Event date: 📅 Wednesday, September 20, 2023, times in CEST (GMT+1)
🕜 8:00 am @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ OPENING KEYNOTE
Opening keynote session.
🙂 Vesa Nopanen, Adam Deltinger
🕜 9:00 am @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ FROM THE EDGE INTO THE METAVERSE
The Metaverse is the next revolutionary step in emersion of our digital world into our physical world.
In order for this to occur, we need to look at the Metaverse as a spectrum, from the Edge of ingress and rich compute to the Metaverse as the realization of the egress. Everything in-between is where Microsoft shines, as the only hyperscale cloud provider that has built the capability for the Metaverse to perform as a function of industry defining changes and bring the benefits into the hands of humanity as the operator of their digital world.
🙂 Imogen Schifferle
🕜 9:00 am @ Room 2
⭐️ ”SECURING MICROSOFT METAVERSE: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS”
This topic would examine the unique security challenges that come with Microsoft Metaverse, the company’s new virtual reality platform. Find below subtopics of the session:
- Understanding the potential security risks associated with using Microsoft Metaverse, including data breaches, identity theft, and cyber attacks
- Best practices for securing personal and sensitive data within the Metaverse, such as user profiles and transaction histories
The role of encryption and access control in securing Metaverse transactions and communications - Techniques for preventing unauthorized access and preventing identity fraud in the Metaverse
- The importance of regularly auditing and updating security protocols within the Metaverse to stay ahead of emerging threats
- The role of machine learning and artificial intelligence in enhancing security within the Metaverse
- The legal and regulatory considerations associated with securing the Metaverse, including GDPR and CCPA compliance
🙂 Dr. Abhilasha Vyas
🕜 9:00 am @ Room 3
⭐️ POWER APPS AND MIXED REALITY: A POWERFUL COMBINATION!
With mixed reality it is possible to combine elements of the real world with virtual ones, so that we can transform all those processes in which a spatial component is involved, such as measuring spaces or volumetric interpretations of 2D / 3D figures. In this session we will see how it is possible to develop this type of applications with a Low Code tool such as Power Apps, speeding up development times and facilitating their creation by any type of user.
🙂 Ferran Chopo
🕜 9:00 am @ Room 4
⭐️ MASTERING YOUR MEETING IN MICROSOFT TEAMS MEETING ROOMS
Join us for ”Mastering Your Meeting in Microsoft Teams Meeting Rooms,” where we’ll show you how to maximize the capabilities of Microsoft Teams Meeting Rooms. We will demonstrate how you can take your meetings to the next level, using advanced features and cutting-edge technology to make your meetings are more efficient and effective.
Whether you’re hosting internal team meetings, client presentations, or remote webinars, this event is for you. Join us to discover the power of Microsoft Teams Meeting Rooms and revolutionize the way you do meetings!
🙂 Paul Bloem, Tiaan Coetzer
🕜 10:00 am @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ THE INDUSTRIAL METAVERSE
Businesses and technologists around the world are struggling to define the Metaverse and what their role will be in it. In this session, Alex Karim, Industrial Metaverse & Sustainability GTM Manager for Microsoft UK will distinguish how Microsoft is thinking about the phenomenon for consumers, businesses, and industries. He will share our vision for the Industrial Metaverse, making the construct real and bringing it to life with customer stories.
🙂 Alexander Karim
🕜 10:00 am @ Room 2
⭐️ DEMOCRATIZATION OF IMMERSIVE CONTENT CREATION
During the presentation we take a short journey of Virtual Dawn and how they have been trying to figure out the best way to provide a solution for businesses to take the most from XR since 2017.
We go trough the issues around having a ”killer app” and how finding out the best uses of XR requires a new way of approaching the technology.
Virtual Dawn is providing a small part of the future metaverse by providing SDK to create complex content with relative ease. We showcase Hololens 2 content that has been made with it to TREDU Vocational school in Finland and our content for VR that is being used by companies and education sector.
We are aiming to deliver a message about the importance of adapting new ways of business activities and organization to help the XR technology bring the best ROI and user cases.
Virtual Dawn is self funded company so we offer a very hands on and fact based discussion about how the metaverse could look like and what has been done in our perspective for it now.
One of the takeaways we wish to deliver is importance of gamification, and what it really means to make a simulation to the level of a video game. And how generational change will challenge the way of thinking we have today.
We expect active and challenging conversations after the presentation.
🙂 Antti Martikainen
🕜 10:00 am @ Room 3
⭐️ REVOLUTIONIZING EDUCATION AND TRAINING WITH METAVERSE-STYLE LEARNING
The metaverse has the potential to revolutionize education by providing immersive learning experiences that enable educators and trainers to provide more realistic learning scenarios. In this session, we’ll explore the opportunities that the metaverse is bringing to the world of education, learning, and development. We’ll also be looking at tools and techniques that educators, trainers, and L&D professionals can introduce today to meet their learners in the metaverse across all types of learning scenarios, not just the in the obvious hands-on skills.
🙂 Sara Fennah
🕜 10:00 am @ Room 4
⭐️ HOW ROYALS OF THE NORTH THRIVED WITH MICROSOFT 365 IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD
The pandemic has changed the world as we know it. But Royals of the North, a fictional company, used Microsoft 365 to transform their collaboration and innovation. You will see how they leveraged Microsoft technology based on Zero Trust to work from anywhere, on any device, securely and productive.
You will also get a sneak peek into their secret project of creating a revolutionary new product and their collaboration project of planning a big celebration.
Learn how to thrive with Microsoft 365 in a post-pandemic world!
Technologogies used: Conditional Access, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Teams, Defender for Cloud Apps, Defender for Endpoint.
🙂 Simon Ågren
🕜 11:00 am @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ THE ROLE OF AI IN SHAPING METAVERSE USER EXPERIENCES
In my upcoming talk on the metaverse and AI, I will discuss how Large Language Models have revolutionized the way users interact with virtual characters within the metaverse. Even objects can speak to you and provide guidance on subsequent actions.
Additionally, AI-powered content generation enables the creation of 3D environments, background narratives, objects, voice cloning and styles, and atmospheric music. By the time of my presentation, I anticipate the availability of a Multimodal Large Language Model (MLLM), which will further expand the creative potential for content creators in the metaverse.
🙂 Krista Jäntti
🕜 11:00 am @ Room 2
⭐️ THE INFRASTRUCURE METAVERSE: PRACTICAL YET COOL
Beyond the cool factor and hype lies a space of opportuntiy where investments in detailed 3D modelling can trhive in the industrial metaverse.
🙂 Greg Demchak
🕜 11:00 am @ Room 3
⭐️ MIXED REALITY IS NOW REALITY! – MIXED REALITY SCENARIOS WITH DYNAMICS 365 AND POWER PLATFORM
Mixed reality is now a consolidated reality, which frees users from the limits of the screen, offering intuitive interactions with data in the physical space that we share with customers and our colleagues, through the use of holograms.
In this session, we will explore three mixed reality business applications according to Microsoft together:
- Dynamics 365 Remote Assist: Allows maintenance technicians to collaborate by working together from different locations.
- Dynamics 365 Guides: Helps operators learn a new task or job by providing holographic instructions when and where they are needed, contextually to real objects.
- Mixed Reality in Power Apps: Add mixed reality controls to your canvas apps to interact with the real world in 3D.
🙂 Marco Rocca
🕜 11:00 am @ Room 4
⭐️ FROM RECRUTEMENT TO TRAINING, WHAT I HAVE LEARN ORGANIZING IMMERSIVE EVENTS
In this session, I would like to share my learnings for two usecases on Altspace VR :
-Almost 80 attendees on a single recrutement event for Europe IT consulting jobs.
-An end of training vurtual session to illustrate ’in Real life’ ERP processes on Altspace VR.
You will get insights on what did work, what didn’t, and what I would suggest to think of when going for such experiments !
🙂 Antoine Galland
🕜 12:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ MEDICAL METAVERSE AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: DATA FOR SMART HEALTHCARE, RESEARCH, DRUG DEVELOPMENT
Almost all practical uses cases for a health metaverse will have to deal with health data and specialized artificial intelligence.
