Partner with ETH Bucharest 2025 - Eastern Europe’s Leading Ethereum Conference and Hackathon

Proposals Finalized AIPs
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63

My feedback remains that I see limited value in the extra bells and whistles.

I would even advise you to review the size of the main ask as I find it to be too high. Trying to get the maximum here is more likely to backfire than not IMO

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64

Hey @ostanescu.eth ,

Thanks for refining the proposal! I think removing the VIP Area and Speaker’s Dinner sponsorship was a smart move.

That said, I have a few questions about the ARB x POAP activation for $15,000. It’s a great idea, I’ve seen this dynamic at many conferences, and it’s always fun to collect POAPs; the community really gets engaged with it.

However, could you provide a detailed breakdown of those $15K? If it’s purely for implementation, it seems a bit excessive. I could connect you with some devs who could handle it for significantly less.

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65

It seems to me the budget is still excessive. Changing the concept to POAPs for $15k still feels the same. I think ARB should participate in this event with a much lower budget.

I think the POAP experience is nice, but not at that cost!

How are you measuring the new ROI?

I am still inclined to vote against.

66

Thank you for sharing your honest opinion regarding the overall budget and potential risks of overreaching.

  • Reviewing the Main Ask:

We understand your concern about the size of the ask. Our goal has always been to design a proposal that brings real value to the Arbitrum ecosystem.

While we initially included add-ons such as the VIP Area and Speaker’s Dinner—and later the ARB x POAP activation—it was with the intention of providing something extra to truly spotlight Arbitrum at ETH Bucharest.That said, we hear your feedback.

If this second signal will reflect the majority’s view, we are considering to revise the proposal once more without including any add-ons and focus exclusively on Arbitrum’s physical presence and hackathon involvement, which seem to have broad agreement.

  • Strategic Spotlight:

Our intention was to avoid a static or underwhelming presence at ETH Bucharest.

We’ve seen this happen at other conferences, where booths or sponsorships are not properly activated.

The add-ons were designed as out-of-the-box ideas to make Arbitrum’s participation stand out.

However, we recognize that simplicity and alignment with the community’s vision are critical.

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Thank you for recognizing the effort to refine the proposal and for sharing your thoughts on the ARB x POAP activation.

We understand your concerns about the $15,000 cost and appreciate your offer to connect us with developers for a more cost-efficient implementation.

Detailed Breakdown of the ARB x POAP Activation ($15,000):

The activation includes the following services and support, tailored to deliver a meaningful experience for attendees while showcasing Arbitrum:

  1. Advisory & Activation ($6,000):
  • Strategy and support aligned with Arbitrum’s business goals.
  • Custom design for up to 7 POAPs within the same collection.
  • A seamless minting experience for both web3 natives and email collectors.
  • Physical and digital distribution tools, including individual paper cards, up to 4 NFC totems, and QR codes.
  1. Drop Support & Execution ($3,500):
  • Creation and setup of up to 7 POAP drops.
  • Custom branding and activation layers for each drop.
  1. Product Customization and Experience Setup ($5,500):
  • Custom branding templates for minting experiences, reusable across multiple drops.
  • Passport design offering up to 3 benefits at a time, integrated into the activation.
  • GDPR-compliant setup tailored to EU regulations.

Why the Cost?
This budget covers both the technical and creative aspects of the activation, ensuring a smooth, high-quality experience for participants while aligning with Arbitrum’s brand and goals.

Hearing the Community:
That said, we understand the sentiment that this cost may not align with expectations.

Our goal was to avoid the static booth setups we often see at conferences and to provide Arbitrum with an engaging, out-of-the-box experience that would truly stand out.

However, we recognize the importance of aligning with community preferences, and if a simplified approach focusing solely on Arbitrum’s presence and hackathon involvement is preferred, we are fully open to that.

Thank you for your input, and we’re happy to explore further refinements or alternatives based on the community’s direction!

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68

Thank you for your continued feedback and for raising important questions about the budget and ROI.

  • Reassessing the ARB x POAP Activation:

    As mentioned in response to other comments, our goal was to offer something unique to put Arbitrum in the spotlight at ETH Bucharest.

