AWE Nite Florence presents “PIONEERING THE FUTURE WITH XR AND SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE”
Thursday, May 22nd at 6pm CEST/4pm UTC/5pm BST/12pm EDT/9am PDT/12am JST
The event will be streamed on YouTube at this link: YOUTUBE
Featuring expert panelists: TOM EMRICH, ALEXANDRA GERARD, GABRIELE ROMAGNOLI
Welcome by CECILIA LASCIALFARI and ANTONY VITILLO.
Opening by CECILIA LASCIALFARI. Debate by ANTONY VITILLO.
Join us for a new edition of AWE Nite Florence, an event dedicated to exploring the future of immersive technologies and spatial intelligence. In a rapidly evolving world where Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial intelligence (AI) and Spatial Computing are reshaping how we interact with digital content, this gathering will be a unique opportunity to hear from some of the most influential voices in the field and engage in a conversation about opportunities, challenges, and visionary ideas.
The event will culminate in an open debate on the present and future of AR and spatial intelligence, followed by a live Q&A session with the audience.
PANEL CONVERSATION
Start: Thursday, May 22nd at 6pm CEST (4pm UTC/5pm BST/12pm EDT/9am PDT/12am JST)
AGENDA
6 pm – 7 pm (CEST)
1) Welcome and introduction by CECILIA LASCIALFARI and ANTONY VITILLO
Introduction by CECILIA LASCIALFARI | Founder ARea6DoF | Generative AI Researcher & Speaker | Women in AI Lead Art & Creativity for Italy | Women in Tech Community Award for Italy 2024 | Artivive Representative | Intl. Journalist | Member of AIxIA | Event Organizer AWE Nite Florence
2) Speaker 1 | TOM EMRICH | Senior Product Leader | 15+ Yrs in Spatial Computing | AR/VR & Wearables | Ex-Meta/Niantic | Author of “The Next Dimension” | Platform Strategy, Ecosystem Growth, GTM | Scaling Products from Vision to Reality
Tom Emrich is a product leader at the forefront of Spatial Computing, shaping the next evolution of human-technology interaction. With 15+ years in AR, VR, and wearable tech, he has built market-leading platforms, scaled developer ecosystems, and driven monetization strategies that have transformed industries.
Tom has a track record of building and scaling products from 0 to 1, defining go-to-market strategies, and driving adoption and revenue growth. At Niantic, has led AR platform strategy across WebAR, Unity SDKs, and AR Ads, expanding developer adoption and unlocking new revenue streams. Tom has spearheaded Niantic’s first mixed reality experience, introduced MR headset support, and launched industry-first AR Ads—positioning the company at the forefront of spatial computing. At Meta, he led a team shaping developer success, focusing on education, tooling, and monetization to drive adoption and engagement for the Horizon OS platform powering Meta Quest.
Five things you should know about Tom:
Product & Platform Leader
Tom builds and scales developer platforms, ecosystems, and business models that empower creators and brands to leverage XR for real-world impact. Tom has led high-performing teams and defined industry-shaping strategies. At 8th Wall, he drove product, design, and GTM strategy, launching AR solutions and monetization frameworks that fueled adoption and revenue growth—leading to its acquisition by Niantic. At Niantic and Meta, he has led platform strategy at scale, driving developer success, unlocking new business models, and advancing spatial computing.
Author of The Next Dimension
Published by Wiley and featured in Forbes, my book is a definitive guide to using AR for business growth, with an integrated AI + AR reading experience.
Investor & Startup Advisor
Tom invests in and advises early-stage AR/VR startups through Super Ventures and angel investments. Past investments include Forcite (acquired by GoPro) and 6D.ai (acquired by Niantic).
Spatial Computing Ecosystem Builder
Tom founded We Are Wearables (acquired), the largest wearable tech community of its kind, and co-produced AWE, the world’s #1 spatial computing event series, connecting thousands with investors, partners, and clients.
Thought Leader & Industry Advocate
Tom has been featured in CNN, BBC, Forbes, and The New York Times and have spoken at TEDx, CES, SXSW and Harvard on spatial computing and wearable technology.
Proudly Canadian and LGBTQ+ Pronouns: He/Him.
Book: THE NEXT DIMENSION
Linkedin: TOM EMRICH
3) Speaker 2 | ALEXANDRA GERARD | Director of Stereopsia | General Manager of United XR Europe – #1 XR event in the Capital of Europe | 8-10 Dec 2025, in Brussels | Belgian Ambassador for Women in Immersive Tech (WIIT) | Event production
Alexandra Gérard is the Director of Stereopsia and General Manager of United XR Europe, the newly formed event resulting from the merger of Stereopsia Europe and AWE EU. With 15+ years of experience in event management, she leads the organization and execution of United XR Europe—Europe’s #1 event dedicated to immersive technologies. Held annually in Brussels, United XR Europe brings together global XR leaders, innovators, content creators, researchers, and policymakers to shape the future of immersive experiences and drive XR adoption across the continent.
