Mesh Monthly - February ‘25 - Bridging Innovation, education and collaboration
As we move through the early months of 2025, February has been a month of exciting opportunities for growth and collaboration, setting the stage for the year ahead. Welcome to #MeshMonthly, our regular roundup of company updates, industry news, and upcoming events.
Company Updates
Professional Accelerator Training at Aston University and Design Factory Birmingham
Over the past two months, we’ve had the pleasure of working with the brilliant design and academic team at Aston University and Design Factory Birmingham. Back in 2022, the department had invested in a fleet of Meta Quest 2 headsets but hadn’t had the opportunity to utilise them due to the pandemic. With the next academic year on the horizon, the team are preparing to integrate VR into their product design courses, to provide a novel and exciting way for students to explore their design work and learn a new skill whilst doing so as they prepare for a career in the sector. To bring the team up to speed in all things Gravity Sketch, we ran a series of bespoke training sessions throughout January and February. From onboarding to surface modelling, we provided the team with a full overview of the software, developing their skillset week by week.
Shortly after completing their training, the team we quick to put their new skills into action, deploying Gravity Sketch at events such as offer holder days and workshops with local colleges, including Aston University Sixth Form and Shrewsbury Colleges Group.
Bespoke Onboarding Workshop for staff at Wales High School
In December 2023, we ran a VR session for Year 10 Design and Technology students at Wales High School, and following that, the teaching staff were eager to learn more, specifically to find out about setting up the headsets and learning the fundamentals of the software. As such, we conducted a two-hour onboarding workshop, demonstrating the core features of Gravity Sketch and also showcased some of our favourite software to help to enable the school to make the most of their VR headsets.
The objective here was to showcase not only how VR can be used in Design and Technology but also across a variety of subjects. From helping students develop public speaking skills in a virtual cafe scenario with VirtualSpeech to exploring virtual frog dissections with VictoryXR, it was a fantastic close to the session. Paired with the workshop back in December, completion of this onboarding marks the beginning of the school’s journey to integrate VR across the school, allowing students to access immersive learning experiences to aid their career journeys.
Gravity Sketch Workshop at Around Spotlights
Towards the end of the month, we had the opportunity to host a live workshop at Around Spotlights, a virtual event celebrating the work of creative minds opening up new possibilities to think, create, and communicate in 3D. Priten’s workshop, ‘Utilizing Gravity Sketch for Collaborative 3D Design Sprints’ took participants through a selection of sprint activities inspired by the book "Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days." In the context of the design brief ‘Explore what making Pizza at home could look like in 2045”, Priten took a group of designers, from around the world through a miniature design sprint, exploring how the software’s collaborative and intuitive features could be used for rapid ideation, storyboarding and CMF exploration.
We also had the incredible opportunity to showcase The Royal Wave, a 140ft super yacht, co-designed with Loic Chauvin and Zac de Chazal. This collaborative design project, which spanned continents and creative industries, was a huge success, and we were thrilled to share it with the attendees at the event.
We’ll be sharing a full blog post of both events in the near future, so be sure to follow our LinkedIn and Instagram page to be notified once they go live!
Industry News
Changes to Meta for Education (Meta Horizon Managed Systems)
The future of VR in education and business is evolving rapidly, and Meta has made some significant strides with the launch of Meta Horizon Managed Systems (MHMS). This new platform is designed to make VR deployments more accessible, secure, and manageable, especially for institutions like schools and universities
What is Meta Horizon Managed Solutions?
Meta Horizon Managed Solutions (or MHMS for short!) is a new, simplified headset management system that allows organisations to manage multiple Meta Quest devices. With enhanced remote management, streamlined content deployment and boosted security, the system offers a more cohesive VR experience for both educators and students.
What happened to Meta for Education?
Meta for Education was a beta program to help Meta expand on their Quest for Business service, to design a solution specifically for the education sector. Following the success of the program, this has now evolved into Meta Horizon Managed Solutions. Through the beta program, Meta worked directly with educators, developers, and policymakers across 16 colleges and Universities in the UK and US to ensure that the solution was fit for purpose. MHMS provides access to a variety of tools and applications for IT admins, Educators and students to provide a unique, immersive learning experience.
What advantages are there to using Meta Horizon Managed Systems?
Simplified Device Management: Easy to set up and manage multiple devices in educational environments.
Remote Deployment: Teachers can push apps and updates to devices remotely, reducing manual setup.
Enhanced Security: With improved control over device use, institutions can ensure a safe and secure learning environment.
Kiosk Mode: 'Lock down' headsets to specific apps prevent students from accessing other apps they aren't meant to during a lesson.
Integrate 3rd Party MDMs: If you have a collection of VR headsets, supplied by different brands, you can also manage them through an approved 3rd Party Mobile Device Manager (MDM) through MHMS. Further information can be found below:
Affordable Licensing: Meta’s offering is now available as a cost-effective subscription, providing ongoing support for educators.
Life-time access: Those that purchase MHMS under an educational institution can unlock lifetime access* to MHMS for an additional £100 at the time of purchase. *Device lifetime access is a non-transferable subscription for the useful life of the device, so long as the applicable software and services are available and maintained by Meta. See Terms.
With these advancements, Meta has become pivotal in enhancing VR in education and creating immersive learning experiences.
Learn more:
Meta Horizon Managed Solutions - Meta’s Landing page
New Meta for Education Offering is Now Generally Available - Meta’s News Article
Dates for your diary
Reach for the Stars: Science and Technology Careers Event
Date: 24th March
Location: The Sherwood Observatory and Planetarium
We're excited to exhibit at this inspiring event aimed at connecting young talent with opportunities in science and technology. It’s a fantastic occasion to learn about the latest developments in VR and education. We’ll be sharing more details soon—be sure to follow us!
Nottingham Tech for Good Festival
Date: 13th - 16th May 2025
Location: Nottingham
Event Info: NT4G Conference
Join Priten for his talk, "Democratizing Design Education Through Virtual Reality" at the Nottingham Tech for Good Festival in May. Discover how VR is transforming classrooms by making learning more accessible and immersive, and hear real-world case studies on how schools and universities are integrating this technology into their curriculum. Don’t miss out—grab your free ticket today!
The Big D&T Meet
Date: 11th July 2025
Location: Lincolnshire
Event Info: The Big D&T Meet
We’re returning to the Big D&T Meet this summer to showcase the latest tools and trends in Design & Technology. It’s the perfect place to network with educators and explore new resources that are shaping the future of D&T education. We can’t wait to see you there!
Thank you for catching up with the latest from Mesh Training! Don’t forget to stay updated with our work and events by following us on our Linkedin and Instagram pages below!