    The POAP activation was designed as a gamified experience that also introduces POAP minting on the Arbitrum chain for.

    However, we’ve carefully considered your feedback. If this second round of feedback indicates a shared sentiment among delegates, we will come up with a final revision that will exclude the add-ons.

  • Measuring ROI:

    While we aimed to measure ROI through engagement metrics, marketing impact, and ecosystem expansion, we acknowledge your point.

    A streamlined proposal focused on Arbitrum’s core involvement in ETH Bucharest—the physical presence and hackathon—might better align with the DAO’s priorities and expectations.

1 Like
69

Thank you for your thorough reply.

To share my POV so that hopefully, it can help inform the proposal or even get a bigger budget. My concern is about generally how event sponsorship translates to value creation for Arbitrum.

There are a few areas to this:

  • brand awareness: this is valuable but I don’t see how doing more than say a big poster at the entrance makes such a big difference
  • engagement (activities or the like): this can create a connection with the brand, but then what’s the value of that? Does Arbiturm have full PMF so that whenever a builder comes close they start building on Arbitrum (successfully). We don’t know, hence why we’re also proposing a research initiative. If you added some way to actually learn about the value here (e.g. 6months-1 year assessment of what happened with these folks) then the POAP or the like sort of activations are more interesting. Without such ability to learn, we’re just throwing money into the darkness.
  • pipeline: ok so there’s a mailing list and the like that you get out of this event and can help direct the talent to other Arbitrum programs. But what benefit does Arbitrum get if you’re keeping the list and charging us every yea just for brand awareness? Or can we e.g. use this list to recruit builders for an Arbitrum user research initiative or invite them to an incubation program? Without a connection into the pipelines, I see the event organiser capturing most of the value and little going to Arbitrum.
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70

hey! First of all, thank you for updating the proposal, considering the feedback, and proposing Arbitrum as a sponsor for the event.

I see that this proposal will continue its journey through the DAO, so I’d like to share my feedback and suggest areas that could be strengthened to better justify the request and ensure there’s enough information to make an informed vote.

First: The title of the proposal claims to be “Eastern Europe’s Leading Ethereum Conference and Hackathon.” Could you validate this claim with data and comparisons to other conferences and hackathons in the region? What metrics support this assertion?

In Season 2 of Questbook DDA, there was significant funding for events and hackathons, but for much smaller amounts. Could you provide a comparison explaining why this request is substantially larger?

Regarding the tier, Genesis, why does this proposal price it at $35K when the deck lists it at $32.5K?

Moving on to the content of the sponsorship:

The main benefits are:

  • One-hour talk on the main stage vs. participation in a panel. If we’re paying for this, we want to ensure a high-quality talk. Which speaker is already confirmed for the event? Or how will you handle this?
  • Technical workshops pre-hackathon. Which developers are confirmed to deliver these workshops? Or how will you handle this?
  • 25m² exhibition space. Is this a booth? If so, who from Arbitrum DAO would be present there?
  • VIP tickets. Since the DAO is paying for this sponsorship, who would these tickets be assigned to? Perhaps it’s not necessary to have so many, and the cost could be reduced (same for the dinner).

I wouldn’t include the POAP activation either, as it requires DAO resources to be actively involved in executing the proposal to have the intended effect, which means additional costs.

Regarding the hackathon:

  • Do you have developers or members of the Arbitrum DAO confirmed as mentors?
  • Who would evaluate the results of the projects to determine if they deserve to receive an Arbitrum bounty?
  • What is the follow-up plan for the winning projects from ETH Bucharest?

I’ve seen many hackathons where sponsors offer bounties without providing enough support to the builders. This often leads to two issues: Prizes are awarded without much merit, sometimes just for deploying something. Prizes go unclaimed because builders lack the necessary support to participate effectively. We don’t want either of those things to happen.

Thank you!

4 Likes
71

Thank you @danielo for sharing your detailed perspective.

Your points are very valuable, and I’ll address them one by one to clarify how we aim to ensure value creation for Arbitrum through this proposal.

