Bitcoin Forum

The event will take  place in Amsterdam between May 15-17.
http://altcoinhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Bitcoin-2014-Banner-Amstredam.jpg
What’s going on at the event? According to the Bitcoin Foundation, “It’s where investors, technologists, regulators, executives, entrepreneurs, developers, and policymakers gather to collectively shape the future of cryptographic money worldwide.”
Bitcoin 2013, the previous conference, was hosted in Silicon Valley and attracted the largest gathering to date – over 1,200 attendees, speakers and exhibitors. Official Bitcoin Foundation says: “This year, join us in Amsterdam, one of the most prolific fintech hubs in Europe, to get a glimpse into the future and the opportunity to be a part of building the digital economy”.
http://altcoinhunters.com/2014/04/bitcoin-2014-in-amsterdam/

I'm there. Which in itself should be reason to attend.

do i need to register online first?

How much are the tickets or is it free? Any info of what kind of stuff will be there. I'd love to go back to Amsterdam and especially for Bitcoin.

http://bitcoin2014.com/

€395

it's about 400 euros

That's ridiculous. 400 euros just to attend or to actually have a booth or something there?

Yeah, I could get flights and hotel to Amsterdam for that.

That's to attend. If you do many tech conferences, you wouldn't balk at this. Compare it to the price for the Microsoft Build conference, which was around €1500.

You'd be paying considerably more coin to have a booth.

I hope they will have a service picking people up from the airport or else many might "forget" to make it to the conference  ;D

I wonder how many packs of chocolate brownies will get sold.

I think Microsoft are a little bit bigger than Bitcoin at the moment. 400 still seems ridiculous. It prices most people out of attending.

If it sells out, and it likely will, it is priced right.

Besides, we want to keep the riff raff out :)

Are you equating riff raff with people who can't afford to shell out nearly half a grand? You'll have plenty of riff raff in capitalists pigs sniffing around looking to see where they can make their next million.

Easy there tiger, that was sarcasm. How else would it operate? They want people there who have skin in the game.

Ticket €400,- + food and drink €25,- a day + transport (taxi or parking) €25,- a day

Think your better of buying a Bitcoin and read about the conference on the internet after  ;D

+100. Hotels and transport fees will cost you more then 2 or 3 bitcoins..Other way if you live in Amsterdam, you will have minimum traveling expences..But the other point this event and probably people who you can meet here are worth all the expences..

It's probably worth pointing out that the conference isn't designed to be for people who are just interested in Bitcoin. It's for people who are balls deep in Bitcoin and are going to be driving the currency forward.

To be able to meet and exchange ideas with such a group of people, €400 is a bargain.

I will be there (hello everybody) in my professional capacity on a press ticket. The hotel where some of the talks are taking place is sold out, so I have to find somewhere near the airport, if anyone can recommend somewhere cheapish which will make it easy to get there and back then please let me know.

I also think many interesting people and professionals in Digital Industry will be there. Nowadays more and more people who involves in Bitcoin industry, it will growth year by year..

What is the cost for a night at that hotel?

Agreed. Steep price and clearly not intended to be accessible for all (as good as that would be). There are other conferences that are better placed to do that. But for meeting key people in the industry (any industry to be honest) within a short time when everyone has such crazy schedules, you expect to pay top dollar. Serious money but you're effectively paying to share other people's time. It's your call whether you value that opportunity or not. At least conferences aren't like they used to be a few years ago, when the information was never shared freely online afterwards and/or in real-time.

The conference is just 5 min away from Amsterdam city centre, there are plenty of hotels there. The airport is 15 min drive to to city/conference. Check agoda.com for hotels

For students around Amsterdam, there is a "student ticket" for 75+5 euro.

Really cool conference, after It ends we'll have alot to talk about It here and share ideas about It. Who'll participate there.

The conference is really targeting smart people with living careers, not deadbeat losers like you and I.

Speak for yourself. Entrepreneurs have to start somewhere.

Im still studying Bitcoin, think that would work to get me a cheap ticket  ;D

It requires you to: "use an email from an established academic institution (university or higher education college) and provide a valid student ID card at registration.". So it depends on what university you are studying Bitcoin :D :D

You are too pessimistic:)

NXT is going to be there, as a contributing sponsor with a booth.  Dont ask what the booth cost.....

