VWBPE: Insights
March 19-21, 2026
Exhibit Guidelines
Introduction
For nearly two decades, VWBPE has brought together a global community of educators, researchers, and innovators to explore the frontiers of immersive learning. What sets this conference apart is its grassroots, open format, designed to highlight the practices that shape how we teach, learn, and collaborate in virtual and augmented spaces.
The 2026 theme, “Insights”, invites us to look deeper—beyond the tools and platforms—toward the lessons, challenges, and opportunities that are redefining education in an age of rapid technological transformation.
Why “Insights” Matter
The pace of technological change has never been faster. Artificial intelligence, immersive simulations, and augmented realities are transforming not only how students engage with content, but how educators define their own roles. With these shifts come pressing new challenges.
These are not yesterday’s debates recycled. They are new, urgent tensions shaping higher education in 2026.
We invite you to share your ideas at VWBPE in 2026:
- Fresh insights into how educators worldwide are responding to AI, immersive tech, and ethical challenges in real time.
- Practical strategies for navigating policy gaps, integrating advanced tools, and fostering critical thinking in the AI era.
- Collaborative perspectives from researchers, practitioners, and creators who are testing boundaries and redefining educational practices.
- A global platform to share your work, experiment with immersive formats, and shape the conversations that matter most to the future of post-secondary education.
A Call to Explore: VWBPE 2026 – Insights
Join us at the 19th Annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) Conference. Plan to discover and experience new approaches to immersive learning in action. Get excited about how you can use them in your classroom and research practices, and share what you learn with colleagues.
VWBPE 2026 isn’t just about tools or platforms—it’s about the insights we uncover together. Whether you are an experienced immersive educator, a researcher exploring new methodologies, or simply curious about the future of digital learning, this year’s conference offers a chance to reflect, question, and shape what comes next.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a global community dedicated to redefining education and immersive environments. The conference is hosted across multiple platforms including Second Life®. It will be live-streamed on YouTube. It is completely virtual and free to attend.
Livestream Engagement
Many of the conference sessions are streamed via YouTube Live as part of the recording process. The audience for these livestream sessions has been increasing each year. Therefore, VWBPE 2025 plans to incorporate questions and comments from the livestream with the presenter(s) and participants in-world.
Exhibit Guidelines
- GENERAL INFORMATION
- BIOMES
- COMMUNITY REPRESENTED
- TRACKS
- OTHER SUBMISSION DETAILS
- IMPORTANT DATES
- ADDITIONAL NOTES
- SUBMIT PROPOSAL
We challenge exhibitors and sponsors to come up with their best biomes ideas as part of your exhibit space. Your exhibition parcel will be located in one of six (6) different biomes. Let your imagination run wild with how you would showcase your organization, service, or project within the aesthetic of the biome.
Exhibit designs must conform to the biome type in which your exhibit is placed. Builds which do not blend into the environment will be asked to be redesigned or may be removed. There will be no skyboxes.
You will also be given a special teleport HUD that will allow you to teleport close to your exhibit space once assigned.
Remember that all exhibits are virtual displays that require the use of Second Life tools and virtual objects to be rendered. You are responsible for providing your own objects and adhering to the guidelines as outlined below.
- Primary exhibition booth areas are 24m x 24m x 24m
- Maximum prim allowance is 300 prims/land impact
- All exhibition booth areas are rated Mature – No adult content permitted
- Mesh objects are allowed so long as they fit within the object count
- No Terraforming allowed
- Please avoid physical objects where possible (Phantom is preferred)
- Builds cannot overhang into other parcels
- Please limit use of scripts
- Do not use old megaprims
- No listening or scanning scripts allowed
- No selling
- Tip jars are allowed; however, active solicitation for tips or donations is not allowed
- Audio should not bleed over from the Exhibition booth area to the general areas of the sim
Please note that limited overhangs of prims due to trees, scrubs and other natural foliage may be permitted up to 2m beyond your parcel boundary so long as the root object itself is within your parcel. Objects that extend beyond this allowance may be asked to be removed.
Exhibit proposals are due by 15 February 2025.
Biomes
Your exhibit will be placed in one of six (6) different biome environments in the VWBPE regions. Biomes will be assigned by the VWBPE Committee so as to ensure there are equal numbers of exhibits per biome. The biome types in which exhibits will be available are:
- Tundra
- Badlands/Scrublands
- Grasslands (limited availability)
- Desert
- Tropical Forest (2)
- Temperate Forest (2)
See https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php for more information about biomes.
