IRCE 2008 Session Descriptions

It was only a matter of time before the virtual reality of the Internet became, well, reality. Today, such 3-D virtual world sites as Second Life are attracting a lot of users—Second Life's owner Linden Labs claims as many as 10 million virtual residents—and consequently the attention of retailers and brand marketers. But just as in the early days of online retailing, when market leaders set up web sites with little idea of what they could do for their brands, retailers and marketers have yet to make sense of how having a presence in Second Life will affect their futures. Their approach: It's new, it's attracting participants, let's see what happens. Hotel chain Crowne Plaza, a unit of InterContinental Hotels, has created virtual meeting space on Second Life and it believes that such space changes the dynamics of online meetings from what they would be via webcasts. In addition, the chain is looking for other benefits from Second Life, it just doesn't know what yet. Our first speaker this session will describe Crowne Plaza's experience at Second Life and what might—or might not—be next. He will be joined by an expert who has studied virtual worlds. She will tell retailers what to expect from such sites and what's next.