This past May, I found myself at a conference unlike any other I’d ever attended. What made it so different was the way people were interacting. One group sat in a circle of chairs suspended from the ceiling, a net beneath them in case anyone fell. Two others were in seats on the ground, positioned back to back with virtual reality goggles on, conversing with one another’s avatar. Two more were climbing up a ladder into a giant nest-like structure. Another pair chatted while pumping their legs on exercise bikes on an elevated catwalk. And, out back, strangers were taking Ferris wheel rides together.