This is the 'official' Bitcoin Foundation conference and is probably going to be THE Bitcoin-related conference this year, certainly in Europe, maybe in the world.
Have a look at the list of speakers:
http://bitcoin2014.com/


If any of you guys/girls/whatevers are planning on attending, get your hotel/accomodation sorted out now. I'm on the search for hotel rooms for our guys, but much of A'dams hotel spaces are already booked solid for the weekend.

Here's the NXT thread for our internal conference organisation:
https://nxtforum.org/nxt-promotion/bitcoin2014-btc-foundation-conference-amsterdam-may-15-17/

If people want to get in for free/cheap, the only workable options will be to be a student or to get press accreditation. There was the possibility to get free registration by working for the BTC Foundation as a volunteer, but all the volunteer spots are now, afaik, filled.

If anyone needs some help with conference/Amsterdam related stuff, feel free to drop me a PM, or ask here.
I'm pretty busy at the moment, and I'm giving NXT (obviously) priority but I might be able to help out......

Just got the LAST seat in the morning flight the 15th from my local airport to Amsterdam  ;D
So, I'll be there and talk about Mycelium and Local Trader for 3 days or until I am thrown out, whichever comes first.

I actually think that mobile p2p trading is bound to be a hit at a conference packed with bitcoiners. "Attending a boring talk? See if someone wants to make a deal on your celly"

I live in A'dam, would i hell pay 1/4 of my apartment rent(not including bills) to go to a conference for 2 days, I'd rather pay 1/4 of my rent  ;D 

Due to your post your apartment rent is 1600 EURO??? So expensive living in Amsterdame, in our city the average rent costs are 400 euro...

Amsterdam is not cheap, €1600 per month isn't exceptional.

On the costs for the conference: yes, it is bloody expensive but have you seen the list of speakers ?
Pretty much every heavy hitter in the BTC world is going to be there, and if you want to have face-to-face access to these people, it's going to cost money one way or another.
And I know, from talking to the organising team, that registrations are selling like cold beer on a hot day......

It's expensive but that's how it goes when there is more demand. Bitcoin is bigger than ever and this is the #1 conference pretty much. There needs to be a high price point in order for the venue to be able to accommodate everybody.

I'm going there of course and we're actually coming with most of our team. We are sponsoring the event with BTC Store (https://btcstore.eu) and we have a booth there.

Looking forward to meeting new and old friends.

It is expensive. But, I figured it would be worth attending.

Spike in price after conference?

I will go to Bitcoin 2014 in Amsterdam.
Who wants to sponsor me?   :D

It is 1525 including tv and internet. On top of this i must also pay water, gas, electric, rubbish collection, health insurance oh and eat. Amsterdam in an expensive city.

In all honesty i do live in a nice apartment as i mostly work from home so i like it to be nice and not a Amsterdam box.

Bitcoin2014 worth attending. It is an opportunity to meet interesting people and professionals in Digital Industry. BitLendingClub is a contributing sponsor to the conference.  See you in Amsterdam!

http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/ 


Thanks for the advice. I will be getting there half through the day on the 15th as there is another conference (payments) on same day in London   :o

Couple of points: 15 minutes from the airport is by helicopter. I worked as a motorcycle courier in A'dam, and there is no way I could do Schiphol->Passenger Terminal in 15 minutes. 25-30 minutes minimum in brain out mode, Amsterdam traffic is difficult, and taxis are bastards. If u want a good one: call 020 7777777 for the central taxi dispatch.
Your best bet from the airport is take a train. The main airport hall has a train station underneath it, 20 minutes to Centraal Station,  then 10 minutes walk from the station gets you to literally 100's of hotels.

Which is another problem...I've just checked a few hotels/hostels in A'dam : Hotel Arena, Hans Brinker, EasyHotel, Botel, and a couple of others. No rooms available for the weekend, a couple had a free space on Thursday night, one with a free room for Friday.

