Bitcoin Forum

A non-profit sponsored convention for cryptocurrency, the Bitcoin EU Convention 2013 in Amsterdam Netherlands on September 27th - 29th is a Watch / Ask / Meet / Trade convention. (http://theconference.eu)

Watch presentations suitable for TEDTalks from innovators in the field
Ask numerous panelists who work in the field and get your questions answered
Meet developers, investors, operators and supporters of all walks of life
Trade cryptocurrencies at the convention marketplace for food, gifts, technology and donate to real life charities

This convention is an open, community driven effort with fund-raising aided by 000 Media. Rather than opt for a politically charged display of wealth, we're here to get back to the basics of what bitcoin really is-- a community, decentralized effort. No foundations or agenda driven donors at this convention, just real people who really want the project to succeed.

The convention will feature panelists (http://theconference.eu/panels/) who will discuss topics relevant to the community, and answer open questions from the audience as time allows. If you have an idea for a panel or a panelist that you think should be included, feel free to email Moe Levin at panels@theconference.eu or PM me on this forum.

The convention will also feature diverse TEDTalks style 5~18 minute presentations from speakers such as the recent Cyprus account freezing victim, "zeroday", gaming entrepreneurs, and even a few musical performances by some special surprise guests.

Be sure to bring your bitcoins with you, this is one convention where there will be plenty of things to spend them on.

Managing Coordinator: Moe Levin
Managing Accountant: Rassah
Technical Support: Nick Kallechy, Joep Gottleib
Coordination Consultant: Matthew Wright

If you too would like to be a part of this event in any way, please contact community@theconference.eu

---

The pricing for attendance and hosting of booths is awaiting venue selection. After selection, a floorplan will be created and distributed to potential booth renters with prices. Speakers and panelists are being interviewed for inclusion regularly, so expect our list to update often with new and familiar faces. Reservation for attendance will be officially open after venue selection, but unofficially we aim for a 500 person turnout, and 50 have already pre-reserved, most of them having already purchased airfare.

Will update this thread as progress is made. If you are from the Netherlands and know of a place that you think would make a perfect venue for this, feel free to PM myself or email Moe Levin at community@theconference.eu!

See you all at the convention!

---

Make a pre-reservation (no payment required) (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=24749)
Reservations Open! Go to http://theconference.eu/tickets/ to order.

---

Days until the conference!

Timer removed. End time: 2013-09-27+12:30:00

I'm really interested and happy to see it being held in amsterdam will visit for sure.

Damnit, I would really love to come, but I'm not available that weekend :(

If there comes a second edition next year, please pick a weekend in October! October is when uni starts again so students will be able to attend. (Most of 'em are on holidays in September.)

But anyways, have fun and I look forward to see some video's or pics from the event!

You hit the nail on the head, buddy. It's precisely this reason we're hosting it through community efforts. For what it's worth, I want this to be a conference that supports new faces, stories and prospects. I won't be happy unless I can come home after feeling like I learned something that could not possibly have been learned from these forums, and that's one of the main reasons this will be a non-profit sponsored endeavor, to avoid repeating existing agendas and the inevitable echo chambers that ensue. Expect to have your opinions challenged if you come!

In tune with being a community driven convention, as mentioned before, if you have any suggestions for speakers, panelists, or would like to represent a project you care about with a booth, don't hesitate to contact Moe Levin or myself.

EDIT: JuiceRapNews was planned to attend and perform but they said they may or may not make it due to previous scheduling and hope to make it next year if not this. There are other arrangements for musical performances as well, but if you have any suggestions, please send them our way!

thats quite an impressive turnout

For those who believe they'll be able to make it this year, you can make a pre-reservation (head counts basically) through PM. Drop me a line so I can add you into the spreadsheet. Once reservations are enabled on the site, you'll be notified instantly.

Make a pre-reservation (no payment required) (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=24749)

Could you say something more about who exactly is organizing the event, and why it is in Amsterdam? (I'm not seeing any Dutch sounding names, for example)

Moe Levin is currently the front runner, he's setting up the space in Amsterdam. Rassah is handling the finances and all the funds for added transparency. I'm here to give it energy and ideas. Anyone is welcome to join in and help organize as this is truly a community endeavor.

