Throughout 2018, blockchain and cryptocurrency hackathons are taking place on every continent but Antartica. In the United States alone, conferences are happening in Las Vegas, Atlanta, Berkeley, Raleigh, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle and, of course, Silicon Valley. Some conferences will be more inclined toward a particular sector like Blockchain Health in Washington D.C. Others will target a specific demographic like Women4Blockchain in New York City. Some conferences will attract thousands in attendance; others might charge thousands of dollars for attendance.
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In its first year, EthMemphis[11] distinguished its place on the blockchain conference circuit for displaying an under-the-hood glimpse at what actually moves this young industry forward, specifically on the Ethereum network.
Taking place at the University of Memphis’ Fedex Institute of Technology, EthMemphis focused on Ethereum-based blockchain topics and projects applied to supply chain, healthcare, tourism/hospitality, education and law.
Specifically, the three-day conference consisted of a hackathon interspersed with a Saturday full of blockchain talks, technical workshops, drone racing and a collaborative effort between the Decentraland team of Buenos Aires and the Memphis Game Developers to create a game within the virtual world.
FedEx: Blockchain or Be Disrupted
Sean Healy, senior vice president of transportation for FedEX Freight, gave a keynote address. Healy stated that FedEX Freight is the least technologically sound arm of FedEx and, therefore, presents a huge opportunity for blockchain technology to be applied to supply chain logistics.
Healy explained the importance of FedEx CEO Fred Smith’s quote: “The information about the package is just as important as the package itself.” There are multiple parties involved in the cross-border shipping
