Recap of Futurist 2024
This article is a collaboration between Nucleon and Swappi DEX.
Another conference came and went in 2024. The 2024 Futurist Conference in Toronto, officially known as the Blockchain Futurist Conference, was a major event that brought together over 6,500 attendees from around the world. Held on August 13 & 14 at the Rebel Entertainment Complex and Cabana. This futurist conference is a great example as to why projects like Nucleon and Swappi need to attend multiple conferences. Let’s dive into the overall feel of the Conference and the speakers, then break down some of our personal highlights of the event including meeting one of the Co-Founders of Conflux, Fan Long.
Key Themes and Topics
Each conference seems to take up a few key themes for the majority of speakers to discuss. Here are a few that we noted:
- DeFi and Staking: Exploring the evolving landscape of decentralized finance, including the latest around stablecoin trends.
Stablecoins remain a core piece of the defi puzzle that is crucial to adding traditional users & merchants to the blockchain.
Key industry payers want to see a diverse set of stablecoin payers. Could Conflux’s HKD stablecoin partners pay an important role in this? - Gaming and NFTs: Delving into the role of blockchain in gaming and the burgeoning NFT market.
The GameFi space still has a long way to go in adoption for mainstream users.
Gaming content and experience need to get better before greater adoption occurs. - Regulation: Discussions on the regulatory environment in Canada and globally, with insights into the challenges and opportunities for blockchain adoption.
Canada is taking slightly different stance on crypto than the US.
Heavy presence of Tax Accounting, and payment processors at this year’s conference to help out crypto consumers.
Sponsored Booths and Networking
The conference featured over 150 sponsors and partners, including major brands. The expo floor was packed with interactive booths from companies across the Web3 and crypto landscape, offering attendees a chance to explore new technologies, products, and services. In addition, the event provided numerous networking opportunities through private cabanas, lounges, and side events, fostering collaboration and idea-sharing among participants.
These sponsored booths are a perfect example of how each conference is different. Consensus had many booths with AI based projects. Here, as previously mentioned, the booths were geared towards consumer facing projects like tax firms, centralized exchanges, and mining equipment companies.
Overall, the 2024 Futurist Conference in Toronto solidified its position as a leading event in the blockchain and tech industries, highlighting the innovations that are shaping the future of Web3 and beyond. So much so that the Conference will be moving away from Toronto, and off to Miami for 2025. We look forward to attending the event next year.
Side Events are Becoming Bigger Than the Conferences
There’s a bit of a secret in the industry. Most networking doesn’t actually occur at the conference itself. Side events are where most projects have gone to make sure projects like Conflux can have quality time with individuals and share why they are important players to work with. There were over 30 side events spanning from Monday to Friday while the Conference was only two days. That being said, some events have become less than productive. Why go to a packed boat where no one can hear a word over the music when you can share a mic with an interested crowd? Which is exactly what we chose when went to a pitch event night to talk about Conflux as a chain and Swappi as a launchpad to new projects pitching their ideas.
Conflux Ecosystem Shines at Futurist
Some of you may know that Conflux’s global division is based in Toronto. Conflux went out and sponsored three separate side events during the week. The building was packed with attendees including Conflux developers to see what was happening with the ecosystem and Conflux. Of course, having a Fireside Chat with a Co-Founder is the cherry on top.
We were delighted to meet Fan and have a photo opportunity with him along with other members of the Conflux team and a developer. We appreciate hearing his thoughts on the opinions on blockchain adoption in China, and answering questions from the listeners. We sincerely hope that Fan enjoyed speaking to the crowd, and wish that he along with the other Co-founders of Conflux would speak more often to these people who are eager to learn more about Conflux.
Why is it so important to be at these conferences?
These conferences are more than a bunch of events. It’s how networks are built, ideas are shared, and deals get done. Partnerships and deals are not done with getting to know people. Maybe you met someone and talked about each others projects at one conference. That’s not enough to consider someone worthy of collaborating with. Trust may need to be built. Especially for Swappi and Nucleon who are small projects.
When team members go and be seen at the conferences, especially around Conflux, it gives weight that they are legitimate projects that can be trusted to collaborate with. This is why we send someone like Matt to conferences. Being seen and building trust as a project that can be entrusted with other project’s reputations.
Wrap-up
With that, we would like to thank the crew behind Futurist for a wonderful conference and compliment Toronto on being a fantastic city to visit.
Next up on our schedule is the largest event of the year, Token2049 in Singapore. Yes, we will be there this year.
About Nucleon
Nucleon is a liquid staking solution for Conflux PoS backed by industry-leading staking providers. Nucleon lets users stake their CFX without locking assets or maintaining infrastructure.
Our goal is to solve the problems associated with Conflux PoS staking — illiquidity, immovability, and accessibility — making staked CFX liquid and allowing for participation with any amount of CFX to improve the security of the Conflux network.
Connect with us!
Link to our social channels. 👇
About Swappi
Swappi is the leading decentralized exchange on Conflux eSpace and helps you make the most of your crypto in three ways: Swap, Stake & Earn, and Win.