In Moe's own words:

It is always a great idea when bitcoiners can meet irl and exchange ideas.

But M.N.W. ??

I'm not sure I'm ready to go backwards.

Bitcoin needs credibility and legitimacy.

Glad you feel that way, hope to see you there!


What would you consider going forward? Always open to suggestions, so long as they are doable with transparency and for the better of the community.

M.N.W.

You "title" says it all.

Never heard an official Final Number the the word at the conference was 1100 registered attendees.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. Are you implying that the conference, which is being organized by Moe Levin in Amsterdam, is a step backward for bitcoin because  the person who happened to be discussing this, not even the organizer, is me?

Sorry for saying BCB, but I'm having a hard time understanding how that kind of ignorance and bias is not the epitome of "moving backwards".

Your title is "untrustworthy"

You listed yourself as:


The association with you diminishes their credibility in my opinion.

Just pointing that out.

As the founder of the DCAO and co-founder of DialCoin and the Bitcoin Magazine, I don't think that word means what you think it does. I hope you will overcome any bias that holds you back in life. Hope to see you there regardless!

A guy having the "Untrustworthy" tag and half the forum ignoring him isn't the best choise for promoting a bitcoin convention or anything else whatsoever.

That being said i hope for the convention to be a success.

I can promote whatever I want to, so can you. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

I can see exactly how many people are ignoring me (thanks to a feature I paid Theymos to create) and it is far from half the forum.


Me too! I've never been to the Netherlands before, but I can't wait. My sister may be coming as well, she is very interested in bitcoins from a libertarian perspective recently.

Count me in. How do i sign up?

What will be the differences with the one in Vienna in November? In terms of topics/goals/organization/whatever? The time slots are pretty close.

Oh yes, she will.

There are some similarities, but this one will be focused quite a bit on new technology and the entrepreneurial / business side of things, with weight put on business dev, risk management, and security. It is my understanding that the Vienna conference will be more skewed towards the political and social implications of bitcoin.

This, and although I plan on attending that conference, it doesn't appear to be a "bitcoin" conference. It appears to be something similar to Porkupine Fest in the US. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a politically charged get together with lots of anarchists and libertarians, whereas this is a get together of bitcoiners that may in fact be either or both. Correct me if I'm wrong!

Just send me a PM for now, the venue hasn't been narrowed down yet so official signups aren't enabled, but I can put in a pre-reservation for you and give you an announcement myself when it is.

+1

Classy! I hope you can make it so she can too. *rimshot*

Days until the conference!

Timer removed. End time: 2013-09-27+12:30:00

---

UPDATES

• The Decentralized Exchange Discussion Panel (http://theconference.eu/panels/) has been filled out nicely with Chris Odom (Open Transactions), Stefan Thomas (Ripple), Mike Hearn (Google), and Nejc Kodrič (Bitstamp).
• The Borderless Solutions Discussion Panel (http://theconference.eu/panels/) now features Celso Cardoso Pitta Jr (BTCJAM), Eli Sklaar (Safebit) and I'm I'm waiting on confirmation from Jon Matonis (Forbes).
• 5 additional speakers added
• 15 additional pre-reservations made

+10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 for humility  ;)

Looking forward to this. Of course, only if it has a nicely priced ticket. I'd rather hang out in the red light district than for example pay 300€ to go to a convention...

No information on prices yet as it depends on a dynamic combination of vendors, booths, donations, attendees, floor plans, etc, none of which are concrete yet. I don't think bleeding attendees is an objective though, and this is a non-profit endeavor, committed to providing a platform for sharing and trading for the community, so 300EUR would not make much sense. (In fact, as bitcoin is a community technology and something that is free and shared, charging at all doesn't make much sense except to recoup basic expenses).

Have the convention in the Red Light District  ;)

500 people is still quite many for a conference. The network effect cannot become much higher if the number of attendees crosses certain threshold (for example they start to be called attendees, instead of participants, or even delegates)

I recently organised a summit with 8 delegates, and the hosts and guest numbered about 12. This is the other end.

If my supernode is re-started, we will probably send about 5 people to the Netherlands for the duration of the conference. (Currently my supernode is dissolved, I am in a mental hospital, Roni and Annina have found new life in California, and Erki and Frank will make Silvervault the premier hub for direct BTC<->AGD trading (direct physical silver for physical btc at a mouseclick).

