Virtual Worlds 2007 is a conference in New York at the end of March that is billed as the future of marketing and media. I would race there myself but tickets cost $795, and I can’t afford anything over $789.

The keynotes speakers are from MTV, IBM and Nickelodeon. Other speakers include Philip Rosendale, and his equivalents from There.com, Entropia Universe, Multiverse Networks, Areae Inc, Disney, Millions of Us, and so on. Yes, the gang’s all here!

According to the blurb, attendees will learn all this:

• What are popular Virtual World activities and destinations
• Understand Consumer behavior patterns inside virtual worlds
• Learn from fellow marketers, brands and agencies
• Hear exclusive case studies from major corporations
• How to create a successful strategy
• Measure real-world results and campaign metrics
• Tech and design issues and how to leverage assets
• IP issues as they pertain to established brands
• What are your ecommerce options
• Design secrets from innovative virtual world startups
• VW Roadmap – where are virtual worlds technologies heading next
• How to go big – or go small.Tie your virtual presence into the real world
• Secrets on working with the right developer/agency
• Standalone immersive corporate worlds vs Second Life

Personally, there are two interesting things I have already learned from this, not including the self-evident fact that synthetic worlds are now becoming le plat du jour for cutting edge marketeers.

Firstly, the main sponsor of the conference is the Electric Sheep Company which, taken with their recent round of funding, indicates where some people think all this is heading. Their main (only?) current competitor rivers run red are also sponsoring, and appearing at, the conference.
The clear implication of this is that the days of wide-eyed wonder are drawing to a close, and the window of opportunity that occurs at the onset of all new media is now being oiled in preparation for being gently but firmly closed.

Secondly, as if to confirm that the process of oiling has begun, I discovered that MTV have hired there.com to build them their own Virtual Laguna Beach, the results of which are beginning to trickle back into the main There experience.

In complex and contradictory ways, I regard the closing of this window as inevitable, and probably as a good thing. It indicates that an allegedly emergent medium is in fact actually emerging. It also indicates that those who would insist on entertaining you are beginning to see it as a viable arena for their activities.

Which means that it is clearly also a viable arena for mine.