VR and AR dominate the SXSW exhibitor fair. The moderator of a FinTech panel has to intervene and demand more hostility. In today's SXSW daily report, we also present art projects at the tech festival.
On the third day of SXSW, the major trade fair finally opens in the center of the Convention Center. Companies, countries, and organizations will be presenting their booths there. A pleasant side effect: the seemingly endless paths through the building can now be significantly shortened with shortcuts through the exhibition hall.
Omnipresent on the Trade Show Not surprisingly, the hyped topics of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) were also discussed. The presentation by the animal welfare group "Animal Equality" left a particularly lasting impression on us: In the isolated world behind the VR glasses, we see the life of a fattening pig from its perspective—from birth next to its mother in a stainless steel enclosure to slaughter. We gratefully declined the second presentation from the perspective of a chicken. In addition to the educational experience, we also experienced a new form of the infamous VR sickness taken away.
A flight with the Swiss flight simulator Birdly, on the other hand, is relaxing: users glide through the streets of New York City, flapping their wings. NASA is also using VR, allowing visitors to experience a flight to Mars.
In reality, the German participants will be presenting themselves at a joint stand under the motto “wunderbar”.
“We asked 100 companies”
The atmosphere at a FinTech "Family Duel" was surprisingly peaceful: Unlike what you see on television, it wasn't 100 people who were asked what they considered the hottest topics in financial services. The representatives of banks and FinTechs present were then supposed to point out each other's respective weaknesses, at least that was the concept. After all, while old and new financial companies often work together, they also compete with each other—they're "frenemies," in other words. George Kurtyka from the major bank BBVA praised the high speed and customer orientation of FinTech companies and was modest:
"We are learning from that. We are trying to change."
The moderator finally felt compelled to intervene:
“Too friendly — we need hospitality!”
Meanwhile in the German House
Under the leadership of Invest in Bavaria Meanwhile, the German Haus attracted top-class corporates: At the "German Corporate Champions League," startups had the opportunity to meet with representatives of German corporations and establish invaluable contacts. This time, media startups also pitched to a jury for a €10,000 media budget. Lina Timm from Media Lab Bayern brought international digital journalists together for lunch at the German Haus.
Techno art on the sidelines of the festival
However, one exciting part of SXSW beyond the trade show and German Haus is likely to escape many visitors: artists exhibit their works across several venues. The art program also moves thematically within the SXSW cosmos: visitors to a light installation can manipulate filaments using a tablet. The "Infinity Room" is a black box in the Convention Center with mirrored floor and ceiling, into which various shapes are projected. The sculpture "Triph" reacts to the presence of visitors with pulsating lights. Another project demonstrates the artistic applications of virtual reality in a technically convincing way. All of this fits in perfectly with SXSW, and we would like to see the art program have a much greater presence at the festival.
In today's video from Werk1, Florian Bergmann talks to Toposens:
https://www.facebook.com/werk1muenchen/videos/789634811183761/
Here you can find the previous articles from our SXSW diary:
