New crypto conference Epoch Summit is set to showcase blockchain infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region—and “change the paradigm” of crypto events, said founder John Park.

The conference launches with an Official Infra Day at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul on September 5, with the full event spanning two days at Andaz Singapore, from September 16-17.

Park, the CEO of blockchain infrastructure provider A41 , told Decrypt that crypto conferences, “should be always about being forward-looking,” adding that too many events focus on “trending topics” or a snapshot of the current blockchain ecosystem. “We want to change the paradigm of crypto conferences that were always about a snapshot of what is , to what is to be , and the future,” he said.

Aiming to counter the perception that blockchain infrastructure in the APAC region has historically been “underexposed,” Epoch Summit’s headline sponsors include Mantle , Lido and Berachain .

“We’re usually considered or treated as a more liquid market,” Park said, adding that, “because of that, infra has always been kind of a shunned area.”

Instead, he explained, Epoch Summit intends to highlight that “there are players in APAC that actually are deeply ingrained in multiple networks and multiple ecosystems as an infra player.”

Showcasing research

Epoch Summit will split its programme between “more technical” discussions and a broader overview of the blockchain ecosystem, Park said.

He explained that the first half of each event will showcase “academic or scholarly blockchain infrastructure,” encompassing technical research and new ideas from “people who are well-known within the block-building space.” Topics under discussion are set to include “ZK, MEV and the overall block building process, liquid staking, liquid restaking and institutional staking.”

The second half will “broaden out” the discussion to topics including “RWA, L1, L2 infrastructure and also the investment side.”

“We want people who have come to Epoch this year to experience how things are evolving,” he added.

A41 Marketing Head Ben Eo said that the focus of the conference will be on learning as much as networking. “We're focusing on trying to create a very academic blockchain infrastructure seminar,” he said, adding that while there’s a separate networking zone, “my goal here is to keep the main conference hall as full as possible.”