AGENDA

AWE USA 2026

Jun 15 Jun 16 Jun 17 Jun 18
08:30 AM - 05:00 PM
LBCC Main Entrance | Promenade Lobby
Networking
Jun 15
LBCC Main Entrance | Promenade Lobby

Monday Badge Pickup & Registration

09:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Promenade Room 104C
Builders
Jun 15
Promenade Room 104C

Reality Hack at AWE | Sponsored by Snap

10:00 AM - 02:30 PM
Room 103B
Networking
Jun 15
Room 103B

XR Guild and Virtual World Society - UNCONFERENCE

Evo Heyning - Realitycraft
Avi Bar-Zeev - XR Guild
Trond Nilsen - Reality Frame LLC
10:00 AM - 02:30 PM
Room 101B
Builders
Jun 15
Room 101B

Builder to Founder Workshop

Ori Inbar - AWE & UnitedXR
Dinesh Punni - immersive insiders
03:00 PM - 05:00 PM
LBCC Main Entrance | Promenade Lobby
Networking
Jun 15
LBCC Main Entrance | Promenade Lobby

Welcome Party brought to you by SnapDragon!

09:00 AM - 09:25 AM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

AWE USA 2026 Welcome Keynote - I, Spatial – Humans Empowered by Spatial AI

Ori Inbar - AWE & UnitedXR
09:30 AM - 09:55 AM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Snap Keynote: AI-powered spatial computing

Evan Spiegel - Snap
10:00 AM - 10:55 AM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Qualcomm Keynote: The Era of Personal AI and Endless Realities

Ziad Asghar - Qualcomm
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104C

Expo Tour (Enterprise/Gov VIP Program Only) - Manufacturing & Industry

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104C

Expo Tour (Enterprise/Gov VIP Program Only) - AI + XR & Smartglasses

11:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Networking
Jun 16

LUNCH

11:00 AM - 05:30 PM
Expo Hall
Networking
Jun 16
Expo Hall

Expo, Playground, Expo Stages

11:55 AM - 12:20 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 16
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

Digital Humans in Production: Avatar SDK & HTC Viverse

Victor Erukhimov - Itseez3D
Andranik Aslanyan - HTC
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Snap Session: AI-powered spatial computing

01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 101B
Immersive Video & Art
Jun 16
Room 101B

Creating Immersive Civic Experiences: How 360° VR is Transforming Public Engagement

Marbenn Cayetano - City of Austin
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 103C
Research & Education
Jun 16
Room 103C

Why XR Struggles in Classrooms and How to Design for Success

Tracy Mendolia - Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
Room 102B

Beyond the Gym: Building an Adaptive Wellness Ecosystem

Jaime Pichardo García - Odders Lab
Sam Cole - FitXR
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 16
Room 101A

From Flat to Spatial: Build Immersive web with WebSpatial and AI Vibe Coding

Pratik Thakare - PICO
Ruoya Sheng - PICO
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104A

How Continuous Hardware Innovation Drives ROI by Reducing Total Cost of Ownership

Dax Leepart - PICO
01:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Builders
Jun 16
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

Why Some XR Pitches Land — and Others Don’t: Lessons from Reality Hack at MIT

Karen Lam - Reality Hack, Inc.
Haseeb Musa - Reality Hack, Inc.
Maria Rice - Reality Hack, Inc.
01:00 PM - 01:55 PM
Room 102A
XR Policy
Jun 16
Room 102A

XR Association Session: XR Policy

01:00 PM - 01:55 PM
Room 102A
XR Policy
Jun 16
Room 102A

From Headsets to Human-Scale Systems: What We Now Mean by XR

Mark Sage - The AREA
Elizabeth Hyman - XR Association
Priyanka Shekar - HP
Evan Pesses - Verizon
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Promenade Room 104B
Startups & Investors
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104B

PANEL: Investor Q&A - Ask Us Anything!

