By now most of you probably know or have heard of fellow planners who are devotees of Second Life—“SL” for short—the virtual world in which avatar “Residents” carry on about their business and even conduct business.
The meetings industry, and the Meetings Community (MeCo) listserv in particular, has put down stakes in SL in the form of the nonprofit MeCo Mansion, frequented by industry luminaries such as tech savant Corbin Ball.
The effort was spearheaded by Dan Parks, president of Corporate Planners Unlimited, who has set up the Virtualis Convention Center, complete with an exhibit hall, breakout spaces and a ballroom—I’m guessing the food is better than at many of its “Real Life” counterparts.
“We haven’t had any complaints about the food yet!” Parks quipped.
We sent Contributing Editor Ruth A. Hill—who is admittedly not the most tech savvy among us—on an investigative mission to infiltrate Second Life. Check out her story starting on page 18 to get her take on SL and other virtual meetings worlds.
And make sure to tip your avatar.
