While NFTs are still super niche and only appeal to a tiny audience, a series of large conferences have already entered the scene. Many of them debuted in 2022 and more are scheduled to follow in the new year.
Before we dive in, it’s worth noting that the events I’m covering below are all centered around NFTs. They’re not about web3, blockchain technology, or crypto more broadly. I may make a separate guide for these in the near future.
That being said, NFTs as a whole are still a huge and multi-faceted topic for a single conference to cover. I expect to see more niche NFT conferences and fairs in the future. Each one could focus on a single use case such as gaming, art, digital collectibles, avatar projects, and so on.
I still believe and hope that the mega conferences below will stick around though. And with that, let’s get into the list. It’s a curated one, but not based on my own personal preferences and travel plans. I’ll let you know along the way which ones I’m personally most excited about.
NFT Paris
Feb 24–25 2023 | Paris | Learn more
NFT Paris is one of the conferences I’m personally the most excited about. And not only because it’s one of the more accessible to me and my fellow Europeans.
The conference, or “the world’s NFT meeting” as it calls itself, takes place in the Grand Palais Éphémère on the Champs de Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. To be fair, I’ve never been there, but it looks pretty stunning and exactly what I would want from an art-related event in Paris.
Three of the speakers at NFT Paris: Erick Calderon (Art Blocks), Greg Solano (Yuga Labs), and Nelly Mensah (LVMH)
But what really makes NFT Paris is the speaker lineup. It features founders and leaders from some of the biggest brands in NFTs, such as Art Blocks, Yuga Labs, LVMH, PROOF, Doodles, World of Women, RTFKT, Ledger, SuperRare, Sorare, Animoca Brands, and MoonPay.
You’ll also meet some awesome NFT artists like Claire Silver, Tom Sachs, Sarah Zucker, and Pablo Stanley. And of course some huge NFT content creators like Matt Medved of NFT Now, Farokh of Rug Radio, and John Karp who also happens to be the organizer of another conference on this list.
All in all, I’m super impressed by what NFT Paris has got in store for us and I hope I get to attend.
NFTLA
Mar 20–23 2023 | Los Angeles, California | Learn more
NFTLA is returning after a successful debut in 2022. It’s featuring more than 250 speakers, 150 community events, 25 performances, and 500 artists in a “multifaceted event with curated experiences, events, networking, and more — all centered around Web3 and NFTs”.
Among the speakers are Mark Cuban, Steve Aoki, Tom Bilyeu, Neil Strauss, and Erick Calderon, one of the top NFT artists and founder of Art Blocks. NFTLA is shaping up to be a big one.
One of the cool initiatives by NFTLA is their Meta Pass which gives you online and metaverse access to all the in-person content. It’s obviously no substitute for the parties and connections you’d get by being there in person, but it’s far better than missing out entirely!
NFT MELBOURNE
Mar 23 2023 | Melbourne, Australia | Learn more
NFT MELBOURNE is one of the smaller events on the calendar. It’s a one-day event of workshops and demo booths, panels and networking, a series of side events, and activations from some of the leading NFT projects.
Australia is known as one of the hotspots for NFTs, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big turnout for this event. To all the Aussies out there, I hope you’ll have a great one!
Miami NFT Week
Mar 31 — Apr 2 2023 | Miami, Florida | Learn more
Miami NFT Week takes place in Mana Wynwood Convention Center in the heart of Miami’s Arts and Entertainment District. The neighborhood is known for its colorful murals, funky art galleries, food, craft breweries, chic clothing boutiques, stylish bistros, and late-night bars.
Two photos from last year’s conference (source: Miami NFT Week’s website)
The speakers represent some really interesting companies and institutions like Nifty Gateway, Tokenproof, Truth Labs, and the Seattle NFT Museum.
Last year’s headliners were Mark Cuban, Francis Suarez (mayor of Miami), and Avery Akkineni (President of Vayner3), so let’s see if we get some more big speaker announcements before March 31.
NFT.NYC
Apr 12–14 2023 | New York City, New York | Learn more
The first edition of NFT.NYC took place in 2019 when the number of people who even knew what an NFT was could easily be rounded to zero. Number of attendees: 462
Since then, NFT.NYC has grown to be one of the biggest NFT events of them all with more than 16,000 attendees, 1,400 speakers, and 450 satellite events in 2022. Next year’s edition will take place at Times Square and Hudson Yards.