Can't say the Red Light District is that special.. but maybe its because I'm Dutch... Either way, A Bitcoin Convention + Being able to go the Red Light District after, should pull people over to come by :)

Final arrangements with the venue are being made, and our panels and speaker list is growing.

I love it!

A conference run by amonymous and M.N.W.

Can't wait!

It is developing above my expectation :)

BIG NEW:

They Rented a Beer Bike for the event!

https://i.imgur.com/W6UCSNd.jpg

Do you have any questions you'd like to ask?

Who are you?

My name's Moe. I live in Amsterdam and am invested in bitcoin. I think it would be great to have a unified European conference,  and have harnessed the collective talent of a few well integrated individuals to invite and create this conference with me.

Moe I think that is great.  I would love to see that happen and attend.  Unfortunately your credibility as a legitimate endeavor is undermined by your association with the narcissistic troll M.N.W.  (I don't know M.N.W. personally but my entire opinion of him has been formed by his numerous inane posts here [when he is not on my ignore list] and from his idiotic music videos [which he has since removed] from his youtube channel) and your own anonymity. 

If you want this to be a unified European conference of anonymous (potentially illegal) bitcoiners, bitcoin business and narcissistic trolls then be clear about that.

James McCarthey (the scammer Nefario) and Amir Taaki organized the London Bitcoin Conference in 2012

Peter Vessenes (regardless what you may think of him and his foundation) organized a very successful US bitcoin meeting in San Jose in May of 2013

Pamir Gelenbe has organized BTCLondon 2013 coming up in July.

Somone is organizing a "expo" at a pub in london in November of 2013 http://bitcoinexpo.co.uk/

Amir Taaki is orgainzing the unsystem conference in Vienna November 1-3 https://unsystem.net/

Lot of "conferences" coming up and I think this can only help grow the bitcoin economy, but bitcoin is "growing up" and  it is my strong opinion that  to be legit you have to 1. come out of the shadows and 2. Associate with reputable individuals.


 

I appreciate your input, and think that you make some valid points. You seem very hesitant about joining this conference, so I invite you not to attend if you don't feel it's right for you. However, should you feel that you want to join, we have confirmed speakers and panelists who will be presenting very interesting talks at the event and many interested attendees.

Let me know if you do want to join, and if you have any other questions about the conference.

M

All this talk is nonsense. People felt the same way about Amir and he ran an excellent conference.

MNW and I have done business together and he is nothing but stellar. Actions speak louder than words and his track records of getting projects of the ground is second to none.

We all agree (himself included) that his posts were a bit far out on occasion but this is certainly not a reason to judge him on his credibility on getting a job done..

I for one will be there a look forward to seeing a very interesting lineup of speakers.

As for your comment about the organizer hiding in the shadows maybe its the case of not making a name for himself on this board due to the constant FUD and other nonsensical that drives many of us away (myself included, visits to this board are incredibly sporadic these days due to this).

I would love to help you guys set up and run a btc and alts focused hackathon as part of the event.

Is that something that u would be into?

Here is one my friends and I set up in sweden and will be continuing ... www.pandahax.com

Send me a pm

This looks like it could be fun. Can't fit it into my work schedule. Maybe next time!

Arghh. Why September?

I will be at home waiting for my KNCminers to arrive... i dare not leave for Amsterdam, what if UPS calls me about delivery of my miners?

Such a shame, i would love to hit Amsterdam again.

doh.. was reading the wrong thread (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=231149.0) 
also want to visit the convention

No indicication of ticket prices yet?

I'm only interested if the registration fee is reasonable. If it's going to be a convention catering primarily to financial professionals that charges something like a 300 euro's fee I won't be going. If it caters to the Bitcoin enthusiasts and charges a moderate fee I might possibly go.

So far, the ticket prices are unknown. The current expenses are high for renting such a good place (Rozen Theatre), and organizing speakers and panelists.

While we are aware of how attractive it would be to have low-priced tickets, a high calibre event has huge overhead which needs to be offset by ticket prices.

