Roman: Places Festival 2018 was Germany’s first freely accessible VR festival. We really wanted it to take place “on the street” at a lot of different locations – as the name suggests: Places! It was never supposed to be a trade fair – and I think that is a big part of its success. We invited program partners who normally stand in exhibition halls and have to pay exhibitor fees. Just as it was free for visitors, the festival was also free for program partners from day one. In 2018, we attached photos of a wide variety of locations to our Open Call. From a high-tech science park to a shell of a building, it was all there. We then wanted the people to tell us where they saw themselves and their application at the festival. The off-locations were received with great enthusiasm. That was the moment when we realized: We are on the right track.

In April 2018, the time had come. The first Places Festival took place with a lot of motivation and commitment. Our team’s efforts were rewarded with good feedback, high media response and many visitors. From here on it went on. Is it possible to create even better exciting connections? Is it possible to generate even greater added value for society? And how can the path between consumer and business event be consistently followed?

Matthias: Two things are particularly important to us. One is the democratization of tech and future topics. What started with XR in general now relates to the huge buzzword “metaverse”. We believe it’s very important to address it now, before in 5 years the metaverse is there and so big that nobody has any influence on it anymore and everything is determined by big corporations.  It was clear to us that this technology will have a major impact on all areas of the economy and life when it becomes established. That’s why we want visitors to be able to escape this consumer role and instead talk to the creators of the technology on an equal footing.  As a goal, this is ambitious and a thick board that we want to drill. People in Germany are often said to have this “German Angst”. Everything that is new is initially rejected. That’s exactly where we want to start and instead arouse curiosity. Bring VR glasses and other technologies that people only know from television right here. To give them the opportunity to try things out and experience them for themselves. 

Roman: In the beginning, we really wrestled with the question of whether we wanted to do a B2B or a B2C festival. But then we asked ourselves whether you really have to separate the two. Can’t an event like this be interesting for both groups and thus bring the XR scene together on the one hand and at the same time bring “normal” citizens into contact with the technology on the other? Our dream has always been that both the grandma next door and the businesswoman in costume can attend the same event and in the end both get something out of it.

Matthias: That is the second point which is important to us: We want to move the neighborhood and the city forward and prove that it is very possible to hold a festival here. Our regular guests have confirmed that this works.  The unanimous feedback is that Places has a special atmosphere. It is important to us that we do not “conceal” anything, but that everything is very “real”, just as life is here.  The atmosphere is urban and at eye level.

Roman: Of course, we also believe in this technology ourselves. When we put the glasses on for the first time, we were excited and curious at the same time. I am convinced that extended reality is the next big technology after the smartphone. Especially now that a player like Apple is entering the market.

Curiosity is not only an important factor for the visitors of the event, but also for itscreators. Roman and Matthias don’t originally come from the XR industry at all, let alone the technology sector. While Roman has worked in the arts as well as in urban development and marketing, Matthias’ background is in communications consulting, design and project management.

Matthias: Well, it’s never been a secret that we were complete beginners when we started our journey into XR technologies in 2017, even though digital technologies have always played a role in our lives. Relatively quickly, we started to reach out to other people who had been involved in the field for much longer. In recent years, we have been able to delvemuch deeper into the topic. Curiosity has always been our driving force. We have tried to connect the project with our professional backgrounds. In Roman’s case, that’s urban development, which is inextricably linked to Places. In my case, it’s more communication – that’s also an important factor in an event like this, in addition to the technical stuff.

Roman: Exactly, our background is in marketing and communication, but for me it’s also art and culture. We are not a VR art festival, even though thatl always plays a part. To visitors, Places feels a bit like a cultural festival. We think that art and culture are a good way to bring the neighborhood forward again. Still, the economic aspect should not be forgotten either. This technology provides a boost for the city and promotes a spirit of entrepreneurship in Gelsenkirchen. Especially for the city of Gelsenkirchen, dealing with “new things” is important. This is also an aspect on which the cooperation with the Economic Development Agency is based. This technology provides an impetus and promotes the entrepreneurial spirit in the region. And this preoccupation with “new things” is particularly important for Gelsenkirchen and the Ruhr region.