Hello friends,
@fabacab and I just returned from Exxxotica Chicago with Bianca Stone and Kat. This was an adult entertainment industry and content creator convention.
Attending crypto conferences is like planting a few seed, and holding the conversation to nurture the tiny seed so it may sprout into a wallet download. This conference was like casting 600 seeds on obviously fertile ground, and then letting them grow more or less on their own.
We also continued training Bianca and Kat on how to teach and talk about Zcash. They both attended Vi’s workshops in NY, and took on the hands-on apprenticeship of working the Zcash booth with us, creating two very strong privacy educators with specialized knowledge to perform effective outreach in this specific industry.
At Exxxotica Chicago, we cast 600 seeds in the wild, but also watched two saplings mature into trees to expand the Zcash community orchard!
Unlike our more provocative marketing during cryptocurrency conferences, we went with a wholesome kitchen theme for our booth. The yellow kitchen was a visually distinct contrast from all the other dark, red, sultry displays, and thus was successful in drawing curiosity.
We posted daily on Twitter (@zReadyMousezReadyMouse), with user stories and conversations we held over the weekend.
Day 1: https://x.com/zReadyMouse/status/2043031078818951280
Day 2: https://x.com/zReadyMouse/status/2043364297158385957
Day 3: https://x.com/zReadyMouse/status/2043488533545972165
Note: There was basically no working Wi-Fi, and cell reception in the expo hall was very poor. This resulted in attendees being unable to scan QR codes successfully, and also unable to download Zodl at the event itself. 
Stats
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~700 individual interactions / conversations (tracked via ‘Protection is ZECsy’ condoms distributed, and SWAG pouches)
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+25 new contact entries in @ReadyMouse’s phone
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+37 new contact entries in @fabacab’s phone
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2 side events attended
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1 main event attended + booth
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2 new Zcash advocators + educators intensively trained
Cumulative Impact Summary
* NYC Workshops — Supporting Financial Privacy Education for At-Risk Communities
Interesting Conversations
Podcast Recordings + Invitations
We recorded a few podcasts/vlogs on-site, and we will post when videos/podcast are published. Vi was also invited onto the Suburban Slut Podcast and the Just Cruzin’ podcast, which is an AVN-nominated show. We will follow-up with these creators to produce additional media as time allows.
User Stories
→ “Fuck CashApp, they banned me!” – Heard from an attendee
We would often start the conversation with “have you ever been banned off a payment app?” or “have you ever bought things you didn’t want on your bank statement?” As we suspected, the adult industry intuitively understands the significance of what Zcash offers: a payment app that CAN’T ban you. While this is a different slogan than other Zcash statements, it was highly effective for this case.
→ “Oh, I’ve been banned off Twitter, and Twitch!” – gamer/streamer
The adult gaming industry is also being pushed off mainstream platforms, as MasterCard and others put pressure on Steam, Twitch, etc to push off adult-themed video games, or streamers making adult-content. This was another example of a market segment in the adult space who showed instant interest in what Zcash offers.
→ “My favorite part of this con was meeting y’all, I’ve can get ass anywhere, but what you’re doing was unexpected and useful!” – attendee
Both Mylo and Vi had a long conversation with this crypto-aware attendee about Zcash and its differences from other coins. This was one of only 3 or 4 attendees who showed any meaningful knowledge of cryptocurrencies before speaking with us.
→ “Buenos días! I set up CipherPay last night but I need multi-language support. How do I translate it into Spanish?” —fellow exhibitor and content creator in attendance
We were blown away by the immediate adoption and integration! On day 3 of the expo, a producer/content creator who had visited us earlier in the weekend returned to ask for direct technical support with an integration he was working on for his website that very weekend, sparked by our first conversation.
I clarified with @Kenbak , that CipherPay has the ability to detect the browser’s language, and translate the buttons as needed.
Lessons Learned
→ “Crypto == Scam” this concept is strongly embedded in the adult industries and their adjacent communities.
We avoided the word “crypto” where at all possible, talking instead about “currency” or “coins”. We recorded a custom clip showcasing this where you can hear how Violet introduces the concept of Zcash and talk about the booth concept where she purposefully doesn’t mention “crypto”.