M

Hi, I'm planning to be in Europe around the time of this conference and would love to attend.  But before I book a hotel and make other arrangements I'd like to know if the conference is really happening.  Any ETA on when you'll have things sorted out? The dates on the web site say 26th - 28th but this thread says 27th-29th, and still no price or agenda.  Thanks

Hey there,

Thanks for the message. Hammering out the final location and dates this week. We have plenty of speakers confirmed and attendees have already bought tickets. We're doing this with a very small team and your patience is appreciated.

Check back towards middle of next week and we'll have tickets open for sale, and a tentative agenda.

Thanks!

Moe
m@theconference.eu

2 BTC to attend??? >:( That's €150 for god's sake.
I'm a student with little to no money and i feel terribly pushed out by that pricing.
Bitcoin is only just gaining ground, and already, the elitism is kicking in. :(

I would love to come, but that price is just too steep :-\
It's a conference on a new technology that only a few people use. Wouldn't it be better to make a smaller pricingformula(free?) with limited acces for people that just wanna hop in and talk about bitcoin with fellow entousiasts? If they want coffee and snacks, they can buy them there per unit (with bitcoin?) and if there are parts of the conference that need a lot of money to set up, you can make those exclusive for the attendees with a paid ticked.

I wanna come, but not if it's gonna cost me €150 for entry alone....

Not for me also. The price will ensure that mainly business types in suits who can put the 2BTC on their company tab will attend and are only interested to make money, not support BTC. Not my kind of crowd.

There will likely be other events more worth my while in the future.

I'm sorry if you guys can't spend the 2 BTC on the conference. When I was a student I also couldn't do many things because money was missing. These days time is much more the critial factor. However, for a three day conference this is not that much, I think. I don't think that anyone is making money with this entry fee. If you prefer to just talk to people regarding Bitcoin, why not join a local Meetup. If you don't live in Amsterdam you will even save much more money that way as you save on hotel/hostel, train/flight etc.

I hope the organizer will soon publish a list of services in Amsterdam which accept BTC. e.g. Hostels and Coffee Shops  ::)

Edit: Just seen all is taken care off: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=230906.0

I attended many scientific conferences, of different scales. In my opinion ~150€ for 3 days is a reasonable price.
Splitting between people who just want to "talk together in the main hall", and people who could attend presentations does not make much sense. It would be extremely weird and unfriendly to have such a distinction within the conference center. And if you just want to talk, it's true that a meetup around is best. I'm pretty sure there will be one prior/during/right after the conference!

Hey there, you're right, there will be many side events, and if you have a suggestion, please contact me!

About the price of the ticket.

There is value exceeding €150 by having people that fly in internationally to do business with and learn from. This conference will offer amazing networking opportunities that should help you get ahead with your career or your startup, as well as hear talks from the best in the community. I know entrepreneurs who raise funding, meet journalists that cover them and meet partners they do business with at conferences.  Some entrepreneurs could meet companies that end up acquiring their startups. Think about what you want to achieve and how much that would be worth to you and the 150 euros for the ticket should pale in comparison. If it doesn’t then why would you even consider coming?

We're saving you a bunch of money in travel costs. We are saving you that money, and more, by inviting potential business partners from all over the world. Everybody flies into the same venue and is there to share ideas, network, and meet other enthusiasts. Compared to flying around the world, a ticket to this event is dirt cheap.

We have been working on this event for the past 6 months with a team of people. We spend thousands of euros to make it the best event we can. We don’t rely on sponsors to pay our costs (although we do have some sponsors) but try to focus on giving you great content and we charge a very reasonable price for all of this. Do we make a profit? Well, we do hope so. But if we do it is generally used to pay for food, rent, preparations for our next event, and investing in the Bitcoin Community.

Moe

Hi. To those worried about M.N.W. being involved in this conference, he's at most a court jester, there for the rest of our entertainment, with a silly but useful idea thrown out once in a while. All operating decisions for this thing go through Moe. All financial related aspects go through me. If you have any concerns, feel free to ask either of us. Personally, I plan to be as transparent as possible.

By the way, ticket sales are up http://theconference.eu

Rassah,

Finally someone to inspire confidence!!

But who is Moe???

Moe seems OK. He's a "normal person" with experience planning and running conventions. He the one doing most of the work.

FYI, I'm attending as a panelist in the alt currencies panel.
Looking forward to it!