Back at Meta Connect, with a different perspective

I was invited back to Meta Connect this September for the second year in a row. A lot has changed for me since the last trip.

In 2025, I was there through FoVR Interactive, running a small XR studio and spending a lot of time building and experimenting. This year, I returned as Head of XR, Web & AI Development at 3D Walkabout. My work now involves leading delivery, driving AI adoption and helping a team turn ideas into products and experiences.

Before the trip, I wrote about that change on LinkedIn. I was excited to see the new technology, but I was also looking at it with the work of getting things built and delivered in mind.

The size of the new VR glasses

The new Meta VR Glasses blew me away. Their size and lightness were the things that really stood out.

Working in XR, it is easy to spend a lot of time thinking about what happens inside an experience. The hardware someone has to put on is part of that experience too. A smaller, lighter device is worth paying attention to, especially when thinking about how people might use VR beyond a short demonstration.

I would still want to understand what it is like over a longer session, what we can build for it and where it fits alongside the hardware people already use. The form factor was a highlight of the trip for me, and those are the questions I would want to explore next.

Getting time with Muse

Another highlight was being able to sit down and work through courses using Meta’s Muse.

With so much happening in AI, having time to use the tools myself gives me something concrete to think about. It is also useful context for the work I am doing around AI adoption, where people need the opportunity to try things and understand how they fit into their work.

I am really looking forward to being able to use Muse in Australia. I would like more time with it beyond the event to understand where it could fit into everyday work.

Catching up again

It was also great to see old colleagues again. Before heading over, I had been looking forward to catching up with the friends and colleagues I had met along the way, so that was another part of the trip I enjoyed.

The smaller VR hardware and my time using Muse were the standouts for me this year. Both sit close to the work I am doing now, and I am interested in spending more time with them.