To those of you who don’t know me, I’m a serial entrepreneur, inventor, system and software architect, and now also a columnist. Recently I have attended the largest Bitcoin conference of the year, and let me tell you – it was certainly a place to be!
Whether you’re a crypto entrepreneur, blockchain enthusiast or an artist of some kind, you had to see stuff with your own eyes to believe it. I understand that many Blockleader readers were possibly in attendance, but you might have missed some of the things presented during a 3-day event.
Without further adieu, let me share 23 things I learned while attending the Bitcoin 2023 conference!
- About 15,000 attendees is nothing to scoff at!
Less people were attending the conference this year due to the market situation, but the event still felt big, important and crowded. I was visiting for the first time and I certainly didn’t feel like ‘we totally need more people here’.
2. Miami is a great location, but the event will be moved next year.
As you can imagine, hanging out near Miami Beach is a class experience however you look at it. The spirit of the city fits the Bitcoin philosophy a lot, but next year it will take place in Nashville, the capital of country music.
3. You better have a charger on you!
As great as phones are these days, sometimes their batteries can let you down. Fair enough, it’s a hectic schedule. I took a lot of photos and was constantly online, so that battery got drained faster than usual. The end result is worth the candles though! Let me share some photos now.
4. DMC DeLorean attracted a lot of eyeballs.
One of my favorite exhibitions at the conference was the DeLorean straight from the set of ‘Back to the Future’. Sadly, nobody could spot neither Marty nor Doc nearby. As we can see from the dashboard, they traveled to January 3rd, 2009… I suppose to get some BTC bags.
5. DeLorean had Bitcoin nameplates.
This reaffirms my theory that Marty and Doc went back in time to mine some digital gold… 1 BTC for 1 DeLorean, does that sound like good deal to you?
6. You lose! You lose! You lose!
Some motivational words to those of us who ‘bought the top’. Well, at least it looks kinda cool. Miami sure loves their neon colors…
7. Not your keys – not your crypto
An adage as old as time rings especially true in 2023. The sheer size of this key could make it a candidate to being the key from Miami itself!
8. I attended fiat’s funeral.
So there was this giant coffin packed with money and a group of singers that performed the last rites. I wonder if fiat gets buried somewhere on the island for some dastardly pirate to discover it in a hundred years. Who knows though, maybe fiat will really die by the time we find out the answer to that question?
9. Controversial art certainly gets people talking
Some people believe that controversy creates cash… while I am not one of those people, I will certainly admit that some works of art were really pushing the envelope and will forever be stuck in my memory. For example…
10. ‘HODL’ cross might be the most controversial thing displayed at the conference.
If you think that fiat’s funeral was a bit ‘extra’, then you certainly didn’t see a ‘HODL’ slogan over the crucifixion of Jesus. Nothing is off the table, it seems.
11. New USD banknote design, anyone?
Now this is more down my alley – a Manny Calavera cameo on the banknote issued by the central bank! It’s a shame that this paper has zero value, as indicated by bold zeroes in the corners. Still looks metal!
12. Pepe was everywhere
While the conference was definitely dedicated to BTC, the infamous frog was all over the place. You couldn’t take two steps without bumping into it! The popularity of the memecoin knows no bounds, but you have to wonder who orchestrates this froggy takeover.
13. We celebrated Bitcoin Pizza Day a bit early.
Officially, BTC pizza day is celebrated on May 22, but since we only had 3 days, we had to commemorate the decision to buy 2 Papa John’s for 10K BTC a bit prematurely. ‘F’ in the chat for that poor soul…
14. Toilet marketing is a thing.
As you can imagine, all roads of conferences like this one eventually lead people to WC. Knowing that, some opportunistic mind decided to stick a flier on top of the urinal to get some spectacularly ‘hot leads’. Top crypto realtor is not messing around!
15. A lot of macho energy in the building
As you see, the man in a ‘keeper’ singlet is probably a HODLer too. He definitely has diamond hands though, as he showcased his overwhelming masculinity by squeezing the arm of my friend, Alex. He didn’t flinch though, and for that I salute him. What a trooper!
16. He’s really ok!
Don’t worry, the hand of Kaizen.Finance’s sales director was not harmed during the handshake. Alex even used it to sign the declaration of… something important. Ok, it was the declaration of monetary independence.
17. Miami needs more ice!
Chainsaw, ice, and Bitcoin… what else do you need to do some magic? This gentleman stole the show with his carving skills, and I bet he’ll be taking bookings for Halloween too, so hide your pumpkins ASAP.
18. Bitcoin magazine cover designer needs a raise.
I really like the colorful scheme and the bold, in-your-face style of these cover images. Kids would get into crypto early if they saw these colors, agree? And then their first word would be ‘bitcoin’ and not ‘mama’. Imagine.
19. Some important people were talking.
To the surprise of nobody, there was a lot of discourse, both on and off the stage. Michael Saylor, Robert F. Kennedy, and Michael Lewis were some of the more notable names.
20. Sneakers got some air time
I had to do a lot of walking in these three days, and comfy shoes really helped out. The lady on the left knew what she was getting into, so pr
ops to her on making a weighted decision.
21. BTC Conference is a good endurance test.
Three days with a jam packed agenda plus active brain stimulation would leave a lot of folks dizzy by the end of it. Kaizen.Finance team managed it well though, we had a ton of fun and connected with a lot of people.
22. You HAVE TO attend side events!
Even though I planned this trip to visit the main conference, I managed to attend multiple side events at Miami – parties hosted by projects and companies. These parties were amazingly beneficial for networking, had amazing people, and as a nice bonus, even offered free food and drinks. You can profit greatly from just being in the hosting city on the days of the conference, in my experience. I had the opportunity to choose from sixty side events, so you can pick what fits your budget and needs best.
23. I will attend more conferences in the future.
While it’s hard to predict the situation in a year’s time, I feel optimistic about attending another BTC conference next year. In the meantime, I’ll probably show up somewhere else!
This concludes my little report – I showcased things that the live streams won’t cover.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow my personal blog, where I cover the hottest topics that crypto industry has to offer. See you soon!
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