I've been waiting     such a long time
Looking out for you
But you're not here
What's another year?

Johnny Logan, 1980

Hey hey hey!
Writing this, listening to this somewhat melodramatic song. It pretty much captures my feeling. Memories of real life Hivefest's fading. But hope is growing we are getting back to normal. Here in The Netherlands people slowly start shaking eachother's hands. Yet the introduction of vaccination or health passports are obviously received with mix feelings. Travel restrictions are somewhat lifted but still pretty stringent. All in all this means a real life HiveFest is not in the cards for 2021. So we...

Return to the Metaverse

With last year's introduction of HiveFest in the metaverse we also saw the benefits of organising an event in VR: Low cost, low barrier to entry: It was by far the HiveFest with most visitors ever. Still it somewhat managed to capture some of that magic of getting that crazy bunch of folks together in one room and have some (digital) fun, while learning about fellow Hive and Hive related projects.

This year we do it all over again. Dust off your VR-goggles, or maybe grab a fresh pair with those Hive earnings? (Hive easily went up 500% this year) and install or update AltspaceVR and plug into the virtual reality.

AltspaceVR - our place in the metaverse

AltspaceVR is the premier place to attend live shows, meetups, cool classes, and ... you can learn, laugh, and gather with people on every major VR headset (and 2D desktop apps too). Just recently the 2nd edition of Virtual Burning Man was held in AltspaceVR.

You only need internet to join HiveFest 2021. With 360 audio in a 3D environment in which you can walk around, it really feels as if you are part of a communal gathering. Beyond discussions and presentations the AltspaceVR worlds also enable interaction through games, so fun ensues.

Without the need for lots of production, tech, locations, catering, hotel bookings, flights this year's HiveFest is rather affordable to execute. It will "just" cost a lot of time and some digital gear investments. It is why this version will again be free of charge to attend. Maybe you can even use the money you save on a ticket and travel expenses to obtain a VR headset? I have the Oculus Quest 2 from last year, but maybe better options are around... If you go for a VR goggle, do some research and check whether it supports AltspaceVR first!

Apps for VR headsets, Windows & Mac. Livestream too.
AltSpaceVR is available on VR headsets and desktop apps for Windows & Mac. See this link to get started. HiveFest⁶ will also be streamed live for consumption on any other device, but joining in the VR world is recommended.

Squatting some bugs

Although last year saw some warm up events which we mainly used to test running a large scale event infrastructure as well as livestreams and such, some bugs had been introduced during the live conference days. This made the experience less optimal for some users. Which I sincerely regret. I remember those unfortunate "?" question mark elements where others had pretty cool interactive conference badges and wristbands and other interactive apps running in the VR world. Also, we were running around last minute looking to find speakers lost in duplicated event worlds and were travelling across to replications only to find out they had just travelled to the place we just left :) This was a great learning. Those bugs should be eliminated this edition. That said, I also received tons of compliments, especially also from long time AltspaceVR users! Things can only get better.

HiveFest names announced soon

Hivefest program will consist of 2 days of short presentations, trips into the metaverse, art shows and what not. The program is still in the works and open to suggestions. Visit HiveFe.st to share your suggestions.

Register for free at hivefe.st!

Want to join in on 12 + 13 November? Here is what you should do right now:

1. Register for HiveFe.st here
2. Put on your goggles/desktop and install AltspaceVR
3. Follow @hivefest on Hive & Twitter
4. Join the Telegram group
5. Setup your AltspaceVR account (read more) - Tip: use your Hive name as username for recognisability
6. Customise your AltspaceVR avatar for originality and recognition

See you in the metaverse for HiveFest 2021!

@roelandp
_{100% of this post's rewards are funnelled to @hivefest using beneficiaries}