After superb editions in France, Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands, it was in Germany that the NUMIX LAB festival set up home this year. From November 25 to 29, the cities of Munich, Berlin and Leipzig hosted over 200 digital creativity experts, with the single mission of pooling knowledge in order to move forward, together.

Founded in 2019 by the {CORRESPONDANCES DIGITALES] and XN Québec organisations – the latter being the Quebec digital experience producers’ association – the NUMIX LAB rapidly established itself as one of the unmissable events for digital creativity professionals. And for good reason: a rich and varied programme, based on the sharing of knowledge and the desire to move the industry forward, in a durable and collective manner. Between talks, brainstorming sessions, showcases, cultural visits and fascinating discussions, the festival’s team, this year once again, offered the sector’s professionals a myriad of activities aiming to foster cooperation as well as to spotlight the works and expertise of those attending. A programme crafted with considerable care, to which was joined a Walloon delegation of seven participants, including members of XR Wallonia HITT, the KIKK Festival, the Pavillon, Stereopsia and Dirty Monitor.

From the Humboldt Forum to the Kunstkraftwerk, in search of local heritage

An XXL programme, therefore, amped up by a choice of locations which carry (a lot of) weight. Genuine creative hotbeds, Munich, Leipzig and Berlin are brimming with cultural sites teeming with innovative minds – completely in sync with their time – which have but one wish: to give life to digital culture and to drive it ever further. An incredibly rich heritage which the NUMIX LAB participants had the opportunity to discover through organised visits to several key German digital culture institutions and sites such as the Humboldt Forum – a culture and science space located in the historical centre of Berlin – or the Kunstkraftwerk, a centre dedicated to immersive experience in Leipzig. On the map of the not-to-be-missed gems was marked the Goethe Institute – a genuine temple to cultural experiences in virtual reality – as well as the European Patent Office, an absolute must-see.

Establishing links, the NUMIX LAB’s guiding mission

Whilst the visits to certain iconic German digital culture institutions will have stayed in the minds of the festival goers, the same goes for the numerous networking levers established by the NUMIX LAB team. A connectivity facilitated by the use of the Swapcard mobile app, but also – and above all – by means of moments of exchange and networking opportunities: in addition to the traditional networking meals and drinks, pitch sessions were held to allow creative studios to sell their content to potential buyers. An initiative which Gwenaëlle Gruselle – business developer for Dirty Monitor and Le Pavillon, a digital culture experimentation and discovery space, created by KIKK – found particularly valuable: ‘In general, economic missions are not always sector-based. By bringing together professionals from the same sectors, the NUMIX LAB provides opportunities to meet and discuss with potential partners and clients. Meeting around shared realities created a wish to collaborate to amplify our impact worldwide.’

Immersive experience, a sector in overdrive

This year, one domain in particular attracted a huge degree of attention from NUMIX LAB: that of immersive experience. In the festival’s three cities, European and American creative studios had the opportunity to encounter several producers, distributors and distribution platforms in order to put flesh on the bones of their projects, but also to define the value chain of this industry undergoing construction continuously.  Whilst a panel on the sustainability and the diversification of production formats was held at the French Institute in Berlin on Thursday, November 28, a presentation of the international network of independent immersive auditoriums took place the day before at the famous Kunstkraftwerk in Leipzig. Interesting and essential meetings, according to Gwenaëlle Gruselle: ‘with my multiple roles, I have been led to work at several levels of the industry’s value chain (creation, production, distribution, funding). Since the emergence of this industry, the commercial development is complex and slow, based on the principle of opportunity, due to a lack of clarity in particular. The presence of the various partners of this value chain at the NUMIX LAB (creators, producers, distributors, broadcasters, etc.) made this mission especially valuable. From it has emerged the will to all work together to develop, structure and clarify this industry in order to facilitate the development of the offer on the market,’ she explains.

In Gwenaëlle’s opinion, the increased tendency to take part in the NUMIX LAB is explained in particular by the impressive upscaling of this industry which, since its birth some fifteen years ago, has been constantly evolving: ‘the expectations, the content and the curation are also evolving. In a discussion with Oasis Immersion, we made a special note of the importance of continuing to innovate in the offer of original content in immersive experiences, otherwise we might risk boring the audiences. In addition to original content which is high-quality and enthralling, other solutions may also increase the attractiveness, such as mixing live experience with immersive experience. The future of this industry lies in the way human beings will be placed at the centre of artistic and narrative journeys. Current technologies give us the opportunity to create emotionally powerful and engaging experiences, as long as they are used with sense and intelligence.’ 

Amongst the actors operating in the sector, we came across several cinema professionals who appear to be increasingly interested in immersive experiences: producers, distributors, etc.; a large number of seventh art professionals are considering the various possible bridges between the two industries. Further proof that the immersive experience industry has many, many wonderful years ahead of it!

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