Nov 13, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Cleveland’s Blockland Solutions Conference, December 1-4, Features Unmatched Slate of Blockchain Experts

Blockland, a community-wide movement to establish a blockchain ecosystem in Cleveland, Ohio, and put the region at the forefront of blockchain thought leadership, today announced its inaugural Blockland Solutions Conference. The conference, presented by KeyBank and Hyland, will take place at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland from Dec. 1-4, 2018.

“Clevelanders representing high tech, education, government, industry, philanthropy, and the community are collaborating at the grassroots level to get this initiative off the ground,” said Steve Santamaria, co-chair of the Blockland Thought Leadership node and CEO of Folio Photonics. “Yes, Cleveland seems an unlikely place, but this region is well-positioned with its emerging tech sector, rich manufacturing heritage and proven ability to come together and embrace, adopt and achieve success on projects of this scale.”

Cleveland recently developed the Smart Manufacturing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Roadmap that identified existing strengths in the region as well as opportunities for growth. The roadmap makes the case for how the IIoT could boost productivity and profitability at area manufacturers and identifies things the region will need to do to embrace the technology.

“Once again, we’re proving that we are a competitive market for technology companies and are among the few regions that have been able to move forward with tangible results, supporting headquarters for major brands such as Progressive, Cleveland Clinic, and Eaton,” said Santamaria. “The Blockland Solutions Conference is yet another example of the great tech evolution happening in Cleveland.”

The Blockland Solutions Conference will explore the industries that will be the most affected by the up-and-coming blockchain technology, including: legal, financial services, insurance, energy, government, real estate and more. Topics range from cryptocurrency and financial services to technical strategies and applications.

“This conference and the business, government and philanthropic communities’ support for the event will enhance that standing and add to the city’s reputation as a hub for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship - as well as its position as a premier meetings and conventions destination,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland.

What to Expect

Presented in a series of top-level keynotes, interactive panel discussions and solution-based case studies, the conference will focus on learning and building partnerships in the emerging blockchain space. Event attendees can expect to meet with more than 1,000 like-minded individuals in a series of networking opportunities and will have an opportunity to ask questions to the events’ more than 120 thought-leading speakers. Featured speakers include:

  • Nick Szabo, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Innovator
  • Mark Hurd, Oracle Corporation
  • John Donovan, AT&T Communications
  • Joseph Lubin, Founder of Consensus Systems (ConsenSys) and Co-founder of Ethereum
  • Larry Sanger, Co-founder of Wikipedia

These presenters combined with the speakers in the more than 50 case study and learning sessions ensure that attendees will learn how blockchain technology can solve problems for organizations and government entities, as well as have a positive effect on the everyday lives of citizens. Pre-conference coding workshops will provide hands-on experience that identifies the pieces, parts and flow of creating, modifying and hosting a blockchain application.

How to Get Involved

Registration is open with special rates for government representatives and students. Single-day rates are also offered. Registration fees can be paid in cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin) as well as U.S. dollars.

Destination Cleveland, the area’s destination marketing and management organization, is managing the conference. In addition to KeyBank and Hyland, sponsors of Blockland Solutions are: The Cleveland Foundation; Cuyahoga County; City of Cleveland; ConsenSys; Ownum; PwC; BakerHostetler; Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff; Hardy Wealth Partners – UBS Financial Services; HIMSS; The MetroHealth System/MCPc; KPMG; PNC Bank; Progressive Insurance; Ashland University MBA Programs; CardinalCommerce; Case Western Reserve University; ChromaWay; Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland State University; Cohen & Company; Cuyahoga College; Deloitte; First Energy; IBM; Medical Mutual of Ohio; Microsoft; Oswald Companies; McDonald Hopkins; Sirius; Vantage Agora; Skoda Minotti; and Jones Day.

ABOUT BLOCKLAND

Cleveland is building a blockchain technology ecosystem called Blockland. This unprecedented, community-wide movement puts Cleveland at the forefront of blockchain thought leadership as developers, business leaders, government representatives, entrepreneurs, philanthropic organizations and universities collaborate to explore and accelerate the adoption and growth of this disruptive technology. In August 2018, a first-of-its-kind partnership between Cleveland-based JumpStart Inc. and the Toronto-based Blockchain Research Institute (BRI) became reality as JumpStart joined BRI on behalf of the entire Northeast Ohio region. The membership allows JumpStart to provide Greater Cleveland entrepreneurs and existing businesses valued under $1 billion with access at no charge to BRI’s 80 groundbreaking research projects. Visit www.blocklandcleveland.com for more information.

Editor’s Note: Blockland and Blockland Solutions logos as well as headshots of the keynote speakers can be found here.