Veecon was like a shot of adrenaline for the community during this bear market period.
Gary Vaynerchuk is definitely the guy that brought the most people info the NFT community and one of his all time MOJO is to « Bring Happiness ». He’s wired to create projects, events and partnerships that help people succeed and have a good time. Veecon was a great playground for all that and the first edition was held in Minneapolis : 3 days of educational content, parties, performances and fun.
Some would argue it’s easy to succeed an event where the attendees are fans, gather a lot of great people together and talk about subjects we love. We have to admit that Gary had lot’s of fans there, we were all happy to be able to meet our favorite artists and finally get to speak about NFTs in person with people that actually get how incredible this technology is, and understand the importance of the revolution taking place.
But, as expected, he went the extra mile. The man definitely paid attention to every detail and show why he’s still the boss and will still be for a while. From the quality of the speakers to the innovation used at the app, surprise drops to the community and business booths made available. Let’s dig into that.
The Crowd and the Line Up
The crowd was very eclectic, and by acknowledging that we understand that it’s hard to please everyone. Some people were there for the fun, some just because they love Gary, others are OGs wanting to witness the first VeeCon, and finally some were there hoping to interact with potential business partners.
As far as the conferences are concerned, there were clearly 4 types of speakers split into a big main stage, and smaller side stages:
*Educational :ones aiming to onboard new comers as much as possible, basic info about the revolution coming ahead. Clearly Gary V was a master on this topic.
*Motivation & Skills : mental health, right mindset, motivational speaks and soul conversations such as with Deepak Chopra, Jim Kwik, Drifter shoots & Pharrell Williams.
*Testimonials (and a little bit of self promotion): artists, brands, projects talking about their journey. Beeple, Bobby Kim, Steve Aoki, Lisa Mayer, Eva Longoria, Snoop Dog, Spike Lee.
*Skills and Tools : DAOs, Community building, Discord MOD, physical to digital arts, fundraising. Here we can mention Matt Higgins, Keith Grossman, Andrew Wang, Amanda Terry
Even though the line up was amazingly inspiring, I have to say that we personally missed the insights, the long run vision talks and the alpha behind the curtains. We had a little bit of that on the side stages, could have donne better. It was a bit frustrating that whenever we would get to the point where we would get some alpha, the phrase need up with « can’t really speak about that now, but exciting things are coming »… argh 😪
We all agree that most of the projects are just scratching the surface of the endless possibilities that the underlying NFT technologie allows us. The game changing projects will be the ones that dig into that and the enlightening conversations are about how we’re going to change the world, make things easier and trustworthy.
Since VeeCon will continue for at least another two years, I believe it was important for Gary to include everyone, especially people who are just starting out, with accessible and understandable content in order to raise the level crescendo afterwards. Or maybe we are just too far away ahead when it comes to imagining the future at Nception and Unlimitrade… Maybe next time we’ll be on stage ;)
The real Sh*t!
There’s no doubt that the most rewarding part of VeeCon and this kind of events in general, was connecting with each other. In order to talk to speakers in one to one, connect with the builders of the space (and party, of course!), we needed to be on private TG groups, Twitter and Discords. We keep saying this: information is abundant, accurate and important information is rare.
If one thing, this confirms the importance of the community on the web 3. Be open, share, make friends, you’re rewarded.
The amazing part about our community at the moment, and this won’t last forever, is that everyone is accessible. Whether it’s artists, creators or just people who inspire you, anyone could meet and VeeCon was the perfect place for that.
First of all, the atmosphere that Gary set by being the first to spend at least 4 hours a day taking pictures and having even a short quality time with each person set the tone. From the artists I met who spent their time creating and giving their creations, sharing with their fans, to just the kindness and goodness of the VeeFriends community in general, the atmosphere was very friendly.
Also, even though many of us (myself included) didn’t particularly enjoy Minneapolis, the fact that it was a more isolated city, with only people coming specifically to the conference, and few side events (unlike NFT LA or NFT NYC) allowed us to regroup more and enjoy quality time together.
Gary showed why he’s the boss!
The VeeCon App
The difference between the technology used in web3 and the one used in real life is sometimes aberrant. Too slow, too complicated, too web2. However, as we could expect, Gary has distinguished himself by proposing an innovative, really practical and easy to use app. The VeeCon app allowed:
- To generate a unique QR code valid for 15 seconds to enter the stadium, based on the previous verification of the wallet containing the NFT and your personal infos. This feature assured a smooth management at the entries, prevented fraud and gathered accurate data of all participants.
- To have quick and easy access to the conferences schedule, to the stadium map and to bookmark our favorites. Again, easy to use and aesthetic.
- To connect with people in a simple way: a QR code allowed the access to the data you entered in your profile. All we had to do was mutually scan our QR codes. A good networking tool that helps you stay in touch with the people you met and follow them on other networks as well.
Surprises
Many surprises during these few days but the most interesting were:
- The gift from Rally, one of the official partners of VeeCon 2022, offering to everyone present at the conference a fractional share of one of the VeeFriend character: the viper 🐍
- A surprise collaboration between the VeeFriend character « gift goat » and Beeple, thus insinuating certain benefits to the holders of this NFT.
- An added utility to the VeeCon ticket during the closing ceremony: a special collaboration with Snoop Dogg in progress. This smart move allows the VeeCon NFT to retain value rather than become obsolete.
The time is WOW
One NFT collection that particularly stood out during these few days is without a doubt World Of Woman.
Omnipresent during Veecon, WOW had its own stand in the stadium. If you passed by you could have received a free merch signed by the artist and founder Yam who was also taking the time to chat with her community. You could also have found another important member of the team, Guy Oseary, on the main stage during a conference on the future of NFTs for entertainment. On the top of that, they hosted two events, one of which was strictly for holders and certainly among the most qualitative of Veecon.
For several weeks now, the World of Woman team has been taking the time to recruit quality people. One of them is Madonna’s manager Guy Oseary, who is also known in the NFT world as the manager of the Bored Ape Yacht club. For those who have seen his profile picture on the VeeCon app and on Twitter, you noticed a BAYC and a WOW side by side. Far from being a detail, this shows that he is bringing the most successful collection in the NFT world, the BAYC, at the same level than the WOW, the most influential women’s collection.
What we see in World Of Woman is a strong brand, a symbolic women’s collection that is here to stay with concrete projects in the pipeline. And if their private party was a success, we can’t help but think of the event they’ll be hosting during NFT NYC, with a Madonna song as a teaser, we can expect to see this icon make this private party one of the most desired of NYC 2022. Moreover, as we saw with the Azuki party at NFT LA, it may help to reinvigorate public interest in this collection.
What is the conclusion of all this?
Well, in this bear market period, where liquidity has dried up for many and the general mood is less cheerful, having a quality event, amongst ourselves, that leaves us with a boost of energy, creativity and memories was exactly what we needed. Having such a dedicated and passionate community even when the numbers are in the red shows how resilient and resourceful we are. Many ideas and collaborations were created during these few days and I wouldn’t be surprised if I hear that these become the great innovations of tomorrow.
Gary V delivered once again. It’s a fact.
Lilou — Head of Community for UnlimitArt
@iamlilou5
