SLENTRE.COM

By Sigmund Leominster, News Editor
Investing in an airline has always been a risky option. In fact, many speculators view investing in airlines as an expensive “hobby” – something one does for fun but doesn’t expect to be paid from it. Competition between carriers is fierce, and even more so in airspace-deregulated Europe. Low margins and ever-rising jet fuel prices make the entire industry a high-cost, high-risk, and high-stress operation.

So it wasn’t all too unexpected that Air France-KLM shares fell by almost 50% over the past year. What was unexpected was the creation of a new venue in the Second Life virtual world aimed at providing shareholders with a very different way of experiencing their quarterly financials. And the whole thing has a sweet irony in that the airline industry is one that has zero value in a world where teleportation makes airplanes redundant.

(Aerial view of the Air France-KLM build in Second Life. )

The “île dans le ciel” is a wonderful construction that resides high in the clouds some 200 meters above the ground. According to its designer, Tatiana Saloman, it is “an almost immaterial atmosphere where the light marries the transparency. An invitation for a journey in a world of poetic dreams.” It certainly does present one as a vast, airy location made up of glass and clouds.

The chairman of Air France-KLM, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, says that “the Second Life universe gives our shareholders a place to learn about the Group and exchange information and ideas in a convivial, interactive environment. As they discover the different spaces, visitors understand the assets that have made Air France-KLM the leader in Europe and worldwide, and will enable it to emerge stronger from the current extremely difficult period.”

Intrepid shareholders are provided with a “Help Area” for newbies and a special “jet pack” that has to be worn in order to use the teleport system.

(Air France-KLM Teleport Hub acts as a central gateway to the sims’ three main buildings.)

There is a central Hub area that acts as a starting point to take you to one of four buildings: the Home sphere, the Museum, the Lounge, and the Auditorium.

(Air France-KLM Lounge includes video footage of the Air France-KLM fleet.)

The Home sphere contains a virtual library where shareholders can find the latest financial reports and information about the fleet, and the Lounge contains more stock information as well as a statement on corporate social responsibility.

(Air France-KLM Second Life Museum)

To get an idea of the history of the group, visitors can go to the Museum, which features posters and scale models of historic Air France and KLM planes. Finally, the Auditorium is a huge, open-spaced glass structure containing a large screen on one side and a large conference table at the other. A link to a Flickr® slide show presentation of the sim can be found at the official Air France-KLM in Second Life site.

The creation and deployment of the sim was undertaken by i-marginal, a company that has been in business for ten years, specializing in what they describe as “new media.” This includes web pages, Flash applications, blogs, interactive animations and web-based videos.
Even if you are not a company shareholder, you should consider visiting the build and exploring the buildings and multi-media presentations. It’s well worth the trip.

Air France-KLM Press Release: http://www.slentre.com/second-life-news-air-france-klm-meets-their-shareholders-in-second-life/

Websites:
Official Air France-KLM in Second Life site (English): http://airfranceklm-sl.com/en.html
Flickr Slide Show of the venue: http://www.flickr.com/groups/949304@N21/pool/show/
i-marginal website: http://www.imarginal.com/