Realti.Express XR conference, Tallinn - Oct 2024

Written By Chris Shirley MA FRGS

All images by Hiatus.Design

As we arrived at the venue in Estonia’s historic city centre, it was clear that this two-day event organised by the Estonian VR and AR Association (EEVR) would be more than just another tech gathering. The intimate atmosphere with only 120 participants fostered collaboration among the Baltic region's XR (Extended Reality) developers and visionaries.

 

Märt Lume, Chair of EEVR, set the tone, expressing that Estonia and the Baltic region are poised to make significant strides in the global XR landscape. The sentiment was echoed throughout the conference, which kicked off with an insightful keynote from Jeremy Dalton, PwC UK's Head of Immersive, on humanity’s quest for virtual realities.

The first theme block, focusing on Gaming & Entertainment, showcased highlights like Ana Ribeiro's journey in developing the popular VR series Pixel Ripped and Rein Zobel’s Bootstrap Island, a survival game designed to push the boundaries of VR. These talks demonstrated XR’s potential to transform entertainment into something far more participatory.

 

Meanwhile, the Digital Twins & Enterprise sessions explored the use of XR in sectors beyond gaming. Damon Hernandez of Mixx Reality and Andres Maremäe’s presentation on Tallinn’s Urban Digital Twin project highlighted the transformative power of Digital Twins, showing how these technologies could reshape industries like urban planning and logistics.

 Throughout the event, interactive demos of VR/AR products brought theory to life, allowing participants to experience the latest in immersive technologies first-hand. Discussions about the future of Virtual Worlds rounded off the day, with presentations on the Metaverse and personalised avatars in VR games, revealing XR’s limitless possibilities.

 

As the event concluded, it was clear that realiti.express had not only showcased significant strides in XR but also cemented the Baltic region's role as a burgeoning hub for this innovation. Whether in gaming, enterprise, or education, XR’s potential to revolutionise our lives was on full display.

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Chris Shirley MA FRGS

About the Author: Chris is the founder of Hiatus.Design, a website design and branding studio that works with brands all over the world, a former Royal Marines officer and former risk advisor to the BBC.

Chris has travelled in over 60 countries, is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), a Guinness World Record holder for rowing over 3500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, a Marathon des Sables finisher, and has worked with Hollywood actors, world–renowned musical artists and TV personalities!

https://www.hiatus.design