Because of Orlando’s status as the MetaCenter™ of the Metaverse, the region is represented in today’s opening bell ceremony at the Nasdaq Stock Market
For the first time ever, the Nasdaq opening bell rang, not just on 43rd and Broadway in Times Square, but also in the metaverse.
The Orlando region was represented in the metaverse ceremony along with the leaders of Journey, the agency of futurescape, creating immersive experiences for companies, including co-founder/Chief Metaverse Officer Cathy Hackl, as the opening bell rang. Hackl, also known as the Godmother of the Metaverse and globally-renowned tech futurist, was invited to ring the bell in the metaverse because of her track record of success in advising some of the world’s top companies on metaverse/Web3 strategy.
The opening bell ceremony transitioned from the physical world into the metaverse. Avatars could be seen mirroring the participants’ motions, and a digital billboard that represented the Orlando region was on display as viewers were taken on a virtual journey of the outside of the Nasdaq building and surrounding area.
This monumental first came just weeks after Orlando announced its status as the MetaCenter™ of the metaverse. Orlando’s groundbreaking ability to leverage the MetaCenter™ as the hub for leading sectors that power the metaverse and Web3 innovation include AR/VR, gaming, artificial intelligence, 3D reconstruction, and IoT. The diversity of innovation which occurs locally has proven to have a global reach with the formalization of the first MetaCenter™.
“It’s an honor to see Orlando be part of this historic event and further cement Orlando as the MetaCenter™ of the metaverse on the world stage,” said David Adelson, Chief Innovation Officer of the Orlando Economic Partnership. “This reaffirms the region’s commitment to continuing to build the MetaCenter™ with companies that put innovation, forward thinking, and creativity at the forefront of what they do.”
“I can’t help but feel that there’s a creativity renaissance upon us, and what we build matters more than ever,” said Hackl during her speech just before the bell rang. “Let’s seek not to define the metaverse, but let’s build it and create it together. In the metaverse, we are all world builders, and this is our time to build.”
Find clips of the event [HERE].
To view the full ceremony, visit nasdaq.com/marketsite/bell-ringing-ceremony and scroll to the bottom of the page. For more information on the MetaCenter™, visit themetacenter.org or follow @the_metacenter on Twitter.
About The MetaCenter™
The MetaCenter™ is the physical and digital intersection in the Orlando region where next-gen gaming, entertainment, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, IoT, modeling and simulation training companies are driving innovation for developing the metaverse and Web3 applications. The people, entrepreneurs, businesses and talent pool have created the most engaging, technologically-advanced region in the world, making the Orlando region the MetaCenter™ and another example of the unbelievably real advancements taking place here.