Tipatat Chennavasin - The Venture Reality Fund
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Room 103B
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 16
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: Open World Frameworks

Dylan Baker - Five Squared Interactive
Sean Mann - RP1
David Snopek - W4 Games
Fredia Huya-Kouadio - Godot Engine
01:10 PM - 01:40 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 16
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

From IP to Experience: Why Translation Is the Real Design Challenge

Chaz Moneypenny - New Peak Interactive
Mike Goslin - New Peak Interactive
Kristin Rozum - Warner Bros. Studios
01:30 PM - 02:00 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
Room 102B

VR in the Lab: How Digital Worlds Reveal the Science of Memory

Rolando Masís-Obando - Johns Hopkins University
01:35 PM - 02:00 PM
Room 103C
Research & Education
Jun 16
Room 103C

XR in Action: Making STEM Visible, Empowering, and Achievable

Sydney Hamilton - The Boeing Company
01:50 PM - 02:15 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 16
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

How Continuum XR Built UG and Scaled a Social VR Game with Photon Engine

Dirk Figge - Photon Industries
Spencer Cook - Continuum VR Studios | VoicePatrol
02:10 PM - 02:35 PM
Room 103C
Research & Education
Jun 16
Room 103C

How One Tool Increased VR Usage at Schools by 3x

Taylor Lallas - ManageXR
02:10 PM - 02:35 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
Room 102B

The XR Stage Advantage: Reimaging Collaboration in Teamwork Simulations

Michelle Aebersold - University of Michigan School of Nursing
02:15 PM - 03:15 PM
Room 103B
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 16
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: Everything About Gaussian Splatting and XR

Zachary Quemore - Lucasfilm
Jenni Ogden - Eye Q Productions
Chaitanya Atluru - Aina
Mary Matheson - Agog: The Immersive Media Institute
02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Qualcomm Session: Personal AI

02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 16
Room 101A

Road to Project Swan: Breakthroughs in Spatial Multitasking and AI Development on PICO OS 6

Ke Jing - PICO
Nan Ye - PICO
02:30 PM - 03:25 PM
Promenade Room 104B
Startups & Investors
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104B

Startup Pitch Competition: Part 1

Robert Hughes - KOO Capital
Tipatat Chennavasin - The Venture Reality Fund
02:45 PM - 03:30 PM
LBCC Main Entrance | Promenade Lobby
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
LBCC Main Entrance | Promenade Lobby

AWE Wellness Walk with Caitlin Krause: A Somatic & Spatial Journey into Digital Wellbeing

Caitlin Krause - MindWise
03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Expo Hall
Research & Education
Jun 16
Expo Hall

Research Posters Showcase Demo Hour

03:15 PM - 03:40 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

NVIDIA Session: Physical AI

David Chu - NVIDIA
03:15 PM - 03:50 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 16
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

Fireside Chat with DreamPark and Dave & Busters Hollywood

Dana Ware - Hidden Realities
Brent Bushnell - DreamPark
03:15 PM - 04:10 PM
Room 102A
XR Policy
Jun 16
Room 102A

Redefining Patient Privacy: AI, Immersive Data, and New Vulnerabilities

Rick Beberman - Sira Medical
Patrick Thomas MD, MMCI, FACS - University of Nebraska Medical Center
Sharon Mozgai - USC Institute for Creative Technologies
Darren Straker - Stanford Health Care
03:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
Room 102B

Designing Equitable XR for Schizophrenia Survival

Kat King - CatheXis Films
03:35 PM - 04:25 PM
Room 103C
Research & Education
Jun 16
Room 103C

Strategies for Innovation: XR + AI Infrastructure and Implementation for Community Colleges

Karen Alexander - XRconnectED / XR Women / Academy of Immersive Arts & Sciences
Elizabeth Desrosiers - St. Louis Community College
Donnell Layne - Moreno Valley College
Dominique Wu - LitStage / XReality Pro / CCCCO
03:45 PM - 04:10 PM
Room 101B
Immersive Video & Art
Jun 16
Room 101B

