Blockchain Week Dubai

This article is proudly co-authored with Amir Sharipov, Web3 Advisory at Banana Capital.

Blockchain Week Dubai has become one of the most anticipated events of 2024. The conference series occurred from April 16 to April 23 in Dubai, UAE. This article is a constructive conclusion that the Banana Capital team and I would like to share.

Introduction

Participation in global conferences has proven strategically important in marketing and business development. Attending such conferences is crucial for building an extensive network, increasing brand visibility, and attracting clients and investors.

Over 400 speakers took the stage at the 6 conferences, reaching an audience exceeding 20,000 individuals, with over 500 side events taking place concurrently. Following our recent participation in Token2049 Singapore, Dubai has undoubtedly become a key hub for innovators, investors, and enthusiasts, providing a platform for fostering business connections.

Token2049, recognized as a leading platform for shaping the future of decentralized technologies, has been a focal point. In the following sections, let’s delve into the series of conferences held, highlighting the benefits of each and the role of networking in business development and international partnerships.

Conferences Lineup

One distinguishing feature of these conferences is their ability to facilitate connections among startups, thought leaders, and investors, with side events reaffirming their importance and significance.

These events serve as a haven for blockchain startups seeking opportunities for financing and growth. Venture capitalists, angel investors, and organizations keen on blockchain technologies come to discover the next big thing. This unique lineup of conferences is where ambitious projects find the capital to turn their ideas into reality.

During Blockchain Week Dubai, a series of six major conferences took place featuring key figures and thought leaders from the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry:

Blockchain Life Forum (April 15-16, Festival Arena):

The largest crypto event of the year brought together over 8,000 crypto enthusiasts and dozens of international companies. The conference boasted a stellar lineup of speakers, including Justin Sun (Tron & HTX), Paolo Ardoino (Tether & Bitfinex), Pascal Gauthier (Ledger), Andrei Grachev (DWF Labs), and others.

Global Blockchain Show (April 16-17, Grand Hyatt):

A conference where thought leaders in the Web3 ecosystem gathered to share ideas and discuss future opportunities. Speakers included Lennix Lai (OKX), Dominic Williams (Dfinity), Alex Fazel (SwissBorg), Alexander Belov (CoinTelegraph), and others.

Token2049 Dubai (April 18-19, Madinat Jumeirah):

The premier annual crypto event in Dubai and Singapore. Founders and CEOs of Web3 companies discussed global events and presented industry outlooks. Speakers included Pavel Durov (Telegram, TON), Sandeep Nailwal (Polygon), Paolo Ardoino (Tether & Bitfinex), Arthur Hayes (Bitmex), Joseph Lubin (Consensys), Anatoly Yakovenko (Solana), Daniel Alegre (Yuga Labs), Michael Sonnenshein (Grayscale), and others.

ETHDubai (April 20-21, Le Meridien Center):

Ethereum organized the event, focusing on DeFi, Web3, smart contracts, scalability, privacy, and decentralization. The event, which included a hackathon, featured speakers such as Guillaume Ballet (Ethereum), Sarang Parikh (SushiSwap), Mudit Gupta (0xPolygon), Luis Schliesske (Gelato), Nick White (Celestia), Ben Lakoff (Bankless), and others.

Global Digital Assets Investment Summit (April 20-21, Atlantis, The Palm):

This summit brought together experts from the cryptocurrency industry, fintech, financial institutions, and investment funds. Discussions revolved around the future of digital asset investments, with speakers including Leon Smith (Gulf Equity), Tobias Bauer (Blockchain Founders Fund), Anna Tutova (CoinsTelegram), and others.

World Blockchain Summit (April 22-23, Address Marina):

A hub for networking and deal-making for the Web3 community. The program focused on market trends and issues, featuring speakers such as Sandeep Nailwal (Polygon), Emin Gun Sirer (Avalanche), Tim Draper (DFJ VC), Anthony Pompliano (Morgan Creek), Dan Morehead (Pantera Capital), and others.

Deep Dive Into Our Trip

During our 14-day journey, we attended 4 leading conferences and participated in 9 side events with strict RSVP control. Let’s walk you through our trip to Dubai in chronological order:

Day One

We attended the Blockchain Life conference, where we made numerous connections, met with partners, and listened to international speakers. It’s been a great start!

