On September 17, the Swiss Metaverse Association (SMA) held its 2nd General Assembly at furrerhugi’s new office in the heart of Zurich. Around 30 members attended in person, with several joining via video call.

After covering the formalities, we turned our focus to the association’s future strategy and to the working groups. We are excited to welcome Preeti Molasi and Pedro Lopez-Belmonte as the new leads for the Consumer, Retail, Fashion & Luxury group.

In the second part of the evening, we had the privilege of hearing from several insightful speakers. Emily Reinhold shared findings from her master’s thesis, highlighting the risks and challenges the metaverse faces. Vittoria Schenk discussed the marketing potential of the metaverse, emphasizing its benefits for brand perception, conversion rates, and advertising effectiveness. Pedro Lopez, Web3 & Technology Innovation Sr Manager at Richemont Group, captivated us with his presentation on tokenization in the luxury industry, stressing the importance of collaboration and describing the metaverse as the experience layer that connects data and process.

We had the honor of welcoming States Council Matthias Michel, who delivered a compelling presentation on why the metaverse has not yet entered political discussions. He explained that politics is still catching up with the challenges of Web 2.0, while the metaverse remains too abstract for many. Additionally, concerns around blockchain persist, and there is a noticeable lack of Generation Z and digital natives in parliament. Despite these hurdles, he emphasized a growing window of opportunity, particularly following the recent acceptance of the E-ID law. Matthias Michel encouraged the association to solidify its position as the leading expert on metaverse-related topics, offering guidance and support to decision-makers and politicians.

The event concluded with an apero, where members continued exchanging ideas in a constructive and positive atmosphere. A huge thank you to all the speakers, participants, and everyone who contributed to making this event a success!