If you need a hotel, book it fast. I'll look around a bit more, if I find any decent hotels with a number of free rooms, i'll post it here.

  

Do not get taxi's unless a group is splitting the fair. Taxi's are a rip off. Especially when The Netherlands such a great public transport system.

If anyone wants a cycling tour of the city send me a PM, no charge, just fun. Enjoy Amsterdam folks, its a beautiful personal city.

Amsterdam is the best place to gather all the bitcoin community. Hope i'll be there too!

I recommend getting a pass for the trams but cycling is cool too if you can be bothered. Can't wait to go back sometime, I only hope there's a few places accepting Bitcoin by then.

What do you think of the overall agenda and speakers?

By the way, if you want to visit the International Affiliate Summit on the first day, which is a closed event, just mail to the orgs, they'll provide you with a registration form. Small tip ;)

they are growing in A'dam. A few oriental restaurants are taking. thuisbezorgd pretty much means every takeaway in NL accepts BTC via a third party.

As someone from the UK who moved to A'dam 1.5 years ago, I f*cking love cycling round this city, it's small and every where is sooooo accessible on a bike and i am not just talking the central canal belt.

The UK messed up big style IMO by not providing facilities and paths for cyclists through out the country over the last 50 years. To dependent on the automobile and fuel,  the dutch have been there before and now mostly all ride bikes.

Is conference far from city centre?

Wish I could come :(

No, only 5 min walk from Central Station and ~30 min from the airport.  You can see the building when you are there.

You can if you want it enough. It is just a matter of will and determination ;)

and money :(

Not that expensive imho, certainly compared to some tech conferences.
Plus the connections you could make there could be far more valuable than 400 euro.

I agree with you. But I wonder is this event the most worth visiting one. I googled and found out that there are other Bitcoin conferences that will be on almost the same period as Bitcoin 2014.

It depends, for me it would be since it wouldn't require me to travel far. But I'd also like to attend some smaller meetups first to meet some of the people in the community.

Who has checked tickets recently? Are there available tickets now?

If you don't have tickets, then I have two tickets which I don't need. Please let me know if you need the tickets and you can't buy them anymore, I'm willing to sell them at face value. I had purchased 2 tickets for myself and the CTO of my company, but we applied and got approved to be Contributing Sponsor for Bitcoin2014 (http://bitcoin2014.com/#sponsors) so they gave us complimentary tickets. We're waiting to see if we'll get refunds for the two tickets I purchased at the beginning, but so far there has been no response on that matter. I'm OK with just selling the tickets at this point.
Best Regards,
Kiril Gantchev
CEO of BitLendingClub, LLC
www.bitlendingclub.com

According to the schedule there is an "International Affiliate Summit (By Invitation Only)" event Thursday from 9 AM - 6 PM. The actual conference starts at 6 PM.
Does anyone know what the requirements / purpose this event is for?

I wonder if there'll be any scammers there looking out for a con? lol

Scammers are everywhere nowadays...lol

I'd love to be there. Unfortunately I have some really important exams I have to study for  ::)

We have 2 spare tickets at €350.00 each for Bitcoin2014 if anyone wants them?

I never understand the fact that they price the conference in FIAT.
Why?

You can also pay me in Bitcoins, 1.086 BTC each

Anyone got a spare ticket still?

I've bought one today, so it seems there are some extra tickets.

Is no one else worried about all the trouble you can get into during the evenings there? I'm still looking for tickets anyway

What troubles are you talking about? Is it sold out then, because you're asking for tickets

I am just joking. The nightlife looks amazing there thats all. I thought it had sold out but looking at the site it is still OK for tickets. I am booking my flights today anyway.

Cool! So many great people should be there

Ok so flight booked, conference ticket bought and started looking for a hotel. Ouch! They are rediculous prices. Anyone got any suggestions please?

Does anyone fancy sharing an apartment 250 euros each for 3 days? Has 2 bedrooms and 20 mins walk to the conference.

Met two guys in town for the con.
I have met a lot of people and I even told that guy to his face what I am writing. He was the most arrogant, cocky and rude bitcoin user I have had the pleasure of meeting. Total bell end. Good luck folks the assholes are coming in force.

