Consensus frenzy highlights crypto’s growth and diversity

Consensus, the blockchain industry’s conference of the year, hadn’t even begun its general session when registration lines started snaking through the length of the New York Hilton Midtown’s ground floor lobby, multiple times.

It was illustrative of the crypto industry today: an oversold event that would devote the next three days to discussion and debate on distributed and decentralized systems — funny, if it wasn’t so frenzied.

A conference that began as a small 400-person event in 2015, when CoinDesk was still billing itself as an outlet for bitcoin (not blockchain) news, Consensus has turned into the place for crypto enthusiasts, crypto curious and the crypto hangers on. Top-billed speakers include James Bullard, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Square CEO Jack Dorsey and Amber Baldet for three days of discussion about everything from the bitcoin mining boom to content monetization and neutrality to decentralized car networks. CoinDesk planned this year’s event for an audience of about 4,000. There are about 8,500 in attendance, which translates to about $17 million in ticket sales.

If crypto is the future of finance, it just looks like old finance.

Read the full story on tearsheet.co

https://staging.digiday.com/?p=287969

More in Marketing

What TikTok’s e-commerce launch could mean for marketers and content creators

TikTok has officially launched its new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, earlier this month on August 1. Using the new e-commerce platform, brands and creators can sell products directly on the platform, potentially creating new revenue streams, and tap into the short-form video platform’s growing popularity.

‘The influencer industry can be really vile’: Confessions of an influencer marketer on the industry’s unfair hiring practices

While the influencer industry might sound exciting and like it’s full of opportunities, one marketer can vouch for the horrific scenarios that still take place behind the scenes.

Digiday+ Research: Marketers said revenue grew in the last year, with more growth expected ahead

After a tumultuous 12 months, marketers are getting a clear picture of how they really did during a time of true uncertainty. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad.