Bitcoin Conference 2011 NYC

[fcmatt]

Consider focusing the bitcoin conference locations on world financial centers (hong kong, london, dubai, nyc, ...) rather than fun vacation destinations

All destinations mentioned in Bruce's mail look appropriate. Maybe comments to the contrary lack global insight?

(I'm slightly startled, as a European, as to what people seem to think about Amsterdam. It's as if I would describe the whole of San Francisco as a good place to meet bums after having spent a night or two south of market/mission).

ah dinner is cooking. i am bored. i will post.

Picking on Amsterdam as a poor choice for a conference by itself is silly.. but when you combine that choice with Pattaya is when it
raises some eye brows.

And there are some kids here comments.. pfft.

jgarzik gave some valid criticism and if the person holding the convention played their cards right you could get quite the crowd involved
who have very interesting careers in such cities. Pattaya though? Right.... Bangkok makes a lot more sense when you consider direct flights
from every major carrier.  Because everyone knows after being in a plane for 10 hours (whatever) you want to hop on a smaller plane/bus/train
to get to Pattaya and then in another mode of transportation to get to your hotel. That sounds like fun when you limited time to do it all in.

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[Bruce Wagner]

Actually, Pattaya is CLOSER to the brand new Bangkok International Airport.... than Bangkok is... driving time wise.

Also, Pattaya in on the beach.  It has gorgeous resort hotels like The Ritz Carleton or the Four Seasons --- on the beach --- to choose from.... for the Conference.

Bangkok is a big ugly dirty