Immersive Manchester: Understanding the Metaverse Beyond the Hype

In 2022, AVimmerse launched Immersive Manchester as a way to bring people together around a simple question:

what does immersive technology actually offer people right now?

This thinking later fed into public talks and discussions at events such as Manchester Tech Festival, where immersive technology was explored beyond hype and buzzwords.

At a time when the term “metaverse” was being widely promoted, often without clarity or critical discussion, the aim was to create a space for conversation, learning, and real-world exploration. Rather than focusing on speculative futures, the event centred on immersive technology as it existed in practice: tools, workflows, and creative approaches already being used across culture, education, and industry.

Events like Immersive Manchester show how the metaverse and immersive technology can be grounded in real world creative, cultural, and educational practice.

Immersive Manchester as a Community Led Initiative

Immersive Manchester was designed as an open, accessible event for people curious about immersive technology, regardless of background or technical experience. Artists, designers, technologists, business owners, and students were all welcomed into the same space, reflecting the belief that immersive work thrives at the intersection of disciplines.

The event brought together talks, demonstrations, and informal discussion, encouraging attendees to engage critically with emerging technologies rather than passively consume hype-driven narratives.

Immersive Manchester and the Metaverse: Moving Beyond Buzzwords

Rather than attempting to define the metaverse as a single platform or destination, the conversation focused on immersive technology as a creative medium, one that includes virtual reality, augmented reality, real-time 3D environments, and interactive storytelling.

The discussion explored:

• How immersive tools are already being used in education and skills development.

• The role of immersive media in cultural storytelling and interpretation.

• Why human-centred design matters more than platforms or scale.

• The risks of prioritising novelty over meaning.

This approach reflected a broader shift away from buzzwords and towards thoughtful, applied use of immersive technology.

These ideas have also shaped how immersive technology is taught and discussed in higher education, including guest lecturing and workshops delivered at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Talks, Demonstrations, and Shared Learning

The event featured short talks and demonstrations that showed immersive work in context, from interactive experiences to early stage creative experiments. Attendees were encouraged to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and explore how immersive tools might fit into their own practice.

By keeping the format informal and discussion led, Immersive Manchester created space for honest conversations about both the opportunities and limitations of emerging technology.

Why This Still Matters

Although the event itself took place in 2022, the questions it raised remain highly relevant. As immersive technologies continue to evolve, the need for grounded, human-focused discussion has only increased.

Many of the themes explored at Immersive Manchester, education, storytelling, accessibility, and critical design, continue to inform AVimmerse’s work today, from guest lecturing and public talks to international masterclasses and cultural projects.

This thinking also connects with AVimmerse’s wider work in immersive heritage and digital storytelling, where immersive technologies are used to support learning, interpretation, and creative engagement.

Immersive Manchester was never about predicting the future. It was about creating space to understand the present, and to ask better questions about how immersive technology should be shaped, shared, and used.