Web3 London: a new community in the capital — discovering the next generation of the web
In this blogpost we will see what went on at Web3 London’s recent event. We will cover the whole experience: the talks, panel, after-party and a look at the NFT gallery that was featured there.
Introduction
In the midst of the great UK Heatwave, with temperatures soaring to over 30C, I was excited to spend some time indoors and out of the sun at Web3 London’s 3rd event of the year.
The evening was hosted at Microsoft Reactor in the heart of Shoreditch. On arrival the air conditioning was very much welcomed, the Reactor had it all; from fridges full of complimentary drinks & snacks, to table tennis and games machines. The entire place is purpose-built as a conference/event center so pretty much perfect for the evening of talks.
Before the event kicked off I was lucky enough to snag a ‘Weird Whales’ notebook from Benyamin’s (Obiwanbenobi) dad. Unfortunately, I missed out on the FREE CAKE by Ruby Bon Bon — this is perhaps the biggest regret of my life as they looked absolutely delicious.
Talks
The event was hosted by Gerard Sans (@gerardsans) — founder of Web3 London), he began the evening by explaining how as a software engineer he started off quite skeptical about Web3 but soon changed his mind. He created Web3 London with a vision to represent all the different areas of Web3, aiming to welcome everybody to the space regardless of technical knowledge. We were given a POAP for the event as a perfect way to record attendance and start off our Web3 journey.
Kickstarting the talks was Lauren Ingram (@womenofweb3co), providing a fascinating insight into the Web3 industry, how only 4% of NFT sales had been by female artists and she felt like there was a barrier to entry into the space. She created Women of Web3 to try and make the space more inclusive for everybody, regardless of gender or technical ability.
Next up was Benyamin Ahmed(@Obiwanbenobi) going over his incredible story of creating a 6 million dollar NFT project (Weird Whales) at the age of 11! On top of that, his public speaking ability was noticeably excellent, regardless of age. It was so inspiring to hear the behind-the-scenes process and what it takes to make a successful project.
Following on, we had Pauline Hohl (@pauline_unik) talking all about digital fashion; explaining how it’s already a popular market with examples of Fortnite skins and Roblox. The concept of digital influencers and employees and how the shift into the metaverse will affect brands, stylists and potentially open up the space for more people to become involved with digital styling.
Panel
To conclude the evening was a discussion panel of Pauline, Irina (@Irinaliakh) and Ashumi (@ashumiss), moderated by Gerard. The panel drew parallels between ‘fashion 3’ and the concept of digital identity/how we wish to express ourselves digitally. They went into the difficulties faced when trying to explain what digital fashion is to those that are unfamiliar and how The Fabricant is a fantastic leading company to introduce new people to the space.
After-party
As things wrapped up in the Reactor I quickly headed a few minutes down the road to ‘Q’, the venue for the afterparty. With the walls laden in art, a VIP room for speakers & DAOHOUSE Members, a NFT gallery taking up centre stage behind the DJ — the perfect spot. After a few drinks, some great conversations and some VIP room snacks, it was time to go home — see you at the next one!
Thanks for reading! Follow Web 3 London on Twitter to keep up to date with the news and the next event!