Sky-High Immersion: Engineering the Future of Aerial Immersive

Zachary Handshoe - SpatialGen
John Racine - Rogue Labs
03:45 PM - 04:35 PM
Promenade Room 104B
Startups & Investors
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104B

Startup Pitch Competition: Part 2

Robert Hughes - KOO Capital
Tipatat Chennavasin - The Venture Reality Fund
03:45 PM - 04:40 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104A

XR's Future in Aerospace and Defense: Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunities

Shelley Peterson - Wizard Wells
Alex Goldberg - Blue Origin
03:45 PM - 04:45 PM
Room 103B
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 16
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: Gaming and Esports Positive Synergy with Education and Research

Leanne Chukoskie - Northeastern University
Erica Kleinman - Northeastern University
03:50 PM - 04:15 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

ArborXR Session: Managing XR deployments in enterprise

03:50 PM - 04:15 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
Room 102B

Unreal that Feels Real: AI Enhanced Augmented Reality for PTSD and Anxiety Disorders

Arash Javanbakht - MetaSyn - Wayne State University
04:05 PM - 05:00 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 16
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

2026 AWE Gaming Hub Exhibitors Showcase

04:20 PM - 04:45 PM
Room 102A
XR Policy
Jun 16
Room 102A

How to Make Your AI and XR Tools Work for Everyone in a Challenging Policy Environment

Chris Brown - XR Association
Lex Huth - The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology
Kaylee Seely - Pearson
04:20 PM - 04:45 PM
Room 103C
Research & Education
Jun 16
Room 103C

If Educational VR Is So Powerful, Why Isn’t It Scaling?

Emilie Joly - Zoe Immersive
Juan Manuel Codó - Studio Soup
04:25 PM - 04:50 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
Room 102B

X-RAI Vision: Bio-Interactive XR for Objective Functional Assessment

Nathan Miner - Massachusetts General Hospital
04:25 PM - 04:50 PM
Room 101B
Immersive Video & Art
Jun 16
Room 101B

How Live Immersive Video Is Accomplished

Zachary Handshoe - SpatialGen
David Hoffman - Blackmagic Design
04:30 PM - 05:30 PM
Promenade Room 104B
Startups & Investors
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104B

Startup and Investors Networking Hour

04:40 PM - 05:40 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 16
Room 101A

Gaussian Splat Workflow – From Data Collection to Display

Tamrat Belayneh - ESRI
Mindy Li - XGRIDS
Sandy Ressler - Khronos Group
Michael Rubloff - Radiance Fields
04:55 PM - 05:20 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104A

Research to Reality: How Experiments Accelerated the First Spatial Trading Application

Jamie Barras - Fidelity Center for Applied Technology
Matthew Savage - Plynk (Digital Brokerage Services)
05:00 PM - 05:25 PM
Room 103C
Research & Education
Jun 16
Room 103C

Create Knowledge that Sticks: 5 Golden Rules behind Triumphant Immersive Learning Programs

Angus Stevens - Start Beyond
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 16
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

*LIVE* The AI/XR's Podcast's 246th episode *LIVE*

Charlie Fink - The AIXR Podcast
Ted Schilowitz -
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Room 102A
AI + XR
Jun 16
Room 102A

AI's Impact on Smart Glasses and Their Future

Tim Bajarin - Forbes and Fast Company
John Iaia - Lenovo
Kelly Ingham - Meta
Ralph Jodice - XREAL
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 16
Room 102B

The Hero’s Journey: Using Story and Immersion to Improve Care

Laura Kusumoto - IterationZero
Parisa "Risa" Vatanka - Digital.Health
Dr. Linda Ciavarelli - HouseCall VR
Dr. Walter Greenleaf - Stanford University
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Room 103B
Enterprise
Jun 16
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: XR Go-to-Market Strategies

