Finally, it looks like there will be a conference about 3D Internet and Virtual Worlds in Germany!!!

The Berlin-based virtual worlds service company YOUin3D.com GmbH is organizing a symposium under the slogan: “Let´s meet, talk & discuss about business opportunities in 3D Internet” enabling participants to represent and discuss the business potentials of virtual worlds and 3D internet.

Let’s keep it short and simple: if you are interested in virtual worlds and always wanted to see/meet all the important people who spend all their time figuring out how to turn virtual worlds into the future of the Internet, grab one of the very cheap tickets and travel to Berlin on 31st May 2009!

Everything else you need to know about BIZZin3D: www.BIZZin3D.com

I hope I can make it there too – if not I heard rumors that you can also join the event in Second Life…

Chris Sherman and his team from VirtualWorldsNews have just released the Virtual Worlds Management Industry Forecast 2009 – a 45-page report that collects responses from over 60 industry executives, analysts, observers, and thought leaders on what the coming year holds for the virtual worlds industry.

In the survey they have asked the participants the following questions:
1. What are your top 3 trend predictions for the virtual worlds industry in 2009?
2. What business and product goals have you set for 2009?
3. What challenges do you expect 2009 to bring for the virtual worlds industry?
4. How will you adjust to the economic changes of the recent months and coming year?
5. What was the most significant evolution of your company over 2008?

The report overview, a list of contributors and everything about how to receive a free of the full report can be found here.

When planning your next trip don’t forget to check your neighbourhood at Google Street View!

Virtual Worlds London will take place next Monday and Tuesday (20 and 21 October 2008) at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre two blocks from Parliament.

I will be there on Monday October 20th all day. If you’d like to meet me there please feel free to contact me. I’m always looking for experts in mirror worlds as interview partners for my PH.D. research! Hope to see you there.

You can also contact me at the official event community – just visit my profile there.

Finally, I have drafted the first version of the topic of my PH.D. thesis:

“Evaluation of the Acceptance of Virtual Worlds in the Tourism Sector: An Extended Technology Acceptance Modelling Approach”

Abstract:
This research makes an attempt to investigate the acceptance of virtual worlds as one of the new information and communication technologies (ICT) emerging from the current development of the World Wide Web. The goal of this doctoral study is to evaluate the acceptance level of various target segments with respect to a specific virtual world and to identify those virtual world dimensions that are mainly responsible for the acceptance of virtual worlds by its potential users (e.g. tourists). Therefore, an evaluation instrument will be developed based on literature research and complemented by qualitative expert interviews that will then be employed by adopting an extended technology acceptance model (TAM).

If anyone has any comments or input for me please feel free to contact me. Thanks!