Perth’s first collaborative blockchain cluster gathering drew a huge crowd at BDO offices on Tuesday night…
Simple maths. 120 people into 90 does not go.
That was the problem for a packed out event down at the BDO offices on Tuesday night, at the inaugural Unity Mesh event.
Extra seats had to be rolled into the venue as 120 people had turned up to hear a couple of panels discuss collaborative clusters and what Perth could do with blockchain technologies if we all banded together. The organisers had put out 90 seats, as many as existed in the meeting room.
‘It’s just so hot right now’
It goes to show how ‘hot’ blockchain is right now, not just cryptocurrencies or bitcoin, but blockchain as a platform, that corporate sponsors, investors, entrepreneurs and coders got together in such numbers on a mid week night.
Organiser Trent Wheeler describes Unity Mesh as a “collaborative cluster” for those interested in, or developing, blockchain applications. It even has its own website.
When polled, half the audience professed to own a coin of some kind or another, but the focus was more on blockchain itself than crypto.
“What we’re about,” Trent told the audience, “is a desire is to create a connected, sustainable community that can create more, connect globally, attract resources and be adaptable enough to respond to problems that need solving.”
“Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and coins have had a good run, created awareness but we need to look beyond the hype. There are hundred of coins, and dozens of ICOs every weeks.
“Blockchain is supposed to create solutions that can be trusted, immutable, unhackable, decentralized. They can be public, private or shared … so where can this tech be used? What problems can it solve?”
“Technically, blockchain is quite hard. It’s not mainstream yet. When it’s a simple as sending an email, then it will be mainstream.”
What can Perth be good at? How can we collaborate? What niches can we exploit?
These were the questions hanging in the air, and the panels did their best to debate. Whether it’s blockchain, AI, bots, AR/VR or something else, if Perth is going to be a global or regional centre for technology and innovation, then a fair amount of collaboration, rather than competition, or even ‘collabetition’ (horrible word) is required…
About Unity Mesh
Sponsored and supported by BDO, Hopgppd Ganim, First Node, eGroup and Lateral, Unity Mesh is a not for profit collaboration concept aimed at fostering a community that works together to help develop the understanding and adoption of blockchain related technologies and applications. Industry, Investors, Government, Educators, Researchers, Developers, Services … everyone is welcome to connect.
