A new series of seminars held by Backstage Academy, a higher education institution specialising in the live events and creative industries, is launching in November to help SMEs and freelancers capitalise on emerging technologies.
Wakefield’s Backstage Innovation Centre has launched the inaugural event of its Seminar Series, the first of which will address the rise in immersive technologies and how businesses in the area can utilise virtual tech to generate tangible income revenues.
Taking place on Thursday 5 November from 2-6pm, the first event of the series, Virtual Reality vs. Commercial Reality, will focus on immersive technologies, with particular attention paid towards the opportunity presented by XR, VR and AR technologies.
Throughout the year, Backstage’s Seminar Series will feature regular events aimed at emerging technologies, content development and market trends, with an aim to develop business acumen, whilst showcasing profiles of leading businesses across the region.
The series is part of the Backstage Innovation Centre project, which aims to drive research and innovation in the live events industry and its supply chain, worth an estimated £30bn to the UK economy.
Hosted by Sol Rogers, CEO and founder of REWIND Studio, BAFTA Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group and the Chairman of Immerse UK, the seminar is aimed at SMEs looking to broaden their knowledge of augmented and virtual reality technologies and how they can add value to their business offering. The session will also include contributions from industry-leading developer teams, technology providers, Immerse UK, and leading universities, which will address the question of where these technologies are going next.
The Virtual Reality seminar will showcase some real-life examples of how the tech is already being used and will hear from studios and developers working on client solutions today.
Jim Farmery, Development Director of Backstage Academy, explained: “The Backstage Innovation Centre exists to explore and solve contemporary issues within the live events sector. Through the Seminar Series, our aim is to give businesses getting up to speed on these technologies more insight into what is possible.
“Companies will be well aware of the terminology, which is regularly banded around, surrounding AR and VR technologies, but few can easily see how this can relate into commercial success,” Farmery said. “This seminar will be a great way for SMEs to understand how companies across a range of sectors are using these technologies to generate real, tangible revenues.”
The seminar is exclusively for SMEs and freelancers from the Leeds City Region, which includes those based across Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York.
To book a place on this seminar, please visit this link.