Because health means the highest stake in the game, the highest (regulatory) requirements for accuracy and security are associated with it. Already in the pre-metaverse era, many techs and IT companies failed to meet these challenges.
I discuss use cases in the medical fields of oncology, immunology, cardiovascular diseases and neurology / mental health. The use cases mainly focus on realistic scenarios and concrete pitfalls when used in the real world of smart / intelligent healthcare, research and drug development.
The session addresses not only professionals but also medical laypeople – you don’t have to be a doctor or biologist.
🙂 Rudi Schmidt
🕜 12:00 pm @ Room 2
⭐️ REVOLUTIONIZING INDUSTRIES: THE POWER OF INDUSTRIAL METAVERSE AND DIGITAL TWINS
This session will delve into the Industrial Metaverse and its groundbreaking potential to transform industries. We will showcase a joint venture between the innovation agency Hololux and ZF Friedrichshafen, a global automotive supplier, highlighting their collaboration project. The session will provide insights into the prototype’s technical architecture created using cutting-edge technologies such as Azure Digital Twins, Unity, NVIDIA Omniverse, and a custom Mixed Reality experience. Through this collaboration, engineers, designers, and technicians can seamlessly work together in real time, visualize complex data, and analyze the performance of manufacturing machines. We will also discuss the far-reaching impact of the Industrial Metaverse on industries, including how it can streamline workflows and foster innovative new forms of collaboration.
🙂 Christian Glessner
🕜 12:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ AI IN THE POWER PLATFORM
Overview of where we are with AI integration in the Power Platform, whats new and what’s already available.
🙂 Sharon Sumner MVP
🕜 12:00 pm @ Room 4
⭐️ STREAMING & CASTING YOUR DESKTOP TO VR/AR. REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES FROM A HYBRID WORK EVANGELIST
In this session I will walk you through my day when I am casting Windows and Mac desktops to Oculus Quest 2, Pico 4 and Lenovo ThinkReality A3. We are discussing Pro and Cons of this Real Life Experiences from a Hybrid Work Evangelist – on the road, in my home office and at customers & partners.
🙂 Ragnar Heil
🕜 1:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ CAN METAVERSE BE INNOVATIVE, RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE?
The session argues that one fundamental aspect in the Metaverse is that it will facilitate the emergence of such innovations that lead into responsible and sustainable development. For this, Metaverse needs to have more efficient outcomes in innovation development than face-to-face encounters. The use of AI and ML are important in this as evidenced by the conceptual framework of SURE Metaverse platform (sites.utu.fi/sure).
🙂 Jussi Jauhiainen
🕜 1:00 pm @ Room 2
⭐️ FROM VIRTUAL TO REALITY: HOW BUSINESSES CAN UTILIZE THE METAVERSE TECHNOLOGIES FOR GROWTH & SUCCESS
This session will explore how businesses can leverage metaverse technologies, specifically platforms such as Microsoft Mesh, Meta’s Horizon Worlds, Spatial platform, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and many others, to achieve growth and success. Key points the session will focus on include:
- Utilizing AR and VR for immersive product visualization and showcasing
- Utilizing metaverse technologies for conducting meetings and events that transcend geographical barriers
- Leveraging NFTs to create new revenue streams and foster brand loyalty
- Utilizing AI tools to automate tasks and enhance operational efficiency.
- Exploring real-world business applications of the metaverse, from e-commerce, fashion, real estate, and supply chain management.
By the end of this session, business attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how the metaverse can benefit their businesses
🙂 Joba Adejumo
🕜 1:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ MIXED REALITY AND POWER PLATFORM: IMPROVING THE SALES EXPERIENCE
Since Power Apps integrated the Mixed Reality features and components, the real use cases increased every month. In this session we will show how to built from scratch a Canvas Apps connected to our Sales module to improve the sales (demo of our products) and installation (measures taking) experience for our organisation. This is a perfect example of how Power Platform can easily keep extending our business solutions and increase the quality of our selling processes. You will see a live demo of a mobile app in remote!
🙂 Mar Llambí
🕜 1:00 pm @ Room 4
⭐️ METAVERSE & THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Many leaders are struggling to answer whether the Metaverse matters to them, their employees, or their organization. What is real, what is actionable now, and what can organizations do to better prepare and plan for the impact the Metaverse will have on them and their organizations?
Join Microsoft MVP Richard Harbridge as he shares best practices, considerations, and advice on not only how the Metaverse impacts employee experience today, but how to maximize the impact it provides tomorrow.
🙂 Richard Harbridge
🕜 2:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ THE FUTURE OF COMPUTING WITH THE METAVERSE, SPATIAL COMPUTING AND QUANTUM COMPUTING
Are you ready for the next wave of digital disruption? Spatial Computing and Quantum Computing are two emerging technologies that will change how we interact with computers and the physical world. They will enable new possibilities for collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving across different domains and industries.
Spatial Computing, is an emerging technology that will change how we interact with computers and the physical world, using intelligent edge devices like a HoloLens and other mobile devices. Mainly driven by AI computer vision and advanced sensors, those devices can spatially sense the world around us and make the spatially aware context part of the experience. With technologies like the AR Cloud, a common spatial map can be shared between heterogeneous devices to build connected, collaborative, and cross-platform Metaverse apps where virtual objects anchored in the physical world can be shared across devices and over time with persistence.
During the Spatial Computing era we will also enter the Quantum Computing age. Quantum Computers are still in its infancy with limited Qubits, but Q-Day is coming, the day when Quantum Advantage will be readily available and deprecating today’s cryptography. Even with the hardware infancy, Quantum-inspired computing (QIC) already provides significant advantages for things like Quantum Machine Learning (QML) and Quantum-Inspired Optimization (QIO).
In this session Rene will explain the concepts and technologies supporting these transformative computing paradigm changes and will show applied and practical use cases to make these abstracts concepts more feasible.
🙂 René Schulte
🕜 2:00 pm @ Room 2
⭐️ DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: THE ROLE OF METAVERSE INNOVATION IN AFRICA
This session will explore the ways in which Metaverse innovation is driving digital transformation in Africa. As the continent continues to grow and evolve, the Metaverse offers new opportunities to bridge the digital divide and promote economic development.
This session will highlight the latest trends and innovations in Metaverse technology and explore how they can be leveraged to drive digital transformation in African industries such as finance, healthcare, education, and more.
Attendees will gain insights into the benefits and challenges of Metaverse innovation in Africa and discover new opportunities for collaboration and growth in this exciting and rapidly evolving space.
🙂 Arome Ibrahim
🕜 2:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ NEXT GENERATION TRAINING SOLUTIONS IN COLLABORATIVE INDUSTRIAL METAVERSE
In this session, we will introduce our metaverse technology developed by Futuristic Interactive Technologies, a research group at Turku University of Applied Sciences. This technology is designed specifically for education institutions and the technology industry to provide immersive collaborative certified training solutions. We have defined metaverse as a technology that enables social communication, hands on training and real-life integration. To date, our technology has been successfully used in medical education between four European universities. We have also created a collaborative hands on training environment for harbour workers, where not only personal professional competences can be trained, but also professional competences that require collaborative tasks to be completed utilizing authentic controllers. Industrial metaverse also requires IoT integration to enable real-life integration. During the session, we will demonstrate 1) medical education, 2) collaboration in harbour environment, and 3) a collaborative remote controlled robot system.
🙂 Mika Luimula
🕜 2:00 pm @ Room 4
⭐️ WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COMBINE AI WITH THE METAVERSE?
Developing apps can end in enormous effort and in-depth programming. With the newest announcements with Microsoft 365 Copilot for the Power Platform and especially Power Apps, you get a powerful option to be used to develop business applications quickly and easily.
In this session you will learn how to quickly create your own apps with Power Apps and extend it with mixed reality components.
🙂 Nicole Enders
🕜 3:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ UNLEASHING THE POWER OF UNITY 3D AND MRTK TO FLY A DRONE IN MIXED REALITY.
