Reflections on Industrial Immersive 2025: The Power of Honest Conversations

John Cunningham’s quote from Day Two of Industrial Immersive—“For the price of a beer, I will share the problems we have had”—resonated deeply with me. It embodies a philosophy I wish more industry leaders would embrace. As a solution provider, breaking through the layers of overly optimistic case studies and carefully curated success stories can be a challenge. These narratives often obscure the real pain points that need addressing. Genuine conversations, where industry leaders openly discuss their struggles, are invaluable. While I could dedicate this entire post to the importance of transparency, my goal here is to provide a recap of Industrial Immersive 2025. Key Themes from Industrial Immersive 2025 Industrial Immersive took place earlier this week in Houston, TX, covering a broad spectrum of technologies, including XR, Digital Twins, and AI. While Digital Twins and AI fall slightly outside my primary focus, I’ll primarily reflect on the discussions surrounding XR. Overcoming Pilot Purgatory and IT Hurdles One of the dominant themes from Day One revolved around the challenges of scaling XR initiatives beyond proof of concept (POC). Many organizations struggle to transition from pilot projects to full-scale implementations due to privacy concerns, IT constraints, and internal misalignment. Several key insights stood out: - Cross-department collaboration is critical. Successful XR projects require early buy-in from all relevant departments, including L&D, IT, Sales, Marketing, and Innovation teams. - Software fragmentation remains a challenge. Many teams expressed frustration over having to piece together multiple platforms and services to achieve even basic functionality. - IT approval is often a significant hurdle. While some believe that getting through IT should be straightforward, others likened it to a battle. - Breaking down data silos is easier said than done. Kevin O’Donovan pointed out that shifting company culture and behavior is necessary but incredibly difficult. Emerging Trends and Noteworthy Developments Several promising advancements in the XR space were highlighted at the conference as well as pain points: - Futurus announced its first off-the-shelf OSHA-based training packages, indicating a move toward standardized safety training solutions. - Luminous XR introduced a promising new authoring tool. It may lack items like integration with established learning standards but could make a considerable dent in content development time. - John Cunningham emphasized that many companies struggle with scalability when attempting to expand XR initiatives. - Company culture remains a major obstacle to XR adoption. Many discussions revolved around how non-technical stakeholders often underestimate the technical complexities involved, leading to friction in decision-making. - Irina Mirkina introduced me to the term ‘Pilotitis.’ This refers to the widespread issue where ICT (Information and Communication Technology) projects remain stuck in small-scale trials without ever transitioning to sustainable, enterprise-wide adoption. - Josh Bankston was announced as the new president of the VRARA Houston chapter. - Legal and IP challenges continue to stifle XR projects. As John Cunningham pointed out, IT, legal, and intellectual property issues remain roadblocks for many projects beyond POC. The Meta Firmware Update: A Game-Changer for Developers One of my biggest takeaways from the conference came from a discussion with Josh Bankston around Meta’s latest firmware update. While I had been tracking Meta’s moves in the device management (MDM) space, I was caught off guard by the news of their decision to close the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to Meta devices. This update significantly limits developers’ ability to access and modify Meta’s hardware. While developer mode is still accessible, the process is now more cumbersome. This increased restriction may push companies toward alternative hardware solutions that offer greater flexibility and control. The Future of AI in Enterprise Systems Although my primary focus was on XR, one intriguing AI-related discussion revolved around the concept of ‘AI Swarm’ and its potential applications in enterprise systems. While still an emerging concept, the idea of leveraging decentralized AI networks for business applications holds significant promise. Final Thoughts Industrial Immersive 2025 was an engaging and insightful conference that fostered valuable discussions on the future of XR and enterprise technology. The relaunch of the Houston VRARA chapter, with deeply engaged board members and advisors, is a promising development for the local XR community. While the conference largely focused on success stories, I personally believe that discussing failures is just as crucial. Transparency about challenges and missteps can help the industry learn and grow more effectively. Moving forward, I hope to see more open conversations—whether over a formal panel or a casual drink—where industry leaders share not just their triumphs, but also the lessons learned from their setbacks.