Open the photo album of the KINTEX exhibition hall in June 2025, and several on-site photos to this day leave a lasting impression.
In front of the main stage, the crowd density far exceeded that of a typical industry expo—standing attendees, people sitting on the floor, and those on their tiptoes holding up their phones to record, filling the entire opening area so tightly it was like water couldn’t pass through. Sponsor hanging banners draped from the ceiling vault, stretching all the way into the depths of the exhibition hall, with no end in sight. In another group photo, thirteen guests stood side by side on the opening stage, including government representatives and industry leaders from multiple countries. Their presence was so commanding that it didn’t feel like an industry summit—it felt more like a cross-border technology summit.
That was what NEXUS 2140 looked like when it first landed in South Korea.
Today, a year from now—between September 22 and 23, 2026—NEXUS 2140 returns to South Korea again. This time, however, the location shifts from KINTEX in Goyang to Paradise City on Yeongjong Island in Incheon, and the theme iterates from “AI·Web3·ECOM” to “AI·Web4·RWA”.
Behind the change isn’t just a simple swap of venue—it’s a self-refreshing about the way connections are made.
In the first edition, what did we leave behind?
Numbers tell the story: more than 500 exhibiting companies, 150+ investment institutions, and 30,000 to 50,000 professional attendees from 16 countries and regions.
But these numbers can’t match the “sense of density” you feel on site. At the opening ceremony, there were almost no empty seats—every aisle was packed with people. In the media area, camera crews lined up along the stage in a row, like a frozen landscape. The roadshow rooms in the parallel sessions were just as full. Delegations wearing standardized uniforms appeared in batches—showing that the attendees were not scattered individuals, but coordinated industrial formations: organized, goal-oriented, and decision-making empowered.
This kind of scene is rarely seen in the Web3 circle. Too many industry events fall into two dilemmas: the agenda is packed, but the seats are empty; or crowds are flowing, yet they can’t be converted into meaningful connections. For the Korean debut of NEXUS 2140, it surprisingly achieves “content and foot traffic in sync”—each fuels the other, acting as amplifiers for both.
At the opening remarks, Chairman Fardi Wang said: “Only by going hand in hand can we reach the farthest.” On reflection, it’s not just a slogan—it’s a curation philosophy. It doesn’t try to be the lead character in a single track; instead, it turns itself into a crossroads where different forces converge.
Upgrading the theme isn’t changing words—it’s changing the way of thinking.
From “AI·Web3·ECOM” to “AI·Web4·RWA,” it looks like just a few letters swapped—but beneath it is a fundamental shift in underlying judgment.
The three tracks in the first edition were essentially “parallel relationships”: AI with AI, Web3 with Web3, cross-border e-commerce with cross-border e-commerce—each with its own circles and logic. Framing it this way in 2025 was reasonable—back then, the three really were still evolving along their own trajectories.
But the reality of 2026 is different now.
AI is no longer an isolated technical label. It’s becoming the “operating system” of Web3 infrastructure, giving rise to intelligent value networks. Web3 itself is also evolving toward Web4—from “reading, writing, and owning” to “intelligent autonomy,” as the network begins to have sensing, decision-making, and action capabilities. And the explosive growth of RWA (real-world assets) provides solid, tangible value anchors for the on-chain world—making the bridge between the “virtual” and the “real” sturdy for the first time.
The three are no longer three separate circles. Instead, they blend into one, forming a new ecosystem that locks together and reinforces itself.
And so, the new theme is born. This edition of NEXUS 2140 takes “linking future industries and empowering global innovation” as its core mission, exploring the evolution path from the “value internet” to the “intelligent value network.” The proposition is more specific and more hardcore—but it’s exactly the question this industry needs to answer seriously right now.
A change of venue, at its core, is a change of experience.
Many people ask: Why move from KINTEX to 百乐达斯城 (Paradise City)?
KINTEX is one of South Korea’s largest convention and exhibition centers: standard exhibition halls, pure functions, ideal for large-scale displays. Paradise City, by contrast, is the first “art-entertainment” integrated resort complex in Northeast Asia, jointly developed by the Paradise Group and Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings, with a total investment of KRW 1.3 trillion and covering 330,000 square meters.
This change is not just a few pixels on the map—it’s a leap in the overall exhibition format, upgrading from a “venue-based” model to an integrated space of “exhibition + social + immersive experience.”
Paradise City is just a 3–5 minute drive from Incheon International Airport—plus a five-star hotel (711 rooms), an exhibition hall housing more than 3,000 art collections, South Korea’s largest-scale entertainment venue for foreigners, a top-tier club in Northeast Asia… All these facilities are gathered into one place. International attendees arrive and enter right away; afterward, they socialize right away. From business to leisure, from daytime to night, every step is closed-loop within the same space.
It greatly reduces the “non-content cost” of attending across borders. There’s no need to rush between exhibition halls, hotels, and restaurants—everything happens just a few steps away. For an industry that emphasizes “global collaboration,” this is not a nice-to-have, but a must.
See you in Incheon in September.
September 22–23, 2026, Incheon, South Korea · Paradise City.
This is another stop in NEXUS 2140’s global roadshow system after Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong (China), and Vietnam—and also the first full presentation following the comprehensive theme upgrade. We’re not merely putting on an exhibition—we’re building a test site where AI, Web4, and RWA truly “grow together.”
If you care about where the value network of the next generation is headed—if you believe that real-world assets and smart contracts will ultimately come together—if you want to meet policy makers, tech geeks, capital forces, and industry practitioners in one space—then this autumn, Incheon is worth flying to.
📍 Incheon, South Korea · Paradise City
🗓️ September 22–23, 2026
See you on site.