NFT.NYC 2023 Showcased The Future of Web3
Monumental Moments Transformed The Space Into Super Heights Amidst The Bear Market
NYC was unexpectedly humid last week, but Victoria and I had business to get done. The fourth annual NFT.NYC event (and my third attending) converted much of Times Square into a non-fungible bonanza with over 6,000 attendees alone at the main conference and countless more attending the dozens of action-packed side events.
The main venue felt a bit empty because it’s built for a larger crowd, and the bear market in recent years had some wondering if NFTs would continue. However, with major players like Google, Shopify, Ticketmaster, and Salesforce involved, it’s clear NFTs aren’t going anywhere compared to other web3 technologies. (Whether you like them or not!)
As the temperature spiked to 80+ degrees as the week went on, the air-conditioned venues had plenty of panels, vendors and anything you needed to know about the future of the industry between loyalty programs, phygitals, web3 games and endless creator opportunities. Everything from intellectual property to technical, community, and business use cases of NFTs were discussed.
Everyone knew about our Sold Out Samurai Saga event and 500+ people showed up to the side event we promoted for our client. We even gave our own talk on the future of NFT gaming.
Ok, I’m being modest–the party was epic with performances throughout, and we had a chance to meet some innovators in the space while seeing trends emerge.
Here are the biggest trends we saw at NFT.NYC 2023:
1. Rewarding The NFT Superfans
There were amazing side quests and activities to be found throughout the week. NFT projects really stepped up their game to provide value to their communities. Degods crushed it with activations every day across the week making superfans spend their entire visit on the scavenger hunt fighting for $100,000 in prizes.
The Claynosaurz party was all everyone in SOL was talking about—some people (@JRDNzs from TrenchDAO) even won $10,000 in signed prizes that helped offset the cost of attending.
It was great seeing these projects focus on providing a unique experience to token holders, and I’m grateful I got to spend a decent chunk of time with 0racle from Magic Eden, among many other founders, thought leaders and innovators across the space.
2. Endless Household Name Activations
Although innovative startups are the main focus, big brands really held the throne at the conference and side events.
Wrangler partnered with Jeremy Booth for an NFC-chipped black denim jacket.
Samsung held a live event coupled with a virtual gathering for its Discord community.
Mastercard activated its Music Pass NFT and Mastercard Artist Accelerator Program.
Adidas released Chapter 1 of its dynamic ALTS NFTs.
And of course, there were plenty of Web3-native successes to be found, like Nouns, Beeple, Pudgy Penguins, Claynosaurz, Degods, and an intimate BAYC gathering.
Co:Create even had their name across a few notable sponsorship activations this past week, showing how strong development in the sector is. In fact, SaaS platforms are everywhere these days and had a strong presence in NYC.
My favorite part was building stronger in-person relationships with people throughout the industry and in communities like JumpDAO.
3. More Inclusivity Than Ever
I also couldn’t help but notice the NFT industry is getting more inclusive. As we wandered through the events, there were noticeably more females and minorities than we saw at recent Web3 events like ETHDenver. We always attend a few woman-centric events at these conferences, but they’re usually a rare oasis.
Of course, we were in the middle of Times Square, which is naturally filled with people from all walks of life, so there’s that.
On a technical side, it’s also striking how many chains have high-profile NFTs now. I remember a time when everyone was an Ethereum maxi and maybe supported a side chain like Polygon, but Solana, Bitcoin Ordinals, Cardano and other chains are really starting to shine these days.
I was especially proud to see the SOL NFT community show up strong and host arguably the best side events of the week.
Final Thoughts
Overall, NFT.NYC occurred during a bear market and the most unseasonably warm April I remember. But some of that heat may as well have been coming from the industry, because there was plenty going on for everybody.
Community is the heart of innovation in any industry, and if the crowd at NFT.NYC was an indication, the NFT community is going strong through thick and thin.
Lena Grundhoefer is the Founder of ZEITG3IST, a globally-recognized digital marketing and strategy agency. Through future-proof marketing solutions for the brands of tomorrow, we help Fortune 500 companies as well as brands just starting out break into web3.