If you follow us on Twitter (@fairxyz) you might have noticed that we are just a tad excited about setting sail next week to attend the globe’s biggest and greatest NFT conference, NFT-NYC.

While this is not the first conference we’ve attended, this one is certainly, as most people put it, the ‘Super Bowl’ of the NFT calendar. And just like the actual Super Bowl, an event like this is about so much more than just the game (/conference) itself. It’s about the hype, the crowds, the news, the celebrities, the after-parties, the spectacle, and the cultural moment. But above all, it’s about creating validation and showing those passers-by who aren’t interested in the event, that this is something to pay attention to.

Because there are millions of people around the world who can’t name which teams are playing each year in the Super Bowl…but they also don’t need to google “What is American Football!?” either. So in light of this historic event, as we are packing our bags and circling which events we’re attending, we thought we’d pull together our thoughts on why the Web3 industry needs more events IRL and their benefits of them.

Instant human interaction

By operating in the world of Web3, our means of communication are facilitated by avatars and .eth usernames.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re fans, but nothing beats the instant feedback IRL we get when discussing a project, an idea or just chatting with someone - as well as naturally creating faster and greater trust, going beyond that of nameless avatars.

Furthermore, for us, you get a chance to meet us, the people behind the tech. We want to attend loads of events, making sure we have that visibility to the community. It reinforces the fact that behind the website and brand, we’re real people, that care immensely about the quality of what we are putting into the world.

Creating new connections

Having 4 days surrounded by 15,000 like-minded people is the best chance to connect with hundreds of people in such a short amount of time.

The speed at which you can piggyback off a conversation or join another group of people with such confidence is something special you only get at a real-life conference event (…just even thinking about doing the same at a house party where you don’t know anyone gets my anxiety going).

After just a short amount of time, you’ll be returning home with so many new people to collaborate with, more much than if you had to cold call them.

Feed off the energy

Sitting at home alone sometimes, staring at a screen all day, can cause your focus to drift, to lose sight of your vision, especially when you’ve got no one to bounce ideas off. Yet being inside the beating heart of the NFT community, feeling the energy and buzz is the best antidote to firing you back up again, all guns blazing, ready to change the world!

Sat on that plane or car at the end of an exciting event, reeling off the injection of energy, is the revitalization we all need sometimes to race back to our desks to start building again.

Meeting your industry heroes

Ever tried Tweeting the creators of a massive project hoping to ‘break through’? Well, we certainly have. It’s hard playing that social media, ‘luck of the draw’ game. We’ve all got the direct channel of communication, but no way to make that impression we need through just pixels.

Yet, IRL events offer that chance to actually meet those you want to. Turning yourself into a walking / talking human at a conference, that you’ve paid to attend, versus any digital avatar that could be anyone on the other side, is a great way to actually have a conversation and get on their radar.

Shows the world, "We are here!"

For all the uninitiated and nay-sayers out there, fudding on the NFT movement, 15,000 people descend on Times Square for 4 days, putting our collective flag firmly in the ground. One which is hard to ignore by those prophesying this as a ‘passing craze’. And as each event like this triggers more connections, more innovations, more news, and more interest in the space - it’s a massive billboard for the rest of the world to look at as they drive by…

And that evening, when they are sitting at home, they very well might pull their phones out and Google…“What is an NFT”.

If you are attending #NFT-NYC, come find us and say hello!

Follow us on Twitter for live updates of our movements @fairxyz.