 and has no doubt that they will continue to be a staple in the industry: “In the last three years, there has been a cultural shift towards a global village with global access to content.”

For Cherciu, accessibility and social interaction will be the predominant elements for all metaverse activity:

“The metaverse provides new opportunities for people with economic, physical or mental difficulties to participate in socially rewarding experiences that they would not otherwise have access to or be able to participate in.”