The ETHDenver Crypto Conference went to Denver’s National Western Center

Although February is the month of the actual Super Bowl, March has the Super Bowl of the crypto world: ETHDenver.

“Coming to ETHDenver is like nothing you’ll ever experience,” says John Paller, a founder of the crypto conference that will take over the National Western Center in early March, with events in nearby RiNo from late February through March.

Considering that ETHDenver takes its name from Ethereum, a popular blockchain platform, it’s no surprise that many of the attendees at the conference, now in its sixth iteration, are advocates for this particular Web3 technology.

“You’re not going to hear people talking about crypto prices or investments or exchanges. We don’t talk about any of that. We’re building decentralized applications and technology that can fundamentally reshape society and how we organize ourselves. Not just commercially, but socially and politically, ” says Paller, who describes ETHDenver as part Burning Man and part software builder mass with heavy elements of creativity.

The annual ETHDenver series features a hackathon, which the conference refers to as a BUIDLaton, with an emphasis on misspelling “build”, as it is part of the meme culture of the crypto world.

There will also be workshops, Crypto 101 classes, panel discussions, speeches and NFT art exhibits at National Western from March 2nd to March 5th.

The fact that the crypto Super Bowl takes place year after year in Denver is no coincidence. About a decade ago, crypto enthusiasts in the Mile High City began hosting meetups where they could network and talk blockchain, which is essentially a virtual record-keeping system that can execute contracts without the need for a third party. When it comes to cryptocurrencies, the idea is to let the blockchain, rather than a bank, verify and execute contracts. In 2017, these meetings were transformed into the ETHDenver conference, which is now world famous.

And it has had staying power in Colorado. Paller expects 25,000 to 35,000 people to show up this year, which would be a big increase from the 13,000 who came to Denver for the conference last year.

That’s part of the reason ETHDenver has moved its main exhibit area from the Sports Castle on Broadway to the National Western Center, a much larger space.

And beyond the legacy that ETHDenver has built in Denver, Paller feels that this type of community and the ethos of Colorado are a good fit.

“On the one hand, we’re very progressive and tech-driven, blue state-y on some things. But then we’re very libertarian and wild west-ish on some other parts. We’re a little purple state-ish. It reminds me of Web3, ” says Paller, using the term to refer to the new generation of the web that is based on blockchain.

ETHDenver, whose mascot is a buffalo – a combination buffalo and unicorn – is free to attendees. Instead of charging an entry fee, the conference makes money through sponsorships. But Paller, who wants everyone from beginners to crypto experts to show up, doesn’t even like to call ETHDenver a conference.

“Conferences are usually trade shows with a lot of thought leaders and big speakers and company launches and all these kinds of things. Suits. It has a very distinct kind of vibe. It’s not uncommon to see tickets that cost $1,000 to $2,500,” he notes. “ETHDenver is very different. It’s bottom-up, community-driven.”

There will still be some great speakers at the conference. Caitlin Long, a blockchain consultant based in Wyoming, a crypto-friendly state, will speak, as will Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, albeit virtually. And Governor Jared Polis, a crypto supporter and speaker at last year’s conference, will also give a speech.

“Governor Polis has talked about some of this over the last couple of years. He’s issued a gubernatorial statement that Colorado intends to be the first digital state. His office has been very keen that we support the use of Colorado- cooperation frameworks,” says Paller.

At ETHDenver 2022, Polis announced that Colorado would begin accepting cryptocurrency for tax and fee payments. However, that program hasn’t really taken off, as only six of the 1.37 million state tax payments made by Coloradans between the program’s launch, September 1, and December 12, 2022, were made using cryptocurrency.

Part of the lack of hype for the crypto tax filing system may have to do with the fact that cryptocurrencies hit a rough patch in the past year. The prices of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether have fallen significantly.

Those price drops contributed to the November collapse of cryptocurrency exchange and hedge fund FTX, whose founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, now faces fraud and conspiracy charges.

But Paller believes that within a bear market, “the cream rises to the top … You’ll see some of the best projects we’ve seen over the years.”

And regarding the founder of FTX, who contributed millions of dollars to political causes in Colorado, Paller says: “Sam Bankman-Fried is a fraud. He’s a complete scumbag. He’s Bernie Madoff in an Afro and flip-flops.”