A mayor's vision
Laval Virtual is an association that has been organizing an international exhibition on immersive technologies since 1999 in the city of Laval in Mayenne. The first edition was born under the impulsion of François d'Aubert, former Minister of Research and Mayor of Laval, with the ambition to gather on the same territory many actors of virtual reality.
The first exhibition on virtual reality
In 1999, it was a bold bet for a medium-sized territory to position the city of Laval ahead of other much larger metropolises. Innovating also meant having the flair to bet on technologies that were then emerging and highly confidential. The inspiration came from Japan, but it was in Laval that the first exhibition dedicated to virtual reality was born.
Facilitator for VR/AR organizations
Today, Laval Virtual is establishing itself as a facilitator for virtual and augmented reality organizations, as well as its related technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing and the Internet of Things. Its ambition is to bring players together by organizing events, such as Laval Virtual, which takes place every year in the spring, but also Laval Virtual Asia in China since 2017.
From 1999 to 2018
In 2018, the Laval Virtual exhibition celebrated its 20th edition! A key anniversary that marks a strong step in its development with, on this occasion, a large-scale event that matches its leading position. Relive the history of the first international exhibition on virtual and augmented reality.
A startup spirit in an association
The Laval Virtual association was born with the mission to develop virtual reality on the local territory and to position itself as a pioneer on an international scale.Today, this will has accelerated: taking initiatives, orientation towards opportunities, reactivity, audacity and flexibility are part of this pioneering spirit, a start-up spirit to introduce new dynamics of exploration, questioning, experimentation and an appetite for permanent learning.
It is this state of mind that allows us to develop new services and multiply initiatives to open the minds of companies to the use of virtual reality and augmented reality: creativity rooms, labs, showrooms, hackathons, proximity and partnership with incubators. Beyond these innovatively designed spaces within the Laval Virtual Center, Laval Virtual leaves the door open to initiatives, to move towards a participative innovation approach with its customers.
Explore the future today
Since 1999 and the first edition, Laval Virtual has been the place of presentation and experimentation of innovative technologies and solutions presented for the first time: CAVE, headseats, haptic, drones, augmented reality glasses, artifical intelligence, BCI. Every year, the association looks for ever more innovative projects for the benefit of all visitors.