An Insider’s Look at the Industry’s Most Anticipated Blockchain Convention
Blockchain royalty, tech big-shots, and some of the crypto community’s biggest followers flocked through the carpeted halls of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre for Consensus 2018.
Following its $3000-per-ticket sell-out run in May, New York, the world’s biggest blockchain convention ran its Singapore leg through 19 and 20th September — with zero intention of scaling back the event for the little red dot. Hosted by Coindesk, the event housed a lavish spread of potential-abundant exhibits sourced from all over the world, attracting 8000 guests — many of whom found bumping shoulders with crypto high-flyers a common occurrence.
With its spectacular two-day course menu, Consensus 2018 would positively stun you into not knowing where to begin. Not to worry though — as a fellow exhibitor with insider access to the mammoth event’s runnings, Talenta has mapped out all the things not to miss from the landmark blockchain event of the world — Consensus Singapore 2018.
1. Futuristic Exhibits
The race to arrest attention began at the event’s door: supersized banners, flyers, tote bags, dices, merchandise and even fresh coffee were the event’s entrées leading up to the main attraction: the exhibits. Having scouted out the many sections, we narrowed it down to two exhibits that stole the show.
OSL, a blockchain brokerage firm, made sure that no one could sail through Consensus without a wow moment at the sight of its trademark Tron Legacy-esque LED booth.
Another crowd favourite, Contentos, resembled a life-sized Instagram Vector with a cheery, LED-lit display.
Other crowd favourites included a blockchain coffee booth, served with a side of networking as visitors awaited their coffee orders. Every exhibit had their very best offerings on show, making the convention a blockchain-centric visual marketing and design bonanza.
2. Panel Talks by the Biggest Names in the Field
How often do you get to see the industry’s top-ranking rivals within the same space — much less side-by-side in a panel talk discussing their prospects together? An “Ethereum vs Neo” panel talk was just one of the many highlights that Consensus’ platinum audience were treated to, with many takeaways from expert insights. Few would have expected Ethereum and Neo representatives, Virgil Griffith and Da Hongfei respectively, to hit it off onstage — much less hint at possible collaboration in future.
Watch the full 9 hour-long livestream of the two-day speaker panels here.
3. Productive Networking
From a cafe-style exhibit dishing out freshly brewed blockchain-powered caffeinated beverages to specially set-aside VIP Dining areas, the opportunities for ambient networking were abundant.
Day 1 of Consensus already saw individuals lobbying up to one another: turn to your left and you’d be privy to a deep debate; to your right, hearty exchanges of contact details. The luckier ones even managed to rub shoulders with Binance CEO, Changpeng Zhao — just one of the many Platinum Consensus attendees in their midst.
Of the many guests and attendees, many were budding ICOs-in-the-making while others seized the opportunity to form partnerships in the current bearish market. With an attendee mix of venture capitalists, investors, and a vast range of blockchain service providers, Consensus provided a prime setting for the blockchain community to gain knowledge of the market, build trust and connections for growth.
PS. Interestingly enough, even among an exhibit pool of ICOs, the buzzwords of the day were “security tokens” — the rumoured new direction of the blockchain market.
4. State-of-the-Art Technology
Armed with huge HD screens, many exhibits showcased not just their prowess in blockchain, but in technology too. Many exhibits went out of the box and decked their booth spaces with screen displays of their pitch decks — a visually stimulating sight for the aimless browser.
On the topic of capturing the senses, Consensus also had a segment of Silent Talks, whereby some areas were sectioned off for small-scale talks that ran concurrently with other grand panel talks. These “Silent Talks” were delivered through personal headsets provided to every audience member so as to not disrupt nearby networking or talks, but more importantly, they provided a highly immersive atmosphere for maximum connection to take place between a speaker and his audience in a crowded convention space.
5. Industry Insights: Unprecedented Collaboration
As with all blockchain meetups, Consensus Singapore provided attendees a good look at the faces behind the global industry on the grandest scale possible. The lively atmospheres throughout the two day run reaffirmed the crypto community’s optimism and determination to rise above the gloom of depressed markets.
Talenta found itself forging a wealth of connections with budding blockchains and potential partners. Decked in TALENTA shirts, the team had a field day getting to know the industry’s ICOs and VCs beyond their name cards and pitch decks, reaffirming the passion of the thriving blockchain community.
About Talenta
Based in Singapore and operating globally, Talenta is a professional management consulting company that provides one-stop solution to blockchain projects and crowdfunding campaigns. Their services cover the entire project process, including technology, marketing, PR, white paper, legal and compliance and token sales.
About Coindesk
Consensus Singapore 2018’s leading organiser, Coindesk provides the latest bitcoin news, prices, charts, guides and analysis as the world leader in digital currency information.
