One of the most widely used programming languages in the world, C++ is about 4 decades old. In comparison, Blockchain tech only arrived at the scene sometime in 2008, and is still considered comparatively ‘new’.
Developers and companies alike are still learning how to adopt Blockchain. One of the ways to disseminate information about the tech is via industry conferences which help Blockchain developers network with and learn from their peers.
But, is a Blockchain conference enough to fulfill this goal of interaction, adoption, and learning?
What is the best way to calculate the ROI from these conferences? What should the organizers do after the conference is completed?
Well the answer in our opinion is, conduct a hackathon to understand the uptake of information by developers who attended said conference, and help them utilize their newfound knowledge in practical ways to reach a defined ROI.
Let’s understand everything about hackathons vs conference, and how a Blockchain hackathon can be fruitful for your industry.
Conferences are events where people with similar interests or professional backgrounds exchange ideas, share knowledge, network, and discuss industry-related topics.
Typically, conferences cover varied subjects such as technology, science, medicine, business, education, the arts, and more.
Usually, these events are organized at a large scale, attracting hundreds or even thousands of participants. They usually take place in a physical or virtual environment.
By attending these conferences, professionals can stay updated on the latest trends and innovations in their domain, find potential collaborators or partners, and broaden their network within a particular industry.
Talking about conferences, HackerEarth organized a tech conference in 2022 called Hire 1(0)1 for hiring managers and recruiters to help them build great tech teams. In this 2-day tech conference, HackerEarth invited keynote speakers who participated in the panel discussion to share their perspective.
Read more here: Hire 10 (1): 6 Takeaways From The Biggest Tech Conference in 2022
Here’s what happens in a conference:
Hackathons are social coding events where developers, designers, and other tech enthusiasts come together to collaboratively work on projects, solve problems, and build innovation.
They focus on ideation, or even software development of a specific product in a niche industry. They are organized by companies who want to accomplish a specific goal such as creating brand awareness or hiring developers.
Some hackathons are standalone events, while others are part of larger conferences or tech festivals.
With the rise of virtual events and online collaboration tools, many hackathons have also been conducted in fully remote or hybrid environments. This allows participants from different geographical locations to join in the event.
Here’s what happens in hackathons vs conference:
Also, read: The Complete Guide to Organizing a Hackathon
While conferences and hackathons appeal to be similar in nature, they are largely very different from each other in reality. Here’s what you should know about hackathons vs conference.
Conferences | Hackathons |
At conferences, people can exchange ideas, build their professional network and deliver educational presentations and workshops | At hackathons, along with networking and exchanging ideas, people can collaborate on projects and build product prototypes. |
The interaction at conferences is one-way—the speakers or panelists interact with the audience. | The interaction at hackathons is two-way and one-on-one—participants can interact with the organizers and companies directly. |
Conferences give indirect ROI such as brand partnerships and new customers leading to increased revenue. | Hackathons give direct ROI such as new hires, a product prototype or innovative ideas for a specific problem-solving statement. |
Conferences last for a few hours to days. For example, 2 days. | Hackathons last for a few days to weeks and even months. For example, 3 months. |
Blockchain companies who are *only* leveraging conferences to impart knowledge about the Blockchain industry need to rethink, and restructure their events. It’s time for them to consider hackathons vs conference to make their events more engaging, and ROI-driven.
Below are some reasons that will encourage you to host Blockchain hackathons (as part of your Blockchain conferences or as standalone events!).
Also, watch: Decrypting Blockchain Innovation
Below we have shared virtual Blockchain hackathons hosted by different Blockchain companies to build an ecosystem of Blockchain developers, and even fund their ideas.
This hackathon, hosted by Coinbase Cloud, Polygon and Coindesk aimed at sourcing incredible ideas for Web3 innovations, and even funding them.
Impact: Received 5,821 registrations
Web3athon is an annual, multi-Blockchain, virtual hackathon hosted by Consensus with partners Alchemy University and HackerEarth to build better, scalable products that use Web3 to provide appropriate solutions. With this hackathon, 6 teams building five Blockchain ecosystems will take home $2,00.000 grants.
This hackathon, which concluded after 14 weeks, offered $80,000 in prizes, and had 17 sponsors aimed at bringing more developers to Web3 through partner grant programs.
Impact: Received over 6,000 registrations; 378 ideas in stage 1 and 163 projects submitted in stage 2.
Also, read: 15 Hackathon Ideas for Blockchain
Blockchain hackathons vs conference work better because they are more interactive and encourage the attendees to participate in the event, which rarely happens in conferences. But there are more reasons too. Let’s discover them:
Rootstock and Web3athon used HackerEarth’s Hackathon platform to host their virtual hackathon. This helped them manage everything end-to-end—from creating a landing page for their hackathon to promoting each hackathon to HackerEarth’s community of 7.8 million developers across the globe.
Just like them, HackerEarth can help you organize your next Blockchain hackathon as part of your industry conference or as a standalone event. Our team of experts can help you with:
Ready to create your next Blockchain hackathon? Book a demo with HackerEarth.
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