Some seemed surprised, yes. €400 to get in is a good deal? The only reason they charge that much is because the venue and all other expenses cost a few grand, and they were expecting only a few hundred people to show up.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldupreejr

That is the guy i banged into in a bar last night, he was wearing a BTC t-shirt, i tried to chat to him, total complete head up his own arse wank stain, Yes Michael you are a Arrogant know it all I'm better than the rest attidude kind of dick! I have met many people and nothing like this guy.

Last chance or I will cancel my offer to accept sponsors.
15 to 20k USD should be plenty.

Seriously, this sounds like a great event, and congrats to everyone who is able to go.

http://time4fashion.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/spring-colors-amsterdam.jpg

http://www.augustana.edu/Images/Amsterdam_Netherlands_031.jpg

It's a bit early to start turning up no? 

Its not too early to book your hotel/apartment, though.
I keep banging on about it, but the city is filling up FAST.
If u don't want to sleep in a park....book now!

On tickets: there are still tickets available.
And if you want to get in for free, there may still be volunteers needed.
(Free reg, in exchange for 10-15 hours light work)

Any questions, feel free to PM me.

if you still want tickets, use promotional code BitLendingVIP for 25% off registration

I wish you told me that a few days ago. I have got a nice little cabin on the top of a small boat. Even the worst rat ridden places are filled up or charging 200 euros per night

Thanks for the info!
 

ITA! Can you recommend me a good and cheap hotel?

There are some great AirBnB deals still.

I've just done a round on most of A'dams cheap but not horrible hotels.....they're full.
Your best bet now is going to be AirBnb or 9flats.....

Look in Amsterdam-Noord area.
Its a lower rent residential area, yet comfortable and hospitable.
Canal boat for free will get you there an easy walk from the conference.

There's availability under US$110
https://www.airbnb.com/s/Amsterdam~Noord--Amsterdam--The-Netherlands?checkin=05%2F15%2F2014&checkout=05%2F16%2F2014&price_max=110&sw_lat=52.37360744398348&sw_lng=4.872654853188351&ne_lat=52.42652755243&ne_lng=4.959515509926632&zoom=13&search_by_map=true

That and a bicycle give you the whole city within easy reach.

+1 to NewLiberty...I live in North-Amsterdam (Noord) and can totally recommend it...anyone want to buy a Russian submarine?

You will need a bicycle, but there are a 1000 bike rental places.

If like to buy a Russian submarine ;)

Well, G, do I have a deal for you...one careful owner from new, only driven on Sunday to go to church, currently located in sunny  very rainy Amsterdam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h06SzbdFvN0

Price is a very reasonable €200,000 to you sir, if you'd like to pay in BTC I can send you the keys and papers by courier.

Are there any taxis or other transport options that accept bitcoin in Amsterdam?

Is there any way to load phone credit with bitcoin there?  piiko.com does not support the Netherlands yet.

you will b hard pushed to find transport for bitcoin.

I can rent you the spare bike if you wish.


see my signature for a mobile operator who accepts bitcoin, although not something you can just pick up in the shops.

Noord is like the Amsterdam SOHO.  Many ethnicities all blending in harmony with lots of artistic flair, parks.  Close enough to all the action but far enough to have quiet time.  Its the hidden gem of the city.

Thanks!
I haven't ridden a bike for a long time and I hope I'm not forgotten how to ride  ;D ;D ;D

So which is the best bar that accepts bitcoins? Or where everyone is meeting after :)

Where can I exchange USD, bitcoin, or 1oz gold coins for Euros at the best rate?

Cash? Shouldn't be too hard. Just find a bitcoiner who wants to buy some btc.

My experience at conferences has been all the attendees are trying to sell bitcoin for local currency at the start of the conference, and then trying to buy back at the end with their extra cash, so it's not as easy as it seems.

I would be happy to help you.

Fact is that I dont have time to come to Amsterdam. :-X

Offer me a competitive rate and I may buy btc.

Materials from the conference will be added to the forum or not?

I was asking myself the same. Did you get any information about it?

On pub crawl at news cafe if anyone wants to join.  Moving on in 15m