The Next Evolution: Immersive Technology Industry Outlook | AWE Nite Chicago

Wednesday 03/05/2025

5:30pm Physical | 6:00pm Virtual (Central)

The Next Evolution: Immersive Technology Industry Outlook | AWE Nite Chicago

Free to Attend

5:30pm | In Person | 2112: 4245 N Knox Ave
6:00pm | Virtually | Virbela's FRAMEvr
6:15pm | Live Stream | youtube.com/@AWEXR/streams

Beer provided by Revolution Brewing
Seltzers provided by [SYSTEM] Seltzers

About the Topic:
As immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) continue to evolve, enthusiasm for their adoption ebbs and flows. For years, it was almost a meme that Apple would eventually join the immersive technology space—and when they finally did with the Apple Vision Pro, it sparked a brief wave of excitement before fading. Now, the landscape is increasingly shaped by competition with artificial intelligence (AI), the current “flavor of the month” in tech.

XR Technology was once a slowly developing novelty, but has emerged as a cutting-edge tool with the potential to transform industries like healthcare, education, entertainment, and workforce training, though it still struggles to achieve mass adoption. People are becoming more curious about how AI-driven VR applications can create hyper-personalized, adaptive experiences, pushing the boundaries of interactivity and realism.

The industry outlook remains a mix of optimism and skepticism; while advancements in hardware, software, and AI are making immersive technologies more accessible and practical, skepticism still lingers. As these tools transition from niche markets to broader adoption, they hold the promise of reshaping how we work, learn, and engage with the world—but they need numbers and louder voices to champion this Next Evolution.
Join us March 5th to learn from experts on what the current industry outlooks are.

What's The Format:

We will start with informal networking with demonstrations, then host a panel discussion to answer audience questions, and we end with more networking and demonstrations. We keep it simple and informal – this meetup is about you, our members, and not just a soap box for the host, presenters, or our sponsors. Come and get your questions answered, take your next step in Immersive Technology.

5:30-8:30pm Central

5:30-6:15 PM Networking & Tech Demos

6:15-6:30 PM Welcome Message

6:30-7:10 PM Panelist Presentations

7:10-7:45 PM Panel Discussion with Q&A

7:45-8:30 PM Networking & Tech Demos

Host:
Matt Wren - In-Person Host - Founder & CTO of BUNDLAR
Caroline Dennis - Virtual Host - Two-Degrees.io and XRWomen

Panel Members:
Details Coming Soon...

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Register Here:

https://thenextevolution.org/events/

The Next Evolution | AWE Nite Chicago Event Series (produced by VRAR Chicago) is now and always will be 100% free to attend.

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Thanks to The Next Evolution Sponsors like UL Solutions as well as Venue Sponsors, 1871, 2112, and FrameVR and beverage sponsors [system] seltzers and Revolution Brewing.

We would also like to thank our Community Partners that help us continue spreading the joy of immersive technologies: XR Women, NVZN, Patched Reality, Two Degrees.io, International Game Developers Association Chicago (IGDA Chicago).