A festival for the senses. Upon arriving at the private mansion on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris's 8th arrondissement, which is hosting the second edition of We Are French Touch, one is immediately struck by the intoxicating scent of orange blossom. A symbol of ancestral French savoir-faire, this fragrance is diffused by the young Grasse-based perfume brand Geodora, which is showcasing its products at the building's entrance. According to Gérard Gatti, its founder, " perfumery is an art with a distinctly French accent. " This vision, combined with its eco-responsible positioning, explains its presence at this gathering of the cultural and creative industries. " Our approach is rooted in sustainability. Our products are designed in France, our aluminum bottles are refillable, we use only organic alcohol, and we are members of 1% for the Planet ," explains the CEO.

A few floors up, it's no longer smell but hearing that takes center stage with Ircam Amplify . Comfortably seated in armchairs and sofas, about ten people, wearing headphones and blindfolds, embark on an immersive sound journey. " We're here to connect with the French Touch community, find partners, and demonstrate the power of immersive sound ," explains the communications manager for this Ircam subsidiary.

Among these partners, several image companies exhibit in the we are_ shows to demonstrate that French know-how also exists in the virtual world.
Timescope has thus installed one of its virtual reality terminals and offers the public who come in large numbers to travel through time and space. " We value heritage through digital “says the exhibitor. With more than fifty terminals installed in France or Belgium, the startup has an in-house 3D studio to design new content in order to " make you want to visit the territory differently ».

From the real world to the metaverse

After a tour of the exhibition halls, it was off to the garden where a giant tent had been erected to house the event's main stage. Solo or duo, around a hundred top speakers took turns sharing their vision of French Touch. Among them, Louis Cacciuttolo, CEO of Vrroom , took the opportunity to announce the launch date of the first metaverse platform dedicated to the world of live entertainment. " We'll see you on January 10, 2023, to show what we can do in France. There will be three concerts in the metaverse, followed by meet-and-greets between artists and their fans, and a DJ set ," he explained. But beyond simply bringing live performance into the metaverse, Vrroom aims to give everyone the ability to create their own universe in just a few clicks. " The unique feature of our metaverse is that it allows each artist, broadcaster, or producer to create their own universe, but above all, to monetize their content ."

An application that captivated Jean-Michel Jarre, who was also present at the event to share his " love at first sight " for the metaverse. Having witnessed the beginnings of electronic music and the rise of digital technology, the artist is now interested in a new disruption: immersion. However, he adds a note of caution: " The metaverse is being discussed somewhat haphazardly, mixing NFTs and cryptocurrencies, business and creativity. And then there's the lightning bolt, which can be dangerous. The ethical aspect shouldn't be overlooked; we need to lay the groundwork for it as quickly as possible."

A topic extensively discussed during a roundtable entitled "Towards a New Ethical and Responsible Web?" " The whole point of Web 3 is that at no point do we reveal our identity. We interact by creating a wallet, a digital wallet. In my opinion, this opens an ethical and responsible era; we become owners of the data we share and, above all, of the data we don't share, " stated Lucie-Eleonore Riveron, CEO of NFT Factory. A nuanced perspective was offered by Martin Signoux, Public Policy Manager at Meta: " Beyond this absolutist vision, when things become very public, there is often a recalibration because there are legal obligations to respect. We can clearly see that in Europe, there is a desire on the part of regulators to create a framework to prevent abuses."

Finally, to close this day with debates, exchanges and sharing, a large place was given to music, with the live performance of Xavier Polycarpe (member of the Gush and Macadam Crocodile groups) before welcoming Axel Basquiat and Vincent Trémel of the group The Penelopes to resound loud and clear the anthem of the French Touch.