Devin Marble - ArborXR
Bill Myers - Skyhopper
Will O’Donnell - Groove Jones
Annie Eaton - Futurus
Inga Petryaevskaya - ShapesXR
Amy Stout - Futurus
05:35 PM - 06:00 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 16
Promenade Room 104A

Raven Resonance Session

Thomas Suarez - Raven Resonance
Parth Arora - Raven Resonance
10:00 AM - 10:25 AM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 17
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Applied Materials Keynote: Compute (Chips) and Material Innovation

Paul Meissner - Applied Materials
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104C

Expo Tour (Enterprise/Gov VIP Program Only) - Defense & Aerospace

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104C

Expo Tour (Enterprise/Gov VIP Program Only) - Pharmaceutical, Healthcare & Life Sciences

11:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Networking
Jun 17

LUNCH

11:00 AM - 05:30 PM
Expo Hall
Networking
Jun 17
Expo Hall

Expo, Playground, Expo Stages

11:25 AM - 11:50 AM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 17
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

Create Social Stories: LBE Marketing & Community-Building

Ryan Bromsgrove - vrCAVE / Basement Bunker Labs
Ashley Blake - vrCAVE
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Builders
Jun 17
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

Builders Lightning Round #1

12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104C

Enterprise Roundtable: Understanding the Market and Uses of XR Hardware for Enterprises

Marc Bringuier - Augmentalix
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 17
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

Designing and Building Enjoyable Immersive Worlds

Steve Tagger - nDreams Ltd
Lucas Martell - Mighty Coconut
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 17
Room 102B

Training the Heart of Healthcare with VR and AI

Isabela Moise - Aequilibrium
Adrian Moise - Aequilibrium
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 102A
AI + XR
Jun 17
Room 102A

From Hype to Healing: Proving Mental Wellness Outcomes with the Multi-Modal AI Stack

Nanea Reeves - TRIPP
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 103C
Entertainment & Media
Jun 17
Room 103C

The Met in VR: Why One of America’s Oldest Museums Is Investing in Immersive

Brett Renfer - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104B

Applied Materials session: Compute (Chips) and Material Innovation

Ludovic Godet - Applied Materials
01:00 PM - 01:45 PM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Builders
Jun 17
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

Builders Lightning Round #2

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Room 103B
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 17
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: XR in Location Based Entertainment

Ray Mosco - General Immersive
Rebecca Evans - Dimension Adventures
01:30 PM - 01:55 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 17
Room 102B

The Clinician’s Lens on Implementation: Bringing XR into Everyday Care

Emily Daviss - AVRwell Inc
01:35 PM - 02:00 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 17
Room 101B

The Light School: A Vision for Transcendence and Hope

Tom Furness - Virtual World Society - Light School
01:40 PM - 02:05 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Digital Twins & Virtual Environments
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104A

AI-Powered Digital Twins: Real-World Workflows from VNTANA, NVIDIA & Astec Industries

Ashley Crowder - VNTANA
Chase Walker - Astec Industries
01:40 PM - 02:05 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 17
Room 101A

Open Standards for AR Glasses & Virtual Worlds

Sean Mann - RP1
02:00 PM - 02:25 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 17
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Snap Session

02:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 17
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

How Gaming Could Be Transformed Through Glasses-Free 3D

Rita Liao -
Liz Newton-Tanzer - Mighty Coconut
Kermit Shao - CubeVi
02:10 PM - 02:35 PM
Room 102A
AI + XR
Jun 17
Room 102A

The Augmented Imagination (AI 2.0)

Christopher Stapleton - SIMIOSYS, LLC
02:10 PM - 02:40 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 17
Room 101B

The UGC Creator Path in XR

Dominick Frederick - Edge Of Creation
Natasha Gubernov -
Deepak Nair -
02:15 PM - 03:15 PM
Room 103B
Creator
Jun 17
Room 103B

How to Design Memorable XR Experiences Through Storytelling

Eve Weston - Exelauno
02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Digital Twins & Virtual Environments
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104A

