Denver Lift-Off … a Rocket Pool Convention
This is an initial post about an idea to have the pDAO (perhaps with financial support from the Dev Team) host a community learning forum, as described below. This post is to gauge interest and thoughts from the community members regarding this idea.
Description:
The Denver Lift-Off is envisioned to be a 1.5-day conference focusing on the Rocket Pool protocol, running parallel to the ETH Denver festival. It’s primarily an educational event offering members of the Rocket Pool community an opportunity to learn from fellow node operators, pDAO members, community leaders, and the development team. Although centered around topics that are of interest to the Rocket Pool community, the content will likely appeal to those interested in decentralized, permissionless LST protocols and ETH staking in general.
The format for the 1.5-day event includes two concurrent tracks on Day 1 followed by moderated community discussion sessions on Day 2. For Day 1, the workshop track is designed for new or curious node operators, while the second learning forum is suited for individuals already engaged in the Rocket Pool ecosystem.
The Workshop track is structured as a comprehensive new node operator workshop, guiding attendees through the fundamental concepts of Ethereum staking, introducing the Rocket Pool smart stack software, and assisting the attendees in building a node from scratch or using a hosted VPS service. These “hands-on” sessions aim to equip participants with the skills to operate an Ethereum node using the Rocket Pool Smart stack.
The Forum track, targeting intermediate to advanced participants, will feature presentations from knowledgeable development team members and community experts. Presenters, including Rocket Scientists and other Rocket Pool specialists, will receive a small stipend to help cover their travel expenses to ETH Denver. Members of the Dev team will also deliver highly technical briefing of current and future design work.
Possible Forum Topics:
- GMC - Functions
- IMC - Functions
- Smart Node 2.0 Design and specification
- GUI Interface for Rocket Pool
- Review of Houston upgrade
- RP Smart contact design
- Mega Pool Design
- Saturn Upgrade Feature Inclusion - Group Discussion
- DVT opportunities for RP integration
- Community Projects: Rescue Node
Day 2 of the event will be a half-day intended for committed members of the community who wish to participate in a series of facilitated envisioning and discussion sessions. These sessions will discuss in depth current topics and challenges within the Rocket Pool ecosystem. The goal is to develop a better understanding and generate design ideas to advance and improve the Rocket Pool community. Topics may include tokenomic design, megapool features, commission rates and more.
Tentative Agenda
Please see this >>>LINK<<< to a google document that include some tentative agenda.
Location:
The event will take place in the metropolitan Denver area, focusing on geographical accessibility for individuals attending the ETH Denver Festival. Additionally, we will livestream the presentations from the Forum event. Moderators will compile a set of proceedings that reflect the outcomes of the strategic planning workshops. Presentations from the New Node Operator workshop may also be recorded for online distribution as part of future educational opportunities for new operators.
Catering at the event includes light refreshments in the morning, lunch, and afternoon snacks.
Attendee Costs:
A nominal fee ($20) will be charged to attendees to minimize no-shows, ensuring a committed and engaged audience.
Preliminary Budget
A preliminary budget >>>LINK<<< is under development and is a work in progress. If community sentiment is positive for the event a more refined model can be developed.
As starters it would be helpful to hear from many in the community answers to the following questions:
- Interest Level:
- How interested are you in attending the Denver Lift-Off?
- If you will not be attending ETH Denver (24) in person, would you prefer to participate in person or via the livestream option?
- Content and Format:
- What specific topics or sessions would you be most interested in?
- Are the proposed tracks (Workshop for new node operators and Forum for experienced participants) aligned with your expectations and needs?
- How do you feel about the balance between educational and community discussion sessions?
- Community Engagement:
- What are your thoughts on the planned Day 2 community discussion sessions? Are there specific topics or challenges within the Rocket Pool ecosystem you would like to see addressed?
- How can we encourage active participation and engagement during the event?
- Do you have any suggestions for improving the accessibility and inclusivity of the event?
- Budget and Costs:
- What are your thoughts on the nominal attendance fee ($20)?
- Do you have suggestions for managing or optimizing the budget for this event?
- Potential Outcomes and Follow-up:
- What outcomes or follow-up actions would you like to see resulting from the convention?
- Do you have any other suggestions or concerns regarding the event’s format, content, or organization?
- Volunteer and Speaker Interest:
- Would you be interested in volunteering for the event or participating as a speaker or presenter?