In this session, we learn how to program the Tello drone using Unity 3D and . NET. We have an overview of networking and how to program a UDP Client and Server that communicates with the drone. We can control and tweak the drone’s behaviors by sending messages and special commands to the drone.
By integrating MRTK, you will get a glimpse of the mixed reality spectrum and get tips & tricks on how to get into this space.
The game changer is what tools support your AR/VR/MR journey. Cross-platform tools like Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK) make this jump a little easier. Learn how MRTK can kick-start your MR exploration with an enhanced volumetric UX / UI system and predefined components that accelerate cross-platform development.
Learn about Azure Cognitive Services and how these can bring the drone to life!
Finally, we will experience a live demo / Video flying the drone across multiple XR Devices – Which ones? Will be revealed at the beginning of the session 🙂
🙂 Zaid Zaim
🕜 3:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ DIVE BACK INTO THE METAVERSE MESH FOR TEAMS
Join Luke and Zoe a year after they prepared to enter the Metaverse with Mesh for Teams at the inaugural Metaverse One.
A tremendous amount has moved on in the past year in the metaverse space for Microsoft with Avatars now being available in Microsoft Teams and the Mesh for Teams preview drawing closer each day!
After attending this session, you will understand at a high-level:
What Mesh for Microsoft Teams is, what new opportunities it introduces and what business benefits it can bring?
What has changed in the past year in Mesh for Teams?
A live demo of Mesh for Teams using Avatars
A live demo of Mesh for Teams (if available)
How you can better prepare your organization for the metaverse and Mesh for Microsoft Teams
Technologies in this session will be
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Mesh
🙂 Luke Evans, Zoe Wilson
🕜 3:00 pm @ Room 4
⭐️ GAME ON: HOW BRANDS ENTERED THE METAVERSE IN A PLAYFUL WAY
Many different companies are asking us what exactly the metaverse can do for their learning experience or their brands or what their brands can do in the metaverse.
These new, immersive, virtual environments have the potential to provide a fresh approach to staying relevant to existing customers while attracting new ones and learn and adopt new technologies and topics.
One of the most basic ways that brands can get started in the metaverse is by taking full advantage of gaming platforms, like Minecraft, Roblox or Fortnite, which offers fully realized immersive experiences few others can provide right now.
Companies like spotify, Netflix, Nike and Walmart have partnered with Roblox, others like Burberry are using Minecraft as a branding experience.
The power of these branded experiences lies in how little these have to do with what the company does in real life. Yet, because of the game-like nature of these interactive experiences, Gen Z and also GenA is firmly aligning itself with many of them. The overall intention behind these gamified experiences is to generate buzz and recognition and engender themselves as early adopters in the metaverse.
So why do companies choose these gaming platforms as their metaverse presence. Why don’t they use other ”mature” technologies. Why do they rely on gaming instead of VR. with our impulse we want to give an overview of why these well-known game platforms are so well suited to pave the way for big brands to enter the metaverse. We want to answer these and many other questions, give you how tos to start and advice, what to use to start.
🙂 Sandra Kiel, Engin Eser
🕜 4:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ INDUSTRIAL METAVERSE IS TRANSFORMING ENTERPRISE ORGANIZATIONS!
The industrial metaverse will enable enterprise organizations through digital technologies like AI, digital twins, and immersive devices to work together to design, build, operate and optimize physical systems. This session will explain the concept of the industrial metaverse and how it will drive us forward in the industry world. An example will be shown where immersive devices like Microsoft HoloLens, Azure Digital Twins, IoT, and Dynamics 365 Field Services are combined to unlock the true power of Microsoft technologies to create industrial metaverse concepts and solutions.
🙂 Alexander Meijers
🕜 4:00 pm @ Room 2
⭐️ WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? – METAVERSE SEMANTICS
Definition of metaverse varies a lot. As do the technologies it includes, the applications which are part of it, or whether it even exists.
This talk will describe how metaverse is commonly understood, what kind of viewpoints it can be looked at, and why it is important to have a clear definition. It will hop around the technologies that act as building blocks for the metaverse, to understand the tools everyone is using to build the future.
The talk will go through different ways to categorize the metaverse and tries to find common ground on which everyone can discuss metaverse purely as a theory we’re aiming towards or as a commercial business solution we could all be utilizing now.
Can we create a standard definition for the metaverse that is or will become reality? Or are we destined to look at metaverse as figment of imagination that cannot be reached without radical technological, societal and economical changes.
🙂 Santeri Saarinen
🕜 4:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ MIXED REALITY FOR JAVASCRIPT DEVELOPERS
Mixed Reality features are available on the web through the use of WebXR. Experience virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) content in a compatible WebXR-enabled browser. Attend this session and leverage the power of JavaScript and web skills to create more engaging Mixed Reality experiences. We will look at popular open-source AR/VR JavaScript libraries available to get started.
🙂 Ron Dagdag
🕜 4:00 pm @ Room 4
⭐️ IS BANKING READY FOR THE METAVERSE?
While banking has become increasingly digital, it is too often emotionally detached. Ironically, the Metaverse provides banks with a much-needed avenue to bring humanity back into banking and deepen connections by meeting customers in more meaningful ways.
The Metaverse can help banks reestablish connections with their customers, by visiting a virtual bank branch and interact with its agents, visit a house in real-time to request a mortgage or discuss retirement plans with an advisor in real-time. Imagine if a customer could have a virtual office appointment with a bank advisor and, through avatars, withdraw virtual money from their account, cross the street (virtually), and make an online purchase. These scenarios will be facilitated by this technology.
In this session, we will review some basic concepts about the Metaverse and its history. Next, we will help attendees discover if banking is ready and if it makes sense to seek use cases in this sector. Finally, we will see several use cases or scenarios that some banks around the world are already implementing around virtual experiences, cryptocurrency, patents, real estate, and employee experiences.
🙂 Miguel Tabera Pacheco, Ángel David Carrillo
🕜 5:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ HOW TO BUILD INCLUSIVE METAVERSE, AI AND OTHER EMERGING TECH EXPERIENCES
You are SO excited to work on that brand, shiny, new Metaverse, AI or other emerging tech experience…but given that it’s ”emerging”, how can you make sure it works for the max number of people possible?
Turns out there is a framework for it and today you will learn how to max the number of customers you have and YES, the profits too.
🙂 Dona Sarkar
🕜 5:00 pm @ Room 2
⭐️ SPICING UP YOUR PRESENTATIONS WITH METAVERSE TECH
Metaverse technologies are quickly changing the way we present, – from avatars, to immersive views, to mixed reality collaboration. This session will explore some creative ways to use immersive collaboration to spice up presentations to be more engaging, memorable, and impactful.
🙂 Yulia Barnakova
🕜 5:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ CHATGPT, GPT-4 AND FRIENDS, LARGE AI MODELS THAT WILL CHANGE OUR LIFE
ChatGPT, GPT-4, and similar large models are receiving a high amount of attention across industries. Almost weekly new ways to use those models are unveiled and integration in different products and services announced.
This ranges from generating creative text, doing translations, correcting grammar, answering questions, classifying content, and in some cases even tools to transform natural language into code in a variety of development languages. It is not a question if those models will be used, but how much they will change the way we work. They are already integrated in many Microsoft offerings including M365 and Power Platform.
We will start with describing for non-scientist audiences how those models were built.
We then move on to discuss a few of the most relevant models with a focus of showcasing what you can use them for.
Since this field is innovating frequently, the precise models being featured are subject to change but will at least have the capabilities of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4 to the degree it is available.
OpenAI Codex and GitHub CoPilot will also be demonstrated with their ability to assist in writing code.
This session will feature a high number of demos.
Finally, the session will cover the issue of some of the risks such as biases that are present in those models.
After this session you will have a better understanding about Large Language Models and their hands-on application beyond what major vendors will tell you.
🙂 Andreas Erben
🕜 5:00 pm @ Room 4
⭐️ INTRO TO AI
A fast paced tour of Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence offerings. We’ll cover QnA Maker, LUIS, Power Virtual Agents and more! We’ll demonstrate integration with SharePoint and show how AI can do things like image recognition and text sentient analysis, ie. “What you talking about, Willis!”