Day Two

The Blockchain Life conference was postponed until the following day due to stormy weather, thunderstorms, and strong winds in Dubai. Humidity reached 89%.

Day Three

We participated as speakers in one of the side events. Later, we attended the GSR and 1inch event – Crypto Cocktails Dubai, at Bar Buci. Afterwards, we headed to the event hosted by zkSync, IOSG Ventures, Cronos, GRVT, ZeroLend, and zkLink—Unlock the Block: ZK FEST at Be Beach DXB. We concluded the evening at the CoinW Exchange event—Rise of a New Era at Atlantis, The Royal.

Day Four

The Token2049 conference was organized at the highest level. The first day went splendidly. Later, we were invited to the private event HTX Dubai Whale Night at Papa Dubai. We discussed potential strategic partnerships with the company’s leadership. Afterwards, our friends from Gotbit and DAO Maker invited us to the Crypto OG Party side event at CouCou Dubai, a lounge bar on the 53rd floor overlooking Palm Jumeirah. It was a fantastic end to the evening!

Day Five

We attended the second day of the Token2049 Dubai conference at Madinat Jumeirah. It was a fantastic event, and we plan to participate in Token2049 Singapore in September. The highlight was the presentation by Pavel Durov (CEO of Telegram), Andrei Rogozov (CEO of TON), and Paolo Ardoino (CEO of Tether). Company leaders gathered on stage and announced the integration of USDT into the TON blockchain, which we eagerly anticipated! After that, we joined the evening side event DeFi Drinks at one of Dubai’s finest restaurants – CE LA VI. Friends from API3, DWF Labs, and Mantle invited us.

Day Six

We attended ETH Dubai at Le Meridien Center – particularly highlighting the pitch day, where project founders presented their startups. We went to the evening’s official afterparty from Token2049 – After 2029 at the beach club Be Beach. We strengthened connections with exciting people from the conference and spent the evening with crypto enthusiasts.

Day Seven

We attended the second day of the ETH Dubai conference. Overall, it was one of the most significant conferences in Dubai, where a high-quality audience, promising startups, and the best technical specialists from the Web3 industry gathered in one place. Later, we enjoyed the sunset at the side event Welcome Yacht Party in Business Bay hosted by Web3 World Consortium and SirWin. Later, we headed to the side event, The Crypto Week After Party, in JBR hosted by Latoken Exchange.

Days Eight and Nine

To conclude our journey, we attended the two-day World Blockchain Summit at JW Marriott Marina. It was the most extended series of Web3 summits for networking and deal-making.

Trip Results

Thanks to our participation in 85 Web3 conferences over the past two years, we have built an extensive network of 1,200 international contacts. Our visit to Dubai was a turning point, and we felt the power of strategic networking and its potential to take our business to new heights.

It was our first visit to Dubai. The city provided a vibrant networking backdrop: luxurious venues, headquarters, rooftops, fashionable restaurants in skyscrapers, and stylish cocktail bars. The week of blockchain events underscored Dubai’s position as the crypto capital of the Middle East, with the city of the future rising amidst the desert.

• We established over 550 contacts throughout our work, creating new connections and partnerships for our clients.
• Subsequently, we created over 120 partnership chats, of which 60 were chats with other investment funds for deal flow.
• For a venture fund, we selected 240 projects with pitch decks for potential venture investment.
• Thanks to the trip to Dubai, the investment fund gained good traction on social media: LinkedIn (5,200) and Twitter (7,300). We made quite a splash from the start. The total audience count now stands at 1,216 followers.
• Most importantly, the investment fund now has new large potential limited partners (LPs) with whom we plan to negotiate and start cooperating only with the best.

All the events we attended aimed to share experiences rather than consume them. Educational seminars and panels were truly designed to aid learning, not sales. From technical dives into smart contracts to discussions on regulatory compliance and security, our team gained a wealth of practical knowledge and skills over 13 days.

Conclusion

Active participation in the largest global conferences and side events is crucial in establishing connections with partners and attracting potential clients and investors. Achieving significant results without a physical presence in the real world is practically impossible.

The trip was highly productive. Regarding the quantity of quality contacts from the Web3 industry, we exceeded the results of our last trip by 5 times.

We look back on our journey with pride and invite everyone to join us in our quest to be listed among the world’s Tier-1 funds. We will see you at Token2049 Singapore as early as September 2024. Subscribe to our social media!