The metaverse didn't replace events because people still want to gather.

observation — attributed to Iain Morrison

The most useful evidence about whether digital tools will replace live events is the post-pandemic data. If the metaverse was going to take off in events, nobody would have come back after COVID. They came back. They keep coming back. The technology layer matters and is growing more sophisticated, but the fundamental reason events exist is unchanged: people want to gather, and no digital substitute has produced what gathering produces.

The honest framing for executives and investors evaluating whether to bet against live formats.

live-events, digital-vs-physical, post-pandemic, gathering-instinct