Under her leadership, United XR Europe has become a strategic platform for cross-sector collaboration, connecting pioneers in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) with key decision-makers and investors. Alexandra is committed to fostering dialogue and cooperation between industry, academia, and public institutions, making United XR Europe a crucial meeting point for both European and international stakeholders in the immersive tech landscape. Her expertise lies in orchestrating large-scale international events that not only showcase cutting-edge XR innovations but also create impactful networking opportunities and strategic partnerships. Passionate about driving technological growth, she ensures that United XR Europe remains at the forefront of immersive technologies, setting the standard for XR events in Europe and beyond.
United XR Europe – Empowering Europe’s Immersive Ecosystem
In this presentation, Alexandra Gérard will highlight the pivotal role of United XR Europe as the leading event for immersive technologies across the continent. She will discuss how the event, born from the merger of AWE EU and Stereopsia Europe, serves as a strategic meeting point for European policymakers, industry leaders, innovators, and creatives. Alexandra will also emphasize the importance of cross-pollination, strategic networking, and European-wide cooperation to overcome market fragmentation and strengthen Europe’s position as a global leader in immersive technologies. As the General Manager, she will share insights on how United XR Europe is designed to be the central event for innovation, investment, and international partnerships in XR.
LinkedIn: ALEXANDRA GERARD – UNITED XR – STEREOPSIA
INSTAGRAM: ALEXANDRA GERARD – UNITED XR – STEREOPSIA
4) Speaker 3 | GABRIELE ROMAGNOLI | Founder XR AI Spotlight | Showcasing the best of XR & AI for creatives and professionals | Tech Ambassador | Podcast Host | Speaker
Gabriele Romagnoli is the founder of XR AI Spotlight, a platform with the mission of bringing focus, depth, and perspective to XR and AI. He began his VR journey in 2015 and built a professional reputation in the XR world as an expert in design and UX for immersive experiences. Since then he has been sharing daily his findings and hands-on experiences about the latest tech for creatives and professionals and helping founders identify and communicate the value their experiences provide to clients, users, and the general public. He gathered an engaged community of over 35K followers across various social media platforms and keeps learning, researching, and sharing about how XR and AI will impact creatives and professionals. His passion for the intersection between creativity and technology brought him to several international stages to inspire audiences and share his vision of how technology will a meaningful impact on creativity and productivity RIGHT NOW.
Brief summary of the talk: In this talk, Gabriele will present a simple framework to understand how XR and AI complement each other. He will provide tangible examples and help you go beyond the hype and understand how these 2 technologies are meaningfully connected and complementary
5) Debate with ANTONY VITILLO | Co-Founder The Ghost Howls| Co-Founder New Technology Walker Co-Organizers AWE Nite Florence: “The opportunities and challenges of AR and spatial intelligence”.
6) Closing by ANTONY VITILLO and CECILIA LASCIALFARI
Get ready for an intense, inspiring, and interactive hour. We look forward to seeing you online as we build the future of XR together!
N.B. The event will be streamed on YouTube at this link: YOUTUBE
The event will be held in English as it will have international relevance. We are waiting for you!
Cecilia Lascialfari & Antony Vitillo – AWE Nite Florence
Watch the recording and the summary of the last events from AWE Nite Florence:
1) “Overview in the Italian XR Ecosystem”, 28th January 2021 – (Italian – English)
2) “Digital Italian Fashion in XR”, 25th February 2021 (Italian – English)
3) “Augmented and Virtual Psychology”, 25th March 2021 (Italian – English)
4) “Location Based VR & Entertainment in Italy”, 29th April 2021 (Italian – English)
5) “XR Glasses for Enterprise”, 27th May 2021 (English – Italian)
6) “Building the Future of eXtended Reality, Together”, 24th June 2021 (English – Italian)
7) “Digital and Virtual Events”, 15th October 2021 (English – Italian)
8) “Digital Rights in the Metaverse”, 10th February 2022 (English – Italian)
9) “Metaverse: Evolution and Use Cases”, 12th April 2022 (English – Italian),
10) “XR Gloves, Haptics & Beyond”, 17th November 2022 (English – Italian)
11) “XR, AI and the Future of Technology” 20th April 2023, (English)
12) “AWE Nite Florence: “AI & XR A Match Made in Heaven?” 29th February 2024, (English – Italian)
Here you will find information on AWE XR GLOBAL
Join us to create an international network of Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Curious, Artists, Academics, Programmers… enthusiastic people who together can help the XR community to grow further!
She is a Researcher in the field of AI-Generated Images and Copyright.
Cecilia is also an Artist, Photographer, Videomaker, Community Manager and International Journalist. She is the organiser of AWE Nite Florence and the Italian Representative of Artivive. Named “Lead Art & Creativity” for Women in AI, she won an award for Women in Tech in 2024. Cecilia created a project called “Flying Into The Metaverse Through Books & Culture”, a series of interviews with leading professionals in the field of XR, and runs an online journal called ARea6DoF, registered with the Italian Court.