Second Places

Contract Wins for Virtual Worlds Specialist
December 1, 2008;

News release – for immediate use

Aberdeen-based Second Places, which specialises in developing online virtual worlds for corporate clients, has won a clutch of new contracts.

Among the new clients which have commissioned Second Places to bring them to life in a virtual world are Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, The Key Innovation Centre in Warrington, the Planning Portal website and Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in Liverpool.

Virtual worlds are a revolutionary new way of using the internet and with millions of users all over the globe, the industry is growing at such a pace it is predicted that by the end of 2011, 80% of internet users will have a "second life" in a virtual world.

Second Places will build individual presences for each organisation in an online world full of virtual buildings, shops, schools, leisure facilities and offices – such as Second Life, which is the most widely known – where they can be visited by electronic representations of the internet user, known as avatars.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council will have a virtual council office, which will deal with real-life council services, community engagement and consultations as well as offering support for small businesses.

The Key Innovation Centre wanted to create a virtual version of its centre in Warrington, which showcases innovative IT products and solutions.

Once complete, the virtual centre will replicate the purpose of the real life centre and will be capable of hosting virtual exhibitions that can be "visited" by avatars.

Second Places was engaged by the Planning Portal, an organisation which brokers major parts of UK planning applications, to recreate a virtual house in Second Life. Online visitors to the house can obtain information about various planning rules and regulations.

And the company is working with Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School to build a virtual lecture theatre, sports facilities and a learning resource centre.

Mark Duffy, Managing Director of Second Places, said: “We are delighted to have won these new clients and are looking forward to working closely with them to create virtual presences for them which meet their individual needs.
"The concept of virtual worlds is still relatively new but the diversity of our client range shows the potential for companies and organisations across many different sectors to use virtual worlds as an effective and innovative way of reaching their target market. When the possibilities are fully realised, we believe that having a presence in a virtual world will become as commonplace as websites.

"While many people use virtual worlds for leisure, there are vast opportunities for business use and many companies use them as a communication channel for employees to express ideas and opinions.

"Virtual worlds can also be used to host events, exhibitions, open days and so on, as well as being used as a tool to showcase the company’s products."

Julie Hayes, ICT Support Services Unit Manager at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, said: "Second Places have proved to be an excellent choice for us in Tameside. The talented team have transformed our island into a brilliant showcase; demonstrating what is easily achievable for local councils.

"It is early days for us and we are looking forward to using the island for events and consultation; potentially reaching out to residents that we have not been able to engage before."

Second Places was formed by a partnership between Fusion Unity in Aberdeen and Clicks and Links in Manchester, and now employs eight members of staff who work with around 25 clients.

As a market leader in developing innovative, interactive virtual worlds for clients, Second Places helps them make the best use of virtual technology to achieve their business objectives.

The team has worked across multiple industry sectors such as business, travel and tourism, non-profit, entertainment, private and education sectors.

It has also developed a virtual training tool for the global energy industry, which uses virtual worlds to simulate potential disasters and was recently previewed at the Virtual Worlds London event.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Second Places by The BIG Partnership. For further information, please contact Shona Hendry on 01224 615003 or 07739 314158 or log on to www.secondplaces.net

NOTES TO EDITORS

• Second Places has built an excellent reputation for delivering high quality services to clients and recently received recognition at the Big Chip Awards 2008 and the Classic/FM Gramophone Audience Innovation Award 2008.
• Second Places can offer clients the chance to develop their own private virtual world or to create a virtual presence within an existing platform, as well as organising virtual events such as seminars and awards ceremonies.
• Recent clients have included various public sector organisations, including local authorities in Kent, Oldham and Tameside, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Domino’s Pizza.
• Virtual worlds are made up of a series of islands, buildings and locations, which can replicate places in the real world online, such as iconic buildings like the Urbis Museum in Manchester. Users create an individual avatar, which is an electronic representation of themselves, which they then navigate through the virtual world. While many people use virtual worlds for leisure, there are vast possibilities for business use.