Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the 10th annual Meta Connect developer conference on Sept. 27 at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. At the company’s first in-person conference since the start of the pandemic, Zuckerberg told the audience of developers, employees and journalists that Meta is “focused on building the future of human connection.”

Registration for the in-person Connect conference was limited, but the event was open to the public virtually. The in-person experience included access to the networking events and demos. As mentioned, this year’s Connect is an in-person event. Virtual attendees didn’t need to register in advance, and there was no charge for online attendance. 

Meta Connect was launched in 2014 as an opportunity for developers to network, preview new technology and discover how their products could fit into the mix. The first six events were held in person, while the last three have been online. 

Prior to COVID, the event was hosted at venues like Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles and the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. 

Like many other tech companies, Meta has cut jobs in the last 12 months, with more than 20,000 layoffs since last November, according to the Associated Press. Recently, the company reported Q2 revenues of $32.0 billion, an increase of 11% year-over-year, according to Meta’s Q2 financials.

Against this backdrop, industry insiders, developers and the media gathered for the social media company's biggest event of the year. Corporate Event News curated a list of three highlights for organizers.

Product launches. The company, which renamed itself Meta two years ago, unveiled several new products, including the next version of its virtual reality headset, the Quest 3. Zuckerberg introduced an AI personal assistant people can interact with using any of Meta’s messaging apps. He also introduced the next version of Meta’s Ray Ban Stories smart glasses, which let people record video or photos, livestream, listen to music and interact with the Meta AI assistant. Read more about Meta Connect’s biggest product launches here.

Hybrid experience. The event was streamed live on Facebook, and users could also access the showcase from Meta’s Horizon Worlds app with a Quest VR headset. The Meta Horizon Worlds was branded as a social experience where users could explore, play and create worlds. One participant shared his experience in an AI Business story: “For all of Meta's talk at Connect 2023, it was difficult to watch the event in VR,” wrote Ben Wodecki.  

Keynotes. In addition to Zuckerberg, the two-day event featured a number of other special guests to help unveil the new Meta Quest 3 and reveal how Meta is bringing mixed reality to life. Attendees heard how AI helps people connect and express themselves in new ways and got a first look at the latest products and updates that will help developers build the future of human connection. During the keynote “Building the Future” by Meta Chief Scientist Michael Abrash, attendees learned how Meta’s research labs are inventing foundational technologies to enable the computing platform of the future. For a limited time, watch select presentations on demand.