Interview with Advisory Board Member Yvonne van Everdingen: “I still see a lot of skepticism in the market, and as a result, many opportunities are being missed”
The Advisory Board of CIIIC consists of 21 carefully selected members who provide the program team with solicited and unsolicited advice on strategic content. As representatives of the IX community and ambassadors of IX in the Netherlands, they are crucial in connecting with industry. But who are these members, what do they do, and—most importantly—how do they view IX?
In this second edition: Prof. Dr. Yvonne van Everdingen, Professor of Marketing and Innovation at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
"Since 2016, I’ve been fascinated by immersive tech, sparked by the virtual reality launch of the Jaguar I-Pace."
Who are you, and what do you do?
"Besides being a professor in Rotterdam, I’m also the Academic Director of the ECDA (Erasmus Center for Data Analytics) Expert Practice Immersive Tech. On a personal note, I’m married and a mother of three grown-up children. In my free time, I enjoy playing the piano, playing pickleball, and watching my kids’ sports activities from the sidelines."
Why immersive? What attracts you to new content/technology?
"Already during my studies, I developed a strong passion for the marketing of new products, and I’ve continued to focus on that throughout my academic career. I’ve conducted extensive research on market acceptance of new (high-tech) products. Since 2016, I’ve been fascinated by immersive tech, triggered by the virtual reality launch of the Jaguar I-Pace. I was intrigued and decided to try a VR headset myself—and I was blown away by the immersive experience. It felt so real! It’s amazing to walk through a world that doesn’t exist but feels incredibly real.
For several years now, I’ve been researching how immersive tech can create value for businesses, consumers, and society (see my inaugural lecture)."
Why did you want to join the Advisory Board? What specifically appealed to you about the program?
"Despite my enthusiasm—and that of others in my IX network—for immersive technologies, I still see a lot of skepticism in the market, among businesses, citizens, and even in education. As a result, many opportunities are missed. I believe the CIIIC program is essential to give the IX industry a much-needed boost. I’m convinced that IX will eventually play a major role in our society. That’s why it’s important to prepare society and explore valuable applications across sectors. Through my advisory role, I hope to help CIIIC give the immersive industry that boost."
What is your IX dream or mission?
"My dream is that, in the coming years, immersive technologies will gain widespread acceptance and be implemented in areas where they can create significant value and societal impact.
Let me give one example from a marketing perspective and one from a psychological angle. A great example is using—and improving—AR virtual fitting options for online shopping, to reduce product returns. The massive volume of returns not only results in high costs for retailers (value) but also poses an environmental burden (societal impact). Another example is using VR to diagnose and treat patients with anxiety disorders. Scaling up the use of VR can help patients practice facing their fears in a more realistic setting (value), while also reducing wait times (societal impact), especially as part of the treatment could take place at home using a VR headset."
Which developments in the field do you find most important to strengthen and why? Or: what is, in your opinion, the most important development in IX as part of the creative industry?
"There are many ongoing developments, but I’ll highlight a few for clarity. VR is increasingly being used not only in healthcare but also in education for high-risk professions, such as firefighters, police, and the military. It’s important to further investigate the general effectiveness of VR training and explore implementation possibilities.
I also see the integration of AI with VR and AR as a crucial development. AI enables real-time interaction within virtual environments. Combined with the increasing quality of VR content, this leads to more realistic experiences. This, in turn, can help improve acceptance in the market."
Public values are a key focus at CIIIC. What’s your view on that? Do they stimulate or hinder progress?
"They can do both. On the one hand, immersive experiences can promote inclusivity—for example, allowing people with mobility challenges to virtually visit a museum or another country. On the other hand, there are privacy concerns. AR and VR headsets raise privacy issues due to the scale and scope of potential data collection. That can make people hesitant to embrace such technologies."
Finally, the Advisory Board provides advice—what message would you like to share with the community? And how can people find and connect with you to share ideas?
"Don’t use immersive technologies just because you can—use them where they add value and meet real demand. Showcase strong use cases to demonstrate the value of certain applications and align supply with actual needs.
If you have inspiring use cases or want to discuss how we can further advance the immersive tech domain together, feel free to reach out via email (yeverdingen@rsm.nl, adviesraad@ciiic.nl) or connect with me on LinkedIn."
Photography: Ben Houdijk