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VIRTUAL EVENTS GROUP
 

The 10 most populous cities in the US have some form of “chief innovation officer” role.

—Jordan McDonald, Emerging Tech Brew

 
 
 
 
 
 
June Events
 
 
June 8 / 4pm EDT / Zoom
 
What you need to know about digital events and data collection: A Special Town Hall with BPA Worldwide and company. 
 
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June 16 / 3pm EDT / Zoom
 
Take a tour of the metaverse that’s powering social events such as the SIIA CODiE Awards and Toy of the Year party.
 
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Proof of Attendance is the New Black
 

Last week’s issue looked at the upcoming Consensus event in Austin. Attendees earn engagement tokens for participation at the event. Now, it seems we’ll be ritualizing our memories of shared events with POAPs (short for Proof of Attendance Protocols). In the event world, POAPs can be thought of as a memento in the same way that lanyards and ticket stubs have been. It’s just that these will be digital. 


Vogue Business just called them the new event status symbols. POAPs, as the article goes on to explain, are designed to commemorate a specific time and date. They are signed on a specific smart contract on the blockchain and have a unique image assigned to them. Once issued, they can serve as a memento but they can also have utility. For example, they can be redeemable for a t-shirt, a baseball cap, a gift bag, or even a discount for the next event. Fashion and beauty retailers are all over POAPs and we’re betting you’ll see them at events everywhere shortly.

 
 
 
Know Your Laws
 

While inflation, the Russia/Ukraine war, and abortion are making national headlines, there’s also a lot happening on the Internet front that should not be ignored. Here’s what you should know. 


Texas’s HB 20 
What is It?
A recent decision by a Texas federal appeals court allows the state’s residents to sue big social media companies if they believe their posts were removed because they expressed controversial viewpoints. 


What it Means.
In a nutshell, HB 20 would allow anyone to say anything online without any content moderation. It would prevent companies from curbing misinformation and hate speech, turning the Internet into even more of a cesspool for hate speech and calls for violence. Jeff Joseph, CEO of SIIA and member of Virtual Events Group, has joined 18 other companies in filing an amicus brief should the case reach the Supreme Court. The brief reinforces the importance of content moderation. Read more at Fast Company.


The EU’s Digital Services Act 
What is it?
The European Union reached a deal on landmark legislation that would force social media platforms such as Facebook to combat misinformation, to disclose how their services amplify divisive content and to stop targeting online ads based on a person’s ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.


What it Means.
Unlike in the US, the EU has indicated it intends to crack down on social media platforms. Tech companies would need to figure out how to curb hate speech, terrorism, racism, and false advertising or face legal penalties; this could virtually end self-regulation by platforms. 


Net Neutrality
What is It? This saga is batted around during every administration and it’s about to rise again. The argument is that Internet service providers (ISPs) including AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast should not be allowed to favor certain content or to throttle the speed of certain content for certain market segments on the Internet. Companies like Comcast, which owns NBC Universal, can't favor their own content over that of a competitor. And wealthy enterprises can’t have information delivered at different speeds (for a price) than those available to mere mortals. 


When Democrats were in control in 2015, the FCC approved the Open Internet Order, which categorized ISPs as subject to net neutrality principles. During the Trump Administration, when Ajit Pai ran the FCC, net neutrality rules were relaxed to encourage more “innovation and competition.” The Biden Administration wants to reestablish the FCC's authority to impose stricter rules of the road for the internet. Biden named Jessica Rosenworcel, a net neutrality proponent, as acting chairperson. Gigi Sohn, another strong proponent, is awaiting confirmation to the FCC, but she’s been raked over the coals by her opponents, mainly by ISPs who don’t want more regulation.


What it Means. After months, Sohn still hasn’t been confirmed and the FCC remains deadlocked with two Democratic commissioners and two Republicans. Plus, a growing number of politicians want net neutrality to extend to social media platforms. They are calling for them to be treated like common carriers or public utilities and blocked from discriminating against users’ viewpoints. Watch the story unfold.

 
 
 
Scuttlebutt
 
 
 

Accenture’s Employees First Day of Work is in the Metaverse
Talk about walking the walk! Accenture will take its 150,000 new hires to its Nth metaverse for their first day of onboarding into the job. See a preview of the Nth experience. Working with Microsoft, Accenture has built digital twins of all of its offices and has furnished new employees with headsets to get ready. Now, what to wear to the meeting? Apparently, choosing shoes will not be a problem.

 
 

Image Credit: Accenture

 
 

MetaAcademy Hangs Up Its Shingle
Shelly Palmer is an extraordinary explainer so we’re psyched to see that his newest venture, MetaAcademy, offers a learn-while-you-earn experience. It’s free to use (and safe because you can use the site’s own in-Academy crypto to learn risk free). You’ll learn the ins and outs of crypto, blockchain, NFT and more. I’m in! 

 
 

Covid’s Poster Child Needs a Second Act
Zoom became a household verb during COVID, but it’s going to need to find its next act. Slow and steady growth, which the company will report this week, will raise investor eyebrows. 

 
 

Read Bob Priest-Heck’s Essay
In true “a pandemic is a terrible thing to waste” form, Bob Priest-Heck once again displays his leadership in the events industry in his essay on How to Rethink Events for a New Era. “From where I stand” he writes, “it’s clear that events will be better than ever if we act on what we’ve learned. There is so much value we can add for show organizers, brands, exhibitors, sponsors, participants and cities that regularly host events. Consistently, marketers tell us that in-person events are ideally suited for brand awareness, networking, lead generation, product demonstration and actual commerce. Digital events are better suited to fundamental content delivery, instruction and certification. By integrating what we’ve learned about producing digital events with the best of face-to-face events, we can expand our reach even as we offer more personalized experiences.”

 
 

Don’t Suck
Karin Reed, co-author of several books, including “Suddenly Hybrid” and “On-Camera Coach,” dishes on how to make sure your virtual meetings don’t suck

 
 

Meet Me at the Cooler 
Slack and Twine join forces for water cooler moments: Slack does a great job with team collaboration but sometimes you just want to share a moment with a subset of the team or meet one on one. Twine, a Virtual Events Group member, just added a Slack integration. Anyone can set up a Twine room by typing /twine in a Slack channel. For complete instructions head here. 

 
 

Coldplay Reimagines Sustainable Concerts
ColdPlay is reimagining sustainable concerts on the band’s environmentally friendly Music of the Spheres tour. For example, imagine kinetic dance floors and stationary bikes that can channel energy directly from the fans in the crowd into batteries that power different elements of the show.

 
 

Image Credit: Music of the Spheres

 
 
Virtual Events Group is hitting the speaking circuit. Our community is touching people! Join us at these upcoming events.
 
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Robin Raskin  | Founder
917.215.3160 | robin@virtualeventsgroup.org

 

Julie Sylvester | Sales & Marketing

917.868.7160 | Julie@virtualeventsgroup.org