Executive Summary
The NDC’s presence at NearCon was phenomenal, forming a beautiful culmination of community and culture. This report details the key highlights and takeaways from the event, including community outreach, congress members’ amplification of the brand, the vision, and the mission of NDC as we push to V1 governance. The NDC zone was a particularly impactful form of outreach. As always, our summary celebrates important moments and lessons learned.
Table of Contents
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Introduction
- Background
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Community Outreach
- The NDC Zone
- Grassroots Approach to Decentralization
- Proof of Pizza
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Biggest Takeaways and Lessons Learned
- Spreading Awareness about Governance
- Inspiring Excitement for Governance
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Conclusion
- NDC’s Impact at Nearcon
- The Future of Governance in the NEAR Ecosystem
1. The Intro
Background
NearCon provided an exceptional platform for the NDC to engage with the larger Near community as a body. The team maximized the opportunity to introduce Near governance to an audience largely unfamiliar with these concepts.
Expressed gratitude is in order to everyone who helped make this possible, starting with the phenomenal level of support from the foundation. Both Kiana and Olga were instrumental, and provided a depth of resources and personal time in building this outcome as a team. Thank you to both of these individuals for helping bring this to life and for opening up a celebratory space for us to bring the community together.
Accolades for Mr. Ant Marshall are due for helping oversee things alongside me at the booth while curating the best vibes, performing as the DJ at all of the activations, helping with hands on the ground, overseeing a bulk of the back-end work necessary for the event, and executive producing the interviews for NDC TV. In the end, we couldn’t have done it without you.
We celebrate both Paloma and Sharufa, who were hands-on at the booth over the three-day focus. Paloma facilitated SWAG while onboarding, creating a beautiful and fun aesthetic in our NDC Zone. We appreciate the board for providing some amazing art work for us. Thank you to Sharufa for helping set things up at the booth, answering questions for event participants who approached the zone.
Finally, thank you to Blaze, Ksis Ksis, Cameron, AVB, Aescobar, Dav, and all of the other congress members who came by the booth and connected with community members. It was a marvelous experience seeing the congress members fraternizing, providing insightful engagement with Near stakeholders.
2. Community Outreach
The NDC Zone
The NDC maximized this opportunity to share the principles of decentralization and the approach to build through authentic connection with the attendees, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in governance. All in our own space “The NDC Zone”. A ode to the daily office hours that were held in the first 9 months of organizing pre elections.
Grassroots Approach to Decentralization
Our commitment to grassroots decentralization resonated with the audience at scale. It was encouraging to witness the enthusiasm of the attendees as they learned about the styles of community governance provided by the NDC. Many participants experienced a paradigm shift!
Many people still had no idea what the NDC was actually doing. People wondered if we had a token? Whether we were a protocol or dapp. Some had no clue about the governing bodies and the roles and responsibilities… Some questioned whether the election was actually a fair voting process. There were questions around the validity and qualification of each candidate. Overall there was a slew of questions from both internal stakeholders as well as external stakeholders.
3. Proof of Pizza
A huge thank you to all the partners that came together to make Proof of Pizza a thing. During the Nearcon opening day we had the pleasure of partnering with Pizza DAO, Nearweek , Devhub, and Creatives DAO to bring together a culmination of good music, pizza, and vibes.
Let’s talk about what exactly was Proof of Pizza… What were the biggest takeaways? This was the kickoff event for the Nearcon and was very exciting to partner with so many amazing partners. This was all about bringing together all parts of the ecosystem and enjoying each other’s company over drinks and food. It was a great chance to see so many different community members from different parts of the ecosystem come together and enjoy themselves.
4. Biggest Takeaways and Lessons Learned
NearCon offered a valuable opportunity to gain insights into the Western European market for NEAR development. It was the first interaction with governance on Near for many attendees, and community members making it an ideal platform for raising awareness.
Spreading Awareness about Governance
Governance emerged as a prominent and exciting topic during the event, inspiring curiosity among attendees from various backgrounds, including students, founders, artists, developers and blockchain enthusiasts.
Inspiring Excitement for Governance
Seeing attendees’ enthusiasm for governance, despite its typically niche status, was one of the most captivating aspects of the conference. It highlighted the NDC’s success in generating interest in decentralization.
Heres a few talks from congress members and GWG members alike.
The I Am Human Registry: Redefining Online Trust With SBTs
Watch Robert talk about NEAR’s groundbreaking Soul Bound Token Standard (NEP-393) in this informative session. NEARCON 2023 | Layer 2 Stage - Day 2
NEAR Governance Forum w/ AVB, Blaze, and Cameron
An informative session and brainstorm about what the future of NEAR’s decentralized democracy looks like.
NEARCON 2023 | Layer 2 Stage - Day 3
What 2024 Looks Like for Decentralized Democracy
An honest conversation about what went well in 2023 and what the year ahead holds for governance on NEAR.
NEARCON 2023 Live Stream | Day 3 -Layer One Stage
5. Conclusion
NDC’s Impact at Nearcon
In conclusion, the NDC made a significant impact at Nearcon. With the support of the Foundation, collaboration with community partners and the organization of Twitter spaces, the NDC accomplished major milestones at the conference. The community is thriving, and governance is poised to enhance the NEAR ecosystem.
The Future of Governance in the NEAR Ecosystem
The NDC’s grassroots approach to decentralization is gaining momentum. Nearcon provided the NDC with the platform to establish that presence within the Near ecosystem. Raising awareness to stakeholders from all over. We will continue to build and grow, using this first congressional seating as an example of what governance on Near can look like.
