A couple of weeks in the past in October, a lot of the Ethereum neighborhood got here collectively in South America as we reunited for Devcon VI in Bogotá, Colombia!
At present we need to say Thank You(!) to each attendee, volunteer, and contributor that made Devcon VI a hit. On this weblog submit, we are going to recap the highlights of an extremely enjoyable occasion, and reminisce about Group Hubs, the Highway to Devcon, insightful talks and panels, fantastically designed presenter rooms, and way more.
Watch the Recap Video to refresh your reminiscence and benefit from the Devcon VI vibe!
What Devcon is all about
For these which might be new to the Ethereum household, Devcon is the one annual convention held by the Ethereum Basis, and it dates again to a small meetup in Berlin (ÐΞVcon-0) a few yr previous to Ethereum’s first blocks. For some members of the Ethereum ecosystem, Devcon is a household reunion of types, whereas for others it’s a big stage on which to talk to (and find out about) the most recent breakthroughs on content material starting from technical analysis to software releases and extra.
Over time, it has grow to be clear that Devcon serves the neighborhood in different methods too. As we deliberate for Devcon VI, we labored to outline these targets. Now we need to describe them as soon as extra and replicate on how we tried to perform every of them.
1. Collaboration & information sharing
Devcon just isn’t solely a convention that options shows, nevertheless it’s a singular place to get some work performed with so many essential builders in the identical rooms. This yr, we wished them to have area to speak, to drag as much as a whiteboard, and get to work collectively.
At Devcon VI we hosted workshop rooms, devoted co-work areas, bookable assembly areas, and a hacker basement the place folks got here collectively to satisfy and work. We additionally supplied a co-working area after the occasion within the venue.
The hacker basement – Picture by Shintaro Yoshimatsu
2. Instructing, speaking, and producing new concepts
Devcon is an opportunity to study, and to show. Folks traveled to Devcon to grasp the leading edge within the Ethereum area, and to share what they’ve discovered over the past yr with a big viewers each on the occasion, and on-line.
Over the 4 days, 60,000 viewers all over the world watched the Devcon livestreams (21,780 on the primary day alone). Offering high quality stay streams and movies was essential for Devcon Satellite tv for pc Occasions – instructional meetups all over the world organized for many who couldn’t make it to Bogotá. The neighborhood organized Devcon Satellite tv for pc Occasions in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Malaysia, Portugal and Turkey.
Group Hubs had been devoted areas powered by the neighborhood for the neighborhood. Whether or not you began your day with a cacao ceremony within the Regens Hub, you went anon IRL by crafting a masks within the Momentary Nameless Zone, witnessed the launch of the primary Token Engineering Fundamentals program, or visualized your values about decentralization within the Design Hub, we hope that you just felt extra like a member of a various neighborhood than merely an attendee.
This was additionally the primary Devcon that featured “Influence Cubicles”, which had been areas reserved for groups and efforts making a constructive influence on Ethereum and the ecosystem at massive. Nice issues occur when shoppers, rollup-teams, and different impactful teams come collectively in a single place. Allegedly rivalrous rollup groups grew to become buddies, others gained a uncommon Gitcoin plushie by revealing their favourite public good, some snagged a pair of the primary ever socks.sol swag, or accepted the problem of exchanging as many ENS POAPs as they might with different attendees to climb the leaderboard.
The Latin American neighborhood had its personal inventive area: a Colombian Chiva Bus. There, members hosted dialogue rounds, podcasts, and stored the music going till effectively after shows had wrapped for the night time.
The ETH Latam crew in entrance of their Chiva Bus
3. Use our greatest stage to ship a message
Devcon is a vital alternative to speak with the world about Ethereum. As the most important convention in our business, the broader expertise area and mainstream organizations take note of Devcon.
Devcon VI was the primary after The Merge happened in September of this yr! 🐼Ethereum Mainnet now makes use of proof-of-stake for consensus, and Danny Ryan talked about how busy the previous few months have been for the Ethereum core devs, what difficulties they confronted once they merged the consensus and execution layers, and what it implies that they exist as one chain – Ethereum.
