Following the success of its international events spread across three continents and 15 countries, CoinFest, the world’s first decentralized currency convention, has announced the launch of CoinFest 2016, claiming more than 20 cities already planning to participate.
Founded by a small group of 100 Bitcoiners in Vancouver circa 2013, CoinFest has collaborated with startups, enthusiasts and experts to spur the awareness and mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency internationally. The organization was established to target the growth of the Bitcoin industry and community in Canada.
Bitcoin community-focused events
Thanks to its success in 2014, CoinFest began to gain popularity for its friendlier top-tier events. Instead of gearing towards a corporate-style conference, CoinFest has been hosting Bitcoin community-focused events, introducing Bitcoin to conventional merchants and the general population.
The founder of eMunie, a major sponsor, says to Cointelegraph in a Skype interview:
“It focuses more on regions where Bitcoin and similar technologies can have a greater impact and really improve the quality of life for a lot of people.It's more friendly and has a real ‘by the community, for the community’ feel to it, which we like. I've found other conferences and events to be very ‘corporate’ which can be a little intimidating for newcomers to Bitcoin and other similar technologies.”
In-depth discussions and technical applications
In 2015, CoinFest hosted its events across 16 cities, growing exponentially in size since 2013, when the organization started by hosting one annual event in Canada. Today, global Bitcoin conferences and events hosted by CoinFest are segregated into sub organizations. They cover local cities or even entire regions, such as newcomer CoinFest Midwest.
CoinFest Midwest sponsor phintech.io tells Cointelegraph:
“Coinfest Midwest is responsible for curating CoinFest along the central corridor of the United States. Our goals are to raise awareness about Bitcoin by hosting events and then educating attendees. Our content is relevant for Bitcoin newcomers just curious about the digital currency and existing fans who want to have in-depth discussions and explore more technical applications. Hopefully this year we'll get to buy and sell goods via Bitcoin, install more Bitcoin wallets for people and send them their first BTC.”
A Global Network of High-Profile Startups and Experts with Bitcoin-focused Initiatives
Sponsors and hosts of CoinFest Midwest have engaged in exciting events in the greater Omaha area, incorporating a network of high profile startups and experts with bitcoin-focused initiatives. Digital Economy 2015 was one of the most successful CoinFest Midwest events in Omaha last year.
The collaboration and partnerships with regional fintech leaders, entrepreneurs, speakers, and panels gathered more than 130 attendees, allowing both entrepreneurs and consumers to explore the innovative nature of new financial technologies and their potential to transform the traditional finance sector.
Making it Big
Continuing its momentum, 30 cities announced they are planning to host simultaneous events across major cities from April 5-10, including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Washington DC, Omaha, Toronto, Vancouver, Valdivia (Chile) and Manchester.
Currently, CoinFest Amsterdam and Manchester are the most popular conferences out of all regions. Across its events, CoinFest is planning to giveaway 1 BTC in Grabbit prizes, over 40K HUC in Huntercoin prizes and all kinds of prizes on the Wheel of Bitcoin. AirBitz, the official wallet of CoinFest 2016, has announced their support, and will provide mBTC to every Bitcoin beginner who sends out a tweet.
Phintech.io says:
“I feel that Asia and Africa will likely become as big, if not bigger markets than the western counterparts. There are huge opportunities for Bitcoin and other crypto currencies in these regions due to the general lack of financial infrastructure available, especially to those living in remote or poor areas.”