When the COVID-19 pandemic brought our travelling business culture to a grinding halt, we understood how dependent we were on free movement and face-to-face interaction for our business to develop and progress. The event industry was not spared, with the Dutch event industry alone suffering a staggering revenue loss of 1.23 billion Euros in 2020 (Statista, 2022).
During COVID-19, we witnessed a remarkable shift in our business culture. We did not just adapt to the new normal; we embraced it. Virtual networking, online video platforms, and innovative event formats like arcade-style networking and virtual cocktails have become a permanent part of our business landscape, inspiring us to continue evolving and finding new ways to connect.
According to Precedence Research, the global video conferencing market was valued at $7.01 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $22.26 billion by 2032, driven by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.30% (Research, 2024).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for online networking platforms surged as remote work and social distancing necessitated virtual engagement across professional and social spheres. Leading platforms such as LinkedIn, Slack, and Microsoft Teams experienced significant user growth, capitalising on their ability to facilitate professional connections, job opportunities, and industry events.
Meanwhile, video conferencing tools like Zoom and specialised event platforms like Hopin became essential for virtual conferences and networking sessions, providing users with interactive and scalable solutions. Interest-based platforms, including Discord, Facebook Groups, and Reddit communities, saw increased activity as users sought niche spaces for social interaction and knowledge exchange. During this period, Clubhouse, a new entrant, gained rapid traction with its audio-only, invite-only format, appealing to users looking for real-time conversations. Additionally, virtual event platforms like Airmeet, Remo, and Brella emerged as innovative solutions for online conferences, offering networking tools that replicated the interactivity of in-person events.
In 2022, WhatsApp Business (messenger and video) saw its user base surpass 1.26 billion, with the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region contributing the highest number of users at 808.17 million. Zoom reported a 6.9% increase in revenue in 2023, reaching $4.39 billion. Microsoft Teams experienced record downloads in Q2 2020, hitting 70.43 million. Meanwhile, Cisco Webex reported 650 million monthly meeting participants in 2021, averaging 21.7 million daily. North America held the largest market share for video conferencing globally in 2022, accounting for 41% of the total market. The APAC region is also projected for significant growth, with its video conferencing market expected to reach $6.8 billion by 2026 (Sukhanova, 2024).
As this shift permeated all areas of our social activities, the VOXReality consortium set out to develop voice-driven interactions for XR spaces, where virtual B2B events can deliver more value to their global clients. In 2021, the number of trade shows hosted in the Netherlands dropped significantly compared to 2019, primarily due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, the country only held 53 events, a sharp decline from the 132 trade fairs organised in 2018 (Statista, 2023).
Virtual Reality (VR) has the potential to transform our methods of communication and interaction. Unlike other distance-based communication tools, VR stands out for its enhanced interactivity and visualisation capabilities, such as displaying data, documents, and 3D models. This makes VR interactions a promising option for more effective remote business meetings and engaging social interactions.
Currently, voice-activated personal assistants are used to engage with customers, offer support, overcome language barriers, and streamline basic operations. While some assistants incorporate additional modalities like text or images, their functionality remains limited to simple tasks such as setting alarms or controlling devices. They lack the ability to handle more complex interactions.
VOXReality aims to advance AI models by developing systems that integrate audiovisual and spatio-temporal contexts, enabling personal assistants to better understand and interact with their environment. These systems will allow new applications, such as instruction assistants or navigation guides, through novel self-supervised vision and language systems. By grounding language in both spatial and semantic contexts, VOXReality seeks to enable more sophisticated assistant responses, offering richer, context-aware interactions and higher-level reasoning.
By developing a digital agent and services that provide virtual venue navigation, programme information, and, most importantly, automatic translation services for global virtual event attendees, we aim to make business interactions in virtual environments meaningful, effective, and fully assisted. We strive to challenge how conference interactions are delivered today by adding new tools and value to tomorrow’s event industry.
Manuel Toledo - Head of Production at VRDays Foundation
Manuel Toledo is a driven producer and designer with over a decade of experience in the arts and creative industries. Through various collaborative projects, he merges his creative interests with business research experience and entrepreneurial skills. His multidisciplinary approach and passion for intercultural interaction have allowed him to work effectively with diverse teams and clients across cultural, corporate, and academic sectors.
Starting in 2015, Manuel co-founded and produced the UK’s first architecture and film festival in London. Since early 2022, he has led the production team for Immersive Tech Week at VRDays Foundation in Rotterdam and serves as the primary producer for the XR Programme at De Doelen in Rotterdam. He is also a founding member of ArqFilmfest, Latin America’s first architecture and film festival, which debuted in Santiago de Chile in 2011. In 2020, Manuel earned a Master’s degree from Rotterdam Business School, with a thesis focused on innovative business models for media enterprises. He leads the VRDays Foundation’s team’s contributions to the VOXReality project.
