(Graphic: Forterra Systems Inc)
3D Virtual Conference in Forterra’s OLIVE Software
3D Virtual Conference in Forterra’s OLIVE Software
PRESS RELEASE
FORTERRA SYSTEMS AND CLEVER ZEBRA PARTNER FOR vBUSINESS EXPO AND VIRTUAL WORLDS EVENTS
The partnership reflects the transformation affecting the conference industry due to large organizations searching for new ways to collaborate, share information, train, and develop relationships in the face of rising energy costs. The combination of highly realistic, immersive 3D software from Forterra combined with the expertise producing online events by Clever Zebra means organizations can now join virtual events without the cost and productivity loss of traveling. Attendees can join the vBusiness Expo using any mid-grade business PC and a DSL or cable modem network connection.
Clever Zebra has been producing events in virtual worlds since early 2007. The two keynote speakers for the July event include Steve Prentice, VP of Research, Gartner Group, and Dr. Tony O’Driscoll, Professor of the Practice in the Department of Management Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Mr. Prentice’s keynote will be, “Virtual Worlds in Business - Are We Virtually There Yet?” which will summarize the state of the virtual world business in mid 2008, and explore the opportunities and pitfalls of virtual worlds in business. Dr. O’Driscoll will discuss “Webvolution” and the iWeb Singularity” which will focus on how 3D internet technologies are redefining how re live, work and play. The conference will also highlight how virtual worlds are being used in the enterprise, featuring use cases and discussion points from a range of companies, promising to provide attendees with all of the tools necessary to make the right decisions on virtual worlds for their organizations.
“We are thrilled to have Forterra Systems be a sponsor for the vBusiness Expo and are looking forward to working with them on enterprise virtual world events over the coming year” said Nick Wilson, CEO and Founder of Clever Zebra, the producers of vBusiness Expo. “Our own experiences with Forterra’s OLIVE software quickly demonstrated their leading position and deep understanding for enterprise-grade virtualworld applications. The Forterra lead sessions during the July Expo will contribute significantly towards providing enterprise attendees with guidance for planning, justifying, piloting, and deploying 3D applications that are IT ready.”
“The prior vBusiness Expos produced by Clever Zebra were flawlessly executed” noted Dave Rolston, CEO of Forterra Systems. “We believe Nick and his team are the leaders producing virtual worlds events focused on enterprise. Our partnership over the forthcoming months will enable frequent 3D seminars on a variety of industry or application specific topics with an experience equal to or better than today’s conference calls or webinars. We believe these events represent an inflection point in the industry for how people and organizations will come together to collaborate and share their expertise given the rising energy costs.”
Forterra will contribute to sessions in the July vBusiness Expo covering collaboration and training use cases; building the ROI and business case around 3D applications; how to plan, resource, and develop a 3D application implementation; addressing the requirements for IT acceptance; and creating or importing 3D content. Guided tours of the Forterra OLIVE software will also be provided.
About Forterra Systems
Forterra Systems is the leader in providing enterprise grade virtual world technology for the corporate, healthcare, government, education, and entertainment industries. Forterra's software and services enable organizations to train, plan, rehearse, and collaborate using new media technologies integrated into a compelling 3D virtual world. Using the OLIVE™ (On-Line Interactive Virtual environment) platform and industry standard PC hardware, customers can rapidly generate realistic, collaborative, 3D Internet solutions that easily scale from single user applications to large scale simulated environments supporting many thousands of concurrent users.
About Clever Zebra
Clever Zebra’s employees live and work in virtual worlds, and in fact have never met in the physical world. Operating from the US, Canada and Denmark, their "office" is a connection to the virtual world. The company, founded by virtual worlds expert Nick Wilson focuses exclusively on enterprise use of virtual environments. The firm advises Fortune 1000 companies on how to best use virtual worlds within the workplace through seminars, public events such as the vBusiness Expo and its website.
