This is an opinion editorial by Chris Smith, the Events Ticketing Manager for BTC Inc. Disclaimer: BTC Inc. is the parent company of Bitcoin Magazine and the Bitcoin Conference.
The Bitcoin Conference is an annual tradition, a week-long extravaganza and a true celebration of freedom. The conference not only serves the bitcoin community but all who value freedom, individual sovereignty and the pursuit of hyperbitcoinization. With an event of this magnitude, there are thousands of hours poured into the product along the way toward the end goal. But, with the end goal being hyperbitcoinization, what exactly does that mean? According to the Bitcoin Magazine glossary, the definition is:
Hyperbitcoinization: The inflection point at which bitcoin becomes the world’s preferred medium of exchange.
With that understood, there is no hyperbitcoinization without the whole world being involved.
This historical event requires a reach to every continent, every nation, every language and every creed. With that goal set, the conference must go global and start reaching those with the shared vision of a hyperbitcoinized world.
Thus, the spark of Bitcoin Amsterdam.
Bitcoin Amsterdam is going to make history in Europe, October 12-14, 2022. This will be a monumental event uplifting the trek of bitcoin to all nations and adoption to all people. With the magic that the team behind Bitcoin 2022 has brought in the past, the aim is to bring this same energy to the European stage with the goal of “No region left behind.”
Hyperbitcoinization is not just an end goal, but a journey that is taking place right now. As bitcoin continues its world tour, the conference hopes to be alongside it every step of the way. Learn more about it, get involved and come join us in Miami and Amsterdam this year.
The Bitcoin Conference; Past Lessons And Looking Forward
In April of this year, the Bitcoin 2022 Conference took place in Miami, Florida where 26,000 Bitcoiners gathered to learn, teach and celebrate bitcoin. This was the largest gathering of Bitcoiners the world had seen to date. For a week straight, a wave of orange engulfed the city of Miami.
Bitcoin 2022 - The LARGEST Bitcoin Event In History!
As we think about the future of the Bitcoin Conference, it is important to focus on three things:
- What it has been in the past.
- What it has taught us.
- What it will be in the future.
Throughout this past cycle, the Bitcoin Conference has served as the largest in-person platform for bitcoin and the industry that has sprung up around it. It's been a place where Bitcoiners, ranging from curious to convicted, can meet, learn, teach, grab a drink and maybe a bite to eat.
A popular location to eat for the plebs at Miami 2022 was a food hall called Lincoln Eatery which accepted sats for payment via Lightning and on-chain. Spots like these are great for gatherings, meetups and enjoying the community. This also encourages other restaurants in Miami to accept bitcoin and it drives business; capitalism at its finest. Make sure you stop by the Lincoln Eatery next year and enjoy the ease of paying for food with bitcoin.
The Bitcoin Conference is the best annual event for networking in the bitcoin industry as a whole. The majority of attendees are players in the space and are actively looking for opportunities to collaborate. As long as you put yourself out there, you’ll meet amazing people who are interested in what you are doing.
A lot of the magic behind the week includes amazing satellite events hosted by sponsors and other members of the community. Most satellite events are structured around this conference and have been a great way for companies to make a name for themselves. The conference also offers a “Pitch Day” which takes place on the first day, Industry Day. It serves as a great place for larger players to provide investment opportunities to smaller bitcoin companies.
Another unique feature of Bitcoin 2022 was giving attendees the opportunity to sign a 9’ x 12’ edition of the Declaration of Monetary Independence (“DoMI”). I worked with the three co-authors Mark Maraia, Mike Hobart, Ulric Pattillo and the rest of the #DoMI crew to bring this experience to Miami. Initially, gathering signatures came slowly, but by the end of the conference, it was difficult to find space to sign your name. DoMI represents a very important aspect of the conference and our movement. Those who signed were essentially stating “I trust math more than I trust central bankers.”
Left (Chris Smith) Right (Ulric Pattillo)
DoMI became one of the many great experiences at Bitcoin 2022 and provided a focal point for thousands of attendees at the conference. It is now a conference staple and I hope to see it return for Bitcoin Amsterdam.
You can also sign it yourself online at declarationofmonetaryindependence.org
What the Conference has taught us has been a few interesting, but deserving, lessons that must be learned and recognized for growth and a bright future.