Other notes:
- We had no internet access at the booth and since we didn’t have mobile phone reception either, we were severely limited in what we could actively demonstrate.The expo producers did offer an optional add-on for a Wi-Fi router that could be considered for future events to facilitate Zodl wallet downloads or just even the ability to scan the QR codes.
- The business cards we printed with their Guide to Zcash and Zodl wallet links in the form of QR codes on them were very useful despite the poor Internet connectivity at the venue itself. We should have printed more!
- The harm reduction supplies, especially the fentanyl test strips, were a big hit, and we should consider using them again in the future. (lol…Monero helps you buy drugs, Zcash can help you stay safe while using them?.)
- I packed too many plastic standers for signs, our table only has space for 2-3.
- The yellow kitchen backsplash doesn’t work as well without words, but they need to be the right words. We added an extra removable sign with a punchy tagline to allow us to cater the slogan to the event. This makes the kitchen backdrop re-useable for future events with a different audience. For this event, we printed: “Zcash: Sell Privately. Buy Anonymously.” on the sign.
- Most people stayed for 3-5 minutes to hear our pitch, ask a few questions, and move on. Many of them later returned for follow-up questions, but we expect that for most people this is a “first exposure” event and we provided a high-value initial touch point that will be reaped later. A few stayed longer for deeper technical or functional conversations, and many of these were performers or content creators themselves. The most valuable population to reach out to are the ones who have an immediate need to switch away from traditional payment apps, and in this industry that means creators themselves, not (yet) their customers.
Strategic Event Portfolio
1. DevConnect Argentina — November 17–22, 2025 (Complete)
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First-ever “Ethereum World’s Fair” with global developer community
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Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #2 by Web3Privacy Now + ETHBuenos Aires
→ Impact: +34 new Zodl users, +175 personal conversations about Zcash
2. ETHDenver — February 17–21, 2026 (Complete)
- Largest free Ethereum event with 18,000+ attendees and major hackathon
→ Impact: +51 new Zodl users, +275 personal conversations about Zcash
3. ETHCC + ETHGlobal Cannes — March 30 – April 3, 2026 (Complete)
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Europe’s longest-running Ethereum conference (10,000+ attendees)
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Intimate venue format led to deep, multi-hour engagements with key ecosystem players
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@fabacab on panel at Oak Security event (~90 attendees)
→ Impact: ~20 new Zodl users, ~150 individual interactions
4. Exxxotica Chicago — April 10–12, 2026 (Complete)
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+30,000 Attendees, with +700 stopping by the Zcash kitchen
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Adult industry professional trade show and conference
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Zcash Kitchen: “From bandaids to payment apps that can’t ban you, Zcash has you covered”
→ Impact: ~700 individual interactions
5. ETHConf + ETHGlobal NYC June 8 - 10, 2026 (Future Vision)
- Home base — no travel costs
- Speaking engagement invitation extended by Fhenix team
- Premier East Coast Ethereum event; strong developer and institutional presence
6. Berlin Blockchain Week — June 14–20, 2026 (Approved)
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Zcash x WebZero co-hosted 2-day event during Berlin Blockchain Week
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Potential follow-up collaboration with Oak Security from Cannes panel
7. Boston Blockchain Week — September 7–11, 2026 (Future Vision)
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Second home base — no travel costs
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Strong local network; natural opportunity for community building and developer outreach in our own backyard
8. Exxxotica New Jersey — October 23–25, 2026 (Future Vision)
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4 team members attending
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Train-accessible from Boston/NYC — no flights required, reduced travel cost
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Zcash Kitchen booth, with pouches including Zcash information
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Strong local network opportunity given proximity to NYC community
9. Zcon7 — October 27–29, 2026, Mexico (Future Vision)
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Zcash’s own annual conference — the community’s home event
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High-value opportunity to reconnect with core ecosystem, present grassroots outreach results, and coordinate on roadmap alignment
10. Exxxotica Fort Lauderdale — December 4–6, 2026 (Future Vision)
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Keep momentum in the adult entertainment industry
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Zcash Kitchen booth, likely possibility to train additional industry-specific apprentices
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Follow-up with contacts and vendors encountered at Chicago and New Jersey
Thank you to the Zcash community for your continued support. Onward, to Berlin!