feed , and the cognitive demands of needing to give exaggerated feedback to signal understanding , agreement , or concern .
Imagine , for example , if going from one remote meeting to another involved leaving the conference room and crossing a bustling virtual atrium . That might sound far-fetched but remember that Korean PropTech company Zigbang has already opened a 30-floor VR office called Metapolis . Employees choose an avatar and navigate to their desks via elevators and corridors . When they meet a colleague ' s avatar , their webcam and mic are activated so that they can have a conversation . The webcam and mic then turn off automatically as their avatar walks away .
According to the Harvard Business Review - The Metaverse will make the physical location a more — not less — important consideration for business . This is already playing out to some extent : Cities like Dubai and Shanghai are launching strategies
to attract metaverse-focused businesses and people . This could mean ideal locations for brands to experiment with enthusiastic early adopters . Companies will have to think more strategically than ever before about where to place offices and innovation hubs to attract and connect talent , where to locate retail shops to attract customers and heighten brand awareness , and , more generally , how to balance their physical and virtual footprints .
Joanne Bushell Managing Director
IWG Plc . South Africa
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine SEPTEMBER 2022 161