MetaTr@versal is an advocacy and convening platform dedicated to advancing standards, interoperability, and cooperation across the immersive ecosystem. Founded in 2021 by Ben Erwin with Founding Fellows Evo Heyning, Terry Schussler, and Neil Trevett, the initiative emerged during a pivotal moment in XR, when industry leaders recognized that long-term growth would depend on shared infrastructure rather than isolated platforms.
What began as a series of strategic Zoom roundtables among senior XR stakeholders quickly evolved into a multi-format program designed to foster cross-sector dialogue. Early gatherings centered on portal interoperability across social XR environments, followed by a two-hour public panel and a three-act live performance on the Main Stage at AWE in 2022. Since then, MetaTr@versal has expanded into summits, streaming webinars, portal crawls across platforms, conference panels, and town halls, each designed to bring together technologists, creators, executives, and standards bodies in constructive alignment.
MetaTr@versal played a catalytic role in inspiring the formation of the Metaverse Standards Forum, founded by Neil Trevett to coordinate standards development organizations and industry participants around interoperable virtual worlds. Ben Erwin now serves on the Forum’s Board, and the Academy of Immersive Arts and Sciences—which became the formal home of MetaTr@versal in 2024—is an active member.
From portal crawls that demonstrate real-time cross-platform movement to unprecedented convenings of volumetric video leadership, MetaTr@versal continues to function as a neutral ground where cooperation is elevated over competition. Its mission remains clear: to help shape an open, durable immersive medium built on shared standards, collective governance, and long-term thinking.
