Getting involved in new technologies often requires a strong “Swiss army knife” capability. Isabel De Peuter-Rutten is one of XR’s ambassadors, claiming this ability to tackle head-on a range of subjects at the heart of our social and digital transformations. Here’s a portrait of a tireless European and international voice of immersive media.
Isabel De Peuter-Rutten – My career path has spanned several chapters, notably in tourism, finance, human resources (HRD) and luxury goods. What each of these experiences have in common is a sense of the human, but also of technology. And during my visit to Virtuality 2018 I switched to the world of XR thanks to a meeting with Charles-Henri Marraud des Grottes and then Maud Clavier, who were already producing VR content. Charles-Henri and I founded the company XR-One in February 2020, then I helped found Euromersive in early 2019, a European-level collective of professionals initiated at Immersity 2018 in Angoulême (co-created with François Bouille, Sergio Ochoa, Michel Reilhac, Maud Clavier and others). The troubled times of the confinements nevertheless enabled me to keep a close eye on the emergence of hybrid trade shows, greater online discussion within the community, etc.
I. De P.-R. – I’ve had several opportunities to launch projects aimed at the community. In addition to Euromersive, I’m trying to help the XR industry disseminate ideas and gain acceptance.
- I’m President of Euromersive, a federation of European professionals.
- Co-created with Thomas De BruyneIsabel (Founder & Managing Director BeInX), Mona Neutelings (Founder M.O.N.A. events), Rudy Soerodikromo (Founder Immerge Creative) and Vera Sonneveld (Founder Circul8), Community of Change is an initiative that reflects on the development of an eco-responsible ecosystem around emerging technologies. A space for exchange and discussion aimed at major groups (C-Level) to better understand the challenges and opportunities of these new ecosystems.
- GatherVerse, of which I am European Director, has the direct vocation of animating the global XR community around issues linked to virtual worlds. We’ve just completed a summit on the presence of women in our professions.
- I’ve joined the Women in Immersive Technologies Europe collective as Community Manager around our actions – and proposing a safe space for women in the XR industry.
- I’m also very involved in the XR4HERITAGE project led by Géraldine Bueken, which aims to promote and support immersive heritage projects.
I. De P.-R. – XR is still a new industry, which means we can implement a lot of new ideas. We’re in a rather benevolent atmosphere right now, with a form of integrity that’s positive. Professionals talk to each other, with a shared desire to get somewhere together. It’s a kind of social pact that doesn’t exist elsewhere! I like to work with the idea that you can build an industry from the people who make it up, and from the lessons and ideas you can find together.
I. De P.-R. – The next upheavals in the XR industry will be driven by the people who make it up. This must remain the essential criterion. We move forward by building a common house; the arrival of Vision Pro and others is just one more stone in a larger edifice. And we have to work together! There aren’t enough of us to meet future needs for immersive content and services. It would be a pity to be too competitive, to the detriment of the richness of this community. Thousands of companies and developers are at the forefront of many innovations. It’s fascinating, and Apple is going to shed even more light on our sector.
I. De P.-R. – For the general public, XR is largely defined by video games. In 2024, we’re going to go beyond this postulate and discover the many applications that already exist, the uses… I know that the XR community around us will support this with motivation.
Euromersive
I. De P.-R. – Euromersive is the pan-European ecosystem for immersive and emerging technologies with a human-centered approach in a service model. It’s about encouraging humanity to shape immersive and emerging technologies that are ethical and sustainable first and foremost. We welcome start-ups, companies, universities, associations, freelancers and industries from all 51 European countries (beyond the European Union stricto sensu). Today, Euromersive is a community of over 6,000 members, with 26 national representatives making up our operational office. And we’re still looking for representatives in the missing countries! The network is not exclusive to XR, but includes discussions and players around AI, blockchain and any other current technology innovation. Since July 2023, we’ve been developing services (podcasts, webinars, workshops, newsletters, advisory boards, networking & matchmaking…) for this community, which should come into being soon.
GatherVerse
I. De P.-R. – I’m the European representative for this international network created by Christopher Lafayette in 2022, with a spirit of partnership between Europe and the United States dedicated to emerging technologies, with a real focus on the human being at the center of our questions. The first online Global Summit attracted over 10,000 people. Since then, we’ve been offering virtual events on a global scale for all continents (Africa, Asia, LATAM, Oceania…). This is particularly useful as the European branch is represented by Euromersive, and with a view to creating synergies between member companies (and all professionals, researchers…), business opportunities and creative and institutional synergies. GatherVerse is a community of 15,000 people. Our next events :
- February 20-22 – GatherVerse Summit 2024
- April 18 – Virtual World Symposium
- June 19 – Athletics In The Metaverse
I. De P.-R. – Today, we’re focusing on the Human Capital Initiative, a $300 million fund-raising initiative in partnership with the Impact Innovation Foundation in the USA, X|ergy in Portugal and Euromersive. Each takes charge of a program to support the selected projects, and the associated budgets. In the field of education, Euromersive offers 12 weeks of online courses and face-to-face meetings. At the end of this period, the winners will receive financial support and meetings with VCs. Everything will be documented to understand how we can move forward together. We’re at the start of this period.
Community of Change
I. De P.-R. – It’s a project dedicated to ethics and sustainability in our new technology practices. It’s aimed at a more exclusive community, to educate large groups (C-level) who still know little about it. From the outset, we need to establish best practices and link them up with our ecosystems. It’s all about networking and education at the same time, because outside our ecosystems, information doesn’t always circulate well. For example, we work with The Ocean Cleanup, who come and explain to us via workshops their approach to using artificial intelligence to detect plastics at sea. We highlight positive practices, while helping C-Level managers to find the right partners.
Women in Immersive Technologies
I. De P.-R. – WIIT was launched in 2016 by Leen Segers, Ioana Matei, Sara Lisa Vogl and Vera Grablechner, following the observation that conferences and roundtables included few women. First of all on social networks, with over 7,000 people following our accounts or our Facebook group, with 17 ambassadors in 15 countries and targeted actions such as prizes awarded at the European AWE or the Young Bad*ss Girls Lab. It’s still hard to get real parity at all the events dedicated to our subjects – or else we invite women to fill the quota without any relevance to the subject. That’s why we’ve set up a list of available female speakers, according to subject. It’s an ongoing project, and obviously a cause close to my heart.
I. De P.-R. – Over the last two years, we’ve been able to set up workshops with the help of Meta, such as the Immersive Creators Catalyst or, in 2023, the DVRSTY#2 Office Hours with FOV Ventures and the support of XRDI and AWE. But we also run a number of meetings on the themes of diversity and improving the skills of female business leaders. At European level, a report by the Boston Consulting Group shows that the number of female company directors who have received financing is 7%. There’s room for improvement, and if we can play a role, that’s great. Last but not least, we’re launching educational missions around technologies and practices in a variety of forms (campaigns, workshops, creation labs, etc.).
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