A couple of weeks in the past in October, a lot of the Ethereum group got here collectively in South America as we reunited for Devcon VI in Bogotá, Colombia!
Right this moment we wish 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 rather 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 12 months 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 study) the most recent breakthroughs on content material starting from technical analysis to utility releases and extra.
Over time, it has change into clear that Devcon serves the group in different methods too. As we deliberate for Devcon VI, we labored to outline these objectives. Now we wish to describe them as soon as extra and replicate on how we tried to perform every of them.
1. Collaboration & data sharing
Devcon isn’t solely a convention that options shows, nevertheless it’s a novel place to get some work finished with so many essential builders in the identical rooms. This 12 months, we needed 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 fulfill and work. We additionally provided 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. Individuals traveled to Devcon to know the innovative within the Ethereum area, and to share what they’ve realized during the last 12 months with a big viewers each on the occasion, and on-line.
Over the 4 days, 60,000 viewers around the world watched the Devcon livestreams (21,780 on the primary day alone). Offering high quality reside streams and movies was essential for Devcon Satellite Events – academic meetups all over the world organized for individuals who couldn’t make it to Bogotá. The group organized Devcon Satellite tv for pc Occasions in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Malaysia, Portugal and Turkey.
Group Hubs have been devoted areas powered by the group for the group. Whether or not you began your day with a cacao ceremony within the Regens Hub, you went anon IRL by crafting a mask in the Temporary Anonymous 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 group than merely an attendee.
This was additionally the primary Devcon that featured “Affect Cubicles”, which have been areas reserved for groups and efforts making a optimistic impression 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 teams became friends, others gained a rare 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 group had its personal artistic area: a Colombian Chiva Bus. There, individuals hosted dialogue rounds, podcasts, and stored the music going till properly after shows had wrapped for the evening.
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 biggest convention in our business, 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 12 months! 🐼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 advisable to (re)watch are Aya Miyaguchi’s discuss Executing with Subtraction in the Infinite Garden, Kurt Opsahl’s discuss The Value of Cryptocurrencies in Supporting Human Rights, and Pia Mancini’s discuss The Future is Collective.
Aside from our suggestions, we additionally wish to let what have been a number of the favourite picks by members of the group this 12 months:
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 group, and we wish to make use of instruments constructed by our group the place doable and useful to attendees. Devcon desires to allow attendees to study and experiment first-hand with merchandise constructed on Ethereum.
Starting with ticketing, 268 folks participated in the on-chain raffle and auction earlier than the final ticket sale started.
Smart Token Labs helped to make Devcon VI ticket attestations a actuality, which allowed attendees to attest that they have 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 provided permissionless perks exclusively for Devcon VI attendees.
Talking of dogfooding, how did you guide your resort in Bogotá? Attendees have 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 team’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, individuals 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+ Challenge 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 Powerful 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 12 months, the Latin American Ethereum group paved the Highway to Devcon by organizing about 14 group occasions round Latin America, all main as much as Devcon VI in Bogotá, the place the leaders of the Latam Ethereum group organized ETH Latam Day someday earlier than the principle occasion began. Watch their recap video here.
We consider Ethereum can have real-world impression in South America, and it’s superb to see how robust the Latin American Ethereum group has change into.
EF’s Govt Director Aya Miyaguchi recently said that she “strongly consider[s] it’s essential for builders to go on the market and see all completely different elements of the world they’re making an attempt to vary.” Some Devcon attendees used the chance that the occasion offered to discover South America slightly additional after Devcon. They got here to know a group 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 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 Internet Archive, and geopolitics and expertise writer Bruno Maçães.
Ethereum Basis’s Next Billion team organized a one-day event for Devcon attendees, authorities officers, non-profit and civil society organizations, and “anybody keen on 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 impression.
The programming monitor Opportunity & Global Impact featured many extra fascinating talks and panels discussing how Ethereum can overcome “gaps in illustration throughout cultures, nationalities, and financial courses.” (Next 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 lots of crypto artwork and music alongside the way in which, we hope they felt impressed by our superb group by the week’s finish.
Rising the Ethereum ecosystem additionally means supporting those that “have the potential to make a optimistic impression on Ethereum and its group, however who have been unable to attend with out monetary help.” The Devcon Scholars Program had its second class this 12 months, and 50 people received help to attend Devcon. Learn some of their stories and their perspectives on Devcon VI here!
6. Enjoyable!
Playfulness has at all times been a part of Devcon and of the Ethereum ecosystem at giant. Because of this Devcon swag is colourful, Jonathan Mann is singing The Merge Song 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 large Jenga, and the hacker basement stuffed with digital artwork to discover.
Ix Shells and Rosendo Merel Choy – Picture by Shintaro Yoshimatsu
Most of the enjoyable issues Devcon VI provided have been dropped at life by the group itself. The music stage within the Chiva Chillout was a group initiative that was born from a Devcon Enchancment Proposal (DIP) by The Fellowship of Ethereum Musicians that became a bigger mission. You’ll be able to watch a video with highlights from all four days here. Every day, attendees might 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 properly, and we thank everybody who gave us priceless suggestions (you can still give feedback via our attendee survey and earn a POAP.)
There are some things we realized this 12 months. Wi-Fi was a problem once more, particularly on the primary day, and we all know there may be room for enchancment, and our SIM playing cards for attendees have been extra important than ever! The meals might 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 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 better for rivalry 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 snug atmosphere for all. We’ll evaluate our CoC and think about enhancements primarily based on what we’ve realized this 12 months.
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 get involved by proposing ideas to improve Devcon.
Aya’s discuss subtraction made us rethink the phrasing of DIPs. Devcon Enchancment Proposals at the moment are supposed for collaborative group 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 can be onerous, as we’ve many unimaginable suggestions for Devcon7 locations from members of the Ethereum group.
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 Affect groups, Supporters, Group Hub organizers, DIP contributors, and volunteers that made Devcon VI doable. ❤️🦄
Till we meet once more, you may try extra photos by the Devcon team here, and discover extra photos by Shintaro Yoshimatsu here.
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EF Devcon Staff
