If ever there was an aptly named platform, it's Discord. Discord began as a real-time chat platform founded as a way to make it easier for gamers to communicate, especially while they are playing. Its backbone is the ability to communicate any way come Sunday: voice calls, video calls, text messaging, various media, and files either in private chats or as part of communities called "servers”. The amalgamation of so many ways to communicate is both Discord's curse and its blessing.

Many of the servers are chock full of chest-pounding inscrutable emojis and rah-rah messaging from companies hoping to create communities around their products. If you belong to a Discord community that’s actually helpful, we’d love to know about it. Here are a few I found to get us started.

• Events Server: Want to find out what’s going on in Decentraland? This is a cross between a calendar of events and creators showing off their latest. 
• Learn AI Together: This is an amazing resource about how quickly AI applications are growing.
• Minecraft and Roblox servers: These and other servers let you keep up with the gaming scene.

The easiest way I’ve found to find something on Discord is to use Disboard, which keeps a directory of many Discord sites. Baking, film, tech integrations — there’s a ton to explore. Discord’s support center offers a reasonable guide to getting started. 

But proceed with caution. Jaime Parmenter, CEO at Real Nifty, has an explicit warning in his recent post on LinkedIn about how to protect yourself from the high volume of frauds and scams, especially surrounding NFT product launches on Discord. There have been reports of creating fake links to tempt you to part you from the money stored in your crypto wallet if you’ve got one connected to your Discord account. 

Parmenter's tips for keeping out of trouble:

• ✅ Turn off your DMs in Discord. This is vital.
• ✅ Don't click on any links that are not officially announced in Discord/social media accounts. Read the rules in those accounts. Most say they will NEVER DM you or release unannounced mints; these always have the hallmark of a phishing scam.
• ✅ Research the projects you buy into. it's not always just phishing scams that are trying to get to you but some project owners themselves, unfortunately. Beware of rug pulls (a project that, instead of doing what it said it would do, vanishes with your money).
• ✅ Be wary of random NFTs airdropped into your wallet. They could be phishing scams in disguise.

I know part of the allure of Discord is the discovery, but what it really needs is curation.

Quick Looks at the Events Scene
IFA Berlin, the largest consumer electronics show in Europe, takes place just after Labor Day. They’re reporting that over 80% of its exhibit space is filled. However, they shared that, more than ever, many exhibitors waited until the 11th hour to commit. Read more about this year’s show. 

San Diego Comic-Con: Masks Encouraged 
One of the world’s biggest celebrations of pop culture was held to sold-out crowds this week, after a two-year pandemic hiatus. An estimated 150,000 attendees (many in masks of their own volition) saw massive branding and advertising and of course, cosplay. Marvel dominated the scene, announcing everything on its roster. And the trailer for Wakanda Forever brought a tear to Chadwick Boseman fans.

COVID Fall Projections
Its mid-summer. We have waning COVID immunity and the certainty that we’ll spend more time indoors as the weather turns cooler. Plus, we still have a highly infectious virus morphing constantly. While data is getting harder to trust because home testing means that fewer people are reporting the illness, the best data for all things COVID-related can be found at the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation. Also, read the Atlantic’s story about the diminishing numbers of Covid virgins. 

Marco Giberti, who’s been a guest at our VEG meetups, has been writing about what's happening with events and event tech growth and valuations, particularly how tech could continue (or not) to influence our industry. 

The good news, he says, is that face-to-face events are coming back fast and furious, But, he goes on to say, “The fact that face-to-face events are back doesn't mean that event tech is no longer relevant.” (He addressed this topic in his recent blog post.) 

Still, he notes, it’s a tough time for event tech platforms. Companies like Hopin, Hubilo, and Bizzabo are examples of meteoric pandemic rises. All were overvalued shiny objects during the pandemic. But, argues Giberti, so was every other tech stock. 

He believes we’re seeing a re-adjustment of the financial model and of the rightful place for digital platforms in the event ecosystem. “If we want to connect the right buyers and sellers (B2B events) or fans and creators/celebrities (B2C events) and maximize their time, investments, and experiences in future events, tech engagement for all event stakeholders is inevitable,” he says. You can read the original thread on LinkedIn with some great comments. We’re expecting Giberti to join us this fall for a second appearance. 

Elsewhere, Market Watch released a very upbeat report on the virtual event business, replete with a bit of history. Did you know that Alan Saperstein and Randy Selman of Visual Data Corporation (now known as Onstream Media, they are important members of the VEG community.) first publicly defined and presented the “virtual tradeshow” as “ConventionView” in a presentation to investors at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City in April 1993. Virtual events… not so new after all.

Production Matters
While it’s true that the event tech platforms are doing a bit of rightsizing and soul searching at the moment, it’s widely agreed upon that there’s real value in virtual events. Whether its broad reach, relatively low costs, or the ability to forge new ROI, digital engagements are in it for the long haul.

But the production values for digital events keep rising. An article in Gulf Business News, written by a Zoom employee in the Middle East and North Africa, reminds us that we’ve learned to expect high production values for digital events. The author goes on to make the point that with more hybrid work and learning, it will be increasingly important to bridge the gap between the audience in the room and the audience elsewhere. And we believe that goes double for events. 

As for me, I like to point to the Jan 6th hearings as a great example of production values.. Whatever side you are on, credit belongs to the hearings for mastering multiple mediums: video, storytelling, graphics, captions, tweets, and live footage, interspersed to make it the most compelling TV since The Twilight Zone.

Will People Like their Job in the Metaverse More than IRL?
Dubai announced its strategy to create 40,000 jobs using the metaverse and says that the metaverse will add more than $4 billion to its economy over the next 5 years. (Source: NDTV). Dubai will focus on extended reality, virtual reality and augmented reality. Areas like tourism, education, retail, remote work, healthcare, and the legal sector will be the focus of new governmental work models. That begs the question will a bureaucrat or salesperson find happiness in the metaverse workplace? As the Middle East diversifies its economy away from oil, it’s taking a strong lead in all things metaverse. And if you think Dubai is bold, check out Saudi Arabia’s plans for a 75 mile-long skyscraper in the Saudi desert.