Cyberbullying, the aggressive use of digital technologies to inflict harm on others, is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society. In fact, according to a recent survey, the US ranked third at 26% of countries where parents reported that their children experienced cyberbullying behind only India (37%) and Brazil (29%). When göt2b decided to tackle this issue, they reached out to Polycount with the idea of a music festival like environment. With a love of music festivals, Polycount Design Lead Blue Maverik was the perfect choice to undertake the role of project manager and design lead of The Self-Expression Summit, an anti-cyberbullying metaverse event that took place in June 2022 on the Vatom platform. Blue partnered with the experiential events agency Conversate Collective, haircare brand göt2b and the youth-oriented charity Ditch the Label. The latter having a strong focus on helping young people overcome the effects of cyberbullying.
Consistent with their belief that the “outdoor fair/festival/expo-style event is particularly adaptable into a successful metaverse experience”, the final product was a festival space with stages for speakers and 5 unique breakout spaces where the speakers could hold their own workshops. Exploring topics as self-expression and storytelling, understanding our power and tips to combat cyberbullying.
Opening for the Global Stop Cyberbullying Day held on the third Friday in June 2022, the activation was a triumphant success. A combined 4,500-plus attendees participated in the free two-hour festival-style event. An additional 2,000 viewed the replay. If guests wanted a break from programming, they could explore tents with resources and enter to win a göt2b prize pack.
The outstanding success of The Self-Expression Summit made it a natural entry for the prestigious Event Marketer Experience Design Awards dedicated to recognizing the “best use of design and technology in experiential marketing”. This award program is sponsored by Event Marketer magazine, a world leader in providing news and information to the event marketing and trade show industry. A group of experienced brand-side judges reviewed the entries across 23 total categories. Finalists were selected based on criteria that examined the tool or approach, the creativity, the execution, and the results. The judges conferred the Silver Award for Best Metaverse Immersive Experience on The Self-Expression Summit thereby recognizing the incredible work of Polycount’s Blue Maverik and their supporting team.