Consider the type of community you represent. Choose one that fits best.
- Educators and Trainers (default)
- Artists, Designers and Builders
- Business and Entrepreneurs
- Entertainers and Performers
- IT Solution Designers
- Nonprofits and Help Communities
- Students and Post Graduates
When preparing your exhibit proposal, consider the seven tracks below.
- Best Practices (default)
Proposals to this track should engage participants with proven approaches, successful implementations, or lessons learned in practice, creation, or learning. Highlight frameworks, standards, or methods that can be adopted and adapted to support effective outcomes. - Advocacy
Proposals to this track should engage participants with examples, projects, or initiatives focused on promoting positive change and awareness within communities. Showcase work that empowers individuals or groups, addresses equity and inclusion, or champions causes relevant to practice, creation, or learning. - Collaboration & Communication
Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on how virtual and digital technologies make connections and collaborations possible across distances in unexpected ways in practice, creation, or learning. - Creativity and Innovation
Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices of creative and innovative work, by featuring ways to demonstrate originality, artistic and practical expression in practice, creation, or learning. - Essential Accessibility
Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on using technology to make practice, creation, or learning accessible to multiple populations with varied abilities and engagement styles. - Research and Studies
Proposals to this track should engage participants with recent research findings, studies, or analyses that contribute to understanding and improving practice, creation, or learning. Highlight methodologies, data insights, or evidence-based outcomes that inform or challenge conventional perspectives. - Tools and Products
Proposals to this track should engage participants with practical tools, resources, or products designed to support practice, creation, or learning. Showcase innovations that enhance functionality, improve efficiency, or offer new solutions to meet diverse needs in various environments.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
- Exhibit Title
The title cannot be longer than 45 characters. - Exhibit Summary
A brief description of the Exhibit. [750 characters maximum]
Note: This summary will be published on the conference program. - Track Suitability
Please describe, specifically and clearly: How does this exhibit support the goals of the conference? [750 characters maximum] - Theme Suitability
How will your exhibit fit the biome themes of the conference? Note that the theme has two components: the first is the idea of Transitions and the second is that each exhibit must conform to the biome in which it will be placed. This information is for internal review only and will NOT be published in the program. [500 characters maximum]
EXHIBITOR INFORMATION
- Exhibitor Names
You will have the option of including both real name and avatar name, or only avatar name, in exhibit credits. - Builders
You may have up to three (3) co-builders for the exhibit. - Accessibility Consideration
It is important to take into consideration the communication needs of our diverse and international audience. Please indicate how you will make your exhibit accessible for both voice and text. Example: If you will have audio in your exhibit, will there be any provision in text for the audio components?
A maximum of one (1) exhibit proposal will be accepted per person.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent out on a first come first served basis starting January 30 through February 25, 2026.
Therefore, it’s important not to wait until the last minute to get your exhibit proposals in.
Exhibitor access to their assigned parcel spaces will be available as of 10:00am PT Sat Feb 21, 2026.
All builds must be ready for inspection no later than 12:00pm PT Saturday, 14 March 2026.
The regions will be officially opened to the public at 8:00am PT Monday, 15 March 2026.
Every year we get additional questions as to what is permissible and what isn’t. The following may be subject to updating throughout the conference as questions come up. These additional guidelines will be updated for subsequent years.
- Once your primary exhibit area is assigned, you cannot change the location unless approved by the Exhibit Chair.
- Exhibitors will all share a common group for building this year. You will NOT be required to purchase your exhibit space.
- Once you have your approval and have picked up your build kit – please ensure you contact us to get into the exhibitor group in order to be able to access the regions and build on your parcel.
- Please be aware that all prims are shared by everyone in the group in a specific region. Prims in your space will still be limited to 300 prims/land impact regardless of what the “About Land” information box says are available.
- You will be able to modify information in the “About Land” section to set information such as your exhibit name, music streams, etc. Please do not adjust settings in parcels not assigned to you.
- No Skyboxes – all exhibits must be at ground level.
- No terraforming.
VWBPE is a professional conference. We expect all exhibitors and builders to be mindful of their conduct while on the property.