Building XR Digital Twins for Selection, Training, and Performance Monitoring

Gergely Kovacs - Defense Innovation and Research Institute of Hungary
02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 17
Room 101A

Creating a Website Environment for Apple Vision Pro

Steve Talkowski - Sketchbot Studios
02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Room 103C
Entertainment & Media
Jun 17
Room 103C

The Immersive Supervisor: A Role Hollywood Didn't Know It Needed

Matthew Celia - Light Sail VR
02:40 PM - 03:05 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 17
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Qualcomm Session

02:40 PM - 03:35 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 17
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

The New Cinema: Designing & Monetizing Shared, Transformative Immersive Experiences

Michaela Ternasky-Holland - MTH Studio
Neville Spiteri - Wevr
Amy Jupiter - ByJove, LLC
Rob Shalhoub - Fever
03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Expo Hall
Research & Education
Jun 17
Expo Hall

Research Posters Showcase Demo Hour

03:15 PM - 03:40 PM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Creator
Jun 17
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

Who Are We Becoming? Why XR, Avatars, and Digital Fashion Are Rewriting Identity

Briar Prestidge - Prestidge Group
03:15 PM - 03:45 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 17
Room 101B

From 2D Flat Screen AI Content to Fully Immersive XR AI Workflows and Use Cases

Ted Schilowitz -
Ihar Heneralau - ICVR
Sinan AlRubaye - ICVR
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Room 103B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 17
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: Healthcare - Scaling and Solutions

José Ferrer Costa - Badalona Serveis Assistencials | Open University of Catalonia
Alley Till - Acceso Salud Virtual
Robin White Owen - MediaCombo/ViTaLS
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 17
Room 102B

Deploying XR Devices with Patients

Omead Sinai - Rock Paper Reality
Haipeng (Mark) Zhang - American Medical Extended Reality Association
Christine Ladd - Samsung
Miguel Carrazza Morales - Abbott Laboratories
03:45 PM - 04:00 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 17
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Asia’s Dynamic XR Market: Tapping into a Physical and Spatial AI Boom

Gavin Newton-Tanzer - AWE Asia
03:45 PM - 04:10 PM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104B

Where XR Meets Real Science: Unlocking Insights in Disaster, Space Weather & Earth Observation

Disha Sardana - NASA
03:45 PM - 04:10 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Digital Twins & Virtual Environments
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104A

Leveraging Immersive XR Technology in Manufacturing at General Motors

Dean Hu - General Motors
Michael Williams - General Motors
Jason Kohnert - General Motors
03:45 PM - 04:45 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 17
Room 101A

glTF / USD Interoperability Workflows

Ashley Crowder - VNTANA
Alexey Medvedev - Meta
Henrik Edstrom - Independent
Nick Porcino - Pixar
03:45 PM - 04:45 PM
Room 102A
AI + XR
Jun 17
Room 102A

Agentic AI as a Tool for Enterprise Growth

Stephanie Montgomery - XR Association
Andy O'Sullivan - Liberty Mutual
Erik Fuentes - Chase
Susan Persky - National Institutes of Health
03:55 PM - 04:20 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 17
Room 101B

RAID: Three Use Cases for "Real-Time Animated Interactive Drama"

Pascal Langdale - Collective Intent
04:00 PM - 04:25 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 17
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Lenovo Session

04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Builders
Jun 17
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

XR Women Awards

Karen Alexander - XRconnectED / XR Women / Academy of Immersive Arts & Sciences
Julie Smithson - METAVRSE and XR Women
Sophia Moshasha - XR Women
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104C

Enterprise Roundtable: XR's Future in Aerospace and Defense: Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunities

Shelley Peterson - Wizard Wells
Alex Goldberg - Blue Origin
04:25 PM - 04:50 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Digital Twins & Virtual Environments
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104A

The Airport Decision Engine: Real-Time Digital Twins for Complex Operations

Kelly Watt - Digital Twin Consulting
04:30 PM - 05:30 PM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Immersive Video & Art
Jun 17
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

