In conjunction with MWC Barcelona 2022 which will be taking place from the 28th of February to the 3rd of March, Tara Neal, Executive Editor of The Fast Mode spoke to Hayes Mackaman, CEO of 8i on the company's plans and showcases for this year's event.
Tara: What do you think MWC 2022 will be all about? And what are your MWC 2022 plans?
Hayes: At the highest level MWC 2022 represents coming full circle from the pandemic while celebrating technology innovation. As many may remember, it was one of the first events cancelled in response to COVID-19. Beyond the topics discussed, it will be great to simply reflect on the time that's passed and the wonderful future in front of us. I plan to attend MWC Barcelona 2022. I was invited to speak by the GSMA on at MWC session, “5G: Connecting Virtual and Reality” on March 1, where I will present a live demo of volumetric video (aka 3D holograms - not avatars) on stage and join a panel of other industry executives with a vested interest in VR/AR.
Tara: How has the pandemic impacted the operational and business landscape of the tech segment you are operating in?
Hayes: We were lucky in that we worked as a distributed team before the pandemic, so operationally the disruption was minor, other than the initial concern that the global economy may collapse. From a business perspective, the pandemic in many ways has been beneficial to us as its opened peoples eyes to the benefits of concepts like the metaverse.
Tara: What emerging trends/technologies have you observed in your tech segment in recent months?
Hayes: Since 8i has been focused on content applications for AR and VR for over 5 years, the emergence of the metaverse and 5G has been an extraordinary tailwind for our business. Many of the applications people think about now are things we've been working on for many years, and it's gratifying to see our vision intersect with with all the attention now being paid to the metaverse.
Hayes Mackaman is the CEO of 8i, the industry leading provider of volumetric video (aka holograms / 3D video). 8i powers the capture, transformation and streaming of holograms to bring real people - not avatars - into immersive experiences for organizations like Softbank, the US Army, LGU+, Verizon, and many more.
