The ICP Community Conference (ICPCC), a multichain event brand focused on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) ecosystem, is taking a significant step towards decentralization by transitioning into a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). This move aims to give power back to the community, allowing members to directly govern and manage all aspects of the ICPCC ecosystem.

The upcoming ICPCC 2024, slated for May 10, will be a global livestream event accompanied by meetup watch parties organized in more than 25 cities worldwide. The event will showcase the potential of ICP and its integration with other popular blockchain networks like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The livestream will span prime times across three fundamental time zones, with a pre-party hosted by Yuku metaverse in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by the main 9-hour livestream kicking off in the European time zone and concluding in the United States primetime.

The transformation of ICPCC into a DAO is an experimental approach aimed at taking decentralization to the next level. The new DAO will be governed by elected council members, collectively called the ICPCC Council, who will act as paid vendors responsible for writing complex proposals to help the DAO stay on track with its primary goals. This "leadership-as-a-service" model does not delegate any authority to council members to act on behalf of the DAO; instead, they are limited to preparing high-quality proposals, while other DAO members can elect and remove council members directly.

The ICPCC DAO will leverage the unique features of the SNS (Service Nervous System) framework, which strengthens decentralization and streamlines participation. All components of decentralized applications (DApps) will be on the blockchain, allowing the DAO to exercise full control over every aspect of a DApp via voting. Moreover, front-end interactions will not require any gas fees, effectively removing a significant barrier to blockchain-based development.

The DAO will have complete control over the treasury wallet, with no multisig or custodians involved. The organization will be responsible for managing the wallet in a gasless, affordable environment. As a legal entity registered as a Marshall Islands DAO LLC, the ICPCC DAO will be able to legally sign contracts and manage intellectual property exclusively through on-chain proposals. The annual registration fee will be paid directly in USD Coin (USDC), marking a milestone for crypto adoption.

The transition from an event series to a DAO is a significant step for the ICPCC, which was debuted last year and is currently organized by Code & State, an ICP-focused venture studio. Isaac Valadez, the venture lead at Code & State, emphasized the community-driven nature of the DAO, stating, "This won't be our DAO. The ICP community really is taking over total control. This is a major Web3 event series converting into a protocol that needs no custodians or centralized dependencies, and it's an experiment that could outlast all of us."

Apart from hosting a live DAO launch, the ICPCC 2024 event will also provide opportunities for attendees to win airdrops of various tokens and NFTs. Party-goers and livestream listeners who enter airdrop codes will be whitelisted for future airdrop allocations. Starting from 2025, the ICPCC DAO LLC will also host an annual in-person conference.

The transformation of the ICPCC into a DAO represents a significant step towards true decentralization in the blockchain industry. By empowering the community to directly govern and manage the ecosystem, the ICPCC is setting an example for other organizations to follow, showcasing the potential of DAOs in driving innovation and collaboration in the Web3 space.