The Ultimate Guide to AWE 2024: The Nexus of Innovation and Experience

The Augmented World Expo (AWE 2024), which turns 15 this June from 18-20, is poised to be the biggest show yet for extended reality (XR). The buzz is palpable as the event takes over the brightly painted city of Long Beach, California. At this landmark 15th anniversary of AWE, the extended reality (XR) ecosystem will meet once again for three days of activity that serve as a barometer for the emergence of this new category. The event will feature the most prominent line-up of speakers, exhibitors and experiences that act as signposts of an augmented future.

Unveiling AWE 2024: A Decade and a Half of Revolutionary Encounters

For 15 years at AWE, the world’s first sprawling XR event, industry professionals and enthusiasts converged, year after year, to attend a sprawling series of conferences and workshops, showcasing thousands of companies and individuals poised to enter the world of spatial computing – more recently known as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR) … and more. The ‘and more’ was important. We were committed to exploring the entirety of the world we were creating.

At our annual AWE (Augmented World Expo) this year, Silicon Valley comes to Long Beach, for an epic party for those who see the future of XR rather than settling for the new gaming gimmick. Hundreds of exhibitors will be serving more than 6,500 attendees, and more than 500 speakers will reveal what to expect from the future of XR, unlocking innovation in fields such as telemedicine, education and business.

Enhanced Accessibility: A Leap Forward

AWE 2024 is taking an important step into accessibility this year by working with XRAI, a first for the conference, offering captioning and transcription in each of its stages. The XRAI Glass app translates into more than 75 languages in real time, for those who attended remotely, so that the cutting-edge content of AWE 2024 can be enjoyed throughout the world.

From Yesteryears to AWE 2024: What's in Store?

Looking back to the past reveals what AWE is for the future. For many years, heady topics such as ‘the metaverse’ and ‘mixed reality’ captured imaginations on the AWE show floor, following bold announcements from key companies leading the way. For example, in 2018 the AWE conference and expo highlighted AI’s meeting with XR, ultimately showcasing predicted futures for the kinds of smartglasses, headsets, spatial sound beacons, haptic suits, smart mirrors and other XR devices that are converging with AI.

SPEAKERS AND SESSIONS: The Heartbeat of AWE 2024

A glimpse into the lineup of speakers and sessions at AWE 2024 paints a picture of innovation; in store are more than 200 keynotes and panels spread across the event, tidily grouped into tracks like ‘AI and Virtual Beings’ and ‘Enterprise’. One could attend a Keynote from the likes of Qualcomm or Meta, or talk shop in sessions like ‘XrtRTX: A roadmap for making the next generation of XR headsets’.

The AWE Playground and Expo: A Technological Wonderland

One sign that the event is rooted in experience is the AWE 2024 Playground and Expo. There, you can test drive a range of new and existing XR technologies, including musicals designed for the Apple Vision Pro, NuRealm’s VR shoes, which transform how you can move inside virtual worlds, and MED1stMR MR training for medical first responders, which offers a multi-sensorial immersive experience for hospital staff. The Playground foregrounds what XR technologies actually look like in the body and beyond.

The AWE Awards Ceremony: Celebrating Excellence

It’s hard to talk about AWE without talking about the Auggies. Standing for ‘augmented reality’, these are the Oscars of XR, honouring the XR pioneers and visionaries who have shaped the AWE community. Among the 19 awards are the ‘Best Startup’, ‘Best Use of AI’, ‘Best of Show’, ‘Best in Show’, ‘Best Enterprise Solution’, ‘Best Social Impact’, ‘Best VR Experience’, ‘Jury’s Grand Prize’ and so on.

A New Chapter in the XR Journey: Insights from the Speakers

Speakers from industry, academia, government, film, art and activism create a unique mosaic of AWE 2024. Leading not only in their creative fields, they reflect at the cutting edge of their research, innovation and new thinking. To engage in their deep body of knowledge about the future of human digital interaction, or the future of AI, education, avatars, XR for the enterprise and so much more new technology, will be an opportunity to create a roadmap to the future of XR. The keynotes at the AWE 2024 conference are sure to take supporters on a journey into this evolving future, exploring new ways of being human – and new ways for humans to interact within this interconnected present and future that we all share.

Looking Beyond AWE 2024: The Future Is Now

You could feel it in the air as the clouds parted and the curtains were drawn open for AWE 2024. It wasn’t just a conference: it was a gathering of futurists and technologists. It was a demonstration of gadgets. It was a push of the edge of XR, not just in technology but in commerce, experience and culture. It was a forum for ideas – to share, to face off, to critique, to teach and to learn. It was a celebration of achievements. And it was a glimpse of the future, where perception, technology and culture will melt and meld.

In sum, AWE 2024 sparks a vision for what’s to come for XR, and it is not limited to empty talk about the future. At AWE our speakers, sessions and exhibitions will engage attendees and enlighten them, giving them a better understanding of the journey ahead of us. We are quickly moving toward an augmented tomorrow, and AWE 2022 is the place to become an explorer. The revolution is here and it is, is augmented.