BLOCKv, MegaFon Align to Showcase Blockchain with Digital Treasure Hunt in Russia

BLOCKv is showcasing its technology with an innovative contest leading up to a concert at Moscow's Olympic Stadium featuring Leningrad, one of the biggest bands in Russia.

The contest, a digital treasure hunt for fans of the band, is sponsored by MegaFon, one of the largest telecom operators in Russia.

"MegaFon is using our technology to build excitement prior to a huge show with an augmented reality holiday themed treasure hunt around Moscow," explains BLOCKv CEO Reeve Collins. "It will provide a new, novel engaging experience not possible before BLOCKv".

In the contest, fans of the band will go on an augmented reality journey to collect digital objects found in real-world Moscow locations like St. Basil's Cathedral and The Bolshoi Theatre. Fifty tickets for the Dec. 16 concert will be awarded – and every participant will win a "surprise" prize too.

"BLOCKv is a technology platform and this is just one example of the types of experiences it can bring to life. All of the tools to build, run, view and interact with smart digital objects are provided," explains Collins. "In this use case, the Ethereum blockchain will be used to ensure that the sweepstakes is run with complete legitimacy. Our technology ensures a level of transparency and fairness that was not possible prior to blockchain."

BLOCKv lets developers create highly programmable digital objects, called vAtoms. The ownership of digital ticket vAtoms is confirmed via a record on blockchain, meaning that for the first time, people can own a virtual object that is unique, verifiable and tradable, and that can exist across different environments (AR, VR, mobile phones, TVs, tablets, etc.).

"We've built a contest where the digital and the real world cross paths. Fans will love the hunt and the great prizes, MegaFon gets to be at the forefront of an exciting new technology, and BLOCKv innovates a brand new way to use blockchain. It's thrilling all the way around," Collins says.

MegaFon is the second largest mobile phone operator and the third largest telecom operator in Russia (at the end of 2016, the total subscriber base had more than 77.4 million people — more than half the country's population). The company approached BLOCKv in the hopes of using new technologies to create exciting experiences for customers. Anton Elizarov, Internet Marketing Manager at MegaFon, says, "The goal of the project is to demonstrate the use of blockchain technology for a wide audience and provide a platform for a groundbreaking user experience and a truly honest competition."

Collins adds, "Working with MegaFon has been great and we look forward to attracting other big brands around the world. Knowing that companies like MegaFon are hearing about our technology and approaching us to use the developer platform proves we're headed in the right direction. This contest is just the beginning."