Tech Open Air 2018 Recap
Last week, Berlin hosted one of Europe’s largest technology conferences with over 20,000 attendees — Tech Open Air 2018. For the first time ever, this year’s conference placed a major focus on blockchain with a dedicated day and stage to the technology.
At Tech Open Air 2017, there was only a handful of blockchain-related talks that were very general and barely scratched the surface. Lisk both sponsored and attended the event this year, which was held at Funkhaus, an enormous historical venue on the riverbanks of the Spree.
The conference was casual, in line with an authentic Berlin experience. It was buzzing with all types of companies present, including the likes of Google, SoundCloud, Axel Springer, Polaroid, Klarna and many more. The place was so crowded; it took people over an hour to claim their entry tickets.
Lisk had a huge presence with two large booths, inside and outside. Several team members represented each booth. The team inside focused on sharing Lisk’s story with attendees. All attendees had the chance to win up to 10 LSK after taking the blockchain quiz we created. Our outside booth was primarily focused on scouting potential talent for Lightcurve. We received many applications from enthusiastic candidates.
Lisk was also featured on stage with Marketing Manager Thomas delivering a twenty-minute presentation on the Innovation Stage in the middle of the conference floor about Lisk’s ecosystem, vision and strategy. He also explained how blockchain marketing differs from traditional startup marketing. The presentation was very well-received by the audience.
People from nearly all backgrounds attended the conference, but we were particularly interested in meeting blockchain pioneers and members of the startup scene in Berlin. Crowds of people stopped by the Lisk booths, including people from the likes of SAP, Siemens, Daimler, and those working with independent banks that are interested in innovation and implementing blockchain technology into their businesses. We ran out of businesses are a record rate! We were asked many questions about Lisk — both general as well as technical.
And of course, there were many journalists at Tech Open Air. Lisk received a great deal of media interest; several members of the team were interviewed both during and after the conference. We even had several journalists come by our Berlin office following the conclusion of the conference for office tours.
Even though the team was busy spreading the word of Lisk and networking, we tried our best to attend presentations.
There were talks about how banks and crypto exchanges could work together to create safer trading environments for users, the use of blockchain technology in the automobile industry, and many, many others. We were incredibly grateful to share the room with such bright individuals who will make a true impact in the world.
We’re looking forward to attending similarly great conferences this summer! Several members of the team are currently at the Blockchain Expo in Amsterdam, where Cryptographer Iker sat on a panel titled “How Can Developers Make the Most of the Blockchain Opportunity?” Thomas gave a presentation titled “Lisk: Enabling Blockchain Creators.”
Up next this month is Distribute 2018 in Hamburg, CEO and cofounder Max will be speaking. We are also hosting the Lisk tour in Poland, where several team members will hold three meetups — Krakow on July 3, Wroclaw on July 4, and Warsaw on July 5. We’re looking forward to connecting with our Polish community!
Check out the Lisk Events page on our website to stay up-to-date on our whereabouts over the next few months!