SILICON ISLAND - Second Life is social at its core, but technology drives the ability of every SL resident to connect to and use Second Life to its fullest. SL's technology is being studied in the real world as a business driver. The 2007 Silicon Island Technology Expo in April aims to fulfill the needs of real world business through technological innovation found within Second Life. "Our focus is really to let RL business know what SL product developers are producing that would make their operations easier in SL," according to Liam Kanno, organizer of the Expo.

Kanno and his assistant Kelly Emms have been working to bring together the top innovators of business products in one place. The headlining vendor is Sun Microsystems, and numerous other SL-based vendors will be exhibiting. The confirmed list of vendors includes Barry Walcher of Rezzible, Al Trumbo of the SL Telephone Store, Andy Enfield of Hippotech Rental System, Raquel Montagne of AdBox, Sanderman Cyclone with the Vertex Modelling Tool, Wiz Nordberg with SoundReach Virtual Voice, and LukeConnell Vanderverre of the World Stock Exchange. The Expo will be broadcast live via radio by Shaft Seattle of SLBC-Radio.com, who will interview vendors.

The Expo will run from April 20 to 22 and will feature businesses which are focused in their efforts to make Second Life a viable medium for conducting real world business. At press time, 28 vendors have signed up to display their products, and the Expo building will open in April to allow the vendors to begin setting up their booths. A registration package has been created to supply prospective vendors with everything they need. The cutoff date for vendors to register was Feb. 28, but the date will be extended for vendors still in active negotiations with Kanno and Emms.

Admittance to the Expo will be by invitation due to sim size, though the media will be present. "CNet and Wired are in SL so they are a few that we intend to target," Kanno said. "We plan to target Fortune and Business Week, since it seems about every issue there is some mention of SL."

"Silicon Island was designed for SL businesses. We also have eight companies that operate out of this island," Kanno said. Sharing the island is the headquarters for V3, which operates a legal firm and a film studio on the island, among other businesses. The building for the Expo, located on the Silicon Island sim, is composed of three levels with enough space for 40 vendor booths. The first floor consists of an information booth and two spaces for sponsors, as well as 16 booths for vendors. The second floor is slightly smaller, and the roof will host vehicles and a party to occur on the evening of April 21.

"I am sure that this is just the beginning for SL developers.There is some great Web-based and telecommunication technology being installed into SL... Now that the source code has been released I am sure there will be much more interactivity between different systems," Kanno said. "There is some excellent human and intellectual capital out there and perhaps the collective presence of all of those minds here, will spark some new ideas."