In late 2016, I sat in an Amsterdam hotel room at 4:30 a.m. and blogged about how I’d just experienced one of the best weekends of my life. I was tired and slightly intoxicated as I typed out my thoughts, but I had an insatiable urge to document what was on my mind.
I travelled halfway across the world to attend the first annual SteemFest, which was a community gathering of those building on the Steem blockchain. This included developers, server operators (known as witnesses), crypto enthusiasts, as well as creators who were posting content on a website called Steemit.
Steemit was sort of a Medium/Reddit hybrid. Creators could upload blog content, and those posts could be upvoted by other Steemit users (with the added bonus of Steem cryptocurrency rewards for content that was most popular on the platform).
I discovered Steemit in July 2016 and started a series of 20-questions interviews with some of the more popular bloggers on the site. My interview series evolved to include big names in the blockchain space (such as Roger Ver) who hadn't yet made an account on Steemit. Thankfully, the community appreciated and rewarded my written interviews, which gave me the opportunity to be a speaker at SteemFest and finally meet many of the people I’d done virtual interviews with IRL.
Throughout SteemFest, it was clear to me that something very special was being built. I spoke with some of the smartest people I’d ever met in my life, and I knew I was witnessing the early days of a technological shift. Steemit went on to meet a fate of controversy (Justin Sun acquired Steemit in early 2020 and it is now much different than what it was back in 2016). Perhaps fittingly, you’re reading this blog post on Hive, which is a reincarnation of the Steem blockchain, featuring some of the key members of the original community.
Yesterday afternoon, I walked out of US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and – similar to 2016 – I felt the immediate need to head straight back to my hotel room and write about my experience.
It’s taken five-and-a-half years, but finally, at VeeCon, I experienced the same energy I felt back in 2016.
VeeCon is a brand new conference that was first announced when Gary Vaynerchuk launched his NFT collection, VeeFriends, in May 2021. One of the utility benefits of being a VeeFriends Series 1 holder was conference access to VeeCon in 2022, and also future VeeCon access in 2023 and 2024.
Since NFT ownership is required to attend the conference, capacity was limited to 10,255 (the total supply of VeeFriends Series 1).
Sure, but what isn't? Ulf (my fellow co-host of Show Me The Crypto) and I attended the Bitcoin Conference in April, and that very much had cult-like vibes. I've attended many real estate conferences that feel cultish. I'm also a member of the Calgary Flames and Liverpool FC cults.
If we're defining "cult" as excessive admiration for a person or thing, then the definition matches how VeeCon attendees felt about Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends. But I'd argue tribalism isn't necessarily a bad thing; especially when the focus of the group is to do good in the world.
At the beginning of VeeCon, I overheard a lot of people chatting about what they would say if/when they had a chance to speak to Gary Vaynerchuk. Most people planned to ask him for career advice. Some wanted to share their entrepreneurial story.
“Thank you for making yourself so accessible,” were the words I chose to say when I met him.
And I meant it.
Gary dedicated 12+ hours of the conference to making himself available to shake hands, sign autographs and take selfies with the seemingly endless line-up of attendees who wanted to meet him and explain how he had inspired them personally and professionally. After the conference ended each evening, you could see Gary was still communicating with his community in the VeeFriends discord server. I’ve attended quite a few conferences in my life and that level of accessibility is unheard of.
VeeCon also steered away from segregation based on NFT type/rarity. The vast majority of VeeCon attendees had the same level of access, which took away from some of the cliquey vibes that some other blockchain conferences have fallen victim to.
In his book Twelve and a Half, Gary focuses on traits that have led to his success and happiness over the years. These include: gratitude, self-awareness, accountability, optimism, empathy, kindness, tenacity, curiosity, patience, conviction, humility, ambition and kind candor.
After spending the last 96 hours with 10,000+ members of Gary's community, it’s clear they value these traits as well.
VeeCon was an environment where you could go up and introduce yourself to a stranger without fear of a negative response. Attendees were stoked to meet each other and learn about the backstories and projects of other VeeFriends holders.
In my personal experience, not all blockchain conferences cultivate this type of environment.
I had a chance to go for dinner with a few Canadian attendees prior to the official start of VeeCon. At 34, I think I was the oldest person at the table, but I was inspired by the ambition and success of the 20-somethings sitting around me.
For example, sat to my right was Eugene: a chef whose job was impacted at the beginning of COVID. Rather than complain about the situation he was in, Eugene decided to create content for TikTok to educate others on proper cooking techniques. Today, @ the_eugefood has more than 500,000 TikTok followers, and he’s already landing brand sponsorship deals.
The other six people at our table had similarly impressive stories, as did pretty much every single person I met at VeeCon.
Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Eva Longoria, Logan Paul, Mila Kunis, Beeple, Wycleaf Jean, Liam Payne and many other celebrities travelled to Minneapolis to be part of VeeCon. I especially took notice of how genuinely excited these celebrities were to be part of the conference. Many took their opportunity on stage to personally thank Gary for how he'd impacted their careers.
During the conference, monitors circling US Bank Stadium rotated through the entire collection of VeeFriends characters. Attendees lined up for photos with VeeFriends mascots, such as Heart-Trooper or Very, Very, Very, Very Lucky Black Cat. Between speaker breaks, Rare Robot’s theme song blasted through the breakout room speakers.
Gary has repeatedly stated that he intends to build VeeFriends into the next Disney. "Your grandkids are going to care about VeeFriends," Gary said in his opening keynote.
That’s not a small statement, but considering what VeeFriends has developed in one short year, he may have a shot.
World of Women, SupDucks, Women and Weapons, Deadfellaz and many other NFT projects were given the spotlight at VeeCon, with interactive installations within the Pepsi-sponsored “NFT Land.” Several other NFT project founders were showcased throughout VeeCon via panel discussions as well.
Gary doesn’t view other NFT projects as competition to VeeFriends; rather, he takes the viewpoint that a high tide raises all boats.
Eighty per cent of the people I met at VeeCon had no involvement in the blockchain space prior to discovering VeeFriends. Now, many of them are considering quitting their jobs to work in Web3 full-time.
That gateway drug effect is perhaps what gave me the biggest dose of 2016 nostalgia this past weekend at VeeCon. At SteemFest, a significant percentage of attendees discovered blockchain technology through their love of writing and creating. Many of those people remain active in the blockchain space today.
Through VeeFriends and VeeCon, Gary Vaynerchuk has given a new generation a taste of what is possible through Web3.
And something tells me this community isn't going away anytime soon.
