Zcon is an annual conference that the Foundation organizes, with a focus on Zcash and  privacy-preserving technologies. After not being able to meet in person for the past two years, to say we’re excited is an understatement. We’ve missed you!

Zcon3 will be held in-person, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, from Sunday, August 7th, starting at 8:00 AM PDT to Tuesday, August 9th, ending at noon PDT followed by an afternoon of co-working and workshops. We recommend arriving on Saturday, August 6th and planning to stay most of the day on the 9th. Zcon3 will also have a virtual component, so that community members who are unable to attend in-person, can still view and participate the event. Registration for virtual attendees will begin July 1.

Registration for the in-person component has closed. Please register to attend the virtual component. No registration fee will be collected from virtual attendees. Register here!

Registration for the in-person component has closed. Please register to attend the virtual component. No registration fee will be collected from virtual attendees. Register here!

Your ticket price covers: 

• Entry into all Zcon3 sessions

• Breakfast and lunch from August 7-9

• A Welcome Reception and Dinner on August 7th

• A cocktail reception on August 8th

Attendees are responsible for booking flights and accommodation at the Palms (discounted group rates are available).

We are currently announcing speakers on Twitter and Discord and plan to announce the full schedule in July. The recap of last year’s virtual conference can give you an idea of the types of presentation subjects and speakers to expect.

Some things to consider when packing to attend Zcon3:

• August in Las Vegas can be VERY hot! You’ll be comfortable within the hotel and meeting spaces but caution should be taken when exploring outside of the venue. 
• We will have cloth and basic disposable masks available. If you are immunocompromised, or you desire additional personal protection, we recommend bringing your own N95 medical-grade masks. See below for additional Covid-related precautions. 

• Several at-home COVID-tests. 

• Las Vegas is at a high altitude which can cause dehydration and other issues if you’re not used to the elevation. We will provide complimentary Zcash water bottles so you stay hydrated!

• Many venues, including several we’ll be utilizing for the Welcome Dinner and reception, require “business casual” attire. As per the hotel:
  
  The Hotel nightlife venues have evening dress codes. Fashionable attire is required in these venues, and the following items are not allowed: shorts, tank tops, baseball caps, bathing suit attire, flip-flops, open toe shoes for men, hats, sweatpants, inappropriate logo attire, and excessively torn attire. The dress code is in place to ensure the enjoyment of all guests.

• There is no dress code for the Zcon3 sessions but we ask that attendees refrain from wearing any clothing that could be considered inappropriate or offensive to other attendees. 

• Discord will be used to engage with other in-person and virtual attendees and to ask questions during sessions. A laptop is recommended to fully participate in all sessions.

• EpiPens in the US require a prescription, if you have a severe allergy, please bring your own EpiPen.

In response to community feedback, and in consideration of continued high levels of incidence, we are updating the COVID precautions and guidance for Zcon3 as follows: 

• Masks will be required for all attendees. We will provide custom Zcash cloth masks and we will also have a limited supply of basic surgical and N95 masks. If you determine that the cloth mask alone isn’t enough protection, we urge you to bring your own secondary mask to ensure the desired level of personal protection is achieved. 

• Vaccinations and boosters are not required. However, they are encouraged for all attendees, in accordance with the health guidance provided by your country of residence. 

• Negative tests are not required. While we will not require a negative test for admission, we will provide one rapid antigen nasal test in each attendee swag bag that we hand out at registration. If you anticipate the need to test more than once during Zcon3, we urge you to bring your own tests to ensure a sufficient supply. Similarly, if your preference is saliva tests, we urge you to bring your own tests.

We are taking into account expert guidance as we set up the conference space to ensure reasonable precaution  in limiting exposure. We are also working with the hotel to learn from other conferences that have taken place in the last month, all of which had no significant Covid-related incidents. In short, we are taking steps to ensure that all attendees have a safe and inclusive Zcon3 experience!

If a registered attendee is unable or unwilling to comply with the mask requirement, we will be happy to issue a refund for your registration. Please contact admin@zfnd.org with any questions. 

In order to fully control the environment for Zcon3 we decided to secure all of the meeting and breakout rooms within the Palms meeting space. By securing the entire meeting room wing we will be able to restrict access to non-Zcon3 individuals, utilize flexible spaces for presentations and ad-hoc meetings, provide “creative” spaces for broadcasting Twitter Spaces and other media engagement, co-working spaces, and we’ll be able to spread out to give attendees plenty of space. There is no smoking in the meeting space area or hotel (only on the casino floor) and the venue recently upgraded its air purification systems.

Las Vegas is accessible, accepting of diversity, generally affordable for air travel, and the city has become adept at operating safely at full capacity as the pandemic continues to affect group environments. Las Vegas will provide every Zcon3 attendee with opportunities that will add further value to attending Zcon3 in person.

To add further value to attending Zcon3 in person, we decided to hold the event prior to DEF CON (August 11-14 at Caesars Forum) so that Zcon3 attendees can attend that conference as well.

The Palms Casino Resort is perfectly suited to host Zcon3. The property underwent a $620 million renovation in 2019 and then closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic. As a result of this closure, the property feels brand new and Zcon3 will be one of the first events to be held in the refreshed space. From the hotel rooms to the casino floor to the incredible restaurants and clubs featured at the property, this will be a Zcon3 to remember.

Interesting fact: Palms Casino Resort is the only Native American owned casino in Las Vegas, with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians having purchased the property in 2021.

Registration for virtual attendees will begin early July. 

Sessions will be live-streamed to the Zcash Foundation’s YouTube channel and discussion will take place on Discord for both in-person and virtual attendees and speakers. Download Discord (at no charge) or log into your existing account, join the Zcon3 Discord Server, and subscribe to the Zcash Foundation’s YouTube channel. 

Session videos can be viewed live August 7-9 9AM-5PM PDT on YouTube and will remain available to watch at a later time. We highly encourage you to engage in discussion on Discord throughout Zcon3 and the week following (even if you cannot attend sessions live)!

Each session will have a channel dedicated to the session topic labeled the session title. Ask presenters questions while they are live and converse with other attendees about the session topic (both sync and async).

Discord channels:

• #lobby: This is where you’ll enter the conference and is a great place to introduce yourself.

• #jobs: For those looking for work or have employment opportunities.

• #technical-off-the-stage: To discuss topics that are not covered in the conference sessions.

• #non-technical-banter: Zebras just want to have fun!

• #help: General conference related questions.

Thank you for asking. Use of the Zcon3 Discord server is subject to the same Code of Conduct as the Zcash forum.