🙂 David Patrick
🕜 6:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN 3D: IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES IN MICROSOFT MESH
Microsoft Mesh can enrich hybrid work and enhance collaboration using avatars in 3D spaces to enable a meaningful sense of co-presence. Getting organizations to think about the kinds of 3D experiences they want to have and how to effectively create them will require some mind shift. In this session, we’ll cover why and when to use immersive experiences offered by Microsoft Mesh and how to plan experiences to maximize the benefits of this new technology. We’ll also talk about tips and tricks to prepare people new to the idea of 3D so they feel comfortable, successful, and included, whether using a 2D app or Quest headset.
🙂 Cathy Moya
🕜 6:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ MAKE YOUR MIXED REALITY APP INCLUDE OPENAI (CHAT GPT), WITH COGNITIVE SERVICES
You will learn how can you create a Mixed Reality App and consume Azure Cognitive Services, to make your application intelligent.
🙂 Ivana Tilca
🕜 6:00 pm @ Room 4
⭐️ AI AND ROBOTICS & THE METAVERSE: EXTENDING THE VIRTUAL WORLD INTO THE REAL ONE
Virtual assistants in the real world, such as Siri and Alexa, are already changing the way we interact with technology.
In the coming years, we can expect virtual assistants to not only exist in the real world but also in the Metaverse and even as downloaded software into a robot.
In this session, I will discuss how we can expect AI and robotics to extend to the real world through the Metaverse.
The integration of AI and robotics into the Metaverse will open up new opportunities and possibilities for the real world and will continue to shape and transform our relationship with technology.
🙂 Armando Pantoja
🕜 7:00 pm @ Room 2
⭐️ WHO ARE YOU BUILDING A METAVERSE FOR?
We are all excited to go build the metaverse, but have you stopped to consider who is most likely to thrive in a metaverse? In this talk we will dive into the users you should be targeting today that will lead you to success in the future.
🙂 Jesse McCulloch
🕜 7:00 pm @ Room 3
⭐️ OMNISPATIAL DESIGN
Purposeful placemaking is just as important in digital spaces as physical spaces. We explore how human centered experience design can benefit metaverse spaces and how the process can create stakeholder engagement in the environment.
🙂 Nicholas Moser, Marcus Guillard
🕜 8:00 pm @ Main Stage / Room 1
⭐️ WHAT’S NEXT WITH AI AND THE METAVERSE
Join Karuana Gatimu to take a look at what’s new and what’s next with AI and the Metaverse.
🙂 Karuana Gatimu
🙂 ADAM DELTINGER
⚡️ Microsoft 365 Service Owner at ASSA ABLOY
I have for many years been working as a consultant mostly focusing on Microsoft products and cloud technologies. Today I work to empower my employer with Microsoft 365 and modern tools – helping users collaborate better, work more efficient, and be more productive – in a secure environment.
I’m also a Microsoft MVP with since 2019, focusing on collaboration and productivity
🔗 https://sessionize.com/adam-deltinger
🙂 ALEXANDER KARIM
⚡️ Industrial Metaverse & Sustainability GTM Manager, Microsoft UK
Alex is a technology evangelist, focussed on blending physical and digital realities through Mixed Reality. With a background in Physics, Alex has held a variety of technical roles including at McLaren where he led the deployment of HoloLens 2 across Automotive and Formula 1. At Microsoft, Alex is focussed on leading the Mixed Reality and Azure IoT businesses in the UK and accelerating the adoption of the Metaverse.
🙂 ALEXANDER MEIJERS
⚡️ Global XR Technology Lead | XR Evangelist | Win Dev MVP
Alexander Meijers is a professional who inspires, motivates and support others and help them to innovate. His goal is to help organizations achieve more by creating, improving and working smarter. This with the aim of shortening business processes and improving the environment for employees.
As Global XR Technology lead and Microsoft Windows MVP for Mixed Reality, working for Avanade, he understands business issues and translate them into logical solutions using technology. Additionally, he supports companies in applying emerging experiences during their journey in digital transition.
He works with technologies such as Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality in combination with cloud services like the Mixed Reality services, Azure Digital Twins and IoT from the Microsoft Azure platform, Office 365, Power Platform and Dynamics 365.
His primary focus is in manufacturing, utilities and engineering & construction sector. However, he certainly does not stay away from other sectors.
He engages in speaking, writing books, blogging, and is an organizer of local and global events such as the Mixed Reality User Group in the Netherlands and globally the Global XR Talks and Global XR Conference both part of the GlobalXR.Community.
Since January 2018 Windows Development MVP for the category Mixed Reality.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/alexander
🙂 ANDREAS ERBEN
⚡️ This entity is not a Hologram
Andreas spent most of his professional life and a career of over 25 years integrating ”backend” applications. First inside or between Enterprises and Startups directly, then – ”in the cloud”.
Before that, Andreas dabbled with Virtual Reality in the 90s. In 2013, he started to work with Kinect for Windows V2 and something wonderful happened – Andreas had new fun with new toys and he was all set to work on new paradigms to interact with computers.
Then Microsoft HoloLens was announced and he expanded his focus on Mixed Reality applications and concepts.
He cannot stop talking about technology, which apparently some people like so Microsoft gave him the MVP award. Because he has shown leadership can advise C-levels and business, he also got accepted into the ranks of the Microsoft Regional Directors .
Andreas helps customers as a trusted advisor, external CTO and innovation consultant, he also produces exciting applications and solutions with a great team of skilled individuals.
He acts as CTO for MR and Applied AI for daenet.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/Andi
🙂 ÁNGEL DAVID CARRILLO
⚡️ Modern Workplace Solutions Architect
Modern Workplace Solutions Architect with 10+ years of experience specialized in Microsoft 365 where he is recognized not only as Microsoft MVP in Microsoft 365 Apps & Services, but also as Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT).
He is a dynamic professional with great skills for management thanks to his flexibility and organizational capability not only leading technical teams but also working autonomously being highly committed to meet the project deadlines and quality providing support in any aspect, consultancy, guidance or training when needed. He also has an innate initiative and interest to make proposals, suggestions and innovative solutions that could effectively improve any service or business processes using the whole Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Moreover he is also both national an international speaker in community related events and co-leads MadPoint, the Microsoft 365 Technical Community of Madrid (https://www.madpoint.net), a community that gathers to all Microsoft 365 professionals and lovers from Madrid in which events and webcasts about Microsoft 365 are organized.
In addition, he organizes the Madrid version of the global event Microsoft 365 Saturday as well as the Global Microsoft 365 Developer Bootcamp. Last but not least, this year he has ventured to launch its own MadPoint event: «Academy365: Learn with MCTs» (http://academy365.madpoint.net), a solidarity event focused on introductory levels (100-level) to make the technology something easy, understandable and accessible to all people who want to enter this world and have their first contact.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/angeldav
🙂 ANTOINE GALLAND
⚡️ Future of Work – Digital Advisor
Doing consultancy around Microsoft 365 to help organizations to reach their next collaborative level.
SharePoint, MS Teams, Power Platform, Digital Twin, Experiences & Metaverse addict.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/a-galland
🙂 ANTTI MARTIKAINEN
⚡️ Virtual Dawn, CEO
Antti was a co-founder in HR company that had over 6 million revenue and was serving a wide spectrum of industries with their needs around HR. After 10 years in HR, Antti became a co-founder in Virtual Dawn and he has been helming the team that is part of the megatrend around democratization of content creation for immersive apps.
🙂 ARMANDO PANTOJA
⚡️ Founder, CTO Quant Index
A Tedx speaker and a 15-year veteran in the financial technology industry, Armando Pantoja has successfully led technology growth and innovation at some of the world’s largest companies including Home Depot & AAA. in 2016, Armando transitioned from his software engineering leadership role at AAA to the blockchain and crypto world when he created ICORanker, an AI-driven web application that allowed investors to easily assess new crypto projects. After a multimillion-dollar buyout by a publicly traded company, Armando has become a respected thought leader in the cryptocurrency space and known worldwide as a disciplined, focused and influential cryptocurrency, finance & technology innovator.