Deep Dive into Immersive Art with focus on Selected Works in the AWE 2026 Art Festival

Jacquelyn Morie - All These Worlds, LLC
Brett Renfer - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Jordana Leigh - The Lincoln Center
Lori H. Schwartz - StoryTech
Diliana Alexander - FilmGate Interactive
04:30 PM - 05:30 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 17
Room 101B

Optimizing XR Performance - Navigating the Texture Compression Landscape

Leonard Daly - Daly Realism
Eric Griffith - Meta
Stephanie Hurlburt - Binomial
Amra Tareen - ALL3D
04:45 PM - 05:40 PM
Room 102B
Retail & Marketing
Jun 17
Room 102B

Beyond Impressions: Measuring Phygital Fashion and XR Brand Play

Dreka Gates - DrekAI
Ian Harrison - SNEAKAR.IO
Emery Morrison - FR8QU8NCY
Charlene Nichols - The Omniverse City
05:05 PM - 05:30 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 17
Room 101A

Making Magical Mixed Reality Games

Nicole Lazzaro - XEODesign Inc
05:05 PM - 05:30 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Digital Twins & Virtual Environments
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104A

Environment Modeling of Customer Spaces with Southwest Airlines

Jeffrey Berthiaume - Southwest Airlines
Justin Leger - Southwest Airlines
05:05 PM - 05:30 PM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 17
Promenade Room 104B

Beyond XR: The Shift Toward Spatial, Immersive Digital Experiences

Jochem Taminiau - Leia Inc.
06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 17
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

17th Annual Auggie Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony

Ori Inbar - AWE & UnitedXR
09:35 AM - 10:45 AM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 18
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Demystifying Visual-Spatial Intelligence and World Models

Bilawal Sidhu - TED Conferences
10:00 AM - 10:25 AM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 18
Room 101A

Engineering Empathy: Biosensing, Emotion, and the Next Layer of XR

Richard Waltman - OpenBCI, Inc.
10:00 AM - 10:25 AM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 18
Room 102B

From Operating Room to AR Reading Room: Building Trust Through XR

Steven Christian - Iltopia
Patrick Thomas MD, MMCI, FACS - University of Nebraska Medical Center
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 18
Room 101B

BurnerSphere: Scaling the Spirit of Black Rock City into a Persistent Social Metaverse

Athena Demos - Big Rock Creative & BurnerSphere
Justin Gunn - BurnerSphere
Doug Jacobson - Big Rock Creative & BurnerSphere
Gregory Panos - Persona Foundation
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Room 103B
Creator
Jun 18
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: Get Connected with XR Women: Resources and Introductions to Propel You Forward

Paige Dansinger - XR Women Museum / Better World Museum
Christine Hill Hobbi - ServiceAlliances International, Inc.
Robin Moulder - 3lbXR & 3lb Games
Jenna Watts - XR Women
Tracie Yorke - XR Women
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104C

Expo Tour (Enterprise/Gov VIP Program Only) - Digital Twin, 3D Environments

10:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Expo Hall
Networking
Jun 18
Expo Hall

Expo, Playground, Expo Stages

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Builders
Jun 18
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

Building Low Power XR/AI Glasses

Mallesham Dasari - Northeastern University
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Expo Hall
Research & Education
Jun 18
Expo Hall

Research Posters Showcase Demo Hour

10:40 AM - 11:05 AM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 18
Room 101A

Apple Vision Reality Check: Adoption, Friction, and the Road Ahead

Raven Zachary - ARound
10:40 AM - 11:05 AM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104A

From XR Vision to the Shop Floor: A Heavy Industry Case Study

Dan Cui - Freelance
Randolph Warnaar - Fabstation
Alida Rehm - Schuff Steel
10:40 AM - 11:05 AM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104B

Building Smart Glasses People Actually Wear: A Validation Framework for Product Leaders

