First standalone VRDC debuts in November, call for talks now open

Great news, VR enthusiasts: GDC organizers are proud to announce that the first ever standalone Virtual Reality Developers Conference, the premier event for creators of immersive VR (and AR) experiences, will be held this November 2-3 in San Francisco.

This will be the second edition of VRDC, following the strikingly successful debut of VRDC as a sibling conference to GDC 2016 earlier this year. Bringing an expanded focus overseen by a new advisory board, the two‐day event will bring together VR/AR experts from multiple industries to share best practices, demo new technology, create new business partnerships, and exchange ideas with innovators shaping the industry.

To meet the growing demand for high‐quality content in the space, VRDC’s second edition will expand to cover virtual and augmented reality in games, entertainment, and beyond into subjects such as healthcare, journalism, travel, manufacturing, retail, live events, real estate, training, and so much more.

The first confirmed VRDC sessions are from NASA's Francisco Delgado, discussing 'Hybrid Reality: A New Paradigm for Astronaut Training', and The Farm 51's Wojciech Pazdur on The Chernobyl Project, a unique VR virtual tour using photogrammetry & drones to document and map the aftermath of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

An advisory board of top names in VR will lead content for the show, including representatives from major platform holders such as Google (Noah Falstein), Oculus (Robert Stevenson), and Valve (Chet Faliszek), as well as creators behind experiences like Job Simulator (Alex Schwartz, Owlchemy Labs), Fantastic Contraption (Colin Northway) & VR experience experts like Pete Isensee (HBO Labs), Jazmin Cano (High Fidelity), Timoni West (Unity Labs), Tracey John (Havas Health) & Christina Heller (VR Playhouse).

Plus, VRDC talk submissions are open to creators from now through July 8th. For more details on the talk submission process and guidelines for submitting your own talk proposal, head over to the VRDC Submissions hub. 

"Now that VR platforms have hit the market, virtual experiences that entertain, inform, and provide entirely new ways to engage are increasingly in demand," explained Meggan Scavio, General Manager, VRDC and GDC. "We're thrilled to provide the highest quality content for VR developers, while exploring innovative applications for the technology.”

And of course, the new and improved VRDC will include a vendor area showcasing the latest demonstrations, innovations and advances in virtual reality. If you're interested in exhibiting at the show, you can learn more about doing so at UBM Game Network's new VRDC event page.

Plus, GDC organizers intend to continue running VRDC Game and Entertainment sessions alongside the Game Developers Conference in February 2017. Further details on both VRDC and GDC sessions will be shared in the near future.

VRDC 2016 will take place November 2-3 at the Park Central Hotel in San Francisco. For more information on VRDC 2016, visit the show's official website and subscribe to regular updates via Twitter and Facebook.

Gamasutra, VRDC and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.