With nearly all major XR events cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, it’s been a somewhat odd year for the industry. With vaccines starting to roll out in the US, AWE has set a hopeful November date as one of the first XR conferences to return to an in-person event—but offering a money-back guarantee in case things don’t pan out.

AWE is a long running XR-focused conference held annually in Santa Clara, CA. Like many other industry conferences, AWE 2020 had to be moved to an online event last May due to Coronavirus concerns.

With a hope that vaccines will be widespread by later this year, AWE is planning to return to an in-person conference from November 9th to 11th at the Santa Clara Convention Center. As in prior years, the conference primarily consists of speakers & sessions along with an expo hall with booths for demos & networking.

SEE ALSO
'Alien: Rogue Incursion' Gets New Story Trailer Ahead of December Release on PSVR 2 & PC VR

Backing the conference’s enthusiasm that the pandemic situation will allow for a safe in-person event by November is a handful of sponsors already signed on to support the event, including Nreal, Qualcomm, Unity, Meta, PlugXR, 8th Wall, Lenovo, Mad Gaze, Zappar, and others, along with some 80 exhibitors.

AWE says it has also expanded its refund policy, allowing full refunds up to 30 days before the event, or a 50% refund within 30 days of the event. The conference is offering discounted ‘Super Early Bird’ passes through March 31st, starting at $400.

As for running a safe conference, the event’s Health and Safety Guidelines page indicates that attendees will be screened for temperature and masks will be required “for all participants at all times,” among other measures. A vaccine requirement is not mentioned.

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • so long time has passed by from my last in-person event… I almost forgot how it is attending them…

    • Kim Christiansen

      Get $192 per h from Google~a1364~ Yes this can be best since I simply got my initial payroll check of $24413 and this was just of a one week…I have aslo purchased my good BMW M5 right after this payment…~a1364~ it is really best job I have even had and you will not for~give yourself if you do not check it >>>> http://asq.kr/37rGhNwkmx5OED ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

    • Jane Moore

      Get $192 per h from Google~a893~ Yes this can be best since I simply got my initial payroll check of $24413 and this was just of a one week…I have aslo purchased my good BMW M5 right after this payment…~a893~ it is really best job I have even had and you will not for~give yourself if you do not check it >>>> https://lst.to/kb2ck ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

  • jasminmcmahon

    Google basically is as of now paying an awesome charge of 179/hour and most significant thing is each week payout….(90339)…. Google doesn’t have impediments like age or some PC ability thusly you may endeavor also. I have procured $20K simply in 14 days. Check here what I do…

    ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||