Tinku Malayil Jose - Quest Global
Thomas Winkler - Quest Global
10:40 AM - 11:05 AM
Room 103C
Entertainment & Media
Jun 18
Room 103C

Inventing Global Immersive Public Media

Ben Erwin - Academy of Immersive Arts and Sciences
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Room 103B
Builders
Jun 18
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: Who Makes Decisions and Who Makes Coffee

Phylis West-Johnson - San Jose State University
Tina Korani - San Jose State University
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 18
Room 101B

Your Past, Present, and Future In the Same Room: Self-Dialogue in XR

Shu Wei - Yale School of Medicine
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 18

Speed Networking Session: Investors/Publishers <> Game Devs

11:20 AM - 11:45 AM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104B

Debating the Hardware, Software and Social Implications Driving AR with the Display Skeptics

Karl Guttag - KGOnTech LLC (kguttag.com)
Radu Reit - Display Training Center
11:20 AM - 11:45 AM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 18
Room 101A

Toward Evaluating and Securing XR Experiences in Real Time with Large Multimodal Models (LMMs)

Maria Gorlatova - Duke University
11:20 AM - 11:45 AM
Room 102A
AI + XR
Jun 18
Room 102A

The Future of Enterprise Learning: Integrating LLMs, VR, and Agentic AI at Scale

Krista Wharton - Amazon
Harshit Kikani - Amazon
Jessica Su - Amazon
11:20 AM - 11:45 AM
Room 102B
Healthcare & Wellness
Jun 18
Room 102B

Treating Emotional Trauma with XR and AI

Albert Skip Rizzo - University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies
11:30 AM - 11:55 AM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 18
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

Beyond WOW! Designing Quality VR Experiences for Kids

Elizabeth Rood - The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
11:45 AM - 01:00 PM
Networking
Jun 18

LUNCH

12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Room 103B
AI + XR
Jun 18
Room 103B

Accelerating Adoption for AI Wearables: What Do Consumers Want?

Alice Siu - Stanford University
Omari Hitson - JP Morgan Chase & Co.
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Promenade Room 104C
Enterprise VIP
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104C

Enterprise Roundtable: Achieving Scalable, Predictable ROI through XR Implementation

Matthew Wren - VRAR Chicago
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104A

Beyond Pilots and Headsets: Scaling XR in Federal Emergency Services

Leon Pietschmann - THW
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104B

AI Integrated XR/Smart Glasses and the Next Human-machine Interface

Omar Abed - InvenSense, a TDK Group Company
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 18
Room 101A

Knowledge Management, XR, Cognitive Science, Computer Graphics History

Dr. Julian Gómez - Computer Graphics History Institute
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Room 103C
Entertainment & Media
Jun 18
Room 103C

Why Two Experienced Producers Made the Pivot from Traditional to Immersive Media

Paul Mezier - Acute Immersive
Maura Axelrod - Primary
Kelly Breaks - Blue Frog Immersive
01:00 PM - 01:25 PM
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall
Gaming & LBE | Sponsored by PICO
Jun 18
Gaming Stage | Expo Hall

Traversing the XR Landscape in 2026

Arturo Perez - Kluge Interactive
JP Minetos - Hartmann Capital
01:00 PM - 01:40 PM
Builders Stage | Expo Hall
Research & Education
Jun 18
Builders Stage | Expo Hall

Research Posters - Highlighted Projects

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 18
Room 101B

How We Can Preserve Online Worlds and Why It Matters

Wagner James Au - New World Consulting
Neil Barbour - S&P Global Market Intelligence
Evo Heyning - Realitycraft
Julian Reyes - Virtual Worlds Museum™
01:15 PM - 02:15 PM
Room 103B
Creator
Jun 18
Room 103B

Immersive Theatre: How to Build the XR Stage for New Audiences

Kiira Benzing - Double Eye Studio
Richard Broadbridge - 4Dviews
Chris Pfaff - Chris Pfaff Tech Media LLC
01:35 PM - 02:00 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 18
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

