sub0 25 Polkadot Flagship Conference in Buenos Aires

6hrs 31mins ago

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AI Summary

Main prop: sub0 - BA 25 Flagship Conference

Polkadot is stepping into a new era.

That’s why we’re proposing a new flagship Polkadot conference in Buenos Aires this November: a 3-day, deeply immersive edition of sub0 that includes a main product stage and grows into a annual global flagship conference for the ecosystem.

Set against the backdrop of Devconnect, in one of the most vibrant Web3 regions in the world, this is Polkadot’s chance to open its doors to the global ecosystem and show what we’re really made of.

This proposal falls outside the scope of ecosystem bounties because of scale. We are happy to bring Polkadot's flagship event to OpenGov!

Check out the full 35-page proposal here.

Review the detailed budget here.

The plan:

- 3,000 attendees over 3 days

- 2 main stages (Product + Development), plus 18 immersive rooms

- 24/7 hackerspace, 2 hackathons with min. $15K in Polkadot bounties (plus sponsor bounties)

- Major activations across gaming, governance, identity and art

- 70% of attendees expected from outside the Polkadot ecosystem

We’re ready for it.

This conference will bring the whole ecosystem together to build, collaborate and move the Polkadot mission forward. All of it free to attend, fully catered, and designed for maximum real-world impact.

We’re inviting the community to help shape this event from the ground up. The proposal is now live.

Location: Bubble Studio

Before Devconnect, BA, Argentina

Dates: 14th, 15th, 16th November 2025

What	3 days, 2 stages: a product stage and a development stage, 18 highly immersive themed rooms, 24hr hackerspace & full catering, morning, noon and into the evening activities.
Where	Bubble Studio12 minutes from the main tourist area, Palermo.15 minutes from the Devconnect venue, La Rural.Regular shuttle buses to and from the conference.
When	14, 15 & 16 November 2025.24 hours, with main conference times from 10 am to 6 pm, plus an evening agenda and hackathon.
Guests	3,000 guests over three days, including students, Polkadot eco and ecosystem outsiders.
Themes	Resilient infrastructure, Polkadot Hub, Bringing the world to Polkadot, JAM
Budget	Total budget: 738,749.00 USDC - Tickets will be free of charge and include access to a 24-hour hackerspace, side events, immersions, food and beverages, morning, lunch and PM.

FAQS

Why not go to the Events Bounty?

Flagships have been historically community-driven initiatives, and a proposal of this size should be as transparent as possible.

Why do you have a success fee?

The budget accounts for 19.5% for WebZero agency fee & salaries, including the success fee if targets above 60% are met. It’s important to add that WebZero salaries are also key functions that save us from outsourcing: social media & content manager, DevRel and hackathon coordination, logistics, set design, creatives & agenda management.

Why Devconnect?

Devconnect is set to be the most significant Web3 conference of the year with 25,000 visitors descending upon Buenos Aires from Nov 10. Timing sub0 during Devconnect captures an already-assembled, highly technical audience, multiplies media reach, and makes travel logistics easier for speakers and sponsors who plan to attend both weeks. This offsets speaker costs to zero, as many high-level figures will be in town.

By running concurrently with Devconnect, we gain significant leverage. This approach amplifies our attendance and allows us to focus our budget on enhancing the event experience, rather than on extensive marketing. Crucially, we still deliver a powerful, uniquely Polkadot-branded presence.

For Polkadot's senior leadership, attending Devconnect is essential, even with many of our representatives based in Europe. Devconnect stands as the world's largest developer conference in web3 and attracts thousands of teams. Therefore, it's strategically vital for our key players to converge during the initial three days to solidify connections, then fan out to capitalise on those relationships within the broader ecosystem.

sub0 Bangkok cost less than 500k, why the price increase?

We're upgrading the experience to include concert-grade immersions, professional-grade livestreaming that will reach thousands globally, new scholarship initiatives, and a refined focus on one of the biggest hackathons on Polkadot. This will be extraordinary and unprecedented.

sub0 Bangkok was our first time organizing a major conference, which severely impacted team health due to a lack of staff and resources. Done in just eight weeks end-to-end, several corners were cut to make the event a success. Agency fees were not included. The venue was an abandoned warehouse without toilets or electricity. Police were called multiple times.

It’s important to add that Argentina is significantly more expensive than Bangkok due to inflation dramatically impacting the country; therefore, costs are much higher.

All quotations have been heavily negotiated, with multiple quotes requested from different vendors per budget item for a full assessment.

Please note that we are aiming to send 10% or more back to the treasury via sponsorship revenue and aim to be well under budget.

Request

≈705.17KUSDC

≈33.58KUSDC

Status

Decision28d

Confirmation

Attempts

Tally

100%Aye

0%Nay

Aye

≈72.2MDOT

Nay

≈26.95KDOT

0.0%
0.0%
Threshold
0.0%

Support

1.09%

≈17.32MDOT

Issuance

≈1.59BDOT

Votes

Nested

Flattened

Actions

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Comments

16Zi...r6x4

Webzero is household name in the Dotsama space, they make great events, mega AYE!
One question:
Is there a more detailed budget breakdown?
for example:

Bounty Target: 100k USD
Main track sponsored by Polkadot: USD 15,000 total, split into three prizes of USD 5,000; each winning team takes USD 2,500 on demo day and another USD 2,500 after completing Milestone 2.
Sponsor bounties: Fully stackable, rewarding teams that integrate multiple sponsor technologies. Names that attract a diverse crowd and bring the total prize pool to 100k.

