A personal take from NFT Paris - the experience, the trends and best panels (NFTmemo #7)
As the dust settled down, and I (almost) recovered from the French flu; I would like to share my thoughts on NFT Paris from the perspective of a web3 founder, ex-VC, but also NFT collector. I will divide my observations into two parts: my EXPERIENCE (in comparison with similar events e.g. NFT.London, NFT.NYC, NFC etc.) and THE TRENDS I have seen in the space.
A) THE EXPERIENCE
💪 NFTS NOT DEAD • Similarly to what happened at NFT.London, where a photo of empty panels went viral, this time around at NFT Paris, a photo of long queues with the Eiffel Tower in the background circulated. The conference was filled with over 18,000 attendees, and I don't believe that the NFT space is lacking global attention.
🔎 CURATED COMMUNITIES • Overall, I found that the more exclusive and selective communities at the in-person events led me to meet more fascinating individuals. This was especially true during the Rug Radio show and Admit One event, where I met OGs and leaders in the NFT space. One thing that people often underestimate is the importance of keeping an eye out for side events. I learned this the hard way and suggest doing so weeks before the event as it can have a direct impact on your overall experience.
🛠️ BUILDERS OVER VCS • Compared to previous NFT events, the presence of investors at NFT Paris felt noticeably weaker. I had the pleasure of meeting numerous builders, some of whom had received funding during the bull market while others were still seeking it. It seems that discussions about investment have shifted from dedicated events to smaller, more intimate dinners behind closed doors or 1-on-1 meetings.
💎 QUALITY OVER QUANTITY • NFT Paris opted to have fewer speakers, but ones that represented major stakeholders in the NFT space. This resulted in two things: A) attendees could spend most of the day at the main stage and receive decent value from the discussions, and B) the depth of individual segments covered was limited. This approach differed significantly from NFT.NYC, where there were numerous panels available and as a result, A) careful time curation was necessary, and B) attendees had the option to niche down and focus solely on panels from tracks that they were interested in, such as web3 music.
🤝 POAPS STILL NOT THERE • I found that many individuals either weren't aware of the Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) or didn't have the necessary app. Alternatively, the maxis opted for more streamlined solutions such as NFC cards or 9dcc shirts containing NFC chips, which allowed for easy collection of POAP.
🚧 A KING AMONG TOKENGATING • When it comes to token-gating experiences, the Tokenproof App remains the go-to solution, as it guarantees a seamless process, while some events still reverted to the guest list, like Ledger x Artblocks event in Factory or Rekt in Paris. I guess we are still not fully there yet.
👥 QUEUES AS THE MAIN MOTTO • One of the negative aspects of NFT Paris was the extensive queues, which appeared to be a recurring theme throughout the event. While managing such a large event with over 18k attendees is undoubtedly challenging, waiting for two hours to gain entry to the main stage or official afterparty seems a bit wild, especially considering the high ticket cost of 400E.
B) THE TRENDS
👨⚕️ HEALTHY CONSOLIDATION • NFT Paris demonstrated signs of healthy consolidation of top projects, especially in the PFP corner (see The Rise of PFPs panel, link below). These people build for the long term and ignore the noise.
🎮 GAMIFICATION & STORYTELLING • Gamified experiences and mini-games are popular in the NFT space, as seen in the success of Yuga Labs' DookeyDash game and projects that use burning mechanisms like Open Editions and Checks. Strong storytelling is also a key factor in successful NFT projects, particularly in the Yuga Labs ecosystem (Applied Primate Engineering, Jenkins the Valet). These approaches offer valuable lessons for brands.
👀 NEW EYES ON WEB3 • The fact, that many Fortune 500 brands are piloting web3 and taking it seriously even during a bear market goes without saying and was only confirmed at NFT.Paris. and many big brands without any web3 exposure were present to learn. Even French EY acquired a web3 agency through which it wants to target web3.
🛍️ PHYGITALS AND CERTIFICATES • NFTs as certificates of authenticity for physical goods and tools to build communities around products are gaining more support. One good example is the 9dcc t-shirts, where others can scan the NFC chip to collect POAPs as proof of meeting someone in person.
C) THE PANELS
If you weren't able to attend NFT Paris, don't worry as most of the panel discussions have already been made available on the NFT Paris YouTube channel. From my perspective, there were a few panel discussions that stood out and provided valuable insights:
COMBINING TWO WORLDS • Tom Sachs, Verbal, Gmoney, Adriana Hoppenbrouwer
FIRESIDE CHAT WITH ADIDAS • Erika Wykes-Sneyd
THE RISE OF PFPS • Frank Degods, Luca Schentzler, Harri Thomas, Bryan Pellegrino, Fanfaron
THE FIRESIDE CHAT WITH YUGA LABS • Greg Solano
NFTS AT SCALE • Marc Mathieu, Tim Walther, Eva Assayag, Samir Addamine
DAOISM • Jonathan Perkins, OSF, Aubtoshi, Mando
Have an opinion on the above? Are you interested in/building something in NFT and web3 space? Drop a comment or message me on Twitter or Telegram and let’s chat.