In 2017, Pantoja chose to sell ICORanker.com to Codebase Ventures, a publicly traded company for $2.5 million. This choice made him a millionaire and gave him the foundation and funds to start Quant Index, a company focused on investing and developing emerging tech.
In 2020, Armando was awarded the IBM Blockchain Award for his innovations in using Blockchain to Crowdsource COVID-19 Solutions.
in 2022, Along with Kevin O’leary, Armando was added to the Benzinga Advisory Council for Blockchain & Cryptocurrency
Advanced Bio
College Education
- 2001-2005 – Bachelor of Science, Computer Science/Engineering, Austin Peay State University, Tennessee
- 2000-2005 – Bachelor of Arts, Languages and Literature, Austin Peay State University, Tennessee
Post college
A regular contributor to CompTIA (the largest certification company in the country) as a Subject Matter Expert. I offer my expertise to write and prepare new certification exams for software security.
Regular Contributor to 2600 Magazine.
Continued research in software security, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
Presented at conferences in US, Latin America, and Europe as a Thought Leader on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
Considered one of the foremost Financial Technology experts in the world.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/tallguytycoon
🙂 AROME IBRAHIM
⚡️ Executive Director – Immersive Tech Africa
Arome is a Business Analyst and Product Manager renowned for his visionary leadership in Metaverse, Technology, and Innovation. With a wealth of experience in entrepreneurship ecosystem development, he passionately advocates for the transformative potential of emerging technologies.
Arome is a Product Manager (AR/VR) at Experis Immersive, a startup that provides immersive technology solutions and design-led experiences in Africa.
Arome is the team lead for Immersive Tech Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to democratizing and increasing access to Extended Reality (XR) technology through education, training, and research programs, fostering a thriving and inclusive XR community in Africa.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/arome-ibrahim
🙂 CATHY MOYA
⚡️ Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft
Cathy Moya is a Senior Product Manager on the Microsoft Mesh team and a passionate fan of using virtual reality to create real human connection. She currently works on programs that bring customers and engineers together to create better products like Technical Adoption Programs and the Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) program. In previous years, she’s created courseware, written documentation, and designed instructions for mice and keyboards. Before joining Microsoft, she spent many years as a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). She is the founder of the #WomenITpros movement, because you don’t have to code to work in tech.
🙂 CHRISTIAN GLESSNER
⚡️ Leitwolf
Christian Glessner is founder and CEO of Hololux, a leading innovation agency. In an emerging digital world, Christian helps his clients to become more successful by using latest technologies like Serverless Computing, Mixed Reality and AI.
His parents were entrepreneurs and he grew up between IT technology and economics. As a kid, he was deeply inspired by an amber, sparkling screen and it’s blinking and promising cursor of an AS/400 in his parent’s office. ”Ready” – The “Tabula Rasa” or in other words the chance of creating something entirely new from scratch is still driving his passion for information technologies. This year he was honored for the 9th time in a row for receiving the ’Microsoft MVP Award’, an Oscar-like accolade conferred by Microsoft.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/christian-glessner
🙂 DAVID PATRICK
⚡️ MCT, MVP @ http://www.DSAINC.com
Dave has been developing database applications for over 30 years. A Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) since 2001, he has taught many classes from Intro to Programming to Advanced SharePoint Development. Dave is a five time Microsoft MVP and runs three user groups, MAD SharePoint, http://www.madsharepoint.com, the Mid Atlantic Cybersecurity Experts MeetUp, http://www.meetup.com/MACEME, and the Baltimore Cloud Meetup, http://www.meetup.com/Baltimore-Cloud.
Dave does SharePoint training and application development for DSA, Inc., a DoD contractor that does great work for the U.S. Army over at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Dave has a bunch of certifications, including MCSD App Builder, MSCE for SharePoint, and MCSA SQL Server certification.
In his spare time, Dave teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland College Park’s iSchool, Towson University and Stevenson University.
Check out http://www.PatrickPerspective.com to hear about Dave and his daughter Sarah’s different views on tech!
🔗 https://sessionize.com/DavidEPatrick
🙂 DONA SARKAR
⚡️ Director of Accessibility Tech, Microsoft
Software Engineer. Multi-published author (turns out fiction writing is really useful in software!). Owner of the fashion brand Prima Dona studios. Dyslexic but Dealing. Believer that tech upskilling is the ultimate equalizer. Always ready to get on a plane.
🙂 DR. ABHILASHA VYAS
⚡️ Subject Matter Expert, cloud security, CloudThat Technologies
Dr. Abhilasha Vyas is a highly accomplished and experienced professional in the field of Cyber Security and Cloud Computing. She works as the Business Unit Head of Cloud Security & BI at CloudThat Technologies Pvt. Ltd in Bangalore. She is actively involved in various communities such as Women in Big Data (WiBD) India, Women in Tech India, and infosecgirls. She is also a member of the OWASP community and has cleared more than 7 Microsoft Azure certifications. Her research area includes Cyber Security and Detection of DDoS attacks, and she is an AWS Cloud Solution Architect and Microsoft certified trainer.
Dr. Vyas has been invited as a keynote speaker, session chair, resource person, and technical committee member at various conferences. She is a co-founder of SWTII.com and has delivered many CyberSecurity awareness sessions for school education, and higher education institutions. She was recognized as a Top Indian women influencer in security 2022 and received the National Innovative Educator Award 2020 from the International Institute of Organized Research (I2OR). Additionally, she was recognized as one of the CQ100 women by The420.in and Noida-based NGO Root64 Infosec Research Foundation. Her 20+ years of extensive experience from academia and industry has helped in the creation and designing of successful training programs with a track record of delivering positive results. She has also received the Leadership award from CloudThat in Oct 2022.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/dr–abhilasha-vyas
🙂 ENGIN ESER
⚡️ Co-Founder Event Punks GmbH – Innovative Corporate Events & Trainings – Microsoft 365 Evangelist
Engin Eser, der Co-Founder der Event Punks und Gründer von enginE Marketing, ist Growth Hacker und Netzwerker mit Herz und Seele.
Er lebt selbst Growth Hacking und fordert seine Kunden konsequent auf, sich aus ihrer Komfortzone heraus zu bewegen.
Vom Kunden her zu denken ist sein Credo, agile Entwicklung sein Arbeitsstil, und genau damit hilft er Unternehmen, sich besser zu positionieren, Leads automatisch zu generieren und zu wachsen.
Andere durch seine Arbeit erfolgreich wachsen zu sehen, dafür brennt er.
Engin ist ein “klassischer” T-Shaped, ein Hybrid aus Business Development und IT und kennt damit beide Seiten.
So setzt er da an, wo es häufig in den Unternehmen klemmt: bei der Kommunikation. Insbesondere in Themen rund um kollaborative Zusammenarbeit, Wachstumsentwicklung und Performance-Marketing ist er zu einem anerkannten Experten und Influencer in der DACH-Region geworden.
Ganz nebenbei entwickelt er digitale und innovative Informationsprodukte und ist Autor.
Engin ist Microsoft DPSC (Device Partner Solution Champ), Microsoft Teams Experte, Microsoft Partner und Microsoft MVP.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/engin-eser
🙂 FERRAN CHOPO
⚡️ Business Apps MVP
Ferran is a Computer Engineer with more than 20 years experience working on Microsoft’s products and services. Currently he is focused on Microsoft 365 and Power Platform architecture and development projects. Microsoft Certified Trainer since 2009, he has provided training to different kind of companies, dealing with diverse topics like user adoption, administration and development.
He has been awarded with the Business Applications MVP (2022), being an active member of SUG.CAT (SharePoint User Group in Catalonia), organizing and speaking at different events and writing some articles as well.
When he has free time, he enjoys running and hiking to relax his body and his mind, watching thriller movies and reading.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/fchopo
🙂 GREG DEMCHAK
⚡️ Senior Director, Infrastructure Metaverse
MIT educated architect and design technologist with a passion for bringsin 3D solutions to the AEC market.
