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!
As we speak we need to say Thank You(!) to each attendee, volunteer, and contributor that made Devcon VI a hit. On this weblog put up, we’ll recap the highlights of an extremely enjoyable occasion, and reminisce about Group Hubs, the Highway to Devcon, insightful talks and panels, superbly 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 couple of yr previous to Ethereum’s first blocks. For some members of the Ethereum ecosystem, Devcon is a household reunion of kinds, 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 utility releases and extra.
Through the years, it has turn into clear that Devcon serves the neighborhood in different methods too. As we deliberate for Devcon VI, we labored to outline these objectives. Now we need to describe them as soon as extra and replicate on how we tried to perform every of them.
1. Collaboration & data sharing
Devcon will not be solely a convention that options shows, but it surely’s a novel place to get some work carried out with so many essential builders in the identical rooms. This yr, we wished them to have area to speak, to tug 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 – Photograph by Shintaro Yoshimatsu
2. Educating, speaking, and producing new concepts
Devcon is an opportunity to study, and to show. Individuals traveled to Devcon to grasp the innovative within the Ethereum area, and to share what they’ve realized during the last yr with a big viewers each on the occasion, and on-line.
Over the 4 days, 60,000 viewers around the globe watched the Devcon livestreams (21,780 on the primary day alone). Offering high quality dwell streams and movies was essential for Devcon Satellite tv for pc Occasions – instructional meetups around the globe 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 Non permanent 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 “Impression Cubicles”, which had been areas reserved for groups and efforts making a optimistic influence on Ethereum and the ecosystem at giant. Nice issues occur when purchasers, 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, contributors 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 crucial alternative to speak with the world about Ethereum. As the most important convention in our trade, the broader expertise area and mainstream organizations take note of Devcon.
Devcon VI was the primary after The Merge came about 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 couple of months have been for the Ethereum core devs, what difficulties they confronted after 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 useful 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 already know 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 apply 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.
Sensible 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 tackle or different private figuring out info being made public. Via their platform, separate third events supplied permissionless perks completely for Devcon VI attendees.
Talking of dogfooding, how did you ebook your lodge in Bogotá? Attendees had been in a position to pay for his or her rooms utilizing crypto, because of Winding Tree.
Now you can watch all talks and panels from Devcon VI on extra open and strong platforms too – Swarm and Etherna helped us to make the Devcon Archive extra decentralized by internet hosting the movies from talks and workshops. Take a look at the Swarm crew’s recap for extra info on their work at Devcon VI.
Many environmentally acutely aware attendees offset their flights with the carbon offsetter by Discarbon. As of now, contributors 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+ Venture in Perú.
And it goes with out point out that everybody collected loads of POAPs alongside the way in which.
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 have interaction extra native Ethereum communities all around the globe. 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 at some point earlier than the principle 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 turn into.
EF’s Govt Director Aya Miyaguchi just lately stated that she “strongly imagine[s] it’s necessary 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 offered 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 international 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 writer 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 desirous about studying about how we will 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 observe Alternative & World Impression featured many extra fascinating talks and panels discussing how Ethereum can overcome “gaps in illustration throughout cultures, nationalities, and financial courses.” (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 way in which, 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 optimistic 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 received 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 giant. This is the reason Devcon swag is colourful, Jonathan Mann is singing The Merge Track 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 gentle of the colourful phases designed with love for element, the grownup playground with video games like large Jenga, and the hacker basement filled with digital artwork to discover.
Ix Shells and Rosendo Merel Choy – Photograph by Shintaro Yoshimatsu
Most of the enjoyable issues Devcon VI supplied had been delivered to 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 became a bigger challenge. You’ll be able to watch a video with highlights from all 4 days right here. Every day, attendees may be 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’ll be able to nonetheless give suggestions by way of our attendee survey and earn a POAP.)
There are some things we realized this yr. Wi-Fi was a difficulty once more, particularly on the primary day, and we all know there may be room for enchancment, and our SIM playing cards for attendees had been extra important than ever! The meals could 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 will do extra to make each Devcon and the ecosystem extra consultant when it comes to 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 higher for rivalry between some attendees. The primary rule within the Devcon Code of Conduct is to “be wonderful to one another”, and our dedication is to create a snug surroundings for all. We are going to evaluation our CoC and think about enhancements primarily based on what we’ve realized this yr.
What’s Forward?
We’re assured we gained’t have to attend three years for the following Devcon. It’s already time so that you can get entangled by proposing concepts to enhance Devcon.
Aya’s speak about subtraction made us rethink the phrasing of DIPs. Devcon Enchancment Proposals at the moment are meant for collaborative neighborhood enter on what must be modified (subtracted, added, or modified) for the upcoming Devcon7.
The place will Devcon7 happen? Briefly: We don’t know but. However the alternative might be laborious, as we’ve many unimaginable strategies 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 info within the weeks to come back. 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 Impression groups, Supporters, Group Hub organizers, DIP contributors, and volunteers that made Devcon VI attainable. ❤️🦄
Till we meet once more, you’ll be able to take a look at extra pictures by the Devcon crew right here, and discover extra pictures by Shintaro Yoshimatsu right here.
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EF Devcon Crew
