Seoul Meta Week Founder Chris Na Talks About Setting the Agenda for the Web3 Scene in Korea and Past

The rise of blockchain and its revolutionary derivatives, corresponding to web3, metaverse, and NFTs, has sparked an insatiable thirst for info and data about these applied sciences. Because of this, conferences and occasions worldwide have emerged, drawing in consultants, business leaders, and fanatics who search to share their insights and trade concepts.

Certainly one of these main conferences is Seoul Meta Week. Based by Chris Na, this occasion guarantees to be a spotlight for anybody curious in regards to the newest developments within the web3 house. Na has been organizing conferences throughout Korea and different Asian international locations since 2015. He was launched to blockchain and cryptocurrencies in 2016 and started organizing the Blockchain Companions Summit in 2018. With the rise of web3 in recent times, he developed an curiosity within the house and felt it essential to create a platform for large-scale dialogue on the subject, resulting in the beginning of Seoul Meta Week in 2021.

With its dynamic packages, exhibitions, knowledgeable panel discussions, and networking alternatives with key gamers, Seoul Meta Week attracts high business leaders and fanatics from all around the world. A number of the featured audio system on the convention embody Sebastien Borget, COO & co-founder of The Sandbox; Cong Ye, Tencent’s head of generative AI & XR product; Josh Drean, web3 advisor at Harvard Innovation Labs, and lots of extra.

By way of this five-day occasion, Na goals to bridge the web3 data hole and promote the event of blockchain expertise in Korea and past. Earlier than the convention kicks off on Might 26, we communicate to him about Korea’s important curiosity in web3 and what units Seoul Meta Week other than different web3 conferences.

Please inform us a bit about your background and the way you based Seoul Meta Week.

Since 2015, I’ve been organizing numerous conferences in Korea and main Asian international locations based mostly round points like economics, expertise, finance, and politics. In 2016, I used to be launched to blockchain and cryptocurrencies and have been supporting investments and firm constructing. Since then, I assumed it was essential to set the agenda for the scene and have been organizing conferences such because the Blockchain Companions Summit since 2018; with the rise of Web3 in 2021, I began organizing an occasion referred to as Seoul Meta Week.

What piqued your curiosity on this planet of web3, and what impressed you to create Seoul Meta Week? What has been the most important problem in bringing it to fruition?

After I was first launched to blockchain and cryptocurrency in 2016, the continuing debate was about proof of practicality. Web3 has been an rising idea within the blockchain scene since 2020. As an investor and firm builder, I couldn’t assist however get within the idea and proof of web3. I assumed it might be nice to have a large-scale dialogue about this web3 wave and arrange Seoul Meta Week.

Truly, there have been no main difficulties in realizing Seoul Meta Week, as many gamers have been ready for such a platform. Moderately, the dilemma is that it isn’t being launched sufficient to many probably gamers.

South Korea has embraced the metaverse, and the federal government has launched a variety of metaverse initiatives over the previous yr. What do you assume is why the nation’s important curiosity within the metaverse?

South Korea is a rustic with a powerful leisure and gaming business, and I feel that the leisure and gaming business, specifically, has quite a lot of energy within the spatiality of the metaverse.

The explanation why Korea is within the metaverse is as a result of there’s quite a lot of content material, and the concept of with the ability to continuously devour content material in a seamless house and time could be very enticing.

What are a number of the promising metaverse and web3 merchandise you’ve seen popping out of Korea’s non-public sector?

The reply to that is higher discovered at Seoul Meta Week in late June, as every firm has its personal embargo points, and I don’t wish to give spoilers. In Korea, the enterprise web3 mannequin, particularly the big enterprise-led one, is lifting the veil one after one other. It’s secure to say that just about all main firms are engaged on web3 and metaverse initiatives, lots of which shall be unveiled at Seoul Meta Week.

How do you see the metaverse, NFTs, and blockchain expertise evolving within the subsequent few years, and what implications do you assume it will have for Korean society?

The metaverse is prone to redefine the idea of “connection” on-line. NFTs will increase the idea of “group”. And blockchain will not be outlined or utilized as a expertise of particular person items however will as an alternative be mirrored as an underlying expertise in all areas.

Korea is a rustic that’s delicate to alter and communication. I anticipate these aforementioned evolutions to have a profound affect on not simply tradition and trending areas but in addition different areas corresponding to politics, society, and training.

What steps is Seoul Meta Week taking to make sure it stays on the forefront of developments in web3, metaverse, NFT, and blockchain expertise?

