The Next Evolution of Retail & Ecommerce | AWE Nite Chicago

One of the more common consumer uses of immersive technology are augmented reality product placement and virtual try-on capabilities used in ecommerce. Join us June 7th to learn about what we should expect in the near future and from those defining the best practices in The Next Evolution of Retail & Ecommerce.

Let’s face it, we buy things every day. How we buy, what we buy, where we buy, and who we buy from is what drives the retail and ecommerce industries. Like most industries, immersive technologies - virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) - have a lot to offer the retail industry. VR can enable consumers to shop from the comfort of their homes, exploring virtual stores, visualizing products in 3D, and viewing hundreds or thousands of products without the need to travel physically from one location to another. AR allows for cell phone, computer, or even smart mirror based virtual try on of everything from eye glasses to clothes to makeup, or contextually placing furniture or art in the physical space where it will exist following a purchase. Beyond just the sale or purchase, some companies are offering AR & VR based tutorials on how to install, assemble, use, or troubleshoot products following a purchase as well. There’s even XR based brand engagement activities helping to keep consumers connected to the brands they love.

How do you like to shop? Do these innovations reel you in or set you reeling? Join the conversation about VR & AR: The Next Evolution of Retail & Ecommerce - something we are all experts at: how we (want to) consume items in the modern day.

We begin with informal networking and then start the stage portion promptly at 6:15pm CDT. There will be a handful of presentations before we move on to answer audience questions and then finish with more networking. We keep it simple and informal - this program is about you, our members, and not the host or presenters. Come and get your questions answered, take your next step into immersive technology.

We will be serving the Revolution (Beer), cold!

5:30-6:00 PM Technology Demonstrations & Networking

6:15-6:30 PM Introductions & Welcome Message

6:30-7:10 PM Panelist Presentations

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

7:45-8:30 PM More Networking & Technology Demos

1871 | 222 W Merchandise Mart Plz | Suite 1212

For our Physical Venue, 1871 can be found in Suite 1212 on the 12th floor of theMART, which is located on the North side of the river between Wells and Orleans. For easy access, enter through the Orleans entrance on the west side of theMART and take those elevators to the 12th floor.

Virbela | Virtual Environment | virbela.com/download

For our Virtual Venue, we will be using Virbela's Open Campus to host the program. We suggest that you download, set-up, get familiar with the Virbela program and environment prior to the program, as we will be unable to provide support during the event.

The virtual environment resembles a physical space, so you will be able to talk with other attendees during open networking both before and after the presentations. The sound is spatialized, so if at any point it feels too loud, feel free to move your conversation to another part of the room where there are less people.

Primary Live Stream | https://awe.live/sessions

People can join by watching the scheduled live stream where we will field questions from!

Matt Wren - In-Person Host - Founder & CTO of BUNDLAR

Caroline Dennis - Virtual Host - Two-Degrees.io and XRWomen

Matt Wren will be moderating the discussion in person while Caroline Dennis will be hosting the virtual portion in Virbela. Matt is the CTO for BUNDLAR and founder of The Next Evolution event series and VRAR Chicago. Caroline is entrepreneur, startup advisor, and advocate from Two-Degrees.io and XRWomen.

Details Coming Soon

Details Coming Soon..

AWE's mission is to help the XR community advance Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technology in order to further human progress. With the industry successfully reaching the milestone of 1 billion active users of AR in 2020, over the next decade AWE aims to guide the industry’s attention towards our own core objectives of enabling people across the globe to learn, connect and grow within the XR industry.

The AWE community is committed to pursuing the goal of building a 1 trillion dollar XR industry by 2030, while ensuring the outcome is a world worth living in.

AWE Nites are a place for developers, creators, investors, founders, academics, corporate decision makers and curious folk to come together locally (or online) on an ongoing basis to help advance the [Immersive Technology (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality)] ecosystem in your city and globally.

The Next Evolution -is- AWE Nite Chicago

Thank you to our sponsors, 1871, BUNDLAR, and Virbela for providing venue, management, marketing & logistics support and to our partners 2112, VR Motion Learning, XR Women, & International Game Developers Association Chicago (IGDA Chicago) to the VRAR Chicago event series: The Next Evolution | AWE Nite Chicago.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

1871, 222 West Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, United States