Metacon 2022 powered by Gala successfully wraps up its 2-day global conference celebrating Web3, NFTs, Esports, GameFi, tech, music, art, entertainment, and blockchain gaming. Held at The Arena, Dubai World Trade Center on May 28 & May 29, 2022, the Metacon is the first-ever “metaverse into reality” pop culture convention.
From special stages, exclusive events, and interactive sessions, to introducing new Web3 technologies and educating attendees on various aspects of the metaverse, Metacon delivered a handful of experiences of the future to kickstart a new Web3 era in the Gulf region.
As UAE is one of the few countries that have exclusively adapted to Web3 technology, this global conference was extra special. Metacon 2022 began with an opening speech from Doctor Marwan Al Zarooni, the CEO of Dubai Blockchain Center and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council, and continued on for two days.
The global conference united investors, collectors, traders, experts, and Web3 enthusiasts under one roof to commemorate the developments of the internet and blockchain world as a whole with exclusive partnerships with Master Ventures, Rakuza Marketplace, Arts DAO, Sharaf DG, and many other brands.
Here’s everything you need to know about Dubai Metacon 2022.
As a global conference, Metacon welcomed every individual to experience the future. Anyone who bought a Metacon ticket had the chance to mint it and turn it into an NFT. Unlike other events that sell NFT tickets, Metacon wanted its attendees and first-time Web3 enthusiasts to understand the concept of the metaverse and NFT through this minting activity.
The tickets were divided into three categories. The WAGMI ticket was a one-day pass, and FOMO was a weekend pass; both ticket holders received a MetaCon NFT Token giving them permanent access to the future NFT drops, exclusive events, online sessions, and other opportunities.
The ALPHA ticket was the VIP pass for both days, sold in a limited quantity. The ticket not only gave access to the MetaCon NFT Token but also received an NFT mystery box filled with rare NFTs from Metacon Edition One partners and participants.
The Zones: exclusive events and activities

Metacon 2022 was held in four different spaces, MetaStage, MetaConnect, MetaArena, and MetaSpaces. Each space was a special corner that categorized companies and brands into groups, making it easier for attendees to navigate through the event.
Zone 1: MetaStage
The MetaStage was the site for Metacon’s exclusive event called Metavator Challenge, a pitch platform for innovators to introduce something new that can contribute to the development of NFTs, Web3, or metaverse as a whole. The event was organized by One&Only and Dubai Youth Council in hopes to help lowkey masterminds find firm ground to kickstart their career in the Web3 industry.
The winners were announced on the second day after the presentations, winning a cash prize of 75,000 AED with mentorship support, Investor Connect, and more.
Zone 2: MetaConnect
MetaConnect was the secondary stage of Metacon featuring workshops and sessions with experts from all around the world in the blockchain industry. This corner was exclusively made for those individuals who are looking for a guide or mentor to introduce and give tips to kick start their careers in the Web3 world.
Some of the workshops included:
- Metaverse Real Estate versus Traditional Real Estate with Brandon Smith from Ethereum Towers, Jonathan Woolley and Calvin Ferreira from Metavest Capital, and Tony K. from Metamasters
- METAVATOR startup workshops with Umer Abbas and Ahsan Imtiaz from The Cloud City Metaverse, Raed M., Mohammed Mukhtar from One&Only International
- Masterclass: How to Mint your own NFTs by Zoe W.
And many more.
Zone 3: MetaSpaces
MetaSpaces consisted of interactive exhibitions of many GameFi and blockchain gaming brands to introduce attendees to show some of the greatest developments in the Web3 gaming world.
MetaSpace included FOTA, Medabots, Town Star, and Spider Tanks. The attendees could experience the games through various activities.
The Rakuza Marketplace-sponsored The NFT Artists Alley was also introduced with the whitelist available for attendees to register exclusively only on Metacon. This event was for anime and manga fans to experience the world of NFTs and the new NFT marketplace.
The BAPES Lounge was a networking hub for new and emerging NFT artists, blockchain developers, and startups to connect and learn about the industry from the experts.
The founder of BAPESCLAN, Erik Lydecker also attended Metacon as a keynote speaker to share his experience in the blockchain world as a serial entrepreneur.
Zone 4: MetaArena
As the name suggests, MetaArena was an arena for the first-ever blockchain-based multi-game esports tournament that included gaming titles like Axie Infinity, Thetan Arena, and Spider Tank. The guilds competed with each other and the winning guild won a $50,000 cash prize pool.
Gaming titles, Medabots, Fight Legends, and Swift Blowout also held community tournaments on MetaArena for gaming enthusiasts to experience the blockchain world.
Web3 guests, speakers, entrepreneurs, and more
Metacon 2022 invited some of the influential guests to speak about the future of Web3, gaming, and technology. It also put the spotlight on various entrepreneurs who have been working day and night to develop this industry.
Some of the guests included Luca Lamberti, the CEO of 99Starz with a panel of expert gaming developers that discussed the future of gaming. Brandon Smith from Ethereum Towers with Ethereal Collective Cofounder Jack Smillie, World of Women Adelina, and PolyVerseArt to talk about the evolution of NFTs.
MetaOps’ cofounder Patrick Schulte also attended the event and presented their project to the world. The Chief commercial officer of ZOAN, Marko Martiskainen also introduced the audience to how to make Web3 avatars using blockchain technology. Henry Finn and Keith Koo from Metacomica also introduced themselves to the world through this global conference.
Llamaverse and Ai&Aiko made it to the Metacon to showcase an immersing gallery and metaverse experience. Other entrepreneurs included Reem Al Mosabbeh from Unipreneur Inc., Umair Masoom Usmani from MContent, Ali Bin Zayed from Crossfit Utmost and many more also attended the event.
Partnerships
Metacon 2022 partnered with many companies. The event was supported by the Dubai Multi Commodities Center and Dubai Culture & Arts Association with Gala Games, Fight of the Ages, Rakuza Marketplace, and Bapes as sponsors.
Dubai Blockchain Center, Ghaf Capital, Magma NFT, UNIX Gaming, Metacomica, Mai Dubai, MSI, and many more were strategy partners for Metacon 2022. The global conference also featured projects from Slam Girl!, Boba Network, Ampverse, Vistaverse, Mindblowon, Shonen Junk, Last Hopium, Magazine NFT, Bored Camel Caraven Club, and many more.
About Metacon
Metacon is a global conference powered by Gala to showcase the concept of “metaverse into reality” through four main pillars, Gaming & Tech, Art, Esports, and Music & Entertainment. It aims to bring the investors, collectors, and creators together for business and development opportunities.
Final words
Metacon was really a great place for crypto startups and enterprises to connect, interact, collaborate, and find opportunities to showcase their projects in a competitive environment. As mentioned above, many noteworthy speakers and entrepreneurs attended the event in hopes to present their projects to the world.
Since Dubai is looking for opportunities to become the hub of futuristic technology and the blockchain world, Metacon 2022 successfully opened doors for the country to bring the global Web3 community into one place.
For more information about Metacon 2022 visit the official website or follow @Metaconglobal on Twitter.