Institute for International Research

From New York, NY

The world's leading conference organizer, the Institute for International Research (IIR), today announced plans to organize, promote, and run events in the virtual 3D world Second Life. Sabina Gargiulo, Communities Director for IIR explains "building a presence in Second Life is just one of many planned steps towards creating a new breed of conference, one that truly manages virtual distance."

In addition to continuing to deliver the industry-leading content that is the cornerstone of IIR's reputation, the Second Life events will serve as a social networking tool to allow customers to connect with others from across the country or around the globe, creating opportunities for person to person connections that otherwise would not exist. The company plans to make aspects of "traditional" conferences available in Second Life for anyone that can not attend the actual event or for those who simply enjoy virtual interaction with other professionals that share the common interests, job functions, and challenges.

But don't make the mistake of thinking this is just fun and games. Ms. Gargiulo is quick to point out the facts that underscore the decision to make a commitment to virtual events:

• Each day, more than $1 million (US) is being traded in Second Life
• More than 20 major Fortune 500 companies are conducting real business in Second Life right now
• There are more than 2 million people from all over the globe in Second Life, and this number continues to grow daily
  

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE TO DELIVER KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Suzanne Vega explains...

IIR's hard launch into Second Life will take place in November 2007 at the Inaugural conference on Managing Virtual Distance (www.iirusa.com/virtual), where they have secured the Founder and CEO of Linden Labs, Philip Rosedale, to deliver a keynote presentation on the topic of Virtual Worlds Technology. Mr. Rosedale, who was recently named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People on the Planet, will be delivering his presentation in Avatar form at the IIR island in Second Life.

Further details about the development of IIR's Second Life events will be announced later this summer. Additional information can be found at www.iirusa.com/secondlifeevents.