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VRLA

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VRLA (short for Virtual Reality Los Angeles) was a virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) community event in Los Angeles that ran from 2014 to 2018. It began in April 2014 as a meetup on the motion capture stage of the visual effects company Digital Domain and grew into consumer and trade expos at the Los Angeles Convention Center.[1][2] By mid-2015 the expos were produced by the Virtual Reality Foundation, a non-profit that also ran the Proto Awards for VR work.[3][4]

The Associated Press noted in 2015 that people who wanted to try high-end VR systems had to do so in person at events such as VRLA until the systems reached consumers.[5] In 2015 attendees could try the HTC Vive a few weeks after it was announced, and Survios and Visionary VR used the expo to reveal Raw Data (January 2016) and Mindshow (August 2016).[6][7][8] The last edition was held on 4 and 5 May 2018. In February 2019 UploadVR reported that the event was on hiatus, with no conference planned that year.[2]

Reviewed 11 October 2026. Checked every meetup and expo date, venue, exhibitor and attendance figure, the team listings, the Virtual Reality Foundation and Proto Awards details, each announcement-table row and the 2019 hiatus report against the cited Road to VR, UploadVR, AP, TechCrunch, PCWorld, Space.com, 80 Level, AWN, Broadcast Beat, Voices of VR, Survios and archived VRLA pages. About review dates.

History

Meetups (2014)

John Root, then a motion capture supervisor at Digital Domain, recalled in an interview recorded at VRLA in April 2017 and published in 2018 that the event started from a Reddit post in which Cosmo Scharf suggested holding a VR meetup in Los Angeles. Root offered Digital Domain's motion capture stage, and the interviewer, Kent Bye, dated the first meetup to 7 April 2014.[9] Road to VR reported that about 160 people attended. Scharf gave the opening remarks and a talk on Facebook's acquisition of Oculus, Jonnie Ross spoke about where VR fits among earlier media, and Philip Rosedale gave a keynote on his new startup, High Fidelity.[1] Road to VR described Scharf as the founder and a film production student at the University of Southern California.[10] The group's April 2014 website called VRLA "a monthly meetup event" and listed Scharf as founder, with Root, Ross and Jeroen van den Bosch as co-organizers.[11] By February 2015 the team page listed Scharf as founder and Jessica Ward, Root, Adam Levin and Ross as co-founders.[12]

On 11 June 2014, during the E3 trade show, VRLA hosted a VR mixer at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, sponsored by companies including Sixense, Sony, Tactical Haptics and Virtuix.[13] The second meetup took place outside and inside the Mixed Reality (MxR) lab, where a few hundred guests tried exhibitors' demos and the lab's own research projects, including redirected walking.[10] The third, at New Deal Studios on 16 August 2014, listed 28 exhibitors. Oculus demonstrated the Oculus Rift DK2 and Sony showed Project Morpheus.[14] VRLA #4 was held at the House of Moves motion capture facility in Marina del Rey on 13 December 2014 with 26 exhibitors, among them CastAR, Sixense, Jaunt, Samsung, Unity, Epic Games and High Fidelity. Road to VR put attendance at the third meetup at 650.[15]

Expos (2015-2016)

In 2015 VRLA moved from meetups to larger expos. The organizers billed the VRLA Spring Expo, held on 22 March 2015 at the JW Marriott hotel at LA Live, as "the first in our series of quarterly events".[16][17] In June 2015 Road to VR reported that it had drawn some 3,000 VR enthusiasts and that the Virtual Reality Foundation, which it described as "a non-profit consortium comprising professionals from the industry", would hold the next expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.[3] That Summer Expo, on 29 August 2015, was the first VRLA expo at the convention center, with 65 exhibitors announced and AMD as headline sponsor.[18] The Associated Press reported that the one-day event drew more than 2,000 attendees to a sold-out hall, with waits of over an hour for some demos; the most popular exhibitor was VRcade, a wireless multiplayer VR system tested in a 30-by-30-foot space.[5]

The VRLA Winter Expo returned to the convention center on 23 January 2016 with 72 exhibitors and 11 presentations and panels. Road to VR reported that more than 3,000 attendees were expected and that the event now took place twice a year.[19] For the Summer Expo on 5 and 6 August 2016 the organizers added a second, industry-focused day and moved to West Hall B, announcing more than 100 exhibitors. The event's waiver named the full title "Virtual Reality Los Angeles Summer Expo 2016" and the organizer as the Virtual Reality Foundation, Inc.[20] Comedian Reggie Watts gave the keynote, and VRLA promoted a "VR Rave" presented by Skullcandy in which DJs mixed live music inside VR.[21] UploadVR, which described VRLA as a twice-yearly convention, reported that more than 6,000 guests were expected.[22]

Annual expos (2017-2018)

