7 Reasons Why Singapore ROCKED!
My first TOKEN049 was in 2019. I was blown away by the quality of the event and by Singapore. I truly felt that the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands, pictured above, was the nicest man made spot I had ever stood.
My second TOKEN2049, in 2022, was similarly awesome. But most striking was the contrast between the dour mood in the U.S. at MainNet in NYC where I had just come from, and the the exuberant mood at TOKEN2049 in Singapore.
My third TOKEN2049 was highlighted by the Medici Network side event, which still remains THE BEST room of crypto people I’ve ever been in.
Given my past experience, my expectations were high for my 4th TOKEN2049. And clocking in at 20,000 attendees and over 800 side events, TOKEN2049 2024 did not disappoint:
1. Singapore Is An Epic City
From the moment I walked through Immigration in 30 seconds via an eye scan, to the 20 minute doctors appointment for a sprained ankle that cost $40 (including pain pills!), I’m ever more impressed with Singapore.
There is beauty everywhere. Beginning with the sculptures and art pieces that abound in virtually every public space.
To the “living buildings” tht incorporate greenery into their design, including entire facades covered in vegetation, or entire floors made of trees.
Singapore is also known for its exclusive private clubs. I had the pleasure of seeing “Never Die” guy Bryan Johnson at the uber hip 1880 Members Club.
But the most impressive part is the graciousness and kindness of the people. It truly feels like a community. When I walked into a random hotel for an event, the doorman saw me limping from my twisted ankle and offered to get me an ice pack. It was a gracious offer which I accepted.
2. More Business Got Done At TOKEN2049 In Singapore Then Any Other Conference
Along with ETHDenver and Paris Blockchain Week, TOKEN2049 is one of the three best crypto conferences of the year. At the end of the day, people go to conferences to get business done. And more business gets done at TOKEN2049 then any other crypto conference. The prior king of crypto conferences, Consensus, peaked in 2018, as U.S. regulators work to crush crypto. But TOKEN2049 just gets bigger and better year after year.
I look forward to attending the next TOKEN2049 in Dubai at the end of April, 2025. It’s the 2nd year of the TOKEN2049 Dubai, and I assume that event is also just going to get bigger and better. It’ll be my 4th trip to Dubai in two years. But contrary to rumors. I’m not moving there.
#3 — The Marina Bay Sands Is A Spectacular Venue
The building itself is iconic:
The highlight is the rooftop spanning the three towers.
And the highlight of the rooftop is the infinity pool:
Even the back of the Sands is spectacular! .Gardens by the Bay is a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry. It’s truly otherwordly:
4. Solana Crushed It At Breakpoint
I went to the first Breakpoint in Lisbon, in 2021, but I didn’t become a Solana bull until this February. I love ecosystem summits because it gives you a chance to viscerally feel the community. When I went in 2021, it felt like “… a VC led community”, where most of the people we’re there for the money. I knew crypto winter would come, and my assumption was most of the people would leave. I was. wrong.
Sure. Lots of people did leave. And Solana’s token price tanked more than 95% over the 14 months following Breakpoint 1. But plenty of people stayed and built a lot of cool tech through crypto winter, such that sxpectations were high for Breakpoint #4, as Solana had rebounded ~15X from its lows. But I came away super impressed with the scale, organization, and vibrancy of the two day event.
Solana felt like a well oiled machine, showcasing strength around mobile and new mobile phones, stablecoins and consumer apps (e.g. dVin Labs). The highlight of Breakpoint was the announcement that Firedancer, the long awaited Solana second validator codebase, designed to eliminate software inefficiencies and drive the L1 performance to the limits of the hardware.
5. It Felt Like 400 Of The 800+ Side Events Were DeAI Related
With Cohort #2 of our AI Web3 Accelerator starting September 30th, I went to numerous decentralized AI related events including “Limitless: Token Powered AI” hosted by DCG and LivePeer:
And the Open Source AI Summit hosted by NEAR and KryptoPlanet, with Stanford at a partner.
The CoinMarketCap AI Index is up over 700% in the last year, and we think this trend is just getting started!
#6 — TOKEN2049 Is Followed By The Epic Singapore Grand Prix
And the party in Singapore doesn’t stop when TOKEN2049 ends. Because that’s when F1 comes to town. Formula 1 races are all pretty amazing, but Singapore is unique in that it’s the only one that takes place at night, with the track illuminated by 1,600 light projectors, making it a truly spectacular spectacle.
#7 — Singapore Is Just One Of Many Vibrant Crypto Hubs In Asia
I heard great things about Korea Blockchain Week, which many attended beforeTOKEN2049. Korea is definitely a rising hub. The last two years I’d gone to Vietnam, a great crypto ecosystem, sporting the 5th highest adoption rate of crypto, per Chainalysis. Hong Kong has been making a big comeback for over a year now, and even Shanghai is starting to open up.
But the country I’m most excited about visiting later this year is Thailand, for Devocn 2024, in Bangkok, Nov. 12th–15th. Hope to see you there!
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This article has been prepared for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy tokens or other securities of CryptoOracle Collective (the “Company”). None of the information or analyses presented are intended to form the basis for any investment decision, and no specific recommendations are intended. Accordingly, this presentation does not constitute investment advice or counsel or solicitation for investment in any security.
