What went down at NFT.NYC 2023

With traditional brands taking a break from their metaverse activations after the thrill of Metaverse Fashion Weekall eyes were on the true trailblazers of Web3 to deliver at last week’s NFT.NYC event.

The program, which took place from April 12 to 14, brought the digital audience offline with a host of after-parties, exclusive dinners, meetings, panels and gamified activities. Established in 2018, The calendar – which has grown from a one-day event with 400 attendees to a three-day showcase – now attracts a global audience of C-suite executives, VIPs and enthusiasts eager to discover the potential of the metaverse.

Now officially established as one of Web3’s most anticipated community events of the year, the push was on for attendees, which included Adidas, Cult & Rain, Gmoney and more, to revive the metaverse’s optimism, following the crypto winter and its recent infamy.

Jing Daily takes a look at which activations across the calendar performed well, and where the event fell short of high expectations.

The invitation-only event brought together top minds across the industry to discuss new innovation in fashion, luxury and retail. Photo: Ashumi Sanghvi via LinkedIn

What went well?

One of the highlights was the invite-only Future+ launch event, organized in partnership with Samsung LED. The conference featured a series of curated panels discussing topics ranging from the future of phygital to the power of AI, and brought together experts from top Web3 startups including Exclusive, The factory, Hope, Arianee, DressXand more.

According to Ashumi Sanghvi, founder of Future+ and creative production agency MadGlobal, the first event gathered more than 300 visitors during its activation and received an impressive response.

Another spotlight moment was Gmoney’s World Connect 02 treasure hunt challenge, which combined POAPs (Proof of Attendance Protocol) and physical “treasure” pins that could be collected by fans at various New York haunts, including a downtown bodega and a pizza place.

Attendees were encouraged to order the “secret menu” item to receive a 9dcc mystery pack containing several “NYC essentials,” as well as the brand’s Iteration-03 baseball cap — a product that later served as a canvas for a series of physical pins found across the hunt.

Community members were encouraged to participate in a treasure hunt across the city to discover a variety of “treasures” and offline experiences. Photo: Courtesy of Chapter 2 Agency / Matthew LeJune

“We received many contributions to the treasure hunt and all 9dcc caps have been dispersed. Based on our latest information from 9dcc World Connect 02, a total of 7,845 POAP coins were made with 1,854 different units,” said Kenneth Loo, co-founder of the agency Chapter 2. Jing Daily. “These impressive numbers show the high level of engagement. It’s clear that communities are willing to interact with ‘networked products’ when given the chance to do so in real life.”

Meanwhile, Adidas celebrated its #ALTSbyadidas ecosystem and genesis NFT drops with its “EVERYTHING[er] Ego Motel” meet-up, run by Web3 record company Probably A Label. The sportswear giant has recently changed its metaverse-centric community from a PFP project to a collaboratively focused and narrative engagement platform.

The event featured live music and entertainment, and generated a large attendance and response across social strata. Scavenger hunts were also a recurring theme of the week, with Adidas hosting their own scavenger hunt activity where participants could win a free branded goody bag – a prize that included specially designed T-shirts with NFC chips and POAPs, which further connected the group to the Web3 world.

The event celebrated the label’s recent transition from PFP projects to a more community-focused platform in Web3. Photo: Adidas

Obvious pain points

However, the schedule’s less documented side events failed to resonate with the masses. This was largely due to complications with curation and poor organization by coordinators, which left a number of panels both underwhelming and grossly below capacity.

These pain points serve as a lesson in Web3 survival, demonstrating what happens when profit and numbers are prioritized over thoughtful and meaningful experiences for the community.

Also, not everyone was convinced the schedule was worth the hype. Web3 native and enthusiast @vvwvvw_eth tweeted “NFT NYC this year is extremely boring, tbh. Everyone just repeats the same stuff, very shallow.” Meanwhile, @9gagceo written: “Most Web3 IRL events are the opposite of Web3 – they’re organized by one party, in one place, at one time, and so centralized that you can’t even get in.”

NFT NYC this year is extremely boring, tbh. Everyone just repeats the same things, very superficially, endlessly blah blah blah…

If you shout out boring things it doesn’t make them more interesting or valuable, your audience here is not a grandma’s bingo party. pic.twitter.com/bDFKxchLPg

— vvwvvw.eth (@vvwvvw_eth) 13 April 2023

While big activations from big brands may overshadow the failures, lackluster attendance and feedback like the above suggest the event still has a ways to go to build enthusiasm and capitalize on appeal.

Future improvement

Even without the presence of hyped players like Bored Ape Yacht Club (whose “Apefest” was one of last year’s undisputed highlights), calendar still generated strong media exposure and online buzz. Large absences like BAYC’s have also not massively dampened enthusiasm or engagement among Web3 enthusiasts, who for the most part embraced the participants and projects nonetheless.

Overall, the excitement around NFT.NYC shows that the industry still feels optimistic about Web3’s future. However, the success of these types of events depends on the brands putting the community at the heart of their projects, rather than the prospect of influence.