Veecon 2022: Setting the Bar High for NFT Utility

Veecon 2022 is a first-of-its-kind utility offered to Veefriends NFT holders. It is dubbed a Web3 superconference for bringing together over 130 iconic keynote speakers and collaborative experiences held at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the helm is Gary Vaynerchuck, aka Gary Vee, the creator] and CEO of Veefriends, widely known in the NFT world. He is also known for his business acumen and inspirational approach in the workplace by encouraging empathy and kindness.

I have to say that it was a great community gathering! With discord being the default platform for building NFT communities, it is hard to predict whether NFT holders (or dare I say hodlers) are willing to get together outside the comforts of their mobile phones. I have been to other great conferences in the past but there is something about the feeling of connectedness in the air that makes Veecon quite special and sets the bar high for NFT community and utility building.

It was a pleasure to be part of the audience and listen to some of the leading voices in the web3 space.

!llmind: Ramon Ibanga Jr., a 2x Grammy-winning/7x Grammy-nominated record producer, songwriter and educator, is the only Filipino-American in the line-up. He encourages artists to be more intentional and purposeful when creating. He is the founder of Blapkits and Bidpacks NFT, a series of beatmaking tools for music producers.
Beeple: Mike Winkelmann, known for selling a $69M NFT at Christine’s auction house, was casual and candid. He thinks that utility is going to be more important as the space becomes more competitive. He is currently building a hub in Charleston, South Carolina as a way to link the physical with the digital, and a way to interact with his followers.
Keith Grossman: Currently the President of Time, he was one of the pioneers in the publishing world to dive into NFTs. This experiment has led to $10M sales in one year and are planning to roll out more web3 projects.
Mila Kunis: Actress and founder of Stoner Cats NFT is one of the few women founders in web3. Stoner Cats is the first animated series in the NFT space and can be viewed by token holders including a spectrum of community, content and creator access.
Maliha Abidi: WomenRise NFT Creator and Founder advocates for inclusivity, women empowerment and fighting for marginalized communities.
And many more! There was Spike Lee, Pharell, Yam Karkai (Creator of World of Women), Evan Keast (co-Creator of Doodles) , Eva Longoria, FEWOCiOUS and Snoop Dog. Whew!

The days were filled with various activities from various partners such as an awesome flea market with various collectibles from Rally, gaming lounge by Gala Games, security education by Ledger, Cameopass Chill Out Zone, Coffee & Convos by Coach and an NFT Land presented by Pepsi.

It does seem though that women were outnumbered by men – easily one female for every five males. A female attendee has told me that the female/male ratio in tech conferences are getting better. It is also quite expected for there to be more men given Gary Vee’s appeal to this demographic. Nevertheless, people came from different places and backgrounds with many forging friendships outside of the discord channels. I walked away with more friends, with more web3 insights and, above all, a solid great time! At a time of uncertainty and market correction in the crypto world, Veecon was surely a ray of sunshine.

Michelle Sario-Goodwin is an ad(wo)man who found herself immersed in both web2 and web3 worlds. An NFT and crypto educator, she runs a consultancy for brands needing support in navigating the web3 space. While Pinoy at heart, she and her husband reside in Connecticut raising a (super) active toddler. You can reach her via Linkedin and Twitter mzsario (MichelleSario.eth).

This article is published on BitPinas: Veecon 2022: Setting the Bar High for NFT Utility

Disclaimer: BitPinas articles and its external content are not financial advice. The team serves to deliver independent, unbiased news to provide information for Philippine-crypto and beyond.