Seattle XR Unconference 2025

Join us for a day of conversation as we bring together folks working in XR and related technologies to talk about design, development, production, ethics, art, sound, business, and really anything that seems intriguing.

Unlike a regular conference, an Unconference has no planned talks - instead, you, the attendee, will shape the conversation. We are there to facilitate, but the topics are up to you.

If you haven’t been to an Unconference before, we welcome you! They are a ton of fun!

Definitely!

An unconference is a great place to learn and get familiar with XR and related technologies. If you're at all uncomfortable or confused by the idea, please contact us and we'll be happy to talk to you through it.

Simple! Attendees suggest sessions or topics they want to discuss. We gauge interest in each topic, then set up somewhere for you to talk. You don’t have to be an expert on a topic, you just need to want to talk about it. You don’t need to prepare anything and you don’t need to do most of the talking, though you can if you want.

Unconference sessions tend to be much more like conversations than presentations, in that they're organized on the spur of the moment, flow with the mood and interest of participants, and are generally smaller than the large presentations you might see at a regular conference.

If you don't want to run a session, you're welcome to come along and just hang out.

We know from experience that there is no shortage of people who have things they want to talk about, so even if you're stuck for ideas, just come along and we're confident you'll find something interesting to talk about!

Most of the complexity is on us. You'll suggest topics by writing each one on a post-it note. We'll then poll everyone else on which topics they think are interesting using a vote board. Based on that, we'll assign topics to spaces and time slots and then just get out of the way (or even better, go to sessions and participate as regular attendees).

We will maintain a very light touch. We might merge topics if we think they're basically the same, and if we run out of space some topics might miss out, but we'll be following an open process throughout, and pretty much anything we decide will be open for discussion.

By car: There is free parking in the UW GlX garage. We'll share a door code for you to use closer to the event. If you get there and haven't received the code, just go ahead and get a ticket then let us know and we'll give you the code so that you can use it when you leave.

By bus/train: From the University of Washington, take the 542 bus at 15th Ave NE & NE Campus Pkwy to Redmond Technology Station and then take the 2 Line Link Rail to Spring District Station then walk 5 minutes to GIX.

From Downtown Seattle, take the 550 bus at 2nd Ave and Seneca to South Bellevue Station and then take the 2 Line Link Rail to Spring District Station then walk 5 minutes to GIX.

Our main costs is renting the space. We'll also provide some light refreshments, mostly snacks, sparkling water, tea, and coffee.. Any funds left over remain with SITA, the Seattle Immersive Technology Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has been the backer of Seattle VR since 2016, to be used in subsidizing future events. In general, our goal is to charge no more than we have to in order to be reasonably confident that the event will break even.

Definitely!

Contact us and let us know about your circumstances and we'll get you sorted. As a community event with relatively low costs to run, we want to make sure as many people can come regardless of resources. Of course, if you do have the funds, we ask that you buy a ticket and support the event so that we can run it again. If you're feeling extra flush with cash, SITA is a registered non-profit and always open to donations that let us run more events and make things easier for those who need a break at the moment to participate.

The University of Washington Global Innovation Exchange are kindly letting us rent the space at their discounted internal rate and we are really grateful for their support! Thanks also to our community members and other partners who have helped us get the word out!

We, the organizers, along with our fiscal and venue sponsors, the Seattle Immersive Technology Association and University of Washington Global Innovation Exchange (GIX), take no responsibility for you or your stuff while you're at the event. We recommend you keep your belongings with you at all times. If you have any problems, please let us know so we can help, but you are ultimately responsible for your person and belongings.

The Seattle Immersive Technology Association is committed to providing a harassment-free environment for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion (or lack thereof), or expertise.

We do not tolerate harassment of any kind. Harassment may include but is not limited to verbal abuse, sexually explicit or derogatory language, offensive or sexual cartoons or materials, mimicry, offensive gestures, unwelcome sexual advances, and inappropriate physical contact. In general, sexual advances of any kind are considered unwelcome by default and are not appropriate at this event. We will, in general, give more weight to the account of the victim over that of the aggressor in interpreting whether harassment has occurred.

Drugs and alcohol are not permitted on site. Individuals who appear intoxicated or otherwise under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be asked to leave the event until they have recovered.

If you are being harassed, notice someone being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact an organizer or volunteer immediately.

If, in the eyes of the Organizers, an individual attending the event is seen to have violated these rules, they may be warned, sanctioned, or asked to leave the event without a refund (if applicable).

In short - be aware of your actions and their effects on others and be nice to one another.

We will refund your ticket if we receive your request to do so at least 7 days before the event. We may, at our discretion, give late refunds in extenuating circumstances if we are able to re-sell your ticket.

This policy exists so that we can recoup our costs once we've committed to spending money based on your attendance.

We may collect video and images throughout the event for use in our public gallery and promotional materials for future events. By attending the event, you give us permission to use your image in this way.

If you would like to attend but are not comfortable about being in photos, please tell an organizer and we'll arrange to avoid capturing your image.

Attendees may collect video and images for their own use following the normal rules for doing so in public. Please be aware that taking photos and video of someone without their consent may be deemed a form of harassment and thus violate our code of conduct.

For more information about the event, or for any other questions, drop us a line at [email protected].

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Host or Publisher Seattle Immersive Technology Association