Press Information:

Metaverse 07 - European Second Life Conference and Expo

First European Second Life Conference to be held in Munich in November 2007. Features more than 50 Sessions on Business, Technology and Community.

Frankfurt, Germany, 15 June 2007: On 19th and 20th November this year, the Forum der Technik in Munich will turn into the physical space for the first ever European Second Life Conference. Metaverse 07 will showcase more than 50 fully immersive sessions classified into tracks such as business, technology, and community. 

Metaverse 07 is an initiative of Software & Support Media, a leading conference provider, and Bokowsky + Laymann, an established German Second Life agency. Masoud Kamali, CEO of Software & Support Media, explains the idea of the conference, “The users of Second Life have become a critical mass in Europe with Germany creating the most important momentum. The time has come now for the industry to get involved with Second Life.”

The Business Track at the conference targets decision makers, involved in chalking out marketing strategies for their organization, who want to join Second Life or increase their commitment in the virtual space for real world business and social networking. Apart from case studies of successful international projects, the sessions in this track will also demonstrate how to adopt Second Life as part of an organization’s marketing and communication strategy, and thereby benefit from the ensuing commercial rush.

The Technology Track is designed for programmers, designers and content creators and includes the whole range of the in-game scope of design. The presentations in this track will provide professionals with first hand know-how of working on virtual spaces and also address the basics for a beginner audience.

The Community Track is a unique forum for non-commercial users, and is developed on a low-cost basis. 

Metaverse 07 offers an innovative, interesting, and comprehensive program for all Second Life user groups. “Our target is to bring together the three main focus areas - business, technology and community - at one event. The European direction of the conference is especially important in order to create an exchange of ideas on a wide basis,” says Markus Bokowsky, CEO of Bokowsky + Laymann.

Also the official Apfelland user meeting will be held on the sidelines of Metaverse 07. Apfelland, the biggest German-speaking community in Second Life, is also becoming one of the most frequented islands in the virtual world. Rainer Wolf, CEO of Arktis.de and initiator of Apfelland, says, “The residents of Apfelland have expressed their desire to meet each other in the real life. Metaverse 07 provides us the ideal opportunity to do so.”

The conference will be accompanied by an exhibition where companies active in Second Life will display their projects. Furthermore, Metaverse 07 will be partly held in-game across the same time as the event. In the run up to the conference, more Second Life projects related to the event will be implemented. Finally, the fun-filled evening programs at Metaverse 07 will help to form a bridge between real life and Second Life.

About the Name ‘Metaverse’
The name of the conference is drawn from Neil Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel “Snow Crash”. The characters in the novel regularly escape to Metaversum - a mixture of the Internet and MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game), where they dawn avatars. The concept of Metaversum, as is described in the novel, has inspired the implementation of virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft (WoW).

About S&S Media
S&S Media (www.softwaresupportmedia.com) is an integrated media company that
leverages the power of print (magazines), online portals and conferences, to
give enterprises a business edge and provide the IT decision making
community with accurate and actionable information required to keep abreast
with developments in the industry. We have earned the trust of technology
buyers, sellers and professionals who regularly read our publications,
attend our conferences and events, and visit our online portals.

At S&S Media, we understand the importance of reaching out to our target
audiences via multiple marketing platforms to deliver measurable results
that help our sponsors and advertisers generate qualified leads, shorten
sales cycles and grow revenues. Our integrated marketing platform and
targeted content ensure that we reach our targeted communities of decision
makers and influencers, to allow marketers to take advantage of the
strength, reach and impact of each medium. 

Internet: www.software-support.biz 
Tel.: +49 (0)69 630089 0

About Bokowsky + Laymann 
Bokowsky + Laymann, marketing in computer mediated environments, conceptualizes and realizes sophisticated Internet presences and e-business applications for organizations and companies since 1996. In addition the company is dealing with the design of entertainment content for the internet and, since early 2006, with the conceptualization and realization of company presences in Second Life. 
Bokowsky + Laymann has been among the first German online agencies to open a permanent office in Second Life. Every Monday at 4:00 PM this office is the meeting point for the popular “Early Adopters Tour” to the most famous company SIMs in Second Life. 

Internet: www.bokowsky.de
secondlife.bokowsky.net
presse@bokowsky.de
089-3300869-5