VRLA 2017 ran on 14 and 15 April 2017 at the convention center. Unity CEO John Riccitiello gave the Friday keynote and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland gave the Saturday keynote. Passes cost US$299 for the two-day Pro Pass and US$40 for Saturday only.[23] According to 80 Level, VRLA partnered with the IEEE VR conference that year to present scientific research sessions on topics such as virtual humans and locomotion.[23] In a show-floor interview Root said the 2017 event had about 140 exhibitors, half of them in an "Indie Zone" where selected small teams received a free table paid for by sponsors.[9] An August 2017 announcement said the 2017 expo had been VRLA's largest, with nearly 10,000 attendees.[24]

VRLA 2018 took place on 4 and 5 May 2018 under the theme "A New Reality". The organizers widened the scope beyond VR and AR to topics including artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain and 3D printing.[25] Sponsors included Intel, Dell, Qualcomm, VIVEPORT, Microsoft, Neurogaming and OptiTrack, and passes started at US$30. The planned centerpiece of the show floor was "Mezo", a 20-foot temple with synchronized LED panels, lasers and spatial music made with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).[26] UploadVR listed a Pro Pass at US$299 and a Saturday pass at US$40.[27]

Hiatus

On 2 February 2019 UploadVR reported that no VRLA conference was planned for that year. UploadVR described the event as on hiatus, and co-organizer John Root said: "VR is in a weird place right now, and we're taking a break while it sorts itself out." He said future VRLA events remained possible but that nothing was planned. According to Root, about 10,000 people attended the May 2018 expo.[2]

Organization and format

Its organizers described VRLA as a non-profit. Root said in 2017 that "we're not a charity, but we are a nonprofit", and that the event ran on "a near zero margin" so that sponsor money could pay for free exhibitor space.[9] Road to VR identified the Virtual Reality Foundation as the non-profit that produced the VRLA expos.[4] The early expos lasted a single day, with VIP ticket holders admitted two hours before the general public.[17] From summer 2016 the format was two days: a Friday for industry Pro Pass holders with business-focused sessions and keynotes, followed by a Saturday expo day open to consumers.[20][9] VRLA 2018 included workshops: Circuit Stream was the official workshop partner, and VRLA ran a "Girls Make VR" workshop for girls aged 13 to 18.[26]

Proto Awards

The Proto Awards, an awards program for VR projects, were started largely by VRLA members under the Virtual Reality Foundation. The first ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 2014.[28] The 2015 Proto Awards ceremony took place at AVALON Hollywood on 22 September 2015, the evening before Oculus Connect.[28] The 2016 Proto Awards were held at the same venue on 8 October 2016, hosted by comedian Ron Funches; VRLA co-founder Jonnie Ross was quoted in the announcement.[4]

Editions

Event Date Venue Reported size
VRLA meetup #1 April 2014 Digital Domain motion capture stage About 160 attendees[1]
VR mixer during E3 11 June 2014 Ace Hotel, Los Angeles No figure reported[13]
VRLA meetup #2 Summer 2014 Mixed Reality (MxR) lab A few hundred guests[10]
VRLA #3 16 August 2014 New Deal Studios 28 exhibitors announced; 650 attendees reported afterward[14][15]
VRLA #4 13 December 2014 House of Moves, Marina del Rey 26 exhibitors[15]
VRLA Spring Expo 22 March 2015 JW Marriott LA Live Some 3,000 attendees[16][3]
VRLA Summer Expo 29 August 2015 Los Angeles Convention Center 65 exhibitors announced; more than 2,000 attendees[18][5]
VRLA Winter Expo 23 January 2016 Los Angeles Convention Center 72 exhibitors; more than 3,000 attendees expected[19]
VRLA Summer Expo 2016 5-6 August 2016 Los Angeles Convention Center, West Hall B More than 100 exhibitors; more than 6,000 guests expected[20][22]
VRLA 2017 14-15 April 2017 Los Angeles Convention Center About 140 exhibitors; nearly 10,000 attendees[9][24]
VRLA 2018 4-5 May 2018 Los Angeles Convention Center About 10,000 attendees[2]

