Olá amigos! There’s a lot of excitement brewing in the NEAR community for what is gearing up to be one of the year’s premier Web3 events. If you’re not already up to speed, NEARCON is more than just a typical Web3 conference with talks and panels. NEARCON will be a showcase of 700+ ecosystem projects spanning all Web3 verticals and layers in the stunning coastal city of Lisbon, in a converted warehouse space located directly on the water. 

NEARCON will be an interactive demonstration of the talent, creativity, intelligence, and practical use cases of the mighty (and growing) ecosystem. It will also be a pretty rad time, with parties, IRL hackathon, food trucks from around the world, fun swag, and more! 

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop 

Start the week off strong on September 11th by picking up your badge and swag bag. The NEARCON Registration Party, which is carnival-themed, will feature a bounce house from SWEAT where you can Bounce to earn SWEAT. Oh, and did we mention there will be a ferris wheel to take in the epic views that Lisbon has to offer? 

Opening Night at NEARCON kicks off with a soirée of epic proportions hosted by Proximity. You won’t want to miss the future of finance taking over Lisbon in one incredible night. VIP Tickets are FREE, but they must be obtained from one of our 10 fabulous sponsors: Orderly Network, Few and Far, Cornerstone/MetaWeb, Ref.Finance, Meta Pool, Aurigami, Burrow Cash, Trisolaris, Pembrock Finance, and Bastion. Check out their Twitter, Discord, Telegram today. Tickets will be released this week!

Part of the NEARNaut tribe yet? If not, definitely get your NEARNaut NFT from one of NEAR’s marketplaces (Paras or Few and Far) before NEARCON so you can attend the NEARnaut after party. It will be a great vibe and a chance to get acquainted with this community-driven, randomly-generated NFT PFP project built on NEAR. We hear they are also demoing their mutant serums—you might want to upgrade that NEARNaut!

NEAR UA Takes Lisbon

Since March, the NEAR Ukraine Hub (NEAR UA) has made its home in Lisbon and at NEARCON you’ll get to learn all about what they’ve been up to. NEAR UA is a combination of community, project accelerator, fund pool, product lab, event and marketing service, and a hiring service for the NEAR ecosystem. At their booth you will be able to explore hub activity and discuss current projects and opportunities for collaboration. You’ll also be able to grab some swag with Ukrainian symbols to show off when you get home. 

On September 13th, NEAR UA is hosting a Ukrainian night called “The Code of Freedom” with headliner ONUKA and opener Miura. You definitely don’t want to miss this or the afterparty thrown by NEARNauts. 

At “The Code of Freedom” everyone will have the opportunity to learn about Ukraine, including its unique culture, hip styles, yummy food, and funky music that will make you want to get on your feet and shake it. You’ll get to witness the very “code of freedom” that helps Ukrainians now. 

100% of proceeds from ticket sales will directly help Ukrainian hospitals procure modular external fixators and prepare for winter in areas in the Kharkiv region with heat, food, and hygiene. Purchase a ticket to the event and help NEAR UA surpass their goal of €20,000! 

A Global Happening 

Though the talks and panels will be in English, expect to hear a lot of different languages spoken at NEARCON. There will be over 170 countries represented in attendance! In addition to the NEAR UA, other regional hubs featured at NEARCON will include the Balkans, Kenya, and Vietnam. 

Visit the various Regional Hubs to learn how NEAR is operating around the world. Also, expect to find delicious food trucks representing all these regions in the World Lounge. Who doesn’t love food trucks?

Mainstage Revelry

The Mainstage at NEARCON is the crown jewel of the Conference. The Mainstage is where you’ll hear keynote speeches from some of the most ambitious minds in Web3, including the top leaders at NEAR, Pagoda, Aurora, and Sweat Economy. You’ll also be present for a ton of great panels on a wide variety of Web3 topics, including the “Meaning of Money”, “Why We Need Web2.5”, “Navigating Crypto’s Cycles”, “How NEAR and SailGP Are Revolutionizing Professional Sport”, and much more. 

House of Hackstravaganza

Hackers can still grab a free conference pass by applying for the hackathon here. If selected, hackers get free admission to NEARCON, and after submitting a successful hack they get a travel stipend paid in NEAR tokens. There will be a registration party/orientation on September 11th when hackers will be onboarded and teams will be assembled. 

In addition to receiving hands-on mentoring, hackers will be able to compete for $145k in crypto prizes to be awarded to 10 individuals and teams, including first, second, and third place, as well as winners in categories such as Future of Finance, Web2 to Web3, Governance, and more. Check out the judges and get more information here. 

Get Activated

NEARCON will be a hotspot for developer activations, with Pagoda and Aurora leading the way. You will definitely want to stop by their booths and meet their teams, especially if you are participating in the hackathon. Learn about the developer tools the team at Pagoda builds to simplify the dev experience for dapp developers as they build, deploy, test, and launch on NEAR. 

Hackers will be invited to an Orientation on the 11th during the Registration Party. Meet with the Pagoda team, learn about the latest dev tools, and maybe find future hackathon team members. 

You’ll also get to meet the core Aurora team and learn from them firsthand how to build dapps on Aurora EVM, enhance the UX of blockchain projects with Aurora+, and network with an array of ecosystem projects that are already up and running on Aurora. 

Activations aren’t only for devs, though. Creatives will find themselves more than satisfied with the art, music, and creativity present everywhere at NEARCON, both inside and outside of the conference. Come check out artists working on NEAR including Orrin Campbell, Franknines, Strakts, and Zeitwarp. Get your imagination fed!

Women of Web3 

Ten winners of the Women in Web3 Changemakers will be announced at NEARCON and it will be meaningful to honor them and make room for more women to join the Web3 ecosystem. Check out Forkast’s interview coverage to learn more about the shortlist of nominees. 

There will also be a yummy brunch worth waking up early for on September 12th at Dear Breakfast, which runs from 8:30am to 10:30am. Don’t forget to set your alarm! 

Discounts

TAP Air Portugal has partnered with NEAR to get you discounted airfare to NEARCON! Traveling from Paris, London, or some other European destination? Hop on a quick flight to Lisbon on the cheap. Book through flytap.com and insert the event code “IT22TPCG61” in the promotion/congress code box for 10% off your economy or business class tickets. The discount is valid only for trips made ten days before or after NEARCON.

And psst! If you want to save a little cash on your conference ticket, Pagoda and Aurora have discount codes for 35% off. Check their Twitter feeds to find them! 

Don’t be afraid to say hi!

The NEARCON gathering is a great chance to see what the future holds for Web3. And if you’re developing your own project on NEAR, or thinking about building one, it’s also a fantastic time to get feedback from NEAR’s creative and supportive community. Don’t hesitate to say hello and introduce yourself. Everyone at NEAR is excited to be hosting NEARCON and will be happy to meet you. 

See you in Lisbon!

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