# NEAR|CON Alpha 2021 First Edition
### A two day conference in Lisbon celebrating NEAR's 1 Year Anniversary since Mainnet launch.
### 
**Have you heard about [NEAR | CON Alpha](https://nearcon.org/)?**
On October 26th and 27th, [NEAR Protocol](https://near.org/) is hosting our inaugural event held in Lisbon, Portugal to celebrate one year since mainnet launch. It's open to everyone and we hope you will be able to physically attend the event as we've all been long over-due some off-chain networking. If you are able to travel to Lisbon, please come!
NEARCON will be a COVID compliant event, and our production team is working closely with local officials to ensure we are obliging with regional regulations.
For those of you who cannot attend and prefer to remain on-chain, don't worry, we've got you covered. We will be hosting events in the Metaverse as well as all of our live-streamed sessions.
**What is NEAR|CON about?**
NEAR | CON is an event open to everyone to come and celebrate NEAR’s 1 Year Anniversary since its Mainnet launch. Immerse yourself in two days of talks, networking, workshops and a whole lot more provided by the NEAR Ecosystem and its Community. We will feature technical and non-technical content so that whether you are a Founder, Developer, Creator, or Engineer, there will be something for everyone.
**NFT or Fiat Tickets**
You heard that right, we've partnered with [Mintbase](https://www.mintbase.io/) to offer 20 NFT tickets at a reduced price which can bought with NEAR Token. Grab your [NEARCON NFT General Admission](https://www.mintbase.io/thing/5LkXEkvDGeMzDSj3zMdgWBOi_8hc1DQperGVmm5V2ds:nearcon.mintbase1.near) before the sell out! You can also purchase your ticket with fiat through the [event page](**https://**).
**Where is the event happening?**
The conference venue will be at the beautiful Carpintarias de Sao Lazaro. Historically, [Carpintarias de São Lázaro](https://www.carpintariasdesaolazaro.pt/quem-somos?lang=en) formed part of the city's industrial district, but today it hosts cultural events. Below are some shots of the venue.
Here is the rooftop where the conference will host a bar and chill out area:
Which is accessed via a sprial staircase:
Below is a beautiful open space where main stage talks will be held:
There are also a number of breakout rooms where workshops will take place (with a view of course):
We are super excited to show you what the community has been working on and share where NEAR is heading to next. We hope to see you there!
Follow us for updates:
[Governance Forum](https://gov.near.org/tag/nearcon)
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/NEARProtocol)
[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/NEARProtocol/)
[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/near-protocol-project)