Different talks which might be extremely really helpful to (re)watch are Aya Miyaguchi’s speak about Executing with Subtraction within the Infinite Backyard, Kurt Opsahl’s discuss The Worth of Cryptocurrencies in Supporting Human Rights, and Pia Mancini’s discuss The Future is Collective.
Other than our suggestions, we additionally need to let you understand what had been among the favourite picks by members of the neighborhood this yr:
4. Utilizing tech constructed on Ethereum via “dogfooding”
“Dogfooding” is the follow of utilizing one’s personal services or products. Devcon is a convention made by and for our neighborhood, and we need to make use of instruments constructed by our neighborhood the place attainable and helpful to attendees. Devcon needs to allow attendees to study and experiment first-hand with merchandise constructed on Ethereum.
Starting with ticketing, 268 folks participated within the on-chain raffle and public sale earlier than the overall ticket sale started.
Good Token Labs helped to make Devcon VI ticket attestations a actuality, which allowed attendees to attest that they had been Devcon VI ticket-holders and not using a pockets handle or different private figuring out data being made public. By way of their platform, separate third events supplied permissionless perks completely for Devcon VI attendees.
Talking of dogfooding, how did you guide your lodge in Bogotá? Attendees had been in a position to pay for his or her rooms utilizing crypto, due to Winding Tree.
Now you can watch all talks and panels from Devcon VI on extra open and sturdy platforms too – Swarm and Etherna helped us to make the Devcon Archive extra decentralized by internet hosting the movies from talks and workshops. Try the Swarm crew’s recap for extra data on their work at Devcon VI.
Many environmentally aware attendees offset their flights with the carbon offsetter by Discarbon. As of now, members have contributed to offset the equal of 403.9 Tonnes of CO2. Voters on the snapshot proposal selected to retire these credit from the Cordillera Azul Nationwide Park REDD+ Mission in Perú.
And it goes with out point out that everybody collected rather a lot of POAPs alongside the best way.
Panel: Signing in With Ethereum: the Most Highly effective Protocol in Web3?
5. Rising the Ethereum Ecosystem
Devcon is a chance to achieve, excite and interact extra native Ethereum communities all all over the world. This yr, the Latin American Ethereum neighborhood paved the Highway to Devcon by organizing about 14 neighborhood occasions round Latin America, all main as much as Devcon VI in Bogotá, the place the leaders of the Latam Ethereum neighborhood organized ETH Latam Day someday earlier than the primary occasion began. Watch their recap video right here.
We imagine Ethereum can have real-world influence in South America, and it’s wonderful to see how robust the Latin American Ethereum neighborhood has grow to be.
EF’s Government Director Aya Miyaguchi just lately mentioned that she “strongly imagine[s] it’s vital for builders to go on the market and see all completely different components of the world they’re making an attempt to alter.” Some Devcon attendees used the chance that the occasion supplied to discover South America a little bit additional after Devcon. They got here to know a neighborhood and a part of the world that was beforehand overseas to them, or they arrived earlier and adopted the Highway to Devcon.
The Highway to Devcon map
Devcon can also be a chance to achieve blockchain-related groups and newcomers from different industries. UNICEF was as soon as extra a visitor and speaker at Devcon, in addition to Arkadiy Kukarkin from the Web Archive, and geopolitics and expertise creator Bruno Maçães.
Ethereum Basis’s Subsequent Billion crew organized a one-day occasion for Devcon attendees, authorities officers, non-profit and civil society organizations, and “anybody enthusiastic about studying about how we are able to use Ethereum as a public good destined to assist billions of individuals coordinate and thrive.” The occasion targeted on the ‘real-world’ elements confronted by those that use Ethereum to create influence.
