NFT Paris: has the bear been broken finally?

TL:DR; ?

• @Nft_paris: 42K Followers;?
• 80 Talks;
• 90+ Exhibitors;
• Brands who spoke included; LVMH, Chanel, Adidas, Salesforce, Volkswagen, Shopify, L’oreal, Warner Bros, Balmain, Givenchy, Hugo Boss, AtariX, Hennessy, Instagram, Highsnobiety and Porsche and more;?
• In 2022 there were 500 people who attended NFT Paris.? This year there was a door count of 8,000, a 1,500% audience Increase;
• Yuga Labs (Bored Ape) Sewer pass and recent Dookie Dash helped grow their ecosystem by 40%;
• Within just 1 year NFT Paris has grown massively – as a result there were some growing pains, and the team had to react to challenges live, onsite;?
• Big demand from an engaged audience base, all who are trying to understand their niche within the space;
• Some basics such as WIFI and connectivity must work for many of the exhibitors!?

After attending NFT Paris, our Web 3.0 community lead, Warren Lincoln shares his initial impressions from the show in this week's blog. Read on to get his views on attending and some of the big takeaways in terms of trends for 2023.?

The event provided a perfect platform for artists from all over the world to come together to showcase their works and exchange ideas on digital collectibles and technology. What better way to explore the innovations in the world of art and technology than in person with some of the world's leading talent, from digital painting to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), including ourselves and as a regular show attendee, taking it all in for the first time. Even if that meant joining the first-day queues like everybody else!?

Since its inception in January 2022, NFT Paris has grown from a modest gathering of 500 attendees to an impressive 8,000-strong audience in just one year, a remarkable 1,500% increase. The event was held at Grand Palais Ephemere, situated just a short walk from the iconic Eiffel Tower. The venue was chosen for its ideal location and expansive, welcoming space that greeted attendees as they entered NFT Paris.?

Over the course of two days, the event featured a wide range of content, from curated art handpicked by the NFT Paris team to thought-provoking talks delivered by industry leaders. Among the speakers was Greg Solano, Co-Founder of Yuga Labs, who shared insights into their recent gaming success with "Dookie Dash," revealing a 40% growth in their ecosystem. Digital art marketplaces were also in attendance, including Known Origin and Makersplace, showing their support for the creator and consumer communities.?

Throughout the event, we had the pleasure of interacting with fellow artists, admiring the latest works, engaging in conversations, and exploring various galleries and exhibitions, where we could find a variety of artworks and installations. Take a look at some of our snaps to get an idea of the array of content available.?

$946 Million worth of NFTS were traded in January 2023 alone! The community is just getting started, and imagine what happens when the market improves with all this momentum!??

"It is so refreshing to be attending an IRL event. This was?a really promising indicator of market sentiment, especially given one of the biggest challenges for the space is current user friction. There is a strong need to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for newcomers to enter the space and to educate, excite and share with others. Whilst there are currently over 220M Ethereum wallets in existence already, Web3 companies need easy IRL opportunities to grow the community and reach the mainstream audiences, and NFT Paris certainly provided this.” Warren, Reality+ Web3 community lead comments.

‘’We love getting out to these core of core events, which are moving ever more mainstream.? Reality+ are working with a number of well-established brands across the NFT ecosystem, such as ITV with their Thunderbirds IP and we’re committed to growing the NFT community by working with this level of brand partner, primarily supporting them with new and innovative ways on how to repurpose their IP & artwork, through unique and incredible digital experiences.? What fascinates me most is the growth of these in person celebrations, I remember a time not so long ago when there would be 20 of us in the room all talking to ourselves where Wi-Fi connection was the least of our issues, not that problem anymore.’’ Morten Rongaard, Reality+ CEO.?

Growing from 500 to 8,000 attendees comes with some logistical challenges, from the (extremely intermittent) Wi-Fi, through to queues which were crossing into exhibitor stands. It did make the experience somewhat tricky to navigate, but nonetheless, reinforces the strain of demand from new audiences that has been created over the last year. And it’s sure that post pandemic, there’s a real appetite for the community and businesses to spend time together in person and to understand what exciting possibilities exist by utilising NFTS. We can’t wait to come back next year and see where this event can go and be part of the conversation.??

In a nutshell, the team at Reality+ are feeling bullish for what’s next, and there’s a sentiment that the market is too. Look out for our CEO out and about at Blockchain Paris this week, and?stay tuned for more news as the IRL slate continues this year with our?attendance at NFT NYC in April.?