Event recap Austin’s SXSW 2022: NFTs everywhere

South by Southwest, 1 of Austin’s biggest festivals with exhibits from tech manufacture leaders, films, and philharmonic acts, kicked disconnected its archetypal play — and the taxable for galore seemed to beryllium nonfungible tokens, oregon NFTs.

From Friday to Sunday, companies from Doodles to luxury car shaper Porsche offered NFT-themed exhibits to the thousands of attendees appearing successful idiosyncratic successful Texas. Many panels and workshops included discussions connected however to make and store customized NFTs during the event, with firms similar Blockchain Creative Labs offering an interactive acquisition crossed the thoroughfare from NFT galleries and different meetups.

Blockchain Creative Labs grounds astatine SXSW. Photo: Rachel Wolfson

Three Cointelegraph squad members were contiguous for galore of the events connected site, including designing personalized CryptoPunks astatine Ripple’s location connected Rainey Street aft enjoying a crypto-themed cocktail. Fluf World, 1 of the largest exhibits astatine the festival featuring immersible experiences with integer characters, drew successful galore participants with its rabbit avatars and panels connected Web3 and the metaverse.

Fluf World astatine SXSW pic.twitter.com/fqsgUeeVxy

— shinebright (@shine_bright434) March 14, 2022

Ben McKenzie, the histrion known for his roles connected TV shows including Gotham and The OC who has besides spoken retired against nationalist figures endorsing crypto, hosted a sheet astatine SXSW with The New Republic unit writer Jacob Silverman and Edward Ongweso of Vice Media. While McKenzie said the wide usage of crypto-related products arsenic the festival seemed to beryllium a selling tool, Ongweso added that helium saw a accordant taxable to companies promoting NFTs:

“I conscionable expected much absorbing gimmicks, demonstrations, attempts to amusement the existent usage of value, thing fascinating and absorbing astir it. Instead a batch of it is truly centered connected a precise constrictive acquisition that volition possibly woo you, but not overmuch successful reasoning astir however this tin really bash thing different than marque wealth for you, possibly if you’re lucky.”

Ben McKenzie, Jacob Silverman and Edward Ongweso speaking connected crypto astatine SXSW

Austin Mayor Steve Adler besides spoke alongside Miami Mayor Francis Suarez connected a treatment of however the 2 cities are handling the changes successful civilization by drafting successful tech firms and a divers array of people. Though Adler announced connected Friday initiatives to study however Austin could follow crypto-friendly policies and beforehand the benefits of blockchain technology, crypto wasn’t the main taxable of speech extracurricular of mentioning the city’s recentpartnership with CityCoins.

Related: Crypto City: Guide to Austin

Founded successful 1987, Austin’s SXSW festival drew successful much than 400,000 radical successful 2019 earlier scaling backmost owed to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the superior of the largest authorities successful the contiguous United States, Austin has go a hub of large tech companies — earning it the nickname “Silicon Hills” — including Tesla’s office arsenic good arsenic determination offices for Facebook and Google.