First, with all Bitcoin conferences, it is important to emphasize bitcoin and only bitcoin, along with of course freedom, self-sovereignty and other tangential aspects — but no other cryptocurrency projects. The sea of cryptocurrencies is truly a distraction from the end goal of hyperbitcoinization. In contrast to the rest, Bitcoin exists as a bright light in a sea of garbage, and only through education and past experience can people come to that conclusion. It is important to emphasize what really matters and not allow distractions to disrupt us from the end goal.
Secondly, it is important to encourage all, even those without similar beliefs, to attend, enjoy and be made to feel welcome. Nothing is worse than a bad first impression, and bitcoin is ultimately for anyone.
Lastly, it is important to not get caught in the limelight. During high price increases and bull markets, bitcoin is all anyone can talk about. But when the bears start winning again, the media will call it “dead.” Stay connected and persist through the volatility and you will come out okay on the other end.
Looking to the future, I know the team is extremely excited about returning back to Miami for Bitcoin 2023, May 18-20. With the Bitcoin Conference spreading across the world, it is important that the flagship event stays in a unique but also accessible area for the strong orange wave that resides in the U.S.
As the conference branches off from Miami and explores new parts of the world, it is important to maintain education as a core concept. An amazing part of the Miami 2022 conference was led by Matt Odell where he facilitated the idea of the “Open Source Stage,” a stage dedicated to Bitcoin open-source projects.
For the most part, it was a high-level overview of the interaction of open-source software and the Bitcoin Core protocol. It also provided very helpful tips for newcomers to learn more about bitcoin from a technical lens. Matt included many amazing speakers and knocked it out of the park with this stage. Core concepts like open-source Bitcoin projects are crucial to give a spotlight to as the world adopts bitcoin.
As the conference continues to grow and expand, hopefully, more hands will touch bitcoin in the process. Learning from past mistakes is important to keep improving in the future, but the future of bitcoin is and has always been bright.
No Region Left Behind; Moving Forward With Europe
As the Bitcoin Conference begins going global, Europe seems to be the first stop on the journey. Bitcoin Magazine, organizers of the world’s largest and longest-running Bitcoin conference, Bitcoin 2022, announced last week, in collaboration with Amsterdam Decentralized and Westergas, the launch of its first European-focused event: Bitcoin Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is going to be an action-packed three days with more “activations” to see than time in the day. The city, for one, is going to be incredible to explore and enjoy. And with a European partner for the event, the presence of European Bitcoiners will be strong.
“While Europe is lagging behind other regions in terms of regulatory and governmental acceptance, demand from ordinary investors and institutions is among the highest in the world,” said David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine. “What’s more, the continent’s significant Bitcoin developer and innovator community is helping shape the future of the world’s preeminent digital currency — which continues to rise.”
“Europe has been at the forefront of financial and technological innovation for over 500 years, with Amsterdam playing a particularly noteworthy role in the development of modern banking, making it the perfect choice for our first European event,” he continued. “While Europe’s regulators have been so far slow to embrace the potential of Bitcoin, the combination of the continent’s history and its continued high demand for Bitcoin means that our community can give the support, collaboration and direction that European governments are failing to provide, and together pursue our shared goal of hyperbitcoinization.”
Bitcoin Amsterdam is Bitcoin Magazine’s first attempt at bringing the conference out of the United States, and it “aims to galvanize attendees from Europe — one of the world’s most uncertain regulatory environments for Bitcoin — with the message that there can be ‘no region left behind’ in the pursuit of hyperbitcoinization,” said Brandon Green, chief of staff at BTC Inc.
The Netherlands is a special place in the Bitcoin universe, as one of the oldest and most deep-rooted Bitcoin cultures in the whole world. It was the host of one of the first major bitcoin conferences ever, the Bitcoin 2014 Conference. Since block rewards were 25 BTC, Amsterdam has had its hands all over bitcoin and it only seemed right to return in fashion.
Bitcoin and Amsterdam just make sense.
The speakers for the event are going to be predominantly European based, with universal staples sprinkled throughout the agenda. Many European bitcoiners and media members will be involved, finally getting a chance to participate in the monumental movement. There may also be a banger concert after, but don’t hold me to it.