Here, the treasury pays 100k and 15k goes to prices, what happens with the rest of the 85k? its split in to different other prices or?

~flipchan

15wb...zWSp

Hello.

Based on your previous activities, could you mention what you consider to be the most difficult objective to achieve and how you have planned to tackle it? Thanks

12mP...Eyoh

Why not go through the Event Bounty or Marketing Bounty instead?

Edited

1216...Gjen

Buenas, cómo va?

Me gustaría dejar mi opinión, me parece excelente que se hagan este tipo de eventos, pero no me gusta el hecho de que se cobre abusivamente solo porque hay plata para ser gastada.

Yo he estado en organizaciones de eventos y soy consciente del trabajo que lleva y de los precios que se manejan.

Para evitar pensar que es un abuso, me gustaría ver un desglose de:

Cuántas personas van a conformar el equipo de organización en la previa? Y que costo tienen?

Cuántas durante? Y qué costo?

Cuánto sale el alquiler del espacio por la duración del evento?

Cuánto sale cada servicio? Catering, sillas, sonido, etc

Además, si bien veo bien que sea gratuito, no me parecería mal cobrar una entrada de 10usd/día o un valor bajo en relación al costo por persona pero que filtre la gente que va solo porque hay comida gratis.

Me parece que estaría bueno empezar a mostrar de manera transparente cuanto sale el armado de eventos, cuanto se lleva cada parte, y también quién dice que no haya alguien en la comunidad que pueda ofrecer algún servicio más barato y de mejor calidad que los conseguidos y pueda ser tomado en cuenta.

13zn...P5ju

Dear Proposer,

Thank you for your proposal. Our first vote on this proposal is AYE.

The Medium Spender track requires 50% quorum (at least 5 aye votes) and simple majority of non-abstain votes according to our voting policy v0.2, and any referendum in which the majority of members vote abstain receives an abstain vote. This proposal has received five aye and zero nay votes from ten available members. Below is a summary of our members' comments:

The proposal aimed to host a flagship sub0 conference in Buenos Aires alongside Devconnect. It was designed as a three-day, immersive event featuring product and development stages, themed rooms, a continuous hackerspace, and numerous hackathons to attract around 3,000 attendees from both inside and outside the Polkadot ecosystem. Comments highlighted its strategic timing to leverage Devconnect’s momentum, the chance to expose Polkadot participants to broader industry trends like those seen in Ethereum, and the potential for enhanced traction and attendance. The budget was considered reasonable, and there was anticipation that the event could successfully scale up to become a significant global conference.

The full discussion can be found in our internal voting.

Please feel free to contact us through the links below for further discussion.

Kind regards,
Permanence DAO
Decentralized Voices Cohort IV Delegate

📅 Book Office Hours
💬 Public Telegram
🌐️ Web
🐦 Twitter
🗳️ Delegate

12mP...Eyoh

PolkaWorld votes AYE

Two-thirds in favor, one-third against.

Supporters felt the budget breakdown was clear and transparent, and noted the team’s past events were of high quality, making it worth backing them again.

Opponents questioned the $700K price tag as too expensive for an event aiming to attract 3,000 attendees, arguing that this type of event may not draw much attention from outside the Polkadot ecosystem and offers limited ROI.

But overall, this proposal has our support.

13NC...8YFJ

JAM DAO voted AYE on this Proposal

The proposal to fund sub0 25 Polkadot flagship conference in Buenos Aires received strong interest from JAM DAO members, but also triggered significant discussion around feasibility, transparency, and sustainability.

Budget Transparency & Scope Concerns

Several members flagged the proposed $738K budget as disproportionately large for a single event.
Requests were made for a detailed line-item breakdown, especially to justify the 19.5% agency/success fee.
Concerns were raised about the claim of attracting 3,000 attendees, with past sub0 Bangkok turnout reportedly lower than stated.
One member changed their vote to NAY, citing the attendee target as unrealistic and suggesting the budget should be scaled down accordingly.

Strategic Timing & Value as a Flagship Event

Despite cost concerns, many members acknowledged the importance of high-quality global gatherings.
The sub0 timing was praised for being scheduled just before Ethereum’s Devconnect (Nov 17–22), allowing crossover between communities and potentially boosting turnout.

In contrast to past clashes (e.g. sub0 Bangkok overlapping with Devcon), this sequential alignment was seen as a smart strategic move.

Sustainability & Contributor Wellbeing

One DAO member abstained from voting due to ethical concerns about team overwork. Public comments from organizers raised red flags about burnout and lack of rest.

This sparked a broader internal conversation on the need for ecosystem-wide sustainable work standards, including wellbeing clauses in treasury-funded event planning.

Efficiency & Comparative Benchmarks

Members cited examples like JAM Experience Lisbon ($15K budget for 2 days) and Protocol Berg (€156K) to demonstrate what’s possible at a smaller scale with community-driven planning.

These events were held up as models of lean, impactful programming, emphasizing that quality does not always require high production cost.

JAM DAO ultimately voted AYE, recognizing the proposal’s potential to boost Polkadot developer engagement and global presence. However, the vote came with clear calls for:

Transparent budgeting
Realistic attendance goals
Sustainable labor practices
Greater accountability for large-scale treasury-funded events