Online is the way to cut costs of business meetings

The unveiling of OnLand – the day after the UK Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review – will vividly demonstrate the potential, with twin events taking place simultaneously in Middlesbrough in the UK and online from servers in Honolulu in the Pacific.

The UK launch takes place in Teesside University’s aptly named Institute of Digital Innovation on Thursday (October 21) from 9am to 12noon GMT – with attendees from across the globe witnessing a variety of presenters, including Avatar Reality’s Chief Executive Officer Jim Sink beaming in from the Pacific island.

On show will be the new global business region OnLand developed by DLAB, a multi-disciplinary team of designers, researchers and digital specialists based within the Institute of Digital Innovation at Teesside University.

Philip McClenagan, deputy director of DLAB, said: “We’ve created OnLand to help firms, particularly those in the North East of England where we’re based, stay ahead of the game when it comes to doing business online. It uses Blue Mars, the premium 3D-world platform by Avatar Reality, to recreate everything from an exhibition or showroom to a virtual boardroom or other meeting place.

“In an era of ravaging travel cuts, the internet is becoming an increasingly valuable asset for companies seeking effective, inexpensive ways to meet and communicate. The capacity now exists to explore and interact with online photo-realistic 3D content.

“OnLand is a uniquely innovative approach to business collaboration, interaction and online presentation. It’s an online trading district with space for over 7,000 digital showcases and collaboration spaces.”

He explained a digital showcase transforms a company website from a 2D brochure to a 3D photo-realistic immersive business environment.

“As firms cut back on travel, OnLand provides an equally effective and less expensive way for clients to connect with customers, suppliers and distributors and showcase their products 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year”, said Mr McClenghan.

The launch event on Thursday, October 21 at the Institute for Digital Innovation at Teesside University will see a simultaneous in-world event hosted by a major OnLand tenant, the Northern Design Quarter (NDQ), which is a £1m European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) backed project.

“DLAB is the first developer to deliver a business productivity application using Blue Mars, and they have certainly set the bar high”, said Jim Sink. “OnLand is a truly impressive step into the next generation of immersive online collaborative spaces.”

The launch event is open to anyone interested in online collaborative spaces for business. Users are required to register for the event via the Northern Design Quarter portal http://www.northerndesignquarter.com/events/onLand.aspx. More information about this event and the Northern Design Quarter can be found at www.northerndesignquarter.com