By Mark Jankowski

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following post is slanted toward Training Professionals, however, the cutting edge nature of virtual 3D training is something that all Project Managers will need to familiarize themselves with to keep up with this exciting new technology.

As I was traveling back from a recent Training Technology Conference in Las Vegas, I was reflecting on my experience as an exhibitor at the event.  I was reviewing the list of programs, speakers, and exhibitors contained within the Expo’s Program Guide when Los Lobos’ song “Is That All There Is?” started playing on my Ipod and I realized that was the question I was pondering about the conference. 

As the President of Virtual Training Partners, I spend every day, all day, thinking about and working in 3D Virtual Worlds like Second Life, Reaction Grid, and Unity3D.  Seeing the opportunity to connect with others interested in 3D Virtual World technology, our organization decided to exhibit at the conference.  The experience was well worth it.  We had great traffic to our booth, exchanged many business cards, and have several opportunities to follow-up with people who showed genuine interest.  It was three days well spent.

That being said, what remains a concern to me is the lack of other exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers who focus on 3D Virtual Worlds.  Let me run some numbers by you…There were over 100 sessions delivered over a three- day period.  Of those sessions, there were only four sessions dedicated to 3D Virtual World training.  These sessions were terrific, with Anders Gronstedt, Tony O’Driscoll, and Karl Kapp providing their continued thought leadership in this area.  But when I think about the fact that at a Training Technology Conference there were less than 4% of the sessions dedicated to the topic, I have to think: “Is That All There Is?”

What gives?  We have heard several reasons why people were not more interested in exploring 3D Virtual Technology: (more…)