Schedule: Virtual Worlds For the Enterprise
Room 2
Full schedule - 18 page pdf (1.66mb)

Companies are now using virtual worlds to strengthen their communication with customers, business partners and internally with employees. This track focuses on best practices for large scale enterprises interested in adopting virtual worlds platforms. Issues to be addressed include the value proposition virtual worlds offer and the business process required to effectively implement virtual worlds within the enterprise.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Wednesday, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Virtual Worlds: The BEST platforms for Enterprise Value
An Examination of Virtual World Platforms From the Enterprise Perspective.
The number of virtual worlds platforms are proliferating from publicly operated virtual worlds to private world engines. Where does an enterprise start when evaluating a platform based on BEST: Business, Economic Value, Social Interaction and Technology? This detailed session will review the leading platforms for enterprise use, talk about the real business value being realized in virtual worlds today and have a look into the future of virtual worlds fit for business.
- Sandy Kearney, IBM Global Director, IBM 3D Internet and Virtual Business

Wednesday, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Virtual Worlds and Public Policy Workshop
This workshop, facilitated by Ren Reynolds founder of the Virtual Policy Network think tank, will encourage all participants to engage in a lively discussion about the public policy implications of virtual worlds. Focusing on the US but mindful of the global nature of many virtual worlds people are encouraged to come armed with opinions about what laws and regulations could and should impact virtual worlds and what stance various government agencies, governments and regulatory bodies should have on such issues. Hot topics might include: taxation on virtual goods, property rights, protection of minors, privacy, free speech, promotion of creative industries, education and sustainability.
- Ren Reynolds, found Virtual Policy Network

Wednesday, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Business Process Management
How do you manage a virtual worlds presence for a large organization. What processes need to be put in place for a public virtual worlds effort such as Second Life vs a private dedicated virtual world? What variables need to be considered depending on the applications and goals expected?
- Ian Hughes, Metaverse Evangelist, IBM
- John Jainschigg, Director, Online Technology and New Business, CMP Technology, LLC

Wednesday, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Applications that Work
What applications work for large scale enterprises. This panel discussion will look at multiple applications, using actual use-cases as examples. What are the goals and objectives? Who are the participants: customers, partners or internal to the organization? It is channel communication or executive briefings to the public or manager training or is it employee collaboration. what applications work and under what circumstances?
- Greg Nuyens, CEO, Qwaq
- Ron Burns, President, ProtonMedia
- Robert Gehorsam, President, Forterra Systems
- Steve Metzger, CEO, VT&T
- Linda Ban, Client and Program Strategy Executive, 3DInternet and Digital Convergence,
IBM Research

Wednesday, 5:15pm - 6:00pm
Fireside Chat in the Attendee Lounge in the Expo Hall.
- Paul Yanover, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Disney Online

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Thursday, 11:00am - 12:00pm
The Future of e-Learning
The Future of E-Learning -As the adoption of Web 2.0 and Web 3D technologies accelerates, they will be packaged and configured to provide increased utility and value. For instance, it already evident that the intersection of Virtual Social Worlds and User-Generated Media is transforming E-learning. This panel will discuss the path for integrating Web 2.0 and Web 3D media to fundamentally transform enterprise collaboration, informal learning, and knowledge democratization, which drives organic growth within the enterprise. "Webvolution" is breaking down the organizational and informational silos and structured training is giving way to nimble organizations that morph in real-time to address new challenges and capitalize on fresh opportunities. Join in the discussion with our panel to further investigate how the intersection of Web 2.0 and Web 3D technologies create informal learning networks and transform organizations so they consistently bring to the table the power of their greatest minds.
- Ron Burns, President, ProtonMedia
- Nevin Fouts, Associate Dean for Information Technology, Duke University抯
Fuqua School of Business
- Tony O扗riscoll, Professor of the Practice in the College of Management,
North Carolina State University

Thursday, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Best Practices for Employees in Virtual Worlds
With companies issuing avatars to large groups of employees what are the best practices required to create a smooth operating environment for those individuals. What standard operating procedures should be implemented to create the best experience a company projects when sending employees into public virtual worlds?
- Bob Ketner, Creative Director, Studio SFO
- Adrienne Haik, Metaversatility, Inc.

Thursday, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Case Study: Creating a User Community in Second Life
At Intel Software Network, Intel's web-based gateway to a broad range of content, resources and services for software developers, we have been moving to embrace innovative technologies and platforms in order to reach out to a new generation of software developers and IT professionals. Many of these technologies fall under the rather over-used descriptor of Web 2.0 and include blogs, podcasts, wikis etc. Beyond an adoption of these forms, there has been a readiness to experiment and commit to a new openness ?moving our sites from those that essentially served as repositories for content to sites that serve as community bases for developers. With the recent founding of the Intel Software network Zone, we have extended our communities into the virtual world of Second Life. This talk will describe how Intel made this move, how it overcame internal and external obstacles as well as a discussion of the successes (and failures) in this new environment.
- Paul Steinberg, Intel Software Network, Intel Software Solutions Group

Thursday, 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Navigating China: China Recreation District Discusses the China Government's New Virtual Worlds Infrastructure Plans
China government is preparing to establish infrastructure for virtual worlds. By offering this infrastructure, China Recreation District (CRD), a joint government-private partnership, is establishing an easier ground for all of the possible virtual world entities to come to China. One goal is the means of China抯 national infrastructure approach for re-creating China to cover business operation for both of virtual and real world. CRD is in charge of creating infrastructure for both of the virtual and real China nation to be. This is a new national approach. We will like to invite all of companies interested in virtual worlds in China to join this infrastructure. In the presentation, CRD will explain the policy, how to build a national virtual infrastructure, how to integrate industries/enterprises by virtual+real world infrastructure, status of the project and existing plan and partners. more details.
- Chi Tai Robert Lai, Chief Scientist, Beijing China Recreation District