We are back again for the next installment of BLME’s tech platform review series. If you are just joining us, welcome and be sure to check out installment one, two, and three as well.

Like we said in those installments, the pandemic era we are living through has caused much of the world to go virtual in many aspects. However through innovative platforms, “virtual” doesn’t have to mean “disconnected.” In fact, our selected tech platform this week prides itself on creating remote work and experiences as “liberating, not exhausting.” For this installment of the series, we are diving into the remote collaboration platform, Virbela.

Tech Platform Review Series: Virbela

Overview

Virbela describes itself as a platform that “builds immersive 3D worlds for work, learning, and virtual events.” The platform, founded by organizational psychologists, strives to create a virtual environment that prioritizes the very things we often lose in online settings: emotional and social connection.

With Virbella, you essentially create a “Sims”-like version of your team and its environment. The goal is to “provide the presence and emotional connection of being together in person” while working in a virtual format.

Highlights

BLME has not yet worked with Virbela, but as soon as it was recommended to us by an industry friend, we knew we had to check it out. We took a virtual tour of the platform and were blown away by all of its innovative features. Here are some of our favorites:

The ability to create a custom virtual world for you and your colleagues, with each person having their own digital avatar
The option to host meetings, events, and/or classes
The ability to recreate your office, classroom, or event setting in a virtual format so your colleagues feel like they are really there
A high level of security - conversations are not saved and security and compliance testing is done regularly
The ability to host 10,000+ people at once
Spatialized voice technology - noise level is adjusted based on where in the “room” the avatars are located, allowing for multiple conversations in different sections of the room at once
The option to create breakout groups with private volume areas
Various presentation tools such as:
- Uploading and presenting your own PDFS, slides, and other documents
- Screen-sharing
- Interactive “white boards” and “sticky notes”
- The ability to show any software that can run in a web browser
- Webcam support
The ability to create “unstructured social environments” such as a water cooler, a break room, etc. reminiscent of an actual office
The opportunity to reduce business operating costs by eliminating the need for a leased office space

The Bottom Line

Virbela is a highly unique and innovative platform that can help rectify many of the problems that come with remote work - isolation, lack of connection, and an absence of motivation. If you are looking for a specialized experience for your event attendees, colleagues, or students, we absolutely recommend checking out all of the amazing services Virbela has to offer.

Stay tuned for more tech platform reviews, coming next month on the blog!