Since there is a changing trend that Facebook has changed its company name to “Meta” in response to “Metaverse” trend which is currently popular, many people are probably wondering what Metaverse is and how it is related to MICE industry. Let’s find out.

This article was originally found on Business Events Thailand.

Metaverse is an idea of merging environments in the physical world and technology to create a virtual world which people can communicate and interact with each other. In this virtual world, you can attend concerts in the halls, hang out with friends, shop and test the products in the trade shows, and participate in interactive workshops which are more than just a 2D video call. Metaverse will allow you to feel like living in the outside world despite being in the comfort of your own home.

Thus, it is undeniable that when Metaverse can be developed perfectly, it will affect people’s everyday life, including MICE industry which must be developed and adjusted in response to this inevitable and upcoming 3D trend. Here are the examples of merging Metaverse and MICE to develop new innovations transforming MICE industry:

Join the virtual conference from anywhere

In the next 5 to 10 years or even sooner, Metaverse may be able to connect people who live apart from each other to do activities together as if they were in the same place. This idea will transform the MICE industry as Metaverse can reduce time and other expenses. MICE travellers may not have to spend too much time travelling to attend meetings or seminars since you can just stay in the comfort zone of the house with only a few devices connecting to 3D virtual world. Metaverse will allow you to join a conference in seminars, or completely get lost in the moment with our favorite artists’ concerts as if you were in the real place.

3D exhibitions and trade fairs

Recently, a Japanese start-up company has transformed exhibitions and trade fairs by holding a virtual market in the VR world. The event attracted a good response with around 60 well-known companies participating. The organizer also allowed the attendees to join the virtual market for free through a VR headset and a VRChat application and this can be considered as MICE industry’s great adjustment to Metaverse. In the future, it is estimated that exhibitions and trade fairs hosted in Metaverse will be even more realistic than virtual events held nowadays. The attendees will be able to touch and try using the virtual products like they do in the physical world and this will definitely create a unique and one of a kind experience for both organizers and participants.

Home-based travel is like travel to real location

Metaverse simulation enables people to live outside by connecting devices, software, and the internet. It becomes the hope of future tourism in the future where people visit any places despite being in their home, especially in times of unusual situations such as the recent pandemic. A recent example, receiving a good feedback from travellers is Japan's JR East Railway Company. The company built Akihabara train station where passengers can use a virtual ticket to take a virtual train to experience the travel and its services through VR technology. In the future, if Metaverse can totally merge the real-world environments with technology, you will certainly get even more immersive experience in terms of touch and feeling as if you were sitting on a real train.

Before entering Metaverse, users must prepare support devices and systems in order to be able to use it smoothly, such as the high-speed internet, other tools and equipment, especially AR (Augmented Reality) devices. AR devices simulate 3D objects through glasses, screens, smartphone screens and VR (Virtual Reality) technology that imitate the virtual interactive world through new devices in the future.

For several industries, including MICE industry, preparing for Metaverse society is important in order to add more choices in response to the upcoming trend as more people will start to live their lives through 3D virtual world in the future. From the examples given above, we realize that Metaverse will transform MICE industry to be even more up-to-date than before which both organizers and participants will undoubtedly receive an exceptional experience.