  1. Brand Awareness:

    A big poster or basic sponsorship placement certainly has its place in building brand visibility, but we aimed to go beyond that to create meaningful engagement. Our initial add-ons, including the POAP activation, were attempts to avoid the “static presence” often seen at events and ensure Arbitrum becomes a conversation starter throughout the conference.

    That said, we hear your concern and as said, we are prepared to streamline the proposal if the community feels these extras don’t deliver sufficient value.

  2. Engagement and Long-Term Value:

    You’re absolutely right that without follow-up or measurable outcomes, engagement activities can feel like throwing money into the dark. To address this:

    • We are preparing mechanisms for follow-up with builders, such as post-event surveys and periodic check-ins, to track progress for 6–12 months.

    • Arbitrum will have access to event participants for research or recruitment purposes, such as inviting attendees to join research initiatives, grant opportunities, incubation programs, or further hackathons.

  3. Pipeline Development:

    To ensure Arbitrum captures value beyond just the mailing list:

    • We will provide access to the list of participants and builders who opt in for follow-up, enabling Arbitrum to directly recruit talent into its ecosystem.

    • For the hackathon, we propose building direct connections between Arbitrum and the winning teams, encouraging continued development within the ecosystem.

    Our goal is to ensure the value captured is shared between ETH Bucharestm, Arbitrum and all other stakeholders rather than solely benefiting the event organizer.

Our mantra is always Under promise and Over deliver. We consider all our partnerships as long-term ones.

Arbitrum’s presence at ETHB25 is just a continuation of a road that started with the presence at ETH Bucharest 2024, and the Stylus Hackathon that we organized last month.

We are here to continue to build and bring our contribution to the development of the Arbitrum ecosytem.

72

Thank you for your feedback and for pointing out areas that could strengthen the proposal. I’ll address each of your points:

  1. Validation of “Eastern Europe’s Leading Ethereum Conference and Hackathon”:

    This assertion is based on:

  • ETH Bucharest 2024 being (one of) the largest Ethereum-focused event in the region in terms of developer attendance, hackathon submissions, and community reach overall.

  • Metrics from the 2024 event: Over 1100 attendees, 100+ hackers, 90 speakers, 9 side events, and 25+ projects submitted during the hackathon.

  1. Why This Request is Larger Than Questbook Season 2 Funded Events:

  • The budget was indeed higher due to the proposed add-ons. Should these not be seen as valuable, the budget would then be able to fit the Questbook program.

  • However, another reason for proposing this to the DAO Events Budget program, has now also to to with the delay of the voting for the Questbook program.

  1. Genesis Package Price Difference:

    Thank you for catching this discrepancy. The correct amount is $32.5K as listed in the sponsorship deck. We’ll revise this in the proposal to reflect the accurate figure.

  2. Sponsorship Benefits:

    • Main Stage Talk: We aim to ensure the talk provides high value to Arbitrum’s brand and ecosystem. We are coordinating with potential speakers and will finalize them in collaboration with the DAO to ensure quality.

    • Technical Workshops: A technical team would have to be assembled from within the Arbitrum Network and this team will take care of the bounty creation, judging, hosting the workshop, etc. We have already have initiated some discussions but there are all dependent on the outcome of this proposal. In short, if the proposal gets accepted, we have this covered.

    • Exhibition Booth: We envision the booth as a hub for networking and engagement, staffed by DAO representatives. Here we also started some discussions.

    • VIP Tickets: We will revise the number of tickets and ensure they are strategically allocated to maximize networking opportunities for Arbitrum representatives.

  3. POAP Activation:
    We understand the feedback regarding the need for DAO involvement and additional costs. If the majority agrees, we are prepared to drop this activation entirely.

  4. Hackathon Support:

    • Mentors: We are working to confirm developers and members of the Arbitrum DAO as mentors and judges. The ETH Bucharest team will also provide technical support.

    • Project Evaluation: A structured rubric will ensure fair and merit-based evaluation of hackathon projects, prioritizing quality and alignment with Arbitrum’s goals. This will also be drafted by the technical team, with specifics for the Arbitrum bounty submissions.

