Above left is Dahlia Kharg, the avatar of Dahlia Khalifa, spokesperson for The World Bank, the incredibly powerful (and to some, controversial) financial institution dedicated to supporting developing nations' economies. (That's Ms. Khalifa above right, logging into SL from her office.) Last year the Bank presented findings from their Doing Business report on global regulations. "It turned out to be a rewarding effort," the Bank's Ramin Aliyev tells me. "Some 700 Residents from 100+ countries visited the Doing Business presentation venue in Second Life. Another 1,000 tuned in to [the] live audio broadcast of the event."
"When Ramin first told me about his idea to launch our annual report on SL last year," Khalifa tells me by e-mail, "I didn't even know what he was talking about (my shame). However, as I learned more and actually went through the launch event last year, I came to realize the potential power of SL and other such mediums... namely, it is a great equalizer and a powerful outreach tool. Doing business goes on global roadshows every year after our annual report release which takes us to countries all over the world. These events typically attract up to 100 attendees. With SL, we were able to reach 1,700 all at once. This year we hope to exceed that, and I think we will."
So starting tomorrow at Noon SLT (3pm EST), they're returning to SL to present this year's Doing Business findings. "We see Second Life as a communications platform," Alieyev continues, noting its potential for international outreach. "The event will be an open forum where policy makers and the public from around the world, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, can ask questions, challenge the findings, and contribute to a global business dialogue..."
More details and schedule here, and here. From a broader perspective, this is an affirmation of SL's potential as a medium for enterprise use, especially coming as it does from such a central institution that's returning after a successful first run.
Tip thanks to Joni West of This Second Marketing, the San Francisco-based metaverse developer that's producing the event. Images courtesy of Alieyev.
Update, 10/29: Added Ms. Khalifa's avatar name and a quote from her.
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