It's a Wrap! AWE Welcomes Record Number of Attendees, Speakers and Exhibitors, Reflecting 'Tipping Point' for Explosive XR Industry Growth

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 9th AWE (Augmented World Expo), the world's #1 conference and expo dedicated to augmented reality and virtual reality (XR), officially wrapped after delivering a glimpse into the future of XR. Nearly 250 exhibitors showcased world-changing technologies that spanned more than 100,000 net square feet of exhibit space at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley – the largest show floor in AWE's nine-year history. Hosting the most innovative thinkers and doers, from major international brands to hundreds of startups, AWE 2018 truly mirrored the growth and maturity of the expanding XR industry.

"Large and small companies from around the globe arrived in Silicon Valley to use AWE 2018 as a launchpad for the augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies transforming our world," said Ori Inbar, founder and producer of AWE. "With XR deployments already delivering meaningful ROI to Fortune 1000 companies (from 25% to 99% in productivity gains) it's no surprise that XR is on the cusp of skyrocketing to a $215 billion industry. Every organization, startup and investor must consider XR or be left behind--and with its panoramic view of the industry, there is no better place than AWE to dive in."

AWE 2018 Highlights
From May 30 to June 1, Vuforia, Qualcomm, Bosch, DAQRI, Kopin, Microsoft, ODG, Vyking, PIXAR, Google, Sony, Epson, Samsung, WXR, Virtual World Society and many more took the AWE 2018 keynote stage to share breaking news in technology developments. The AWE Conference Agenda covered the full spectrum of the XR industry through the eyes of more than 400 speakers and nearly 300 conference sessions, covering crucial topics such as: AR cloud, blockchain and cryptocurrency, WebXR, AI, ML & CV, the roll-out of 5G, wearables and headworn devices, 3D spatial computing, autonomous vehicles, enterprise XR, investments in XR and a look at the ethical and cultural impact of XR and the need for equality within this space.

On May 31, the AWE 2018 Press Conference invited 15 companies, including Kopin, RealWear, eSight, Wikitude, Vyking, Vuzix, Kaayatech, Ultrahaptics, NuHeara, Zappar, ScopeAR, vSports, Resonai, Varjo and Mantis Vision onto the main stage to reveal new product, service and partner announcements with press, analysts and attendees. In addition, AugmentedReality.org–the non-profit behind AWE–kicked off an initiative to promote collaboration on an Open AR Cloud, inviting those interested to stay informed at: OpenARCloud.org. To view the full AWE 2018 Press Conference, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9EsfGR7fgg.

Also, on May 31, under the banner "Go XR, Be Awesome," AWE celebrated the winners of the 9^th annual Auggie Awards, celebrating the very best in augmented and virtual reality. Awards were presented in 10 general categories, ranging from Best Consumer App to Best Developer Tool. And during the June 1 closing ceremony, AWE announced its Auggie Awards winners for Best-in-Show Augmented Reality (Upskill) and Best-in-Show Virtual Reality (Where Thoughts Go), as well as the winners of two new categories: Startup to Watch (Varjo) and the AWEsome award (HoloPlayer One by Looking Glass Labs).

"As one Auggie winner colorfully stated at the ceremony: 'This means more to me than any other award win, because the people who vote for this know how hard it is to build what we build, so thank you,'" shared Ori Inbar, co-founder and executive producer of AWE, adding: "Every submission grabbed the attention of AWE, all truly representing what the Auggie Awards are all about: driving innovation and improving humanity. The quality of nominations and winners exceeded our expectations and we thank everyone--our entrants, judges, sponsors and partners for supporting this annual celebration of AR, VR, MR creativity and brilliance!" 

Winners of the 2018 Auggie Awards are:

Best-in-Show Augmented Reality – Skylight by Upskill

Best-in-Show Virtual Reality – Where Thoughts Go

Startup to Watch – Varjo

AWEsome Award – HoloPlayer One by Looking Glass Labs

Best Consumer App sponsored AugmentedReality.org – IKEA Place by IKEA

Best Art or Film sponsored by IEEE-SA – "Karim & Noor" by Blink Studios

Best Creator & Authoring Tool sponsored by Microsoft – Gravity Sketch

Best Campaign sponsored by PTC Vuforia – Acura AR Race by Current Studios

Best Developer Tool sponsored by DAQRI – Unity

Best Enterprise Solution sponsored by Kopin – Holoroom Test Drive by Lowe's Innovation Labs

Best Game & Toy sponsored AugmentedReality.org – Star Wars: Jedi Challenge by Lenovo

Best Headworn Device sponsored by Qualcomm – Vive Pro by HTC

Best Input or Output Hardware sponsored by Bosch – Holo-Stylus by Holo-Light

Best Interaction Software Tool sponsored HTC – ManoMotion

The full list of winners and finalists including videos can be found here: https://augmentedworldexpo.com/auggie-award-finalists/.

In addition to the Auggie Awards, the Virtual World Society presented its Nextant Award to two XR pioneers, Nonny de la Peña, an American journalist, award-winning documentary filmmaker, and Founder of Emblematic Group and Mark Bolas, a researcher, MR pioneer and Professor of Interactive Media in the USC Interactive Media Division.

AWE also announced the official dates for AWE Europe 2018 on October 18-19 in Munich, Germany and AWE Tel Aviv 2018 on November 5. Also announced was the latest schedule of AWE Nite meetups which take place monthly in San Francisco, New York, Toronto and Chicago. Details for AWE Asia will be announced shortly.  

To see AWE 2018's full agenda of almost 400 speakers, visit http://www.augmentedworldexpo.com/agenda and the full list of exhibitors at  https://augmentedworldexpo.com/exhibitors/.

Follow AWE on Twitter at @ARealityEvent!

More about AWE USA 2018
AWE (Augmented World Expo) is the world's #1 AR+VR conference and expo with annual dates in the USA, Asia and Europe. These events bring together a mix of CEOs, CTOs, designers, developers, creative agencies, futurists, analysts, investors, and top press in a fantastic opportunity to learn, inspire, partner, and experience first-hand the most exciting industry of our times. Learn more at www.augmentedworldexpo.com.

More about AugmentedReality.ORG
AWE is produced by AugmentedReality.ORG, a 501 (c) (6) non-profit organization. All profits are reinvested in AR.ORG's services. Its mission is to Advance Augmented Reality to Advance Humanity. It's goal: 1 billion active users of AR by 2020.

AR.org facilitates and catalyzes the global and regional transformation of the AR industry by

• Educating and boosting awareness about the real power of AR and VR
• Connecting the best talent around the world with the best in AR and VR
• Hatching AR and VR initiatives and helping bring them to market

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SOURCE AWE (Augmented World Expo)