said to anyone 15 years ago that you ’ d be talking to your mum across the world , where you could put animated donkey ’ s ears on her head , they ’ d have laughed at me .

The technology to currently view the metaverse in an immersive way is through clunky goggles . We can see that Apple , Oculus and Microsoft are all coming out with new technologies . You have to imagine where the technology will be in in a few years time . It ’ s quickly going to change .

Do you believe the metaverse can be utilised as a tool of environmental sustainability ? Let ’ s not use the term metaverse . I think the word will fade away . It ’ s really Web 3.0 . Metaverse is a marketing term that ’ s been been thrown around for a while and it ’ s been made very trendy because of Meta ’ s ( previously known as Facebook ) announcement .

But what will Web 3.0 do for sustainability ? It will enable us to be present in spaces digitally , where currently you are only present in

spaces physically . That ’ s an existential change . Already with RendezVerse , if we did this interview in the metaverse , you and I could be in a meeting room in a hotel , sitting at a table seeing each other ’ s facial expressions . When you can be present without travelling , that really changes the dynamic .

During events I attend or when I sit on panels with people in the travel industry , we discuss how to come up with a greener agenda . The elephant in the room is not banning single use plastic , it ’ s to stop travelling . The trouble is no turkeys vote for Christmas . Therefore , the travel industry doesn ’ t vote to stop travel . I ’ m not saying we should stop travelling . But there ’ s now a tool that allows you to be more mindful about when you travel , where the necessity to do it is less important . We estimate there are 10m site inspections a year , you probably could cut that to 5m if you use Web 3.0 . technology .

You ’ ll not only drive down the amount of travel of people attending events , but also you can drive up the amount of people who attend events

Top right : Peter Gould Bottom left : RendezVerse ’ s metaverse platform

because that travel barrier no longer exits .

What would you say to people who believe that the metaverse is a ‘ fad ’? Let ’ s be clear , Web 3.0 is not a fad . Web 3.0 is as real as Web 2.0 and Web 1.0 . Web 1.0 was digitisation , Web 2.0 was mobilisation , and Web 3.0 will be metavisation .

There are billions of dollars being invested in software and hardware for Web 3.0 . Phones will be a thing of the past , and wearables will be the norm . Within 10 years it will be what ’ s now being called the metaverse .

Will it be called the metaverse ? Is that name a passing trend ? I don ’ t know . But what isn ’ t a fad is this technology , which is allowing a fourth dimension of presence within technology . It ’ ll transform the way many industries function . Specifically , the events and venue industry because events are all about presence . Currently , we ’ ve only got one way of being present and that ’ s all getting in a room . Soon , we ’ ll have another way of being present , which is for our avatars to get in virtual rooms together . It ’ s a whole new dimension to the industry .

That ’ s not a fad . It ’ s coming and those not preparing for it will be left behind . In 10 years , the whole events industry is going to be completely transformed .