Simulation and Reality: Revisiting IITSEC with Newfound Expertise and Mild Trepidation  

by Tim Collins, North American Sales

Every year at the tail end of November and very beginning of December, just as most of the country begins its consumerist pilgrimage toward the nearest mall, a very different migration happens in the world of training and simulation. This migration takes place not to crowded sales racks or the fluorescent-lit aisles of Target or Best Buy, but to the many hotels that line either side of International Boulevard and eventually, to the sprawling exhibition halls of the West Concourse within the Orange County Convention Center, home of I/ITSEC. 

It’s not an acronym you can easily say without practice (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference) and, according to its own literature, it’s “the world's largest modeling, simulation, and training event.”

For the uninitiated, I/ITSEC is an annual event where the community's finest—from defense contractors to “Thought Leaders” to educators to a subset of engineers who possess an astoundingly deep knowledge of virtual worlds all gather under the same roof. This is where the simulation elite collide, a near-sacred space for innovation industry, a place to see the technology of tomorrow. Widely regarded as the epicenter of simulation and training innovation, I/ITSEC is a must-experience event. Last year, I attended I/ITSEC for the first time, and though I had been working within this industry for some time, I had only recently started my position as Account Manager for North America at MAK. I was armed with a mirage of confidence backed by what I hoped was an adequate knowledge of MAK and our suite of products. Spoiler Alert: It wasn’t, but more on that later. 

A Year Ago: When IITSEC Was Equal Parts Overwhelming and Enlightening  

To say that I/ITSEC 2023 was an eye-opener would be both a cliché and an understatement. For those unfamiliar with large-scale conferences—and by large, I mean on the order of tens of thousands of square feet of exhibit space, multiple concurrent sessions, and a disorienting array of promotional materials—It’s a Huxleyan barrage of stimuli and vanguard technologic displays, booths with bathrooms, and built-in cafeterias, which are organizational and architectural wonders in their own right. But it's not just about the tangible elements; it’s intellectual too. Imagine a dialect where everyone speaks in acronyms, where phrases like “multi-domain operations” and “Live Virtual Constructive” and other colloquialisms are bandied about like they are common knowledge, and where the term “synthetic training environment” doesn't spark debates about the meaning of “synthetic”. Words in this world have their own semantic context. 

Last year, I thought I had a solid grasp on MAK Technologies' products. Sure, I had just drunk from the firehouse during my recent orientation, but I am a quick study, and I assumed I could improvise my way through some of it. Anyone in sales knows there is some element of “fake it till you make it” when starting with a new product and all its use cases. VR-Forces, our CGF; VR-Engage, a first-person role player; VR-Vantage, our IG; VR-Link, etc, all seemed fairly straightforward in a vacuum. What I quickly discovered was that understanding a product in theory and understanding it in the middle of a high-stakes conversation with an industry expert are two radically different experiences. The difference, as it turns out, is not unlike the gap between reading the instructions for assembling IKEA furniture and assembling said furniture while a team of professionals judges your work. And if only to give this metaphor more weight, I can admit when it comes to furniture, I suffer from the delusion that I can assemble it by intuition alone.  

But I digress. The point is that last year’s experience, with its requisite humbling moments, was also incredibly educational. It forced me into a mode of learning that was equal parts exhilarating and slightly terrifying. Which brings us to now. 

This year: Wiser, If not yet Wise 

Returning to IITSEC this year, my mood is decidedly different. This time around, I’m armed not just with the theoretical knowledge of MAK’s offerings but with the practical experience of a year spent immersed in the application of these tools. What this means is that I can now converse about the MAK ONE suite of products without pausing mid-sentence to go through an internal catalogue of definitions and acronyms. It also means that I’ve learned how to navigate the social labyrinth that is an industry conference. An organized chaos of handshakes, business card exchanges, and strategically timed bathroom breaks or clandestine consumption of protein bars in the booth closet. All of which require an intuitive understanding of when and how to deploy one’s limited conversational energy. 

To give an example, last year I found myself in a conversation about the potential applications of AI in military training scenarios at our Wargaming demo. A discussion that could very quickly spiral into an almost-theoretical discourse about ethics, decision-making algorithms, and whether AI will eventually replace human soldiers on the battlefield. Without an understanding of current limitations, such discussions can quickly become red herrings, distracting from the practical product capabilities and use cases of today. This year, I’m looking forward to re-engaging in similar conversations, but with one crucial difference: I’m better equipped. Not just technically, though that’s important, but in terms of industry landscape. 

The Show Floor: Where Technology and People Meet 

One of the paradoxes of I/ITSEC is that despite being centered around cutting-edge technology, virtual reality, simulation, and AI, what really matters are the human interactions. That may sound obvious, but consider this: you could have the most sophisticated simulation software on the planet, but it will never sell itself. The demo could be flawless and the code immaculate, but without the ability to connect with the person on the other side of the table, it’s just noise. 

And that’s the hidden challenge of conferences like I/ITSEC. It’s not just about displaying technological prowess. It’s about reading the room. It’s about knowing when to dive into the nitty-gritty technical details and when to pull back and speak about broader industry trends. And let’s be honest, it’s also about the ability to endure multiple days of back-to-back meetings, demos, and networking events without collapsing into a heap of swag-filled backpacks and tote bags. 

This year, as I head back to Orlando, I’m not just looking forward to the tech (though I am genuinely excited to showcase our newest innovations at MAK and see what our industry partners have been working on), I am also looking forward to the moments in between the scheduled demos—the chance encounters and the impromptu discussions that happen in the hallways. I am eager to again experience the camaraderie that comes with being part of an industry shaping the future of training and simulation. 


ST Engineering

ST Engineering

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