One of the most sought-after events during Techweek AKL 2016 was the inaugural Magnify Conference, sponsored by ATEED.

The sell-out virtual and augmented reality summit attracted more than 1000 delegates who took part in interactive workshops, panel discussions, and demonstrations of the latest immersive technologies.

Speakers include Catherine Patterson of Y&R New York, renowned digital imaging expert Barry Sandrew, and prestigious stunt director Guy Norris of Mad Max fame.

Screen Auckland used its local and international industry contacts to help Magnify founder Matt Coleman make some of the connections he needed to put together a world-class event programme together and obtain international media coverage of the event.

Auckland has a number of innovators in the sector, including AUT’s renowned Motion Capture Studio, which hosted a workshop on 17 May, as part of the Tripartite Economic Summit Auckland 2016 involving Auckland, Guangzhou and Los Angeles.

Goldman Sachs forecasts the virtual and augmented reality industry to be worth as much as NZ$270 billion a year by 2025.