Miami Tech Month kicks off with Miami NFT Week, featuring speakers like Timbaland, drawing thousands of enthusiasts
By Krysten Brennla
This is no April Fool’s joke – Miami Tech Month has officially begun, and what better way to celebrate than with Miami NFT Week, a 3-day conference and festival in the heart of Wynwood?
Thousands of NFT enthusiasts descended on the Mana Wynwood Convention Center from March 31 to April 2 to learn from 250+ speakers about the future of music, fashion, gaming, real estate, sports, travel, technology, government and more. In addition, attendees enjoyed a full-fledged NFT exhibit area, giveaways, networking with content creators and entrepreneurs IRL, and enjoyed after parties throughout 305.
Speakers included leaders and executives from startups and technology companies in the Miami Tech ecosystem, as well as artists and creators, such as Timbaland.
The full line-up of founders, artists and creators at Miami NFT Week embraced the mission of the founders, Gianni D’Alerta, Ted Lucas and Erik LaPaglia: community, diversity and the future of web3.
From the worlds of fashion, music, entertainment and social impact, all the speakers on stage emphasized that web3, and the future of web3, lies in the creators – and that is us.
“Digital fashion allows us to unlock things that real-world fashion design doesn’t.”
Megan Kaspar, a technology investor, co-founder and CEO of FirstLight, emphasized that being able to design digital fashion pieces really allows designers to create pieces that are not possible in the “real world of fashion design.”
She highlighted this by showcasing her pivotal Haute Magazine cover, which features her wearing an iconic V-neck hunter green dress – a dress that was created entirely with the help of artificial intelligence.
“When I tell people I wore SKIMS in that photo shoot, they don’t believe me,” Kaspar said. “With digital fashion, we can have great colors, textures and shapes that are not possible in the real world,” she continued.
Although the future of the fashion industry looks bright in the web3 and metaverse, the biggest challenge Kaspar sees is customization.
“Most people don’t have crypto wallets, and it’s very difficult to get people on board with wallets now,” Kaspar continued. “But when we look at the beginning of email, social media and the Internet, most people didn’t understand that — now it’s our world.”
Kaspar concluded by discussing the future of branding, marketing and artificial intelligence, emphasizing that businesses and fashion designers now have an opportunity to use digital fashion to collect post-purchase data that can completely transform their brands.
“I think artificial intelligence will be extremely important when it comes to generating new, amazing designs,” Kaspar said. “Behaviour will change over the next decade and I believe the online platforms we know today will integrate with digital fashion in real time online.”
Web3 and its impact on society: “It is important for us to understand the power of inclusion in Web3”
Another key point throughout Miami NFT Week was web3 and its impact on society – particularly the impact web3 has on minority communities.
Dubbed the “Olivia Pope of Silicon Valley,” Jotaka Eaddy, founder and CEO of Full Circle Strategies, LLC, emphasized that while technology has the ability to be a “great convener to move us forward,” she said it is “ imperative for each of us to think about how we use technology to move society forward.”
“We need to be very conscious about the impact of technology on society; it must be intertwined in every decision we make and how we shape our companies and the policies that drive those companies,” Eaddy said. “We have the opportunity now to ensure that we have everyone at the table, and that we all get there together, with no one left behind.”
She went on to emphasize that while there are dangers in technology, such as the spread of misinformation or disinformation online, the global power of web3 allows us to use the power of community to break down barriers and change our current world for the better.
“If we use technology to move us forward and to push margins – that’s the real power of technology and NFTs,” Eaddy concluded. “When we are intentional about the future and clear that we are doing this with the purpose of moving society forward, we can create powerful change in the world.”
Timbaland on music and entertainment in web3: “The new wave for the future”
Timbaland’s presence filled the room at Mana Wynwood—literally. The Grammy-winning producer, who was just ranked No. 3 by Billboard on a list of the 50 Greatest Producers of the 21st Century, boasts top-selling hits with artists such as Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Nelly, Missy Elliott and others.
His success IRL led him to dive into the world of web3 with BEATCLUB, a blockchain-backed, all-in-one solution for music creators to grow and achieve their goals through mentorship, creation tools, opportunities and community.
He joined us at Miami NFT Week to discuss his work in the space, and what web3 means for the future of the entertainment industry and young talent looking to make it.
“The technology of web3 really allows you to be as free as you can be, so you can decide how you want to see your career,” said Timbaland. “That’s why I love this space, because it really allows you to create in your own way without being directed by anyone – it’s the new wave of the future.”
Timbaland went on to discuss how this new technology and the web3 community is the ‘biggest wave to come’ for talent and creators in the entertainment industry. For Timbaland, web3 allows creators to be their authentic selves while interacting with a community of people who support them.
“The thing about web3 is that you can determine your own success – it’s up to you,” Timbaland continued. “You’re not competing with anyone, it’s just yourself, and the only thing you have to prove is to people who love what you do. That’s the success.”
Miami NFT Week concludes on Sunday with lectures on The New Web3 Art World, Aping into LatAm, keynote Dan Fleyshman and more.
SCENES FROM MIAMI NFT WEEK