Notable XR announcements and showings

Event Company Announcement or showing
VRLA #3 (August 2014) Oculus VR, Sony, GameFace Labs Public demos of the Oculus Rift DK2 and Sony's Project Morpheus, and GameFace Labs' Android-based VR headset prototype[14]
Spring Expo (March 2015) Reload Studios Showed World War Toons, a multiplayer VR first-person shooter revealed that day, which attendees were among the first to play[29]
Spring Expo (March 2015) WEVR Gave attendees demos of the HTC Vive and Lighthouse tracking with theBlu: Encounter, weeks after the headset's announcement at Mobile World Congress[30][6]
Summer Expo (August 2015) AMD Keynote by Roy Taylor, corporate vice president of alliances, on VR market opportunities, pitfalls for developers and what VR hardware needs to reach the mass market[31]
Winter Expo (January 2016) Survios Came out of stealth with the co-op shooter Raw Data, a launch title for the HTC Vive, and livestreamed it on Twitch after the show[32][7]
Winter Expo (January 2016) NVIDIA Showed a refined version of its light field display headset, a research prototype built with Stanford University[33]
Winter Expo (January 2016) AMD Ran VR demos on an unreleased Radeon graphics card with two Fiji GPUs[33]
Summer Expo 2016 Visionary VR Revealed Mindshow, an HTC Vive app for staging, animating and recording stories in VR[34][35][8]
VRLA 2017 HTC Vive Named SpaceVR the first recipient of its VR for Impact program and showed SpaceVR's Overview 1 VR camera satellite at its exhibit[36][37]
VRLA 2017 Unity Keynote by CEO John Riccitiello telling developers that AR and VR would grow large but more slowly than forecasts predicted[38]
VRLA 2017 Adam Cosco Premiere of the VR film Rose Colored[39]
VRLA 2018 The VOID, HTC, Dell, Qualcomm, AltspaceVR Friday keynotes from The VOID CEO Cliff Plumer, Viveport president Rikard Steiber, Dell's Gary Radburn, Qualcomm's Hugo Swart and AltspaceVR's Katie Kelly[26][27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ben Lang (2014-04-17). "First VRLA Meetup is a "Big Success," Watch Keynote Presentations Online". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/?p=162279. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ian Hamilton (2019-02-02). "No VRLA Conference Planned For 2019". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/no-vrla-conference-2019-los-angeles/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Paul James (2015-06-01). "VRLA Summer Expo and 2015 Proto Awards Dates Announced". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-summer-expo-and-2015-proto-awards-dates-announced/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Scott Hayden (2016-09-15). "The Proto Awards Announces 2016 Nominees, Comedian Ron Funches to Host". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/proto-awards-announces-2016-nominees-comedian-ron-funches-signs-host/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Derrik J. Lang (2015-08-30). "At a virtual reality expo, VR comes in many forms". Associated Press (via Phys.org). https://phys.org/news/2015-08-virtual-reality-expo-vr.html. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Matthew Terndrup (2015-04-07). "Up Close and Personal with the HTC Vive at the VRLA Spring Expo". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/close-personal-htc-vive-vrla-spring-expo/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 ""Raw Data" Debuts at VRLA Winter Expo". Survios. 2016-01-25. https://survios.com/studio/?p=1563. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Scott Hayden (2017-04-14). "'Mindshow' Creative App to Launch Open Beta in Q3 2017, Watch New Trailer Here". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/mindshow-creative-app-launches-open-beta-q3-2017/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Kent Bye (2018-04-14). "#640: John Root on VRLA, AR, Privacy, & eSports in VR". Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/640-john-root-on-vrla-ar-privacy-esports-in-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Paul James (2014-07-06). "VRLA Meetup #2 Invades MxR Labs, Photos and Impressions from the Event". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-meetup-2-invades-mxr-labs-photos-impressions-event/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  11. ↑ "About - VRLA". VRLA (archived 11 April 2014). https://web.archive.org/web/20140411101148/http://www.virtualrealityla.com/about. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  12. ↑ "Team - VRLA". VRLA (archived 10 February 2015). https://web.archive.org/web/20150210171621/http://www.virtualrealityla.com/team. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "VRLA Meetup to Host E3 VR Mixer Next Week in Los Angeles". Road to VR. 2014-06-04. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-meetup-host-e3-vr-mixer-next-week-los-angeles/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Ben Lang (2014-08-11). "See Sony Morpheus, Oculus Rift DK2, Unity 5, and More at VRLA #3 This Weekend in LA". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/sony-project-morpheus-oculus-rift-dk2-unity-5-vrla-3/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Ben Lang (2014-11-19). "VRLA #4 Heading to House of Moves on December 13th, Big Names in the VR Scene Exhibiting". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-4-heading-house-moves-december-13th-big-names-vr-scene-exhibiting/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ben Lang (2015-02-09). "VRLA Announces Spring Expo Event, Save 50% on Early-bird Tickets". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-announces-spring-expo-event-la/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Expo - VRLA". VRLA (archived 11 February 2015). https://web.archive.org/web/20150211084141/http://www.virtualrealityla.com/expo. