Euro-VirtWorlders, 2 For Your Diary

If you are a virtual worlding conference junkie - and particularly if you are based in Europe (and, depending on your political sensitivities about such things, the UK) - you will be thrilled to the core by the news that, not one, but two Virtual Worlds conferences are on the way to London in 2008.

First up, State of Play VI will be held from 22-24, July. According to the website, it "will examine the social significance of virtual worlds within Europe. With the support of the UK Intellectual Property Office and the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, New York Law School’s State of Play conference series will come to Britain for the first time... With the increasing significance of the European market for MMOGs, with the scale of deals now being done by European developers, and with the importance of the European regulatory environment to all virtual worlds, we believe that it is the perfect time to convene a conference in London that takes virtual worlds seriously...The major themes of the conference will be the special challenges that regulation has in these environments; the way that virtual worlds are providing new models for innovation; and how physical locations are being integrated with these online environments to create new immersive experiences. The European experience with regulatory oversight in federated systems provides for a wonderful opportunity to explore the best ways to ensure vibrant spaces for innovative content, speech and life." I don't have any venue information.

If that clashes with your Summer holiday, then you might want to wait until October instead; the 20th and 21st to be precise.

Virtual World News reports that Virtual Worlds Management, who publish their blog, will be hosting "Virtual Worlds London, a conference and expo, to take place October 20-21, 2008 at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, a beautiful venue right across the street from Westminster Abbey. This will be our first conference and expo in London. Last year we hosted a party with the same name but did not host a full conference. After 18 months of operating the leading virtual worlds events in the US we're extremely excited to bring the same high-caliber speakers and content to the United Kingdom and Europe. Virtual Worlds London should not confused with the Virtual Worlds Forum event (operated by another company) that took place in London last year."

Who knows? I might actually get to one of these events this year. Or maybe not.