According to ChinaJoy, the 1^st MetaCon will kick off in late August this year. The organizing committee will invite experts and figures in the field to form an advisory group for the convention to ensure its high quality and establish MetaCon as a flagship high-level convention brand in the metaverse industry. Recently, the convention announced the core members of the advisory group. Mr. Duan Zhiyun, Chairman and Founder of PROXIMAI, has been invited to join Ms. Hou Mingjuan, Global Vice President of Qualcomm, Mr. Xiao Feng, Chairman of Wanxiang Blockchain, and other experts in the field of metaverse to provide professional guidance on the planning and organization of the convention, give counsel, and hold joint discussions for the creation of a top specialized platform for resources and exchanges in the field of metaverse.

Gathering top experts in the field, the 1^st high-level convention on metaverse reveals insights into future leadership

Jointly guided by the National Press and Publication Administration and Shanghai Municipal People's Government, organized by China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association and Shanghai Howell Expo Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Shanghai Municipal Press and Publication Bureau and the People's Government of Shanghai Pudong New Area, ChinaJoy is one of the most well-known and influential global annual event in the digital entertainment industry. Covering such digital entertainment fields as gaming, animation, Internet film & TV, Internet music, online literature, e-sports, trendy toys, intelligent entertainment software and hardware, and many others, it ranks at the top globally in terms of scale. It is a highly anticipated event in the global digital industry by its panoramic showcasing of the development highlights and latest achievements in the digital industry.

In 2022, ChinaJoy set up the 1^st MetaCon for metaverse. Co-organized by Shanghai Howell Expo Co., Ltd., and TF Metaverse Research Center, and centering on the theme of "Fusing Parallel Worlds and Igniting Future Value", the convention will invite the world's top companies and representatives in the field of metaverse to exchange cutting-edge views, offer insights into industry trends, and jointly promote the healthy development of the metaverse ecology. The 1^st MetaCon will be innovatively held simultaneously in the MetaJoy world and on live streaming platforms in 2022. When the convention opens, leaders from relevant ministries and commissions of the state, local governments, and associations, experts and scholars, and Chinese and foreign experts in the field of the digital economy will provide authoritative interpretations with regard to policies, technologies, and economic environment. The world's top players and giants such as Facebook, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Unity will share industry trends from different angles. And enterprises from the entire industry chain including software and hardware, content, technologies, applications, channels, and investment in the field of metaverse will release a good number of the latest products and achievements from around the world in the field of metaverse. In addition, a product display and interactive experience area will be set up at the site to allow the audience to feel the wonderful and novel experience of the metaverse on the spot. For enterprises in the metaverse industry, it is a valuable opportunity to gain insight into industry trends and hear cutting-edge ideas, as well as an excellent stage for brand exposure, business cooperation, and product display.

Taking the lead in cultivating the metaverse, Duan Zhiyun and the pioneers in the field jointly founded PROXIMAI

Mr. Duan Zhiyun, Chairman and Founder of PROXIMAI, has been invited for in-depth participation in the convention as a member of the advisory group. As the former Vice President of Roblox China who was one of the earliest enablers of the cooperation project between Tencent and Roblox, and the builder of the team for Roblox's business in China and the operating system for the developer community, Duan Zhiyun has a profound professional background in the field of metaverse. After the emergence of the concept of "metaverse", Duan Zhiyun, as one of the experts in metaverse products in China, served as a core guest speaker for the metaverse forum at Chinajoy for two consecutive years, participated in the policy discussions about metaverse in many regions across the country, and joined the Metaverse Research Center of TF Securities as the chief consultant to constantly promote the budding and development of China's metaverse industry, enjoying high prestige and sway in the field of metaverse in China.

In March 2022, Duan Zhiyun, together with the original core team members of Roblox China, devoted all their efforts to the field of metaverse and established PROXIMAI, a high-tech graphics and AI company. With young users as the target groups, and aiming at the current pain points experienced by users such as antiquated experience on social platforms and excessive commercialization, PROXIMAI develops metaverse AIGC, UGC platforms, and social applications, and creates 3D situational interactive social platforms for new-generation users around the three systems of virtual human, virtual identity and virtual scene.

Duan Zhiyun realized that although the metaverse industry contains multiple subfields such as social networking and gaming, due to the strict regulatory policies on the gaming market in China, and the gaming industry's insufficient carrying capacity for innovation since it is gradually entering the stage of the stock market, it is not the preferred fulcrum to drive the development of the metaverse industry. On the other hand, as social networking products naturally have a vast amount of potential users, iteration and innovation are urgently needed for current social networking products that are prone to bring anxiety and pressure to users and have lost the sense of intimate companionship, social networking is a better subfield for future metaverse explorations in China. By applying the latest technologies, PROXIMAI will develop Social 3.0 to break the physical constraints of time and space and allow users to relax and get comforted in virtual situations, regaining the essence of social networking. It is an opinion shared by Duan Zhiyun and the core team of PROXIMAI that the era of the metaverse is the era of creators. Guided by this concept, PROXIMAI will create a "content + social networking" dual flywheel to complete the cold start of the community with self-developed content on the one hand, and help users create a massive amount of content by creating virtual world editing tools and building open platforms for content on the other hand.

PROXIMAI is advancing with firm steps under its strong founding team, clear ideas for products, and development plans. Early this year, PROXIMAI successfully obtained angel investment from such institutions as Huoyan Lingjing Fund, with a valuation of 200 million yuan, reflecting the capital market's full confidence in the future development of the company. At the 1^st MetaCon in 2022, PROXIMAI is expected to bring more pleasant surprises to the industry. PROXIMAI is currently seeking the Pre-A round of financing, and we welcome people of insight to join hands with PROXIMAI to seize the opportunity in China's metaverse industry and start the next social networking era.