CONNECT by Cointelegraph lands in Seoul on September 28, 2026, bringing the media outlet's forum format to Korea Blockchain Week for a day of panels, networking, and the particular energy of a newsroom playing host.
A publisher playing host
Cointelegraph has covered this industry since 2013 and built one of the largest readerships in crypto media along the way, with daily market coverage, a magazine desk, and a research arm. CONNECT is the brand's move from reporting on the industry to convening it, running under the CT Connect banner alongside the company's accelerator and events operations.
That origin shapes the format. A media-led forum leans toward conversation over presentation: moderated panels with journalists pressing where sponsors' events go soft, interviews that borrow from the outlet's editorial instincts, and networking blocks designed to keep sources, founders, and investors circulating together. The Seoul edition, per the listing, pairs those panels with dedicated networking during KBW proper.
What the CONNECT format does differently
Most conference programming optimizes for stage time; a publisher's event optimizes for narrative. Expect sessions built around arguments the outlet has been covering all year, institutional adoption, regulatory divergence across Asia, the intersection of AI and crypto, framed so panelists disagree usefully rather than recite talking points. For attendees, that means the content travels better afterward: you leave with positions to test, not brochures.
The networking layer deserves equal billing. Cointelegraph's editorial reach means the room skews toward people with something to announce, and the organization's adjacent operations, from its accelerator program to its events portfolio, feed founders and capital into the same hallways. September 28 runs 09:00 to 18:00, enough runway for substance without exhausting anyone before the evening's side-event circuit.
Seoul during KBW: crowded but worth it
Korea Blockchain Week anchors the industry's autumn migration through Asia, and Seoul rewards the effort. The city pairs world-class transit with a food culture that turns every dinner into a negotiation opportunity, and the late-September weather is the best you will get all year. The density of concurrent events is real, though; plan your KBW calendar in advance or the week plans it for you.
Positioning CONNECT on September 28, the Monday of KBW week, makes it an effective opening move. Arrive with your week's targets already listed, use the forum to make first contact, and spend the following days converting hallway introductions into meetings.
Practical planning notes
Registration and venue specifics route through Cointelegraph's official channels, so confirm attendance details there as the date approaches; KBW-season events regularly update locations in the final weeks. Budget time for the commute math between Gangnam venues, which during peak conference hours is less trivial than the map suggests.
Dress code thinking is worth thirty seconds too. Seoul's KBW crowd splits between exchange-formal and founder-casual, and a media-convened forum sits comfortably in the middle; smart casual covers every room you are likely to enter that day. Carry business cards anyway. The habit persists in Korean business culture more than almost anywhere else in tech.
Come prepared to introduce yourself quickly and specifically. Rooms convened by media brands reward people with a clear story: what you build, why now, and what you need. Have that answer rehearsed, then spend the day listening as much as pitching, because the journalists in the room remember good sources longer than good pitches.