I went to an exclusive crypto conference in London where real-life llamas rubbed shoulders with bitcoin bros, and I was one of just a handful of women in the crowd. Here are 11 photos of the eclectic event.

Shalini Nagarajan/Insider

• I attended TOKEN2049 in London, one of 2021's first major in-person crypto events.
• Two real-life llamas were at the event, to represent a 'llamacorn' - the next stage from a crypto unicorn.
• Speakers explored pertinent topics such as DeFi, NFTs, and what the industry could look like in the future.

Even people whose work revolves around virtual assets are keen to start meeting up in the real world again, and I did just that last week at the TOKEN2049 crypto conference in London.

One of the key draws was billionaire Mike Novogratz, among the most influential voices in crypto, who was scheduled to headline the conference. But the Galaxy Digital CEO's recent trip to the Dominican Republic meant COVID-19 restrictions kicked in unexpectedly, and he wasn't able to enter the UK. His session was held virtually instead.

The CEOs of Ava Labs and DeversiFi were among the 100 or so crypto industry stalwarts giving speeches or taking part in panel discussions at the two-day event, covering topics ranging from regulation to the metaverse.

There were plenty of networking opportunities at the event, which was aimed at discovering what the industry will look like by 2049. Registration cost £999 ($1,361) and about half that for early birds, with half of all tickets invite-only, according to the organizers.

When one moderator asked how many people there hold NFTs, I saw several raised hands.