Now that MCON is in the rearview mirror, our very own Addigator has taken the time to put some of her thoughts into words for those of us who weren’t able to attend MCON 2.

Last week I volunteered at and attended MCON, hosted by MetaCartel, at Evans School, a historic elementary school in Denver. The event was filled with ultra-spicy talks coupled with elite attendees, programming, and sweet VIBES (not the overused kind). I was bummed I couldn’t attend last year, and grateful to see the heat is still very much on this year for MCON attendees who continue to build despite crypto FUD. Below I’m sharing 5 observations and 3 takeaways from my time at MCON.

The spicy, bold, and founder-driven community of MetaCartel cannot be manufactured. The event is a family reunion for many but was also an initiation for those who had the pleasure of making this their first crypto event.…TBH I wish MCON was my first crypto event. While this wasn’t my first event, it was my first MCON. This year I saw people I’ve known forever and met recently, met internet homies for the first time in person, and met several new folks as well, all while watching others do the same. Connecting with people and building community obviously isn’t a new aspect of attending crypto events, but it is definitely still my favorite after all these years. It’s safe to say all MCON attendees will be included in the “wgmi” camp.

Moloch DAOdgeball, the massive bike ride, and the Relay Race are just some examples. The school setting also encouraged serious discussions to happen in a more casual and human format on the school lawn sitting crossed-legged in a circle, versus stuffed into a meeting room or behind a zoom screen. There was also discussion of Tornado Cash implications over sharing a simple meal of pizza that gets quite spicy with the addition of some Moloch hot sauce…stay tuned.

From listening in on the main stage talks and participating in side panels, workshops, and events, to offering volunteer assistance throughout the event. Everyone wanted this event to be dope and contributed to making that happen.

Everyone that spoke or hosted a workshop is currently in the trenches, or has been in the trenches at one point, and were speaking to their first-hand experiences, insights, and predictions for the future based on actually being a builder or operator that is doing, or has done, the work themselves. Also, the onsite DAOHaus workshop provided the opportunity for Wgmi to be the first DAO to launch on moloch v3 - LFG!!!

Since MCON is intentionally quite intimate compared to larger conferences, such as ETH Denver or NFT.NYC, it fostered a very casual and flex-free atmosphere. Where folks could really be themselves, share their spiciest takes, and speak freely around their work and passions.

Go slow and give contributors time to process with regular feedback loops. For elements that require speed and/or vetted work, build in public and be transparent, but become autonomous from the slower or more experimental parts of the organization.

Every contributor is a leader and needs to be empowered to act this way. (Not sure who said this but it really resonated. Thus, sadly I cannot claim as my own quote).

Either way, stay boring with your operations and your tech stack per “Choose Boring Technology.” This keeps everyone focused on shipping and moving the business/DAO goals forward while minimizing distractions.

Admittedly, going into MCON I was feeling DAO decision and execution fatigue. However, I am feeling super invigorated after the event between the above observations and takeaways. We all know Wgmi’s coordination efforts and challenges are not unique to our DAO. Yet somehow hearing war stories firsthand in a concentrated setting makes all the difference, rather than reading about it second-hand on Twitter.

I also feel validation and high conviction in the decision to split Wgmi Consulting from Wgmi DAO. This is how several projects operate and is especially necessary for ServiceDAOs that are 100% focused on revenue generation. This is encouraged rather than frowned upon by DAO OGs as we all continue to iterate and experiment with making DAOs more operationally mature and scalable.