Till final yr, once we have been nonetheless affected by COVID-19, we tried to arrange simultaneous occasions within the metaverse house, however now that we’re freed from COVID-19, we’re focusing extra on offline experiences. This yr, we’re contemplating an NFT membership, though time is operating out. By way of this NFT membership, we hope to turn out to be a platform that gives an enduring expertise, not only a one-time occasion attendance. There are a number of different hidden playing cards within the works, however we’ll introduce them progressively by way of official bulletins.

A variety of high-profile audio system shall be featured on the pageant. How did you and your crew resolve which audio system to ask this yr?

Our content material administration crew appears at issues like affect, innovation, and affect when deciding who to ask. We even have a course of for figuring out up-and-coming audio system who will quickly turn out to be superstars.

Are you able to talk about any success tales or case research from previous attendees or contributors at Seoul Meta Week?

I discussed earlier that I’m discovering potential superstars, and there was a startup that we found at our first occasion two years in the past. That firm went from being an early-stage startup to a unicorn-looking firm that raised $35 million in Collection B final summer time, which was a harsh funding time. They attended our occasion in 2021, and we’ve continued to accomplice with them on numerous packages since then.

How does Seoul Meta Week facilitate collaboration and networking alternatives in web3?

Certainly one of our mottos is “Making a Web3 world with out strangers”. Till final yr, networking was restricted as a result of we weren’t fairly free from the results of COVID-19, however this yr we’re actually specializing in strengthening networking. To start with, there shall be 2-3 networking occasions organized by us and quite a lot of networking with our companions and particular person aspect occasions.

What units Seoul Meta Week other than different conferences or occasions within the Web3 house?

I feel our largest differentiator is the make-up of the contributors. In case you go to different web3 conferences, you’ll discover that a lot of the contributors are acquainted faces you’ve met at different occasions. Which means it’s principally business individuals. At Seoul Metaweek, greater than 90% of our attendees are from the web2 business. Which means that a lot of the attendees are Web2 contributors wanting ahead to increasing into web3, partnering, or collaborating. One other approach to take a look at it’s that it’s an occasion with an enormous variety of potential purchasers from the web3 business.

And we emphasize practicality reasonably than theoretical talks like the way forward for expertise or cryptocurrency. Which means it’s all about purposes and content material.

Please inform us about a number of the most fun packages or occasions attendees can stay up for throughout Seoul Meta Week.

I’d positively emphasize the principle occasion, ‘METACON’. If you wish to know the developments of the world’s main web3 initiatives and meet them, METACON2023 is to not be missed. This yr, there may even be a particular exhibition. I’m wanting ahead to experiencing the web3 that has turn out to be so near our actuality.

How do you see Seoul Meta Week contributing to the expansion and growth of the business in the long run?

In the long term, I anticipate Seoul Meta Week to turn out to be an occasion just like the Web3 model of CES in Asia. I stay up for enjoying the function of an agenda-setter, highlighting the most recent developments and setting key agendas that can drive the yr forward. On the identical time, we’re additionally wanting ahead to being a platform for numerous initiatives to increase and join with new enterprise alternatives.

What are your plans for the way forward for Seoul Meta Week, and the way do you see it evolving within the coming years?

In the interim, we’re going to stay to what we talked about earlier. I feel occasions are like natural life types, so if they’ve life, I anticipate them to develop naturally. However the route of that development is tough for me to foretell. However I don’t doubt that it will likely be an occasion for everybody, by everybody, and of everybody.

What are a number of the largest challenges dealing with the web3 business proper now, and the way do you see them being addressed over the subsequent few years?

There are quite a lot of challenges, however I feel cryptocurrency volatility is having a huge impact on Web3 adoption. Nevertheless, I feel this shall be largely mitigated by the adoption of web3 by web2 at a mass scale. For my part, the bigger and extra tangible the dimensions, the smaller the volatility spectrum shall be.

What recommendation would you give to people or companies trying to enter the web3 house?

That is one thing anybody can say, however web3 is evolving into a brand new financial system, not only a technological pattern. The cafe I am going to each morning can have a web3 system, and my mother and father’ wild ginseng farm can have a Web3 system. I feel it’s just like the early days of the web when there was quite a lot of alternative and quite a lot of trial and error. There are quite a lot of alternatives for individuals to get into web3 in the event that they’re . In fact, those that are involved in it first would be the first to have the chance. It appears like a breaking information story, however coming to an occasion like Seoul Meta Week may even be alternative to get concentrated info .

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