🙂 IMOGEN SCHIFFERLE
⚡️ Microsoft Product Lead ANZ: Edge, Hybrid and Metaverse
Imogen began her career in technology during the rise of the consumption accessibility of the mobile compute device.
Leading into networking and infrastructure and developing ICT solutions for Blue-chip companies as part of Australia’s leading telecommunications provider.
This grew into developing new technologies in immersive digital realities that solved a pain point for dementia aged care providers and their patients, leading into growing the market footprint for mobile technologies for Samsung Australia.
Prior to Imogen’s current role as the Product Lead for Edge, Hybrid and Metaverse cloud technology at Microsoft she spent a number of years in the Public Sector, developing strategic alignments that delivered connective infrastructure solutions for parts of Regional Australia. Growing her passion for technology and it’s huge role as the ultimate humanitarian mission.
🙂 IVANA TILCA
⚡️ Innovation Evangelist at 3XM Group – Microsoft MVP Azure & AI
Ivana Tilca, currently Innovation Evangelist at 3XM Group and Microsoft MVP in Azure and Artificial Intelligence, former Microsoft employee, was part of the office web apps team in Redmond, Washington and of the new technologies team at Micrósoft in Argentina and Uruguay.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/ivana–tilca
🙂 JESSE MCCULLOCH
⚡️ In transit, destination unknown
Coming soon…
🙂 JOBA ADEJUMO
⚡️ Metaverse Business Strategist
Joba Adejumo is a seasoned business and technology professional with a passion for innovation and growth. He holds several educational certificates, including a Professional Certificate in Project Management from the Metropolitan School of Business & Management, UK, and certificates in Design Thinking for Innovation and Business Communication from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, and University of Colorado Boulder respectively. Joba is also a graduate of the prestigious Venture in Management Program at the Lagos Business School.
Joba is a versatile entrepreneur who has founded several successful businesses within the property sector. His current venture is CovarkXR, a proptech startup building the property metaverse with a mission to provide individuals access to spaces that give them a sense of meaning and purpose. In addition to his business exploits, Joba is an active member of the Product Marketing Alliance, a community of professionals dedicated to sharing knowledge and best practices in product marketing.
With his extensive experience in business, coupled with his passion for innovation and growth, Joba is well-positioned to offer valuable insights on the intersection of technology, marketing, and business.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/joba-adejumo
🙂 JUSSI JAUHIAINEN
⚡️ Professor, University of Turku
Jussi S. Jauhiainen is professor at the University of Turku (Finland). He is developing SURE, a metaverse platform for innovations that will support responsible and sustainable development globally and locally (sites.utu.fi/sure). He reviewed all published international scientific articles on Metaverse until 2023 (https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010346).
🙂 KARUANA GATIMU
⚡️ Principal Manager, Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft Teams Engineering
Karuana Gatimu is a business architect and productivity expert currently working in the Microsoft Teams product group. With a 25-year history in collaboration technology and corporate IT, she is experienced in Microsoft 365 services with a focus on Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Power Platform. She combines her technical expertise with a passion for community management and a #PeopleFirst approach to business transformation. Her team currently drives worldwide adoption of Microsoft 365 services, product feedback, and technical readiness for IT professionals, developers, and productivity Champions, including the Microsoft 365 Champions program and the Teams Technical Community. Her specialized experience in enterprise, government, non-profit, and retail solution architecture allows her to build large scale adoption programs and create the Microsoft Service Adoption Specialist and Virtual Event Production courses. She is the host & executive producer of Coffee in the Cloud on YouTube and a frequent speaker on empowering female leadership in technology and the future of collaboration.
🙂 KRISTA JÄNTTI
⚡️ CEO of EventuallyXR
Krista is a CEO and a founder of EventuallyXR, a consultancy company helping companies to find business opportunities in XR, AI and blockchain technology. She is specialized in User Experiences and Research in virtual environments..
Krista has always had the need to understand how everything works from human cells to computers. She’s originally a cell biologist but curiosity led her into computer science.
The Last five years, she’s worked with XR technologies – her true love. With interest in finding new interaction models with virtual objects, she has a passion for mixing reality with the virtual.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/krista-jantti
🙂 LUKE EVANS
⚡️ Solutions Architect
Luke Evans is a solutions architect currently working at codelooks. Luke is an experienced senior solutiions architect with over 16 years of experience within private and public sectors. Luke has extensive experience in architecture and full end-to-end delivery of cloud digital transformation programmes.
In the past 7 years, Luke has immersed himself Microsoft 365 and Azure and the technologies that underpin and support them with a strong focus on security and identity.
Luke is a Microsoft MVP in M365 Apps and Services.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/LukeEvansTech
🙂 MAR LLAMBÍ
⚡️ KPMG, Business Solutions Technical Achitect
Business Applications MVP – I breathe, innovate, design and develop as a way of survival. If curiosity killed the cat, I think I have no more lives left.
With a developer background, working with .NET and C#, I got my first consultancy job developing for SharePoint 2010 and Microsoft Project. With experience in several projects worldwide, all kind of organisation sizes and industries, I have focused my expertise deploying Dynamics 365 modules and Power Platform solutions. I am leading multiple CoE implementation for Power Platform, adoption models for Low code in multi-size orgs, and designing a long list of Power Platform solutions combining Azure assets and 3rd party integrations.
My motivation is to keep sharing my knowledge, the outcome of my daily projects and experiences with those who might find it useful, helpful and even interesting.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/mar-llambi
🙂 MARCO ROCCA
⚡️ Microsoft – Cloud Solution Architect MW
I’m a Microsoft Cloud Solution Architect Modern Work and deals mainly (but not only …) with SharePoint, a product that has been with him for 15 years and has experienced the birth and growth of all the latest versions. Today, however, collaboration is not just SharePoint, but all Microsoft 365 applications that are helping to revolutionize the way we work. Although ”writing code” is still one of its passions, today it supports customers in the migration of products on the cloud to the cloud world. In the last period I’m focusing on Power Platform and Teams. In the last years I have participated in several conferences as a speaker among which WPC Milan, PowerPlatform World Tour, SharePoint Saturday, Scottish Summit, Collabdays, European Collaboration Summit and Thrive.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/marco-rocca
🙂 MARCUS GUILLARD
⚡️ LMNL Studio, Omnispatial design. Our omnispatial approach brings together strategic thinking, brand storytelling, environmental design, architecture, and creative technology.
As cofounder of Design/Build Studio One Hat One Hand, Marcus has spent the last 12 years designing and realizing complex spatial visions reflecting the highest level of quality. Working alongside architects like Gensler and Rapt Studio for clientele including Google, Apple, and SFMOMA, his portfolio showcases best-in-class environments and experiences. Marcus began his career as a photographer in New York, working alongside fashion and culture luminaries, Gilles Bensimon, Steven Meisel, and Annie Leibovitz.
🙂 MIGUEL TABERA PACHECO
⚡️ Microsoft MVP | Innovation Lead Spain at Avanade
I’m a geek, gamer, IT profesional, LEGO lover and Disney & Star Wars fan. I’ve dedicated to Microsoft technologies all my life. My passion is the Microsoft 365 ecosystem (SharePoint, Office 365, Windows 10, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive…).
I work as Modern Workplace regional offering lead at Avanade Iberia, driving a specialized solution architects team that develops Modern Workplace business in Spain, focused on Office 365, Windows 10, security and devices.
I am co-founder of the Madrid Microsoft 365 Technical Community (www.MadPoint.net), a community where we gather all Madrid Microsoft professionals where we have tools on-line, live events, webcasts, news, articles, books, supplies, etc..
I also participate in the organization team of large spanish conferences like Academy365, Microsoft 365 Saturday Madrid and the Microsoft 365 Developer Bootcamp.
You can follow me on MadPoint blog (www.madpoint.net/author/miguel-tabera) and Twitter (@ migueltabera).
🔗 https://sessionize.com/miguel-tabera
🙂 MIKA LUIMULA
⚡️ Turku University of Applied Sciences, Research Group Leader, Ph.D.
Dr. Mika Luimula works as a Research Group Leader of Futuristic Interactive Technologies and as a Principal Lecturer of Game and Interactive Technologies for Turku University of Applied Sciences. He holds a PhD in Information Processing Sciences and an MSc in Mathematics. He also holds an Adjunct Professorship at the University of Turku. In addition, he is a senior advisor to the board of Ade Ltd. His research interests include gamification, serious games, virtual reality, augmented reality, health informatics and location-aware systems. He has published around 150 scientific papers and his research group has won various awards in the abovementioned research areas.
🙂 NICHOLAS MOSER
⚡️ Creative Technologist at LMNL Studio, an Omnispatial Experience Design Firm
Nick describes his work as designing better spaces for humans.
With a robust roster of public art, placemaking, and tech-enabled experiences— as well as a Masters in Integrated Design, Business, and Technology— he specializes in immersive spaces that foster deeper appreciation of community, environment, and each other.
Frequently speaking on topics of placemaking, sustainable building, and integrated technologies, Nick has presented at conferences including Creative Placemaking Summit, SF Design Week, Electric Engineering Society, and American Society of Landscape Architects. He presents on a variety of topics regarding Creative Technology, including AR and VR, Digital Placemaking, and Community Engagement.
Nick has founded several companies where the use of technology for placemaking takes a forefront. Lumisan automates wellness through advanced sensors and controlled systems. Mask Project developed an open-source face shield and respirator that resulted in over 500K units deployed globally. His various ventures have garnered press from New York Times, Scientific American, Vox, and University of Southern California, among others. He currently works for One Hat One Hand focusing on Design/Build of placemaking elements and Co-Founded LMNL studio, an omnispatial design studio exploring purposeful placemaking at the intersection of physical and digital modalities.
Nick is an avid solution seeker by nature. He believes that by changing people’s environments, we can create positive change in their lives.
🙂 NICOLE ENDERS
⚡️ Microsoft 365 Apps & Services MVP | Managing Consultant – Modern Workplace, CONET Solutions GmbH
Nicole Enders is a Modern Workplace and Collaboration Expert and she works at CONET Solutions GmbH as a Managing Consultant. As a MVP for Microsoft 365 Apps & Services she shares her knowledge at many events, on her own blog as well as in her books.
As a consultant and developer, she has been dealing with the requirements for efficient collaboration in companies since more than 14 years. She is convinced of the advantages that Microsoft 365 (especially Microsoft Teams and the Power Platform) offers to improve collaboration.
Together with her customers, she combines proven standard products from this product range and adapts them with the help of various development tools. This creates working environments for social intranet, modern workplace and collaboration that are individually tailored to the customer’s needs.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/nicolenders
🙂 PAUL BLOEM
⚡️ Paul Bloem – Productivity Architect, Principal Consultant, MVP, Public Speaker
Productivity Architect, Principal Consultant, MVP, Public Speaker in New Zealand, I specialize in planning, architecture, design and implementation of modern workplace as well as unified communications solutions. I have a long history in enterprise voice solutions, contact center, video conferencing as well as user adoption and training.
I was awarded MVP in 2014 and have maintained that for the last 9 years. and continue my efforts in educating the masses. I get a buzz from helping people get ”fitter, faster, stronger” in the digital workplace.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/paul-bloem
🙂 RAGNAR HEIL
⚡️ MVP M365 Apps & Services, Rencore Partner Director
Ragnar is a Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Microsoft 365 Office Apps and Services. He works at Rencore as a Global Director of Partners and Alliances. Together with MVP Alexander Egger, he hosts the “Alex & Ragnar Show,” a bi-weekly Video Live Stream about Microsoft 365 Hybrid Workplace. Ragnar is a blogger and podcaster, headset geek, and core-member of Viva Explorers Community. He has an M.A. in Social Science and an Executive MBA, and has also published several books and articles about modern work.
🙂 RENÉ SCHULTE
⚡️ Head of 3D & Quantum CoPs | Developer | Keynote Speaker | Metaverse | Spatial Computing |Quantum Computing⟩ AI | Microsoft RD & MVP | Thought Leader | Digital Content Creator ✨
René Schulte is Head of 3D and Quantum Communities of Practices at Reply working with teams across the globe on emerging technologies. Being a trusted advisor for our clients and an internationally recognized expert.
He is a creative developer, thought leader and digital content creator with a passion for UX and 20 years of deep technical knowledge in fields like Spatial Computing, Real-Time 3D, VR/AR, XR, VPS AR Cloud Real-World Metaverse, Reality Capture, Digital Humans, Quantum Computing, Generative AI, Deep Learning and more.
He was featured on Forbes and is invited as expert to global TV stations and a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at conferences like //build, Ignite, Global XR, Univ. Heidelberg, Unite, Vision VR/AR Summit, VRDC (GDC), AWE, ESA, RTC, VRARA, MR Dev Days and more. Writes articles and is the creator of the video podcasts QuBites and Meta Minutes. He also created open-source libraries like WriteableBitmapEx.
He was honored 13 years in a row for his dev community work with a double Microsoft MVP award in Mixed Reality and Quantum Computing, recognized as Microsoft Regional Director and Advisory Board member for the VR/AR Association and XR Bootcamp.
He is an avid cyclist and lives in Dresden, Germany with his wife and their 5 children.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/rene-schulte
🙂 RICHARD HARBRIDGE
⚡️ MVP, CTO & Technology Strategist
Richard Harbridge is the Chief Technology Officer and an owner at 2toLead. Richard works as a trusted advisor with hundreds of organizations, helping them understand their current needs, their future needs, and what actions they should take to grow and achieve their bold ambitions.
Richard remains hands-on in his work and has led, architected, and implemented hundreds of business and technology solutions that have helped organizations transform both digitally and organizationally. Richard has a passion for helping organizations achieve more; whether it is helping an organization build beautiful websites to support great content and social strategy, or helping an organization leverage emerging cloud and mobile technology to service better their members or the communities that they serve.
Richard is an author and an internationally recognized expert in Microsoft technology, marketing, and professional services. As a sought-after speaker, Richard has often had the opportunity to share his insights, experiences, and advice on the digital workplace, Intranets, collaboration, social networking, ROI, technology/process adoption, and Microsoft technologies at numerous industry events in around the globe. When not speaking at industry events, Richard works with Microsoft, partners, and customers as an advisor to business and technology, and serves on multiple committees, leads user groups, and is a Board Member of the Microsoft Community Leadership Board.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/richard-harbridge
🙂 RON DAGDAG
⚡️ Director Software Engineering at Spacee and Microsoft AI MVP
Ron Dagdag is a seasoned software artisan with over 20 years of experience in the industry. He currently leads the software engineering team at Spacee, where he drives the development of innovative solutions in IoT, Cloud, and ML with a focus on augmented reality, utilizing his leadership skills.
In addition to his professional responsibilities, Ron is an active member of the tech community, known for his contributions as a Microsoft MVP in AI, Mixed Reality, and IoT. He is also a frequent speaker at conferences, sharing his knowledge and insights on the latest advancements in technology. He is a maker and tinkerer, with a passion for Augmented Intelligence and the intersection of Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things.
Ron’s wealth of experience and deep understanding of the latest technologies, together with his leadership skills, make him a valuable resource for any organization looking to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving world of technology. @rondagdag
🔗 https://sessionize.com/ron-dagdag
🙂 RUDI SCHMIDT
⚡️ !mmunetrue GmbH
Rudi Schmidt currently serves as CEO at !mmunetrue, a company that analyzes immunological patterns across diseases and treatments as humans respond systemically to environment, diseases, and treatments. Immunological real-world data have many use cases when curated, analyzed and provided by using artificial intelligence.
