Benzinga - A conference that combines elements of non-fungible tokens, business and pop culture kicks off Thursday, May 18 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Here are the key details on VeeCon 2023 and some speakers that event founder Gary Vee thinks people should take note of.
About VeeCon 2023: The second annual VeeCon is hosted in Indianapolis, with events planned at White River State Park and Lucas Oil Stadium.
Here is a look at the schedule for VeeCon 2023:
May 18: 1 p.m., TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, VeeCon Field Day, Opening Night Concert
May 19: 9 a.m., Lucas Oil Stadium, Speakers & Activations, Evening Entertainment
May 20: 9 a.m., Lucas Oil Stadium, Speakers & Activations, Evening Entertainment
“We’re gonna do it bigger and badder than we did in 2022,” Vee previously said.
Tickets can be purchased on NFT secondary markets like OpenSea, where the price is currently 0.09 Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), or around $161.86.
The event is the brainchild of entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Gary Vee. In 2022, VeeCon launched as the first NFT-ticketed super conference. Holders of VeeFriends Series 1 NFTs were granted free tickets in the form of NFTs.
“For many years, I’ve always wanted to make a conference,” Vee told members of a press briefing last week.
Vee said he always had visions of what his conference would look like. The entrepreneur was influenced by South by Southwest and smaller business conferences. Vee called VeeCon a business conference layered with a lot of pop culture.
VeeCon 2023 will also feature a VeeFriends Museum, GaryVee Garage Sale with collectibles for sale, and an art gallery featuring 25 artists in Web3 and NFT Land, which hosts 13 NFT projects with interactive elements.
Sponsors of the event will also have interactive exhibits and ways to engage with fans and new potential customers.
“The VeeFriends community includes entrepreneurs and creators that are here to network, learn and build lasting memories with each other and these flagship brands,” VeeFriends President Andy Krainak said.
Related Link: Neil Patrick Harris, Timbaland, Jon Taffer, Luca Netz Highlight Second Round Of VeeCon 2023 Speakers
Speaker Lineup: Over 190 speakers will be featured across keynotes and panels on multiple stages Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Among the most recognizable names are Neil Patrick Harris, Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, Cesar Milan, Deepak Chopra, Bobbi Brown, Arianna Huffington, Jesse Itzler, Scooter Braun, Yung Gravy and Daymond John.
A stacked lineup of speakers has many attendees telling Vee they don’t know which panels to pick and how to choose, a quandary he takes as a compliment.
“I’m very proud of that. Content matters,” Vee said.
The event will feature nightly entertainment, with Busta Rhymes performing as the headliner Thursday at White River State Park. Also performing Thursday night are Richie Evans and Tia Corine.
Entertainment Friday and Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium includes Esther Povitsky, Andrew Schultz, and American Idol-winning singer Jordin Sparks.
“I’m incredibly excited and grateful to bring a phenomenal lineup of industry icons, business leaders, and brand partners to Indianapolis this week,” Vaynerchuk said. “This is a conference like no other – and will be the marketing industry event for years to come.”
Among the large number of speakers are a handful of chief executive officers and chief marketing officers from publicly traded companies.
The list of public companies represented includes:
Anish Melwani, Chairman/CEO LVMH North America (OTC: LVMUY)(OTC: LVMHF)
Amy Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer, Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA)(NASDAQ: PARAA)
Carla Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM)
Dave Skena, Chief Brand Officer, Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ: DNUT)
Heidi Cooley, Chief Marketing Officer, Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX)
Jesse Pollak, Protocols for Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: COIN)
Jessica Alba, Founder of The Honest Company (NASDAQ: HNST)
Jill Cress, Chief Marketing Officer (NYSE: HRB)
Kevin Plank, Founder of Under Armour (NYSE: UA)(NYSE: UAA)
Lauren Fritts, the Chief Marketing Officer of WeWork (NYSE: WE)
Linda Boff, Chief Marketing Officer, General Electric (NYSE: GE)
Matt Kalish, Co-founder, DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ: DKNG)
Miguel Patricio, Chief Executive Officer, Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC)
Rachel Webber, Chief Brand Officer, PLBY Group (NASDAQ: PLBY)
Richard Dickson, President, Mattel Inc (NASDAQ: MAT)
Todd Kaplan, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP)
Vee noted at the press event that this year’s VeeCon features lots of chief marketing officers and chief executive officers.
“Now transitioning into the conference I always wanted,” Vee added.
Vee Highlights Speakers to Watch: Benzinga asked Vee to point out the one speaker from VeeCon 2022 that had to be asked back this year.
“Feedback was Jesse Itzler, he absolutely annihilated last year,” Vee told Benzinga.
Benzinga also asked Vee which speakers at VeeCon 2023 are perhaps going under the radar and will be loved by the community at this year’s event.
Vee highlighted Vox Media co-founder and CEO Jim Bankoff.
“I think that will capture a lot of attention,” Vee said.
Vee also highlighted Lauren Fritts as a lot of people know the WeWork company and someone who can navigate the brand.
Matt Van Horn, the co-founder of smart oven company June and ride-sharing company Lyft Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT), was another individual named by Vee.
Rachel Webber from Playboy was another key speaker to watch, according to Vee.
“She’s the type of person that will say one thing at the conference that changes someone’s perspective.”
An athlete at VeeCon 2023 that Vee hopes surprises people is UFC fighter Michelle Waterson Gomez.
“I think she’s got a real story to tell.”
On the NFT artist side of things, Vee singled out OSF.
“OSF is an incredible artist in Web3.”
Vee said a big question in the NFT space is who will be the Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol of the next 20 years. Vee said that OSF is someone he would roll the dice on.
What Benzinga Is Looking Forward To: Among the key speakers that Benzinga is looking forward to at VeeCon 2023 include Patrick Harris, Barrymore, Alba and John.
On the sports side of things, panels will feature Ed Reed, Barron Davis, Aliyah Boston and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez. Former NFL player and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow will also give a keynote on Saturday, May 19.
NFT artists like Clon (Cool Cats), Betty (Deadfellaz), GFunk (Pixel Vault), Luca Netz (Pudgy Penguins) and Erick Carlderon (Art Blocks) are among those interviewed by Benzinga previously that will be closely watched at VeeCon 2023.
Stay tuned to Benzinga for live and post VeeCon 2023 event coverage.
Read Next: VeeCon 2022: First year Event Brings Alpha, Community, Education & NFT Lessons
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