As events around the world are starting to get cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, companies are starting to find alternative means of delivering news and updates to their customers. The vast majority of it will probably come in the form of an online event, but HTC might have taken the cake.
The company was scheduled to host its Vive Ecosystem Conference in Shenzhen, China, but instead of doing that, they opted to host it virtually. The event was hosted inside Engage, which is a collaborative VR app that works with multiple VR platforms such as the HTC Vive, Oculus, Valve, and Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
Those in attendance were represented by 3D avatars and were seated in an “outdoor” amphitheater with concrete benches. For some reason, HTC also decided to introduce the coronavirus into its VR event, where there were virus-shaped balloons. HTC’s China president Alvin Graylin was quoted as saying, “These viruses aren’t going to hurt you, because we’ve prepared. All of you guys have been now issued special protective gear.”
As he said that, the entire audience was covered in protective outfits, although given that all of this was virtual, it was completely unnecessary. While what HTC has done seems novel, it does go to show a possibility of the future and how events moving forwards can be held.