‘I’m favouring AR over VR until the clunky hardware catches up’
The return of SXSW delivered what was needed: a real-life chance to connect, muse and ‘nerd-out’ on the next frontier for the new economy, writes CHEP Network head of technology consulting, Josh Speight.
After a two-year hiatus, “SouthBy” was back and (although a lighter version), the opportunity to nerd-out in real-life was an amazing reminder to the power of in-person connection.
For most of us, it was the first physical event we’d been to in two years. With a palpable hesitancy to mingle and interact, the first few days felt like a high-school disco. Fast-forward three margaritas later and connections were formed sharing stories of the past year.
Although this year’s conference was slimmer by design, the daily ritual of meticulously selecting which of the 100+ sessions to attend still caused plenty of FOMO. Unsurprisingly, Web3, the Metaverse and Blockchain, dominated as topics.