The View In 2036: How New Headmounted Devices and Always-On AI Will Change the Way We See the World

Cortney Harding - Founder & CEO
01:40 PM - 02:05 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104A

Using Mixed Reality to Reduce Anxiety and Inspire the Next Generation of Blood Donors

Miguel Carrazza Morales - Abbott Laboratories
01:40 PM - 02:05 PM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104B

How BCI is Removing the Friction from AR and AI interaction

Guy Wagner - Wearable Devices LTD
01:40 PM - 02:05 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 18
Room 101A

Designing XR UX for the Moment: Mobile, Headworn, and Fully Immersive

Steven Wolpe - Pretty Big Monster
02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 18
Room 101B

From Scans to XR: A Practical Pipeline for Cultural Heritage

Ines Said - Tanit XR
Margarita Johnson - Tanit XR
02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Room 102A
AI + XR
Jun 18
Room 102A

Building a Global Ecosystem for Physical AI

Ryan Wang - Outpost Capital
Michael Gold - Depth Map Ventures
02:20 PM - 02:45 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 18
Room 101A

When Less is More: Avoiding Unnecessary Geometric Constraints in XR Task Instructions

Steve Feiner - Columbia University
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Room 103B
Research & Education
Jun 18
Room 103B

Roundtable Discussions: XR Success Stories from Universities

Andrew Martin - Utah State University - Innovation Lab (ILab)
Ludovic Attiogbe - Utah State University - Innovation Lab (ILab)
Pat Clark - University of Colorado Boulder / Immersive Experience Alliance (IXA)
Erin Reilly - University of Texas at Austin
Jonathan David Martin - University of Maryland
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 18
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

Socratic Style Debate on the Future of Immersive Tech

Norman Chan - TESTED
Alvin Graylin - Our Next Reality | Virtual World Society
Louis Rosenberg - Unanimous AI
Leslie Shannon - Virtual World Society
Kent Bye - Voices of VR Podcast
03:00 PM - 03:25 PM
Room 102A
AI + XR
Jun 18
Room 102A

Notable Lessons from Exploring AI Modalities in Higher Education

Becky Lane - Cornell University
03:00 PM - 03:25 PM
Room 101A
Developer | Sponsored by Qualcomm
Jun 18
Room 101A

No More Flat Sliders: Designing Interfaces in a 3D Reality

Ophelia Chen - Dreamscape Learn
03:00 PM - 03:25 PM
Room 101B
Creator
Jun 18
Room 101B

Tangible Intangibles: How Biosignals Are Shaping the Future of Mixed Reality Art Therapy

Mahsa Nasri - Northeastern University
03:00 PM - 03:25 PM
Room 103C
Entertainment & Media
Jun 18
Room 103C

Building the Infrastructure Behind Live Spatial Experiences

Daniel Zeitman - Spatial Explorer Labs
03:00 PM - 03:25 PM
Promenade Room 104A
Enterprise
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104A

XR at Electric Utilities: Deployments, Lessons Learned, and the Path to Broader Adoption

Julia Uhr - EPRI
03:00 PM - 03:25 PM
Promenade Room 104B
XR Enablement
Jun 18
Promenade Room 104B

The All-Day Wear Challenge: A Peek into the Smart Glasses Wear Journey

Melissa Wantland - Google
Jacqueline Zimmermann - Magic Leap
03:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Room 102B
Retail & Marketing
Jun 18
Room 102B

You’ve launched your game, now what? A talk about extending your game’s profitability.

David Wyatt -
Jasmine Uniza - Impact Reality / Flat2VR Studios
Eric Masher - Impact Reality / Flat2VR Studios
03:45 PM - 04:30 PM
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage
Main Stage
Jun 18
Grand Ballroom | Main Stage

AWE USA 2026 Wrap-up and Best in Show Awards

Ori Inbar - AWE & UnitedXR