Proof of Attendance Protocol is a protocol proposed as a means of engaging with clients and attendees of events using Proof-of-attendance tokens. This came with the sudden popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). 

Through them, event organizers and companies can continue to engage with the attendees long after the event is over. It gives the opportunity for continued interaction between the issuer and the receiver.

These tokens have seen several adoptions such as in art (by Foodmasku) Museums, and brands such as Estée Lauder. All these show the multiple use cases of POAP, so how does POAP work? Why are they important, and how can you also start collecting them?

What is Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP)

Proof of Attendance Protocol is a protocol that is used to mint and store proof of attendance tokens or NFTs. These are digital badges issued to people for attending one event or another. It serves as proof that there was some form of interaction between the issuer and the receiver at some point in the past.

This can be a great way to identify with top brands and events in an industry such as the crypto, blockchain and NFT industry.

The protocol is also used to create collectibles on a blockchain, and are minted as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It uses Ethereum’s ERC-721 token standard like all other NFTs, and was first minted and distributed on the Ethereum mainnet in 2019. 

Apart from attendees of an event wearing a POAP as a badge of honor, they also show one’s commitment to the crypto space. Being NFTs, they can also be traded on an NFT marketplace such as OpenSea and the others. 

Because they’re minted on Ethereum’s sidechain xDai, they’re easier and much cheaper to mint. This makes it possible  to mint thousands to be distributed to people at an event. Just like any other NFT, you can always be identified as the only owner of the POAP, making it a rare and personal possession.

How Do You Mint a POAP?

It isn’t difficult to mint a POAP. Anyone can easily mint it without having to know much about blockchain technology or crypto.

However because of its nature, only event organizers can mint POAPs. That can only be done on the POAP website which has been licensed to mint such tokens. 

All POAPs have certain characteristics. Each one has an image associated with it, is minted using POAP smart contract address, and has metadata of time and date when it was minted. This makes each one of them different and unique, something that is common to all NFTs.

Once assigned to you, you can either scan a QR code to collect or you can download it via your email. Unlike other NFTs, you only need an email address to collect a POAP  token. The actual minting is however done only on the Ethereum blockchain.

What Are the Use Cases of POAP Tokens?

POAPs have applications in many sectors, and are likely to be more relevant in more sectors. They found cultural application when Nxt Museum in Amsterdam used it for its exhibition known as Unidentified Fluid Other (UFO). 

Attendees were asked to look out for POAPs at the show that explores the merging of the physical and digital world. 

The most common use is of course for recognizing important days and times such as the use for event guests. Another example is this — a speaker at an important event may be given a POAP token to remind him of the day. 

Since they have specific features and each one is different from the next, these can become priceless pieces of historic artifacts based on the blockchain.

Conclusion 

Proof of attendance protocol is just one use case of NFTs, but it is a significant one. In the future, it can be used for greater things as we have discussed. This is the likely future for NFTs in general. Though they’re not used for much now, they can become powerful tools for multiple industries.