Virtual Worlds Forum

Work continues apace on the line-up for this year's VWFE, which is taking place in London on 6-8 October. We've signed up 20 international speakers already, with a new crop of names just being announced, including the likes of Sulake, Gaia Online, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, BBC Children's Interactive, and IBM. Click below to see a full list of the freshly confirmed speakers, and details of how to book.

If you've been to one of our London-based Virtual Worlds Salon events, you'll know they're a great chance to swap ideas, opinions and business cards with fellow virtual worlds industry professionals. Well, now we're going continental, with our first Salon in Berlin on 2nd July.

Following the success of last year's inaugural Virtual Worlds Forum Europe, we're pleased to announce details of this year's event. The Virtual Worlds Forum Europe 2008 will take place in London on 6-7 October, with workshops following on 8 October. The theme is 'Enterprise, Education and Entertainment', and we have a new venue - The Bridge - which offers twice as much space as last year, and will accommodate some exciting new show elements.

We're a little post-show, obviously, this weekend, but the media coverage is coming in thick and fast. We were 480 attendees from 23 countries, 6 keynotes, nearly 80 speakers participating in a two day conference, three workshops and the X|Media|Lab. Yes, we're slightly tired, but totally overwhelmed by the positive feedback, the vibe, and the amount of business that got done. Check out the links below for a roundup of press about the conference:

• The Times - The future of virtual worlds
• The Times - Government to police virtual worlds
• The Times - At least the chicken kebabs were real
• The Guardian - Talking points from the Virtual Worlds Forum
• BBC News - Virtual worlds threaten 'values'
• BBC News - Anti file-sharing laws considered
• The Register - UK minister pledges policing for Second Life
• Reuters - Doors to open on Google virtual world(s)?
• ars technica - British Lord: Virtual worlds should teach real-world values
• Wonderland Blog - A few thoughts on Virtual Worlds Forum
• Valleywag Blog - British Lord: Virtual worlds should teach real-world values
• Random Acts of Reality blogger Tom Reynolds reports from the conference
• Pockergamer - MoiPal: virtual worlds meet mobile games
• The Inquirer - Human values threatened by virtual worlds
• Tech.Blorge.com - UK government to police virtual worlds like Second Life
• Heise Online - Rechtsfragen virtueller Welten �ndern sich