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Ben Lang (2015-08-21). "VRLA Summer Expo to Be Biggest yet with 1,500+ Attendees and 65 Exhibitors - Road to VR Readers Save 10%". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-summer-expo-to-be-biggest-yet-with-1500-attendees-and-65-exhibitors-road-to-vr-readers-save-10/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Paul James (2016-01-12). "VRLA Winter Expo to Feature 72 Exhibitors and 4 Exclusive Reveals, Jan 23". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-winter-expo-to-feature-72-exhibitors-and-4-exclusive-reveals-jan-23/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "VRLA Summer Expo 2016". VRLA (archived 12 March 2016). https://web.archive.org/web/20160312044722/http://www.virtualrealityla.com/summer-expo-16. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  21. ↑ Ben Lang (2016-07-13). "VRLA Summer Expo Bringing Reggie Watts, VR Rave, and More to LA August 5th and 6th". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-summer-expo-2016-tickets-pass-registration-discount-coupon/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Joe Durbin (2016-07-13). "Reggie Watts Is The Keynote Speaker For VRLA's Biggest Expo Yet". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/reggie-watts-keynote-speaker-vrlas-biggest-expo-yet/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Arti Sergeev (2017-03-27). "VRLA 2017 Brings Largest VR/AR Expo to Los Angeles". 80 Level. https://80.lv/articles/vrla-2017-brings-largest-vrar-expo-to-los-angeles. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "VRLA Announces 2018 Expo Dates". Broadcast Beat. 2017-08-30. https://broadcastbeat.com/news/vrla-announces-2018-expo-dates. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  25. ↑ "VRLA 2018 Returns to Los Angeles May 4th & 5th - Save 15%". Road to VR. 2018-04-24. https://roadtovr.com/vrla-2018-returns-los-angeles-may-4th-5th-save-15/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "VRLA 2018 Announces Keynotes and Expo Highlights". Animation World Network. 2018-04-12. https://www.awn.com/news/vrla-2018-announces-keynotes-and-expo-highlights. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Jamie Feltham (2018-04-13). "Archangel Dev To Make World Premiere At VRLA Next Month". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/archangel-dev-make-world-premiere-vrla-next-month/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Ben Lang (2015-07-07). "2015 Proto Awards Ceremony to Be Held September 22nd Alongside Oculus Connect, Submissions End July 15th". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/2015-proto-awards-ceremony-to-be-held-september-22nd-alongside-oculus-connect-submissions-end-july-15th/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  29. ↑ Paul James (2015-03-22). "Reload Studios' Multiplayer FPS Revealed as 'World War Toons' (Screenshot Gallery)". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/reload-studios-vr-multiplayer-fps-revealed-as-world-war-toons-screenshot-gallery/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  30. ↑ Paul James (2015-03-17). "Try the HTC Vive for Yourself at VRLA Spring Expo, Courtesy of WEVR". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/try-the-htc-vive-for-yourself-at-vrla-spring-expo-courtesy-of-wevr/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  31. ↑ Paul James (2015-09-06). "Watch AMD's VRLA Keynote on VR's Present and Future". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/watch-amds-vrla-keynote-on-vrs-present-and-future/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  32. ↑ Paul James (2016-01-21). "Survios to Live Stream New HTC Vive FPS 'Raw Data' at VRLA Winter Expo". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/survios-to-live-stream-new-htc-vive-fps-raw-data-at-vrla-winter-expo/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Brad Chacos (2016-01-25). "Nvidia, AMD tease secretive new hardware at VR event". PCWorld. https://www.pcworld.com/article/419307/nvidia-amd-tease-secretive-new-hardware-at-vr-event.html. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  34. ↑ Ben Lang (2016-07-27). "Visionary VR to Give First Glimpse of Content Creation App at VRLA Next Week". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/visionary-vr-to-give-first-glimpse-of-content-creation-app-at-vrla-next-week/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  35. ↑ Lucas Matney (2016-08-06). "Mindshow turns you into a VR actor in your own production". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/06/mindshow-turns-you-into-a-vr-actor-in-your-own-production/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  36. ↑ Fritz Nelson (2017-04-17). "SpaceVR's Satellite Gets Added Funding Boost From HTC". Space.com. https://www.space.com/36490-spacevr-overview-1-satellite-htc-funding.html. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  37. ↑ Manabu Tsuchimoto (2017-04-15). "【VRLA2017】Viveはワイヤレスに、そしてロケットに乗り宇宙へ―HTC基調講演". GameBusiness.jp. https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2017/04/15/13052.html. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  38. ↑ Ben Lang (2017-05-01). "Unity CEO: VR Will Get Huge, But Devs Need to Survive and Avoid Hype Until it Does". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/unity-ceo-vr-will-be-huge-but-stay-focused-and-avoid-the-hype/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  39. ↑ Kent Bye (2017-06-20). "'Rose Colored' is an Impactful Sci-Fi Morality Tale in the Vein of 'Black Mirror'". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/rose-colored-impactful-sci-fi-morality-tale-vein-black-mirror/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
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