Before that, Rudi spent 15 years at Asklepios Hospitals, the 2nd largest hospital chain in Europe, the last 7 years as EVP Precision Medicine, and as CEO of several Asklepios affiliates, including a metagenome company and a provider of RWD and R&D.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/rudi-schmidt
🙂 SANDRA KIEL
⚡️ Managing Director and Microsoft MVP
Sandra Kiel describes herself as an innovation nerd, disruptive implementer or atmospheric scientist, depending on what’s on her mind. As a self-confessed multi-talent, she usually has a lot and a variety on her plate.
Her motto: ”I’m impatient – please accept that” sums it up all the more.
She is a project and event manager with heart and soul and has been designing in various (IT) projects for over 15 years – across all sectors and almost always with a strong impact on the organisations. Her focus is not so much on the technical excellence of implementing a new solution. Rather, she is dedicated to the processes and the people behind the processes. She develops and empowers communities and thinks of digitisation from the perspective of people, and likes to discuss this question intensively: How do we want to live and work in the future and what significance does work have for us, so that we can give digitisation its meaning and its true effectiveness.
Today, she also likes to found a start-up and works as a coach, mentor and consultant to pass on her experience and knowledge. But also to show that a certain attitude and a good dose of courage are necessary to break out of the classic working models and ways of thinking.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/sandra-kiel
🙂 SANTERI SAARINEN
⚡️ R&D Lead, Metaverse & XR Specialist @ Helsinki XR Center
Santeri works as a R&D Lead at Helsinki XR Center, which is one of the leading XR technology hubs in Europe. He is the leading metaverse and XR technology expert at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences with more than 10 years of experience working with extended reality and other metaverse technologies. Santeri is on the board of directors of XR4Europe association and on the academic advisory board for the Finnish Virtual Reality association. Santeri is one of original contributors and signees for VR/AR Industrial Coalition developed by European Commission.
🙂 SARA FENNAH
⚡️ MCT, Teams Superfan, Viva Realist
Sara has over 25 years’ experience, has been a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) for over 15 years and is also a MCT Regional Lead and Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) for Microsoft 365 Apps and Services.
Sara has been working with Microsoft 365 since the preview in April 2011 and holds over 50 Microsoft Certifications. Sara’s company still use the same Microsoft 365 Tenant opened back in 2011.
As a trainer Sara’s professional aim is to help make technology more accessible by increasing knowledge and decreasing fear. In her own words “I love helping others advance their own skills and use of technology, whilst challenging myself to advance my own skills and expertise.”
Sara provides training across Microsoft 365 from beginner to admin and everyone in between. Sara specializes in productivity, security & compliance within Microsoft 365.
In 2021 Sara co-founded a group of other like-minded MVPs to form the Viva Explorers, who actively promote, evangelize and champion a modern employee and workplace experience under-pinned by tools such as Microsoft Viva. Sara’s Viva Explorer persona is the Viva Realist, highlighting her expertise in helping organizations implement Viva and the wider Microsoft 365 suite.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/sara-fennah
🙂 SHARON SUMNER MVP
⚡️ Dual Microsoft MVP for Business Applications and M365 Apps & Services, Community Speaker, Evangelist, Cambridge (UK) Power Platform User Group Leader, CEO Business Cloud Integration Ltd
Speaker for Power Platform focusing on Power Apps and Power Automate. SharePoint Business Applications domain expertise for over 20 years (SharePoint Sharon).
Leader of the Power Platform User Group in Cambridge, UK… devoted to community events and collaboration.
Microsoft MVP for Business Applications and M365 Apps and Services
Keynote speaker for Power Platform World tour in Dublin and regular Power Apps conference speaker globally.
Power Automate community Blog contributor as well as my own https://Power-full.blog
🔗 https://sessionize.com/sharon-sumner
🙂 SIMON ÅGREN
⚡️ Microsoft MVP | CTA @ Advania
Simon Ågren is Microsoft MVP and Chief Technical Architect at Advania – Knowledge Factory.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/simon-agren
🙂 TIAAN COETZER
⚡️ Lexel Systems Ltd – Collaboration Consultant
I am a Collaboration Consultant with over 5 years’ experience in the IT industry.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/tiaan-coetzer
🙂 VESA NOPANEN
⚡️ Metaverse | Futurist | Speaker | Blogger | Mr. Metaverse
Principal Consultant and Microsoft MVP working on Metaverse and Future Work at Sulava.
Vesku thinks Microsoft Teams is the portal to the Commercial Metaverse, allowing people to work together better than before and also to create new business models for organizations. The Metaverse is the Digital Fabric with AI connecting people to each other, to the data and to apps.
The Metaverse will enable everyone to participate – on any device.
This journey in the Metaverse is on it’s early steps and I am guiding you and your organization on the road.
I am extremely passionate about Metaverse and how it – with Microsoft Teams and Cloud – enable to change how people work together today and in the future.
Vesku has 25+ years of experience in IT business on multiple industries, domains, and roles. He is also a futurist, active speaker, blogger, evangelist, and technology community member.
https://linktr.ee/vesanopanen
🔗 https://sessionize.com/vesanopanen
🙂 YULIA BARNAKOVA
⚡️ Helping leaders envision the future – and stay ahead of it
[Can update to be in 3rd person if needed]
I’m on a mission to inspire leaders to apply metaverse tech to their business challenges.
We at Accenture define the metaverse as a continuum including XR, blockchain, AI, and other adjacent technologies.
As part of the Go-To-Market team within the Metaverse Continuum Business Group, I help clients shape metaverse strategies and launch pilots across customer, employee, and operations use cases.
I’m also passionate about helping people become more tech savvy and ready to embrace the future. I’m a big fan of experiential learning and love giving metaverse tours and hands-on genAI demos to give clients a ”personal feel” for the tech. I recently gave a TEDx talk on how everyone can (and must) become more tech savvy and have written for Knowledge@Wharton and Chief Learning Officer, as well the ”What the Tech?” column for Training Magazine.
I am also recognized as a Microsoft MVP for my tech experiments and YouTube tutorials.
As both a strategist and a practitioner, I’m here to help leaders envision the future – and stay ahead of it.
🙂 ZAID ZAIM
⚡️ 📍Berlin 🛠 Mixed Reality Catalyst 📢 {TEDx | DLD | GITEX} Global Keynote Speaker 🏆 Microsoft MVP 🍀 Ashoka YoungChange Maker 📚 CODE VI ✨️ ReDI Ambassador
Zaid Zaim is a young person passionate about technology. – Through merging the past & present, he uses Mixed Reality and HoloLens 2 to virtually reconstruct the destroyed monuments of Palmyra in Syria (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
For his work of bringing history to life and his engagement with tech and dev communities around the Globe to share his knowledge with others in cutting-edge MR Technologies, he was recognized with the Microsoft MVP award.
At Hololux, he drives multiple projects in the field of Mixed Reality and leads customers and clients along their journey throughout the Metaverse spectrum.
Currently, he is continuing his learning journey at CODE University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/ZaidZaim
🙂 ZOE WILSON
⚡️ Europe Workplace Value Realisation Offering Lead, Avanade
Zoe is the Europe Workplace Value Realisation Offering Lead and a Senior Director at Avanade, who are the leading global Microsoft Partner.
In this role, Zoe is working with colleagues and clients to help them realise the value of their investments in workplace technology, with a focus on employee experience, frontline workers and workplace experience. Innovation and technology evangelism are both core to the success of this role, as well as a passion for delighting and exciting customers with the art of the possible. Additionally, she also works closely with partners like Microsoft on technology innovations, and contributes to many events across the Microsoft tech community through speaking, volunteering as part of various event teams, and more recently was a member of the organising team for Scottish Summit.
Zoe brings together a customer-focused solution background with several years of technology leadership experience and over 15 years experience working with collaborative tools SharePoint and other Microsoft technologies. She is passionate about solving business problems in an innovative and exciting way, and although her primary tech focus has been SharePoint, Teams and Microsoft 365, she now has the pleasure of working across a much broader range of innovative technologies.
Early in 2022, Zoe joined a group of other like-minded MVPs to form the Viva Explorers, who actively promote, evangelize and champion a modern employee / workplace experience under-pinned by tools such as Microsoft Viva.
🔗 https://sessionize.com/zoe-wilson
Metaverse One 