Overall, the three-day extravaganza is going to be a must-add when you are filling out your fall calendar. No matter your exposure to bitcoin, if you are looking for a great opportunity to dive into the culture, this is your chance.
To the European Bitcoiners, I have read so many emails and comments about you not being able to get approved for travel to Miami for Bitcoin 2022. It was only right by you all to bring our event to you, so I hope you all are loving the insanely cheap prices right now. GA (general admission) tickets are only €249 during the public pre-sale, which is currently LIVE.
Europe is only a stop in this journey though, and I foresee Asia, Australia or South America as viable next targets. Wherever bitcoin spreads, gatherings will follow. The Bitcoin Conference plans to be at the cornerstone of this movement and truly spread hyperbitcoinization. Lower your time preference and get involved with the long-term mission.
How Can I Get Involved In The Bitcoin Community And The Bitcoin Conference?
With enough talk about how great it is, it’s also important to direct people to the right avenues so they can plug themselves into the community. Assuming you at least know how to buy some bitcoin — and if you don’t, you should take the 21 Days of Bitcoin course — here are some thoughts on how to go about involving yourself in the community and the annual conference.
Join a local meetup. Before we even talk about the conference, it’s important to nail down the basics first. And the first step is to join a local bitcoin meetup. If you go to meetup.com, you can type in your city and find the nearest meetup. Do not be discouraged if you live outside of the U.S., give it a search as I know of many other meetups around the world.
Self-custody your bitcoin. It is the most important step in protecting your stack. For a great guide, here is BTC Sessions, “Trezor Model T - How To Use A Bitcoin Hardware Wallet.” Ben is great, so make sure you check out his other tutorials as well.
Have conversations. Encourage discourse and talk about bitcoin with your peers. Learning from others and challenging each other's thoughts and ideas only improve your understanding of bitcoin in the long term.
Something that goes hand-in-hand with this is a famous Chinese proverb: “He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”
Engage in self-education. Self-education is important, especially for Bitcoiners. There are many great authors, podcasts, and teachers in the space. Take advantage of this.
Work in the bitcoin space. Of course, you never have to work in the bitcoin space. Many great Bitcoiners work outside of the space and still manage to stay involved. But, working with like-minded individuals in pursuit of a similar goal or path as you cannot be understated in its rewards. And as Bitcoiners, we all want to see bitcoin succeed. Many job opportunities exist all over the space.
If you’re interested, check out b./tc/jobs for new openings. Another great website is Bitcoiner Jobs.
Attend the conference. The most important part to engage in the conference is actually getting a ticket! Pre-sale tickets are live for Bitcoin 2023. It is always better to get these on the front end as most conferences do price increases to drive FOMO and demand.
Check out satellite events. The Bitcoin Conference does a great job at highlighting satellite events going on in Miami in what is referred to as “Bitcoin Week.” Here is where most of your schedule planning will occur outside of the conference agenda hours you wish to attend.
Get involved. There is also a “Get Involved” page where you can participate in multiple activations including volunteering, enrolling in hackathons, becoming an affiliate or hosting a satellite event yourself!
Give back. Lastly, as events like this arise, it is important to allow proper space to give back to those less fortunate. “Giving Back” was a project that coincided with the “Built With Bitcoin Foundation.” The Built With Bitcoin Foundation is, “a humanitarian organization devoted to creating equitable opportunity by providing clean water, access to quality education, sustainable farming and humanitarian support — all powered by Bitcoin …”
Final Thoughts
As bitcoin marches on, it is of the utmost importance that members of the bitcoin community continue meeting in person, face to face and celebrating the freedom that all who participate in bitcoin receive. Conferences are only one way to do this. Try and find a way to interact with the bitcoin community on a daily basis. This community is truly a group of critical thinkers, hard workers and flat-out winners.
When we look at the recent contagion that has hit the market, which companies have been the ones performing the best? The ones that stuck to the game plan, did not deviate or get distracted, stayed moral and focused on bitcoin and bitcoin only.
Bitcoin is the key to defeating the plague that has inhabited this earth — fiat.
Lower your time-preference and get on board with hyperbitcoinization or get out of the way.
This is a guest post by Chris Smith. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.