The global virtual event marked the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Snapchat developer’s Lens Studio The participants included developers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman, among other countries DUBAI: Creators from across the Middle East took part in Lens Fest, an annual global virtual conference for augmented reality creators and developers hosted by Snapchat developer Snap Inc., which this year marked the fifth anniversary of the company’s Lens Studio. They included Maha Aldosary from Saudi Arabia and Mohammed Al-Asmar from Oman, who created immersive AR lenses for use during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. According to Snap, 300,000 AR creators and developers worldwide created more than 3 million Snapchat lenses on Lens Studio this year, an increase from 250,000 developers and 2.5 million lenses in 2021. To further encourage developers, Snap unveiled In-Lens Digital Goods, a direct monetization model it is testing that allows creators and developers to sell digital items within their lenses, which users can buy using tokens. “Lens Studio is the premier tool for creating useful, scalable and valuable AR experiences,” said Sophia Dominquez, Snap’s director of AR platform partnerships and ecosystem. “During Lens Fest 2022, we showcased the role Snap plays in supporting regional developers with the AR tools and resources needed to help bring their creative ideas to life with Lens Studio.” During the two-day event on Dec. 6 and 7, Snap announced the winners of 2022 Lens Fest Awards in five categories: play, fashion, wellness, education and moonshot. The moonshot category “highlights creators who see the limitless potential of AR and have challenged themselves to do something that’s never been done before,” said Oscar Falmer, Snap’s AR developer relations lead for Europe. “These lenses leverage a combination of tech and creativity to push the boundaries of what’s possible in AR.” Denis Rossiev, a self-described metaverse artist and AR developer from the UAE, won the moonshot award with his Imaginary Friends lens that scans and creates virtual dancing companions from objects in the user’s vicinity. Snap also talked about the role of AR in e-commerce during the conference. It said 363 million people use Snapchat’s camera technology every day and users engage with AR experiences an average of 6 billion times a day. Many of them, particularly younger users, use AR for shopping, the company said, adding that 92 percent of Generation Z users are interested in using AR for shopping. Meanwhile 80 percent of all shoppers felt more confident about purchases after incorporating AR into the process, and 66 percent of those who used AR said they were less likely to return an item, Snap said.