And while many of the attendees come primarily for the various parties and community activations, the main event itself always features some of the biggest names in the space.
Business leaders and celebrities like Gary Vaynerchuk, Logan Paul, French Montana, and Quentin Tarantino, have all spoken at NFT.NYC in the past, along with some of the biggest artists and leaders from various crypto and NFT-native companies.
VeeCon
May 18–20 2023 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Learn more
Just a few days after PROOF of Conference, the second edition of Gary Vaynerchuk’s VeeCon will take place in Indianapolis. With Gary being who he is, this is another huge conference that’s set to attract the who’s who of the NFT space.
The details of the event are still rather scarce but you can check out the official announcement video above. It features some of the characters from VeeFriends, Gary’s own NFT collection.
VeeCon won’t just be about Gary though, but rather a “superconference” with discussions and performances from iconic and emerging leaders in web3, business, and pop culture. It’s meant for the Web3 community to come together and learn, share ideas, and build lasting relationships.
NFTCONGERMANY
May 26–28 2023 | Wiesbaden, Germany | Learn more
NFTCONGERMANY will feature more than 100 exhibitors and 20 speakers within art, music, and technology more broadly. The upcoming event will be the inaugural one and we’re still waiting for details about the setup, speakers, and so on.
But if you’re based in Europe like me, I’d recommend giving them a follow on Twitter or Instagram to stay tuned for more updates.
Non-Fungible Conference
Jun 7–8 2023 | Lisbon, Portugal | Learn more
Non-Fungible Conference, or just NFC, is running for the second time after a very successful launch in 2022 with more than 2,500 artists, collectors, and entrepreneurs in attendance. It’s organized by John Karp, one of the aforementioned speakers at NFT Paris.
NFC is committed to pushing the boundaries and creating the most innovative web3 event. They’ve already got a few exciting initiatives planned.
For instance, you can attend the Immersive Blind Talks to “meet” some of the biggest anonymous NFT artists and collectors in a 360 immersive room as they share their stories and vision while concealing their identities.
Visit the Shopping District where you can sell, present, and shop IRL from innovative and newly launched web3 projects and collections. Or how about the X-IBIT Gallery, a one-of-a-kind NFC curation and exhibition that showcases the best of NFT photography?
Follow NFC on Twitter to hear when new speakers are announced and check the teaser video for the 2023 event above.
Marfa Open House Weekend
Sep 21–24 2023 | Marfa, Texas | Learn more
Marfa Open House Weekend is hosted by Art Blocks at their venue in Marfa, Texas. It’s all about the intersection of contemporary art, tech, and finance. In other words, it’s a celebration of everything Art Blocks stands for.
This will be Art Blocks’ third annual open house event. Last year’s event had more than 500 attendees, including many of the top artists and collectors in the space. There will be presentations, panels, parties, and an unveiling of a new exhibition in the Art Blocks gallery.
If you’re into digital art, attending this event should be at the top of your bucket list. I know it is on mine.
Art Basel Miami Beach
Dec 7–9 2023 | Miami, Florida | Learn more
Art Basel has been one of the leading art fairs in the world since its inception in the 1970s. While keeping the name, the fair has expanded far beyond the borders of Switzerland to Hong Kong, Paris, and Miami. The latter also happens to take place during Miami Art Week.
Art Basel Miami Beach has become North America’s largest international contemporary art fair with over 250 galleries from 35 countries showcasing works by more than 4,000 artists.
So while Art Basel and Miami Art Week aren’t NFT events per se, they do attract a big crowd of NFT artists and collectors. And it’s certainly one of the go-to events for many people in the space.
As for many of the other large conferences on this list, most of the NFT-related activations and parties aren’t even officially part of the main event. Follow your favorite artists, leaders, and projects in the space to see who’s planning some cool events in Miami in December.
NFT.London
Late 2023 | London, England | Learn more
NFT.London is hosted by NFT.NYC and took place in early November of 2022. A date hasn’t yet been announced for 2023. I believe and hope it’ll return though, hopefully under better market conditions than the current.
More conferences to come
The NFT space is a fast-moving one and I’m sure some exciting new conferences will be announced and gain traction over the coming weeks and months. If you know about some, please let me know! I will update the list along the way.
And if you’ll be attending one or more of these conferences, hit me up so we can say hi and grab a beverage 🍻
