Hey Polkadot community 
Consensus 2025 was a huge win for our ecosystem, and we achieved it with great energy and even greater results.
Our booth became a magnet on the floor. From TradFi and enterprise to students and builders, over 1,500 attendees came through to experience live demos from multiple ecosystem teams, mint Polkadot NFTs, and claim DOT- many for the first time.
We hosted 20+ ecosystem teams with scheduled demo slots across two stations: DAO and Enterprise. It wasn’t just a showcase—it was dealmaking, onboarding, and ecosystem growth in action.
And yes… the claw machine stole the show. It was more than a fun activation—it was the first step and key engagement tool in an interactive onboarding flow that led to:
631 onboarding registrations (26% higher than our target)
501 NFTs minted
30% of DOT winners joined the Polkadot DAO
689 leads generated for ecosystem teams
384,000+ organic impressions across @Polkadot channels
11.6M reach and 56.9M+ impressions for “Consensus2025 + Polkadot”
“Oh, definitely we stand out far from other booths… The claw machine, everyone was obsessed with it.” — Charlie Riedel, Mythos Foundation
We also saw meaningful progress on the Business Development side: teams made connections with institutions such as leading custodians and asset managers, universities and exchanges, creating new possible partners and future collaborators. Currently, follow-up conversations are ongoing, led by Velocity Labs, Magenta, and the Polkadot Blockchain Academy.
“I think this type of conference is very much known for dealmaking. So it was 100% worth it. A lot of TradFi guys, a lot of institutions, a lot of asset managers, which makes it really easy to set up good quality meetings.” — Jonathan Boyd, Velocity Labs
Hackathon energy fueled our momentum
We were strategically located right next to the EasyA Consensus Hackathon and the Builders Stage—which meant a constant flow of devs and builders coming over to connect, learn, and dive into Polkadot. This proximity turned out to be a huge advantage for ecosystem exposure and lead generation—especially for initiatives like the Polkadot Blockchain Academy.
And the builders showed up. A record number of projects were launched on Polkadot during the hackathon. In total, we had 17 projects across three tracks: Build, Launch, and Multi-chain.
We’re taking this momentum global. If you want to be featured at the next Polkadot ecosystem event—or help shape one—reach out!
ivan@distractive.xyz
Also, tell us in the comments: Where should Polkadot show up next? 
As we plan for the next wave of activations, we’d love your input on how to evolve our event strategy. Here are a few questions we’re thinking about—chime in with your thoughts!
Event Strategy Evolution
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Should we stick with Web3-native conferences, or shift more energy toward Web2 and industry-specific events such as Gaming events? We believe there is a place for Polkadot on Web2 events and we’re already exploring options such as All In Summit, GamesCom, re:Invent AWS and DreamHack.
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Would you like to see Polkadot booths at university hackathons or campus roadshows?
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Are regional tech meetups or Web2 developer conferences the right place to meet new builders?
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Should we explore co-branded activations with other ecosystems or infra providers?
Audience Priorities
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Are we targeting the right audience? Should we lean more into enterprise, builders, students, or creators?
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Which geos do you think Polkadot should prioritize next? LATAM? Asia? Europe? Double down on the US?
Booth & Content Ideas
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Which product demos, quests, or content formats can drive the most engagement from your perspective?
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Do you want to see live governance voting, NFT quests, or more interactive gaming activations?
Let’s keep showing the world what real Web3 looks like.
Thanks a lot to all ecosystem teams participating: Apillon, Atmos, Aventus, Distractive, Feooh, Hyperbridge, Hydration, Kylix Finance, Magenta, Mythical Games, OriginTrail, Parity Technologies, Polkadot Ambassador Fellowship, Polkadot Blockchain Academy, Scytale, StellaSwap, The Kusamarian, TVINN, Velocity Labs, Web3 Foundation, and WebZero.
— Distractive Team 