Meet in Virtual Conferences: Jason English and Virtuworx Engineer Virtual Remote Meetings

Jason English has the reputation of a man who knows how to get things done. Whether during his previous career in the oil and gas industry or his present-day position as Chief Ecosystem Officer at CG Tech, the 43-year-old entrepreneur often capitalizes on his incredible business acumen to forge ahead with innovative solutions, specifically tailored to solve complex work-based challenges in the current and post-Covid-19 era.

For most, the global pandemic has meant a time of uncertainty, and for many businesses this has created an unavoidable loss of revenue and drastic changes to workforce management. As various countries around the world began to implement lockdowns in March, one of the main issues faced by companies was how to continue working with their teams in a meaningful, albeit completely remote way.

Jason English and CG Tech, an investment holding company, based in the Middle East, South Africa and the United Kingdom, believe they already held the answer.

CG Tech, spearheaded by Chairman Niall Carroll and English, invests in a diverse portfolio with a keen interest in industrial and events-based services. Prior to the pandemic, one of CG Tech's operating companies, The Virtulab, developed an innovative digital platform to provide a more flexible virtual reality-based training metaverse. The cutting-edge design allowed users to remotely meet up for training, planning and learning purposes by controlling digital avatars on their phone, tablet, or desktop screens. Originally conceived as an in-house team productivity solution, The Virtulab team very quickly recognized the need for the technology to be made more widely available, and subsequently Virtuworx was born.

"When the coronavirus pandemic took hold earlier this year, our teams were already successfully using Virtuworx, so we thought why keep it to yourselves? The rise of 'work from home' orders around the globe gave us the perfect opportunity to shift the platform from an internal project, to a tangible solution for businesses across a variety of sectors," said English. 

Virtuworx offers its users a unique blend of the physical and virtual world, utilizing virtual reality, augmented reality and "gamification" attributes to the experience. The platform allows teams to stay socially connected, be focused and more productive, even when they're not physically able to be in the same room. The avatar-based virtual environment can be fully customizable, giving companies and their clients access to virtual training, offices, events, education, trade shows and conferences in a typical auditorium or on the surface of the moon.

Its suite of digital solutions may be a game changer in 2021 as the world has seen a substantial shift in how we live and work. For English, recognizing an opportunity and swiftly changing business strategies to meet demand is a skill that comes as second nature.

"We are an innovative group of companies with an entrepreneurial culture." notes English. "Identifying a challenge and exploring all possible avenues to discover a meaningful solution is something that excites us and that is exactly what our partners have done with The Virtulab and other CG Tech companies."

The South African businessman is a fanatical believer in synergy and encouraging an optimized corporate culture. In his soon-to-be released book, English explores what he refers to as "The Oros Effect." Simply put, English proposes a strategy based on effectively transferring one's mission and vision to those within their organization. If a business leader can align the purpose of their employees, then they can be confident in their decision making, cognizant that they are all working towards a shared goal.

English believes successful leaders are those who are able to seamlessly transfer their "Oros" into those working with them.

"An efficient company culture breeds a team of people who are confident in their working environment. This is because they understand the philosophy of their leader and naturally will make decisions based on the best interest of the company," English explained.

"If a leader is unable to successfully transfer their 'Oros' it will be extremely difficult for those around them to push forward, especially in times of uncertainty like we're seeing during this pandemic," he added.

Virtuworx is a prime example of English's mantra in practice, since The Virtulab team quickly recognized that the technology they were already using for internal training had become more relevant than ever. By switching gears and throwing all their energy to building a scalable, feature-rich platform, The Virtulab team was able to accomplish their goals quickly and efficiently.

Virtuworx's potential is significant and will likely remain so long after the pandemic is over, particularly since the current video conference tools like Zoom have induced feelings of fatigue and do not tackle the growing sense of isolation by employees. Virtuworx offers an alternative in which both employees and employers' work experience becomes engaging due to the interactions of their digital avatars within these customizable metaverses.

The live events industry is another sector that can greatly benefit from the use of a digital platform. Through the platform, one can create a bespoke one-off event or even recreate an iconic venue to hold a completely virtual experience. This past November, Virtuworx hosted the first virtual reality based TEDx event, TEDxLytteltonWomen 2020, proving The Virtulab team and their platform is more than up for a challenge.

Moreover, Virtuworx can also give a boost to a company's bottom line, saving time, money and decreasing its carbon footprint. It is the latter attribute, considering dramatic climate change expected on the horizon, which Virtuworx offers as a viable and compelling solution for businesses. 

Less than a year ago, most of humanity had basic assumptions about the future. With the pandemic, collectively we've had to re-evaluate and adapt our work and lives. In a time of ambiguity, innovation and sustainable strategies proposed by the likes of Jason English and The Virtulab team are clearly more urgent than ever.