The programming monitor Alternative & International Influence featured many extra attention-grabbing talks and panels discussing how Ethereum can overcome “gaps in illustration throughout cultures, nationalities, and financial lessons.” (Subsequent Billion)
Devcon VI welcomed many individuals which might be newer to the Ethereum ecosystem and that attended Devcon for the primary time. With different programming tracks like Governance & Coordination, and Cryptoeconomics, and with loads of crypto artwork and music alongside the best way, we hope they felt impressed by our wonderful neighborhood by the week’s finish.
Rising the Ethereum ecosystem additionally means supporting those that “have the potential to make a constructive influence on Ethereum and its neighborhood, however who had been unable to attend with out monetary help.” The Devcon Students Program had its second class this yr, and 50 people bought assist to attend Devcon. Learn a few of their tales and their views on Devcon VI right here!
6. Enjoyable!
Playfulness has at all times been a part of Devcon and of the Ethereum ecosystem at massive. That is why Devcon swag is colourful, Jonathan Mann is singing The Merge Music on stage, and the opening video options animated dancing bears merging right into a panda representing Ethereum.
Calling Devcon a convention misses the mark in mild of the colourful phases designed with love for element, the grownup playground with video games like big Jenga, and the hacker basement stuffed with digital artwork to discover.
Ix Shells and Rosendo Merel Choy – Picture by Shintaro Yoshimatsu
Lots of the enjoyable issues Devcon VI supplied had been dropped at life by the neighborhood itself. The music stage within the Chiva Chillout was a neighborhood initiative that was born from a Devcon Enchancment Proposal (DIP) by The Fellowship of Ethereum Musicians that become a bigger venture. You’ll be able to watch a video with highlights from all 4 days right here. Every day, attendees may be a part of a graffiti tour organized by CRYPTOMURALS, and the groups of Social Dist0rtion Protocol and daedalus industries puzzled out the Treasure Hunt Problem “Time To DAI” for you.
7. Suggestions & Continued Enchancment
We’re at all times making an attempt to study and enhance as effectively, and we thank everybody who gave us precious suggestions (you possibly can nonetheless give suggestions through our attendee survey and earn a POAP.)
There are some things we discovered this yr. Wi-Fi was a difficulty once more, particularly on the primary day, and we all know there’s room for enchancment, and our SIM playing cards for attendees had been extra important than ever! The meals will be much more versatile – together with higher vegetarian and vegan choices. Feminine, Transgender, Non-Binary and different genders made up 20%+ of Devcon VI’s attendees. Nonetheless, we are able to do extra to make each Devcon and the ecosystem extra consultant by way of gender variety & inclusion in a still-male-dominated area.
As our occasion has grown bigger and with over 6,000 in attendance, we acknowledge that the possibilities are larger for competition between some attendees. The primary rule within the Devcon Code of Conduct is to “be glorious to one another”, and our dedication is to create a cushty atmosphere for all. We are going to assessment our CoC and think about enhancements based mostly on what now we have discovered this yr.
What’s Forward?
We’re assured we gained’t have to attend three years for the subsequent Devcon. It’s already time so that you can become involved by proposing concepts to enhance Devcon.
Aya’s speak about subtraction made us rethink the phrasing of DIPs. Devcon Enchancment Proposals are actually supposed for collaborative neighborhood enter on what ought to be modified (subtracted, added, or modified) for the upcoming Devcon7.
The place will Devcon7 happen? Briefly: We don’t know but. However the alternative will likely be laborious, as now we have many unbelievable ideas for Devcon7 areas from members of the Ethereum neighborhood.
We hope that you just’ll be as excited as we’re once we share extra data within the weeks to return. For now, thanks as soon as once more to all of our attendees for becoming a member of us in Bogotá, to the presenters, the Influence groups, Supporters, Group Hub organizers, DIP contributors, and volunteers that made Devcon VI attainable. ❤️🦄
Till we meet once more, you possibly can try extra photographs by the Devcon crew right here, and discover extra photographs by Shintaro Yoshimatsu right here.
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EF Devcon Group
