Join the public beta test! Download Stadius and visit The Cavill Hotel, 46 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD between 24th June and 13th July to grab a complimentary XXXX Gold (…and look out for an extra drop) on us! Cheers!
After last week’s crypto crash, uncertainty in the web3 space overshadows the previous highs of Bitcoin and NFTs. The one financial certainty, inflation, is at an all-time high, which means the price of beer isn’t going down anytime soon.
So what do NFTs have to do with beer?
Queensland startup Stadius is allowing sports and entertainment fans to exchange an NFT for a complimentary beer.
Up until this point, NFTs have been seen as nothing more than jpegs of apes, and in some instances, they sell for more than a three-bedroom house on the Gold Coast.
Globally, NFT sales hit almost $37 billion by the end of 2021, according to blockchain analysis firm, Chainalysis.
However, Stadius co-founders Rik Conti and Dave Heavyside say that there is so much more to NFTs than just art.
Stadius tokenises real-world items like beer, merchandise, tickets and discount coupons, which are then distributed to sports and entertainment fans globally via Blockchain technology.
“The interesting part is, that fans don’t even know that they are using NFTs and the Blockchain.” Conti says.
For brands and rights-holders looking to launch an NFT or Metaverse project but conscious of the associated risk, Stadius claims that by simplifying the onboarding process and making NFTs safe to use, they can drive better commercial outcomes for these projects.
Born out of the pair’s experience working with some of Australia’s largest brands at MAAKE, an Australian-based Marketing Agency, Stadius was built to address the deficiencies in current reward models and ultimately enhance the fan experience.
Working with brands such as XXXX Gold and Ariane Vodka, Stadius will close the loop on NFT redemption within hospitality venues, sporting arenas, and events globally.
“Currently, there is a lot of hype around collectable NFT projects, and in most cases, they are nothing more than that. Hype.” says Conti.
“The underlying technology of NFTs provides so many real-world benefits that are only just starting to be realised.”
Conti goes on to say that it’s the utility attached to NFTs that will deliver real-life, tangible value to token holders.
“We’re seeing more and more global brands launch NFT projects with the promise of IRL (In Real Life) utility such as access to events, free products, merchandise and other perks, but we couldn’t seem to find a scalable solution that seamlessly enables the redemption of these items”
Labelling this shortfall as the ‘The Void’, Conti says that Stadius solves this problem by being the conduit between the Metaverse and real life.
Heavyside adds that building Stadius around blockchain technology allows fans and patrons more control over what they do with their rewards.
“We’re giving fans and patrons everywhere the ability to not only redeem their tokenised rewards but also send them to friends and family as they please. This unlocks a whole new level of engagement and exposure that brands and rightsholders will benefit from.” Says Heavyside.
Stadius has recently partnered with Hallmark Hospitality which operates a diverse portfolio of restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs across South East Queensland.
The partnership will see patrons rewarded with reward tokens that can be used to redeem drinks, food, tickets and other exclusive benefits.
“The real-world use cases for Blockchain technology are endless and we’ve got an exciting roadmap of additional product features currently in development that will certainly reframe the way people perceive NFTs,” Heavyside says.
“From a membership module where membership tokens will replace traditional swipe cards to a virtual trophy cabinet where your local sports trophies will be replicated as an NFT.”
“We’re on a mission to improve the fan experience of millions of fans globally and onboard the masses into the world of web3.” Says Heavyside.
