Curtain Falls on 'NRP Demo Day'...New Possibilities in the Non-Face-to-Face Era Confirmed

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] The 'NRP Demo Day,' a virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) startup achievement presentation hosted by Gyeonggi Province and organized by the Gyeonggi Content Agency, took place over two days on the 12th and 13th with approximately 1,300 online participants.

Under the theme of 'eXtended conTact,' this event presented communication methods and new business environments in the non-face-to-face era through virtual and augmented reality technology. It provided an opportunity to meet VR/AR-related technologies and small and medium enterprises that solve problems through connection in this era of change due to COVID-19.

In particular, 32 Gyeonggi Province VR/AR small and medium enterprises that received support showcased content and services utilizing VR/AR technology online at the achievement presentation and conducted real-time Q&A; with startup investors and VR/AR industry professionals to explore new investment opportunities and expansion possibilities.

At the forum, 16 experts from 6 countries delivered presentations conveying cutting-edge content technology and new sensibilities for the non-face-to-face era to many participants.

In particular, cognitive scientist Professor Kim Sang-gyun from Kangwon National University received positive response with his lecture 'Metaverse: Digital Earth, the World of Rising Things,' which explained the new concept of virtual worlds—the metaverse—from a layperson's perspective. He especially emphasized that "the metaverse is not a distant future but an upcoming world and opportunity."

Additionally, the presentation by global virtual content company Disguise was conducted as a collaborative presentation by international speakers from the United Kingdom, Thailand, Hong Kong, and other countries, attracting considerable attention by focusing on virtual production cases and future expansion possibilities.

Hub Montreal, which introduced overseas public-private cooperation VR/AR enterprise development programs and virtual and augmented reality exchange events under the theme 'Towards Creativity and Beyond,' drew attention from domestic stakeholders as an overseas success case.

Hub Montreal founder Sebastian Nazra emphasized the importance of networking platforms, stating, "Partnership is necessary for creative activities."

In addition, lectures and panel discussions from domestic and international corporate speakers including Kaleidoscope CEO René Pinnel, Frontis Director Kim Dong-seob, and Mammalsix Director Woo Seung-hoon were presented online to audiences.

Meanwhile, the corporate exchange meeting conducted on virtual environment platforms presented new social virtual worlds and received great acclaim from viewers. Among them, the platforms 'Minecraft' and 'Sansa' were particularly popular.

One participant praised it as "a new type of event where one can actively participate by moving around and dancing, rather than just passively listening in a one-way online event."

This 'NRP Demo Day' was conducted online through YouTube and was a global event with 1,338 participants, serving as an opportunity for Gyeonggi Province VR/AR development enterprises to validate new market possibilities.

Im Moon-young, Director of Future Growth Policy at the Province, stated, "This event was prepared to be fitting for introducing virtual and augmented reality companies opening a new era, and it was an opportunity to experience the future that virtual spaces will show," and added, "We will continue to support virtual and augmented reality companies in our province that are turning crisis into opportunity."