Teams Real Simple with Pictures: A first look at Mesh Immersive Spaces

Last week we looked at the new Town Hall functionality set to replace Teams Live Events. And as promised we are going to venture again into the meeting/events space by looking at the introduction of Mesh Immersive Spaces into public preview. For many, these spaces will constitute the next step forward with Microsoft Mesh after the introduction of Avatars into Teams. But what are they? By definition they are 'three-dimensional (3D) immersive space(s), helping virtual meetings/events feel more like face-to-face connections. [They] have unique attributes that create a perception of being physically together [with]in a 3D digital space, including spatial interaction, co-presence, and immersion' (Microsoft, 2023). In other words they are designed to be active meeting experiences as opposed to passive, and to have a level of immersion which you may not get from a standard Teams meeting, or even an in person experience. And whilst on the face of it they may seem to be a natural fit for remote workers or orgs which operate in hybrid in order to equalise the meeting experience, they are very much as you will discover applicable for all. If you have ever used platforms such as the recently retired AltSpaceVR you may already be familiar with such an experience in principle. Now it is here in the Microsoft Teams classic client; soon to be 2.1. It's time to try it out - and I am pretty sure I'll be writing many more blogs on Microsoft Mesh over the coming year as this is just the tip of the iceberg. Its good to see Microsoft prrogressing with their Metaverse offering.