AWE Nite Florence presents “SMART GLASSES, AI, AR, AND MORE!”
THURSDAY, MARCH 5th at 6pm CET (5pm UTC – 5pm GMT – 12pm EST – 9am PST – 2am JST)
Featuring expert panelists: AVI BAR-ZEEV, NICOLE LAZZARO, SOFIA DOMENICONI
Welcome by CECILIA LASCIALFARI and ANTONY VITILLO.
Opening by CECILIA LASCIALFARI. Debate by ANTONY VITILLO.
In this AWE Nite Florence event, we will explore how Smart Glasses, Artificial Intelligence, and Augmented Reality are reshaping the way we interact with the digital and physical worlds.
Join us to discover:
- From first lenses to smart glasses – where did vision innovation start?
- What makes mixed reality truly magical, and how can design drive emotion in XR?
- How do stagecraft and storytelling capture attention in smart glasses experiences?
- Can smart glasses really transform industrial processes and boost productivity?
- What real-world examples show that investing in this technology pays off?
- How is XR quietly becoming invisible, seamlessly blending into our daily lives?
- Who controls this new layer of reality, and what are the ethical challenges?
- Are we ready for the next frontier of smart glasses, AI, and AR – and what will it look like?
PANEL CONVERSATION
Start: Thursday, March 5th at 6pm CET (5pm UTC – 5pm GMT – 12pm EST – 9am PST – 2am JST).
AGENDA – 6pm – 7pm CET
1) Welcome & Introduction by CECILIA LASCIALFARI & ANTONY VITILLO.
Introduction by CECILIA LASCIALFARI | Founder ARea6DoF | GenAI Researcher & Speaker | Italian Representative for Artivive | Lead Art & Creativity for Women in AI for Italy | Member of AIxIA | Event Organizer AWE Nite Florence
INTRODUCTION: “THE EVOLUTION OF GLASSES: WHERE DID HUMAN VISION TECH START?”
Have you ever wondered where glasses were born? From hand-blown medieval lenses to today’s smart glasses – how did a simple piece of glass change the way we see the world? Let’s find out together.
2) NICOLE LAZZARO – President and Founder of XEOPlay and XEODesign | XR Hall of Fame for Design Language and Spatial Audio Innovation.
Nicole Lazzaro has 30+ years in Player Experience Design and over a decade in XR. Lazzaro’s model “The 4 Keys to Fun” has influenced millions of designers on games such as WOW, Halo, and Assassin’s Creed. Lazzaro has helped create emotion-driven experiences for giants like Disney, EA, DICE, Meta, and Ubisoft on Myst, The Matrix, Diner Dash, TRIPP, Flow Immersive, and more. From advising LucasArts on Star Wars and Will Wright on The Sims 2, to designing the first iPhone game and being the first to measure facial emotions in games, Lazzaro continues to innovate. An XR Hall of Fame inductee (XR Design Language and Spatial Audio Innovation), no one understands XR design better than Nicole. Lazzaro can be spotted on the keynote stage at MWC, AWE, GamesBeat, and GDC. Currently developing (design & code) “Follow the White Rabbit Tales” an episodic XR Mystery Adventure about a Magician whose magic one day suddenly works. Now soft launched on Apple Vision Pro.
TALK: “MAKING MAGICAL MIXED REALITY”
Lessons learned from Stage Craft of Magicians on ways to increase engagement for XR smart glasses and headsets. This talk demonstrates practical application of what magicians do to create the feeling of magic. Lazzaro shares examples from movies, VR, AR AI smart glasses, and her experiences designing Follow the White Rabbit, a mind bending XR mystery adventure about a magician whose magic one day suddenly works.
SOCIAL NETWORK:
LinkedIn: Nicole Lazzaro – Bsky: Nicole Lazzaro – App: 🐰 Follow The White Rabbit Tales 🎩 – Website: XEODESIGN
3) SOFIA DOMENICONI – Business Developer and Sales Representative for “Invelon”
TALK: “HOW SMART GLASSES ARE TRANSFORMING AND IMPROVING INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES”
In this talk, I will discuss the benefits of smart glasses in the industrial sector and explain why companies should invest in this technology. (I will also present some hypothetical examples to illustrate their potential applications).
INVELON
Invelon is a company that works closely with the XR Ecosystem, specialized in Technology 4.0. At Invelon, we lead the forefront of digital transformation with cutting-edge solutions in Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality. We don’t just create innovative software; we also integrate top-tier products from market leaders like Meta, Pico XR to unleash the company’s potential.
SOCIAL NETWORK:
LinkedIn: Sofia Domeniconi – LinkedIn: INVELON ITALY – Website: INVELON – INVELON ITALY
4) AVI BAR-ZEEV – CEO & Founder at XR Guild, Pioneer (34 years) in XR+AI+Spatial Computing Tech+Design – Former (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Disney) – Consultant, Advisor & Board Member
TALK: “XR IS BECOMING INVISIBLE – FOR BETTER OR WORSE?”
Everyone is talking about AI now, while XR is becoming invisible, both in terms of mindshare and literally baked into the fabric of our lives. If it’s done ethically, that’s a good thing. If it’s exploitive, it can dominate our choices and our lives.
SOCIAL NETWORK:
LinkedIn: AVI BAR-ZEEV – Website: XR GUILD
5) Closing and Final Q & A with ANTONY VITILLO | Co-Founder The Ghost Howls | Co-Founder New Technology Walker | Co-Organizers AWE Nite Florence
DEBATE: “SMART GLASSES AI, AR AND MORE: WHAT USE CASES AND OPPORTUNITIES?”
Expect a lively meeting, full of ideas, during which you can ask questions in the chat that the speakers will address live.
For more information on AWE Nite Florence visit ARea6DoF.com
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) “AI & XR: a Match made in Heaven?” 29th February 2024 (English)
13) “Pioneering the Future with XR and Spatial intelligence”, May 22nd 2025 (English)
14) “Smart Glasses, AI, AR, and more!” 5th March 2026, (English)
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!
N.B. 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
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.