[EDUCATION] How to unlock competitive advantage with blockchain and Metaverse?

Blockchain Alliance Europe
3 min readDec 8, 2022

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In partnership with Slovene Enterprise Fund, Arctur, a member of the Blockchain Alliance Europe, has been organizing several workshops on emerging technologies, blockchain, edge computing, Metaverse, AI, machine learning, and IoT for business.

WORKSHOP 1: WEB 3

A workshop on Web3 was held at Arctur, where guest participants could venture into Metaverse and virtualization. First, the participants learned the basics of the Metaverse (#VR, #AR, #3D, #AI, #blockchain, #NFT, monetization), whereas the second part of the workshop was devoted to practical considerations on how to use these technologies in their business.

Dr Urska Starc Peceny, the head of the innovation and Tourism 4.0 project, and Matevž Straus, director of the Heritage+ program, shared invaluable knowledge and guided the participants in the brainstorming process. The advice from the field of Metaverse and virtualization can be summarised in the following:

· Metaverse has evolved with the development of VR computer games. Now, it is becoming a field of its own with new digital business models for companies from all branches of the economy (and the public sector).

· Slovenian startups have tremendous IT know-how and experience in blockchain and 3D digital materials (mainly in tourism and cultural heritage)

· The development of a decentralized Metaverse is an exceptional opportunity for tourism and related sectors (MICE, gastronomy, culture, creative industries etc.)

· In the Metaverse, the opportunities vary from marketing, promotion, and contact with buyers and clients to providing services using metaverse technologies (AR/VR, 3D, internet) and digital content marketing (mainly as NFT)

· Companies should enter into partnerships and consortiums for joint development for a breakthrough.

· The ecosystem is essential, and the involvement of public institutions plays a crucial role (legal bases, public-private business models).

WORKSHOP 2: BLOCKCHAIN, DIGITAL IDENTITY & INDUSTRY USE CASES

Tanja Bivic Plankar, representative of Blockchain Alliance Europe, and Sebastjan Pirih, CMO at Netis, blockchain development and consulting, held the workshop dedicated to blockchain technology, digital identity and the meaningful application of these new technologies in various industries.

During the workshop, representatives of various Slovenian SMEs were taken on a journey from the idea of blockchain technology to today’s use cases, such as payments, hardware crypto wallets, NFT markets, and Metaverse.

Next, Sebastjan Pirih presented the technologies they work with in Netis. He also introduced a new solution the company is developing in partnership with Rekono, enabling users to receive different certificates and relevant documents directly in their digital wallets and exchange them with other institutions, which can verify their source without contacting the issuer beforehand.

We can summarize critical findings in a few bullet points:

· Blockchain can be used in different industry branches and at many product levels

· To apply blockchain, a company must understand its processes to identify the critical problem and address it well with experts

· Companies will see effects only when they use blockchain sensibly, mainly to transfer trust from central institutions/intermediaries to the technology itself

· There are still many misconceptions about blockchain, and sometimes the industry’s mistakes are perceived as hurdles of the technology

Want to explore more?

If you are part of the Slovenian community and you would like to join the following workshops, you can learn more here.

If you believe that a similar workshop would be beneficial for your community, please write to info@blockchainalliance.si

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Blockchain Alliance Europe

Blockchain Alliance Europe is a non-profit organization that connects European companies and legal entities that use or implement blockchain technologies.