Demand for places at Dubai's first metaverse event next month has been “immense”, said Hamad AlShirawi, Dubai Future Foundation's director of projects.
The inaugural Dubai Metaverse Assembly was announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, in July and will take place at the Museum of the Future and Emirates Towers on September 28 and 29.
It is expected to draw more than 300 experts, policymakers and officials, as well as 40 organisations involved in the metaverse.
People from a wide range of sectors are keen to attend the event, Mr AlShirawi said.
“There’s been immense demand from the government, private companies, technology start-ups, innovators in Web 3.0 locally and internationally,” he told The National.
“With limited seats, we will always offer live streaming to the global audience.
“We expect speakers from leading and most innovative global players in the metaverse-sphere to gather at the assembly to engage in meaningful dialogue around key topics such as the role of government, enabling factors for creating ecosystems on the metaverse, how Web3 technologies are enabling new business models and interactions on the metaverse, and how private entities are driving change in sectors such as gaming, art, education and finance.”
The metaverse is where people, represented by avatars or three-dimensional likenesses, can interact in virtual worlds. It is part of Web3, the next evolutionary step of the internet, with blockchain, decentralisation, openness and greater user utility among its core components.
The announcement about the assembly in July came a day after the unveiling of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, which aims to create 40,000 jobs and add $4 billion to the emirate's economy in the next five years.
“We want Dubai to lead globally in adopting the technology of the future, understanding its developments, harnessing its potential and driving change,” Sheikh Hamdan said at the time.
The event next month will help Dubai progress in its metaverse ambitions by bringing together technology companies building on the metaverse and Web3 to Dubai to discuss their work with a wider audience of government and enterprise leaders, Mr AlShirawi said.
It will create a “global platform for collaboration and opportunities around emerging technologies, elevating the readiness of Dubai government as a whole”.
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Dubai's Museum of the Future - in pictures
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The Museum of the Future opened in Dubai. The emirate is focusing on 'industries of the future' to boost its economy. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Avatar Aya speaks to guests as they go to the first chapter, OSS Hope space station. -
The museum gives visitors a glimpse of Dubai in 2071. -
Visitors travel to the first chapter, OSS Hope. -
Visitors look at key elements of the solar system. -
Visitors become Mars colony ambassadors to Earth. -
Visitors look at a model of OSS Hope. -
Vault of Life uses cutting-edge virtual and augmented reality technology to introduce visitors into an interactive experience where they collect samples from nature. -
Their task is to contribute to efforts being made to restore the natural environment, rehabilitate the forest with its plants and animals, and help to repair the damage inflicted. -
The nature simulator allows visitors to list the living organisms they contributed to saving virtually. -
Visitors enjoy the second chapter, the Heal Institute. -
The Heal Institute is a research centre focused on preserving the planet's ecosystem through the use of the latest AI and bio-technology. -
The library, where arguably the museum’s most stunning feature lies. -
Tomorrow Today exhibition includes advanced and pioneering technology that can help to shape the future of humanity. -
Teslaglove that allows you to feel virtual reality objects. -
A full metal jacket, made of 65% copper and resistant to viruses, is on display at the Tomorrow Today section. -
MARS, Modular Artificial Reef Structure, at the Tomorrow Today section. -
Visitors in the Tomorrow Today section. -
The Future Heroes floor has been designed for children under the age of 10 to stimulate scientific curiosity. -
It takes young people and younger generations on a future journey that expands their positive view of our world. -
It also enhances their confidence in their abilities to make positive changes. -
The children's floor aims to consolidate their belief in the potential of humanity to affect significant change and reinforce their conviction that nothing is impossible with science. -
Al Waha focuses on health and wellness, offering visitors an opportunity to reconnect with themselves, away from the distraction of external influences and always-on technologies. -
It takes them to a world that simulates the senses and heightens their response mechanism to external influences. -
This allows them to meditate and enhance the natural balance within them without the use of technology. -
The Connection Therapy in Al Waha. -
The Museum of the Future will be a space for knowledge that gathers intellectuals and futurists from all over the world. -
A drone of an octopus at the Museum of the Future. -
A drone of a penguin at the Museum of the Future. -
The Museum of the Future in Dubai opened its doors to the public on Wednesday.
