Vii Events recently held their annual virtual A2Z customer event, which sparked imagination with London's iconic virtual landmarks recreated in their gorgeous 3D immersive platform.  Platforms like these have important implications for the future of work and how events will look in the metaverse.  But more on that later. 

With a wide range of event organizers, tech providers, and remote work gurus joining for A2Z, twine got to show off our new integration via a midday speed networking engagement.  It was fall 2021 when the idea to integrate twine in Vii was first floated.  The idea culminated in a full integration offering Vii customers a seamless user experience for their external and internal events.  

Michal Shuvali, VP of Business Development & Sales shares insight on our partner strategy.  

“While at virtual events with hundreds of participants it might be challenging for attendees to network efficiently and create many connections in a timely manner. By integrating twine to the Vii Events platform, we allow all attendees to meet each other in quick 1:1 or group video calls that could be roulette or tag-based matches, break the ice easily between attendees and create lasting and meaningful relations.”

So what does this look like?    

The A2Z team broadcasted the twine link to all attendees, and with one click myself and hundreds of attendees were simultaneously transported to twine embedded in the Vii platform for 20 minutes of uber efficient speed networking.  Attendees (most who have never met each other) engaged in 1:1 video conversations for 5 minute durations.  The question tray was seeded with thought provoking questions gently nudging towards human interactions and promoting belonging. 

 The best part?  No new browser tab, no logging in a second time, no AV issues.  Smooth sailing.  Props to the developers on both sides!  

“Wow.  You can really learn a lot by planning meetings for meeting planners.  This is so important for us as a platform,” said Stas Zaslavksym CEO of Vii Events.  

I feel you, my friend.  I spent the first 15 years of my career producing meetings for meeting planners.  As a media company, we learned VERY fast how critical it is to get the content right, provide just the right amount of networking and build belonging where it didn’t already exist. 

“We love twine!” Added Stas.  “We feel it’s one of our most useful apps and treasured partners.  We look forward to bright things together”.  

After swapping some very humorous (and human) tales not to be shared here, the clock ran down to 0:00.   We both shot back to the twine matching pool for our next 4 meetings.  After a very engaging session I returned to enjoy the rest of the programming, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Stas’ vision for the future.  

My mind raced in a completely different direction, which always happens when I twine.  What does the future of the Vii-twine partnership look like?  Unless you ditched the computer, phone and canceled your YouTube TV, you might of heard that:

THE FUTURE = THE METAVERSE

[Kill the lights.  Cue the ominous music]  

I begin to wrap my head around what decentralized content, money creation and community looks like.  My mind shifts to Zuck opening the floodgates by rebranding and subsequently restructuring the social media giant, or Jack giving up the Twitter wings for his newly refocused Block (formerly Square).  But as human connection and Web3 intersect will it really be tech giants writing the script or will the world truly grow more decentralized?   How will people engage in the metaverse, what is the role of organizers and where does twine fit in?  Our resident expert Josh Lee, Head of Design at twine, takes a stab:   

“Where twine plays best is nanoverse.  It’s not accumulated bits of all info, but itemized truthful bits that relate you to somebody.  We’re not this grand thing, we’re this thing that activates when somebody needs somebody (even if you don’t know you should meet them).”

Got all that?  Josh continues to paint a picture that still looks a bit fuzzy to this curious chap.   

“As an intro layer or legitimacy layer where you could be represented by your avatar, but you could meet real people as a real person (even if a water buffalo in skinny black jeans).  We [twine] don’t build the metaverse, but provide a layer of trust.  Equilibrium between who we are in the universe and who we are in real life”.  

Ok, I think I get it now.  As real life and virtual life merge, twine’s North Star will continue to be conversations.  In this decentralized environment great business will get done in new ways, but not without risk.  The positives might yield headlines to the bad apples, at least initially.  In order for Enterprise, Association, DAOs or other organizers to structure conversations with the right people at the right time - and provide a digital trail of trust - there needs to be proof that interactions did in fact happen.  twine is one solution to this challenge and 3D immersive platforms like Vii can act as a venue for these meetings. 

It’s important to note why platforms like Vii will be integral in the internet's next frontier.  In fact, they’ve been operating in the Metaverse before it even carried this moniker.   Michal Shuvali had this to add: 

"Vii Events and twine partner up to make networking even more simple and efficient in a meta world. At Vii Events we currently provide metaverse 3D 360 experience. Of course, we are exploring VR possibilities. While Web3 technology is still experimental and not fully scoped, but we are following all the trends around it.  We will be able to do great things together in the near future.”

As Vii, and similar platforms continue to push the boundaries of what it means to connect in the metaverse, applications like twine will provide the foundation for truth and legitimacy of the network. 

Whether we meet face-to-face, on virtual video chats, avatar-to-avatar or some hybrid version, people need other people to create, learn, dream and do.  Belonging is the key.  Just when we need it most.