This year, the conference held activities in Hong Kong, Dubai, Tokyo, and Singapore, but I didn’t record them in writing except for being busy building connections. Recently, in order to save my increasingly poor memory and gradually declining writing ability, I started to think and record in writing, so let’s talk about my week in Singapore.
It is no surprise that Singapore is prosperous and international. The large-scale main venue and more than 700 side events have destined Token2049 to be the most lively event in the second half of this year. In addition to tourists who come to watch F1, there are also Web3 workers in the hotel. The frog porridge every night is also full of crypto acquaintances.
Let's talk about the main venue first. I only spent two hours on the fourth floor in a hurry one afternoon. In addition to catching up with some acquaintances, what impressed me most was that several meme booths stood out and were particularly cute among the cookie-cutter Booths. The main venue of the conference I attended this year gave me a "business-oriented" feeling. I think it's because most of the participants are industry workers and there are relatively few retail investors. Most of the projects that sponsor Booths have ToB businesses or require a large number of projects to build an ecosystem. Speaking of this, I can't help but think of the picture of the aunt that is circulated everywhere - real purchasing power.
For Side Events, I mainly participated in some BTC ECO, DeFi, AI and exchange-related activities. It’s hard not to see my selfishness. BTC Eco has been a topic of interest to me since last year, and I watched the last three with a question: where did the money come from and where did it go. Interestingly, the proportion of European and American faces in many of the events I participated in has increased significantly compared to other events this year, and what’s more interesting is that I found that many of these European and American faces came with the same questions as me (or more directly). They are often "Co-founder" or "Dev", showing a product that I don’t quite understand, and the conversation often ends with ‘we are opening our next round funding’. But there are also some very interesting products, and some of the thinking and logic in trading are worth learning.
Compared to the side events that ended early in Tokyo last time, there were many parties in Singapore this time that lasted until late at night. It was fun, but maybe because I am too old (there are so many excellent young people in Web3, and I, born in 2000, feel like I will be washed up on the beach by the younger generation), I didn’t participate more. I think the most comfortable and efficient way to socialize is to invite good friends and their good friends to have a midnight snack together. In addition, I am very grateful to @UniLive_Web3 for inviting me to the legendary Club No. 33, where I had a very sumptuous Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner, and met many real industry OGs, and really saw "where the money comes from and where it goes." (Kidding
Back to the issue of money, in the past six months, most of everyone's funds seem to have gone to Meme, and even playing with money has hurt everyone's feelings and has become increasingly "unwelcome". I think the main problem is "templateization". Of course, this has its pros and cons. The overly fast-paced work has gradually made me a person who likes templates. Perhaps templates are efficient for the growth and construction of early projects, but I feel that many things are being lost. What is lost is not only imagination, but also the characteristics of the entire industry. I remember one day in a resource group, everyone was discussing the original intention of working in web3. Of course, I believe that making money is a big factor, but in addition, everyone is discussing innovation and changing the world. Maybe the word "changing the world" is too grand, but we really want to see the significance of Crypto in the real world. The happiest moment of my week in Singapore was when I, as a P person, called Grab and found that I couldn't pay after getting in the car and found that Grab could top up Crypto payment. I excitedly posted on WeChat Moments because this was the first time I used Crypto directly in real life in more than three years since I learned about Web3.
As for innovation, I believe everyone is racking their brains to think about it. Every time a new wave, whether short or long, comes, it is accompanied by a new way of playing. Web3 may not come so soon if you don’t look at VC endorsements or the payback period of listing coins and just look at innovation and products, but I think such a trend has gradually existed. At least my friends who are working in Web3 sales service are living better and better.
I think the interesting thing about Web3 is that even if you meet familiar people, you can still get new information every time you meet. In fact, I almost completely stayed away from crypto for two months in May and June. When I came back, I was very worried about two things: my value to everyone and my understanding of hot topics. Since I started helping everyone connect with cooperative resources last year, I have been thinking about one thing: irreplaceability. I know very well that in Web3, connections and abilities also determine your value.
I am very happy that I met many bosses and friends when I was doing resource matching, and everyone gave me back resources, income, recognition and emotional value. In the past year, I have grown rapidly in the process of continuous exploration. Maybe I can't be irreplaceable in resource matching, there are many people with good connections in this circle, but if you think of me when you have any needs, please contact me, I am very happy to help you. Next, I will also upgrade the previous resource cooperation group within my capabilities, and welcome friends who are interested in doing things together to dd me.
Besides that, what makes me firm in myself is that in this profit-first and fast-paced industry, everyone can open their hearts to me and become true friends. If you encounter any problems or troubles in trading or work, you are welcome to chat with me anytime and anywhere. I am willing to exchange stories and experiences with you. Maybe no one can be completely irreplaceable, but being yourself will always make you braver and more popular. Here is the only Gabi in Web3 world.
