Devcon is an annual Ethereum conference organized by the Ethereum Foundation. The event aims to educate and empower the community, functioning as a conference for builders of all kinds. Devcon's goal is to advance decentralized protocols, tools, and culture globally. The programming covers content from deeply technical discussions to explorations of the human aspects of decentralized systems. ^[1]

Devcon 2024

The 2024 edition is scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from November 12th to 15th. Community members can initiate and submit proposals through Devcon Improvement Proposals (DIPs). ^[1]

The Road to Devcon Grants

In collaboration with the Ecosystem Support team, this funding round is designed to offer small sponsorships (up to $1,000) to assist with covering costs related to organizing small-scale events, like local meetups or workshops, and other educational initiatives in the community. ^[2]

The grant is open to organizers of various community initiatives, such as meetups, university clubs, workshops, hackathons, grassroots communities, local education projects, and other creative community efforts. Eligible events should focus on Ethereum, be free to attend, open to anyone, and not centered around investment, price, or token sales. Events that have already taken place are not eligible, and they should be concentrated in Southeast Asia or nearby regions. To apply, organizers need to submit a form with their event idea and a detailed budget request. If approved, the organizing team will be notified, and an invoice request for the approved budget will be sent. Organizers are then required to host and document the event, including taking photos and obtaining presentation materials. After the event, a review and documentation material are to be submitted to the Devcon team. The selection criteria include assessing the audience size, the plan for publicity and expanding reach, the organizer's track record of successful events, and the intended purpose of the requested funding. Applicants can expect follow-up communication via email after submitting their applications. ^[2]

Past Editions

Devcon originated in 2014 in Berlin Kreuzberg as a meet-up named Devcon 0 for the co-founders and early builders of Ethereum. Since then, the conference has traveled to various locations worldwide, including Berlin, London, Shanghai, Cancún, Prague, Osaka, and Bogotá. ^[3]

Devcon VI

Devcon VI spanned four days, featuring livestreams that reached a global audience of 60,000 viewers. Devcon VI also included satellite events in various countries, extending the educational experience. ^[4]

Community Hubs offered spaces for diverse activities and events, such as the Temporary Anonymous Zone, the launching of the first Token Engineering Fundamentals program, and visualizing participants’ values about decentralization in the Design Hub. This edition introduced "Impact Booths," dedicated spaces for teams that contributed positively to Ethereum and its ecosystem. ^[4]

Devcon V

Devcon 5 took place in Japan in October 2019. Besides conference talks, the event included a community-run outdoor stage and experiential Park area. The opening was provided by the City of Osaka, and Kabosu, the original "Doge," made a special appearance. Various other features and events were part of the conference. ^[5]

Devcon 4

Devcon 4 brought Ethereum's ecosystem and family back to Europe with a 2018 event at the Prague Convention Center in the Czech Republic. With 3,000 participants, Devcon featured talks of experiences from different teams and enterprises. ^[10]

Devcon 3

Devcon 3 was held in Cancun, Mexico, in November 2017, coinciding with "Dia de Los Muertos" and Halloween. It was the largest Ethereum gathering at that time, with nearly 2000 attendees. ^[6]

Devcon 2

Devcon 2 took place in Shanghai, China, in September 2016. The conference primarily featured presentations by developers actively engaged with Ethereum, specifically those working directly on the protocol of the Ethereum blockchain. The content largely centered around updates within the preceding 12 months and the current state of various projects within the Ethereum ecosystem. Notable areas of focus included scalability, security, and privacy in line with the platform's ongoing developmental goals. ^[7][11]

While the majority of presenters were developers associated with Ethereum, the conference also welcomed participation from external companies and groups addressing issues directly related to the platform, such as Ethercamp (focused on creating an environment around smart contracts and testing) and Ethcore (offering an alternative client to Ethereum's native client). ^[7][11]

DEVCON 1

DΞVCON 1 took place in London in November 2015, just a few months after the launch of Ethereum. During the event, presenters focused on various components of the original Ethereum roadmap, with early decentralized application (dApp) teams presenting their work. Supporters discussed the anticipated industry adoption that was expected to emerge shortly. ^[8]

Devcon 0

Devcon 0 took place in Berlin. Prior to the launch of Ethereum, the earliest builders and co-founders met in the Kreuzberg neighborhood in late November 2014 for a meetup called "ÐΞVcon-0." It was a gathering where they outlined their work and designs for the future of Ethereum, offering insights into the historical context and early ethos of the project. ^[9]