How web3 meets creative industries in Portugal: Interview

Our web3 PR and Advertising and marketing company, EAK Digital, was organizing the primary Istanbul Blockchain Week in 2019, we had an epic speaker lineup and the Hilton Resort booked within the middle of Istanbul. This was the primary occasion we had organized and issues have been going nice, after which covid-19 hit and all the pieces fell aside. In fact, we needed to cancel the occasion and refund all sponsors; this was devastating to me as I’d labored extraordinarily exhausting on placing this collectively.

When the world shut down in March 2020, we have been all on the lookout for issues to take our minds off of the covid-19 pandemic. I used to be sitting in my childhood bed room at this level (because of the lockdown!), questioning what we must always do. We had this nice speaker lineup however no convention, thus BlockDown was born.

BlockDown allowed me and my workforce to laser concentrate on making a metaverse-inspired digital expertise that has by no means been finished earlier than in simply 6 weeks. The joy of bringing the entire blockchain group collectively for 12 hours per day reside throughout 48 hours, taking within the largest audio system and tasks from Beijing to Los Angeles, was an exhilarating expertise.

I used to be additionally impressed by having Akon with us as a speaker for 5 BlockDown editions. Again within the first version in April 2020, there was a number of media consideration about Akon showing at BlockDown because it was the primary international blockchain occasion he had participated in.

As any person who spent his college days dancing to Akon on pupil nights late into the night time, I by no means thought we’d find yourself working collectively like this. In order that was an enormous thrill.

Lastly, by tying the ‘lockdown into’ our identify, we are going to always remember what impressed BlockDown and staying true to our DNA and core values of internet hosting occasions with interactivity, enjoyable, and engagement tied to the center of the occasion.

As you rightly stated, BlockDown Pageant focuses on the intersection of web3 and tradition, the crossover of the inventive industries similar to music, sports activities, arts, vogue, gaming and leisure.

For music, we now have partnered with web3 music platform TokenTraxx, in making a web3 music takeover stage within the secret backyard stage of the pageant. We shall be inviting 8 web3 musicians which have discovered success within the NFT area to talk and carry out on the pageant. We’ve got a pleasant combine of various music genres, and It’ll give the pageant nice vitality whereas giving everybody an opportunity to find new up-and-coming web3 music artists.

For Vogue, we now have partnered up with the Metaverse Vogue Council for our fashion-related content material. First up, on July eleventh, we could have a metaverse-inspired vogue present on the convention’s predominant stage, catwalk included! In between every vogue talking content material, there shall be a vogue present for vogue lovers and curious minds alike to benefit from the newest in the way forward for vogue.

As well as, one thing we’re very enthusiastic about is the world’s first vogue AI hackathon occurring at BlockDown Pageant this 12 months. The Metaverse Vogue Council has simply launched Model AI, a first-of-its-kind vogue AI that may create vogue clothes based mostly in your prompts. In an America’s received expertise fashion competitors, rivals will take the stage to battle it out who can take advantage of modern clothes and decide by skilled vogue judges, which shall be very thrilling.

For Gaming, we now have partnered up with the Blockchain Recreation Alliance to assist us in bringing collectively the most effective gaming content material potential. We could have W3E with us, who could have a gaming zone and expertise internet hosting reside web3 gaming tournaments all through the pageant.

As web3 goes extra mainstream, an increasing number of web3 tasks wish to accomplice with the world’s largest manufacturers to onboard the subsequent era of individuals into web3. With that in thoughts, we now have some main manufacturers at BlockDown Pageant this 12 months.

To call just a few, we now have Pär Helgosson, head of web3 and metaverse at PSG, one the world’s largest soccer golf equipment and types,

Conserving on the sports activities entrance, we now have John Wolfe, Web3 Lead at McLaren Racing. He shall be internet hosting a keynote speech and becoming a member of an skilled panel of manufacturers discussing how Mclaren Racing has efficiently entered web3 and the place they see the longer term trajectory of the trade.

Lastly, on the model entrance, we now have Julian O’Hayon, co-founder and CEO of BLVCK Paris. This luxurious life-style vogue model has finished superb issues in web3 and is a pioneering instance of different vogue manufacturers integrating web3 into their present enterprise fashions.

We even have the CEO of Animoca Manufacturers, Robby Yung, becoming a member of us for a hearth chat reside on our predominant stage alongside some nice VCs like Bankless Ventures.

And the nice factor is we nonetheless have a lot extra to announce. Examine again to our audio system’ web page on the BlockDown Pageant to maintain up to date on the newest speaker bulletins!

Sure, we’re trying ahead to this. As talked about earlier than, that is in collaboration with the Metaverse Vogue Council, advising us on the most effective designers and vogue homes to accomplice with for the Metaverse vogue present. The style present shall be cut up into 4 segments, with a fashion-related speech and panels in between every efficiency.

For these on the pageant, We could have a ten ft catwalk for the fashions to take to the stage and showcase the completely different vogue designs, and the present shall be reside IRL and, after all, within the metaverse on July eleventh.

I met the Bored Ape guys in Dubai just lately and attended considered one of their exhibits and knew immediately that we needed to deliver this to BlockDown Pageant. I had a gathering with them the place we have been aligned with them relating to the content material and manufacturing of the celebration, and they’re excited to come back to Portugal for the primary time. 

They are going to be internet hosting two events, the Bored Ape Yacht Get together may be very unique, naturally, as it’s on a yacht, the numbers are restricted, and people on that boat can even be handled to journeys via the world-famous Benagil Cave and be with a cease at a personal seashore for a Bored Ape BBQ!

On July Twelfth, on the pageant’s predominant stage, DJ Ape will deliver the Bored Ape expertise to the entire pageant for a 2-hour DJ set that includes distinctive tracks and merchandise. I can’t wait to see it!

We wish to hold our doorways open to collaboration for so long as potential. Particularly, we’d love to listen to from music artists, NFT artists, Digital Vogue Designers, and anybody or firm that may enrich the BlockDown Pageant expertise for our visitors. The extra inventive the thought, the higher!

For extra data, see BlockDown Pageant: Portugal.