    • Follow-Up Plan: Winning teams will be connected with Arbitrum for ongoing support, including potential entry into incubation programs or continued collaboration.

We recognize the risks of hackathon prizes being awarded without sufficient merit or going unclaimed. To mitigate this, we’ll work closely with mentors and judges to provide clear guidance, expectations, and support to participants.

73

Thank you for your updates! From our perspective, we like the POAP activation it brings nice engagement and a fun activity around the brand, however, we continue to find that the general package and hackathon support add on provides the best value for cost for Arbitrum.

Just for clarity, updating my previous comment with new numbers by @ostanescu.eth (great catch @pedrob):

Updated cost:

  • Total for Genesis Block Package (32,500) + Hackathon Bounty (21,500): $54,000
  • Total with 10% ETHB24 discount: $48,600

Updated cost also adding with Hackathon Open Track add-on:

  • Total for Genesis Block Package (32,500) + Hackathon Bounty (21,500) + Open Track ($5,500): $59,500
  • Total with 10% ETHB24 discount: $53,550

Ostanescu are these numbers correct?

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74

$15,000 for a POAP seems excessive?

would totally support this proposal outside of that.

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75

Your updated calculations are correct, yes.

Thank you for the support! As it seems, we will either have to wait for Questbook or understand what’s the procedure to have this passed through the DAO Events Budget (due to the time constrains if we were to wait for Questbook).

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76

Thank you for the feedback!

The $15,000 for the POAP includes not just the technical integration but also exclusive branding as the POAP Passport partner for ETH Bucharest 2025.

This integration would make POAPs available on Arbitrum, showcasing its ecosystem capabilities to a large audience.

However, since the general vibe around this add-on is low, we’re considering moving forward without any add-ons for this proposal to focus solely on the core sponsorship + Hackathon Prizes.

Let us know if this aligns better with your expectations!

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77

yes! would vote for this without.

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78

Ok, so I figured out where the difference was comming from:

The prices in the deck are mentioned in EUR. The proposal being in USD, we accounted for the exchange rate + all taxes and fees involved with transfering from Crypto to FIAT.

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So basically the updated cost is:

Updated cost:

  • Total for Genesis Block Package ($35,000) + Hackathon Bounty (21,500): $56,500
  • Total with 10% ETHB24 discount: $50,850

Updated cost also adding with Hackathon Open Track add-on:

  • Total for Genesis Block Package (35,000) + Hackathon Bounty (21,500) + Open Track ($5,500): $62,000
  • Total with 10% ETHB24 discount: $55,800
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We really like these edits and where this proposal is at. Some general thoughts and emphasis of comments that we thought were well:

  • Refine the proposal to focus solely on sponsorship and hackathon involvement, excluding optional activations like POAPs. This might be our hot take, but we don’ think it makes sense and the costs don’t justify so. Not worth in our eyes for just a little shiny digital NFT poap.
  • Maybe have some sort of post-event ROI tracking mechanisms, such as developer follow-up surveys or a 6–12 month project impact assessment.
  • Explore co-sponsorship opportunities with other aligned organizations to share costs and increase event impact-> Something a lot of teams we’ve seen have done well and could cut a LOT of costs.
  • Maybe have a comparison of past sponsorship results, such as engagement metrics or project outcomes, to validate the expected ROI for this event.
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81

This event will definitely be a great opportunity for Arbitrum to boost brand recognition and presence in the Ethereum community, especially in Eastern Europe.

I was torn between the two options, with POAP and without POAP. But after thinking it over, I believe the POAP will help increase community engagement and connections with Arbitrum, and the budget difference isn’t that significant. So, I voted FOR, with POAP - $69,300.

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REMINDER - This proposal is now live on Snapshot and will spend funds from the 2025 Events Budget if approved.

Entropy is slightly concerned with the precedent this sets in terms of the Events Budget utilization. We do not want to end up with dozens of sponsorship requests just above the budget threshold of $50k that delegates are then forced to thoroughly review.

With that being said, we really like the scope of this event, and we also understand that Questbook will not be ready to service this request on the timeline required. We just wanted to point out the precedent this may set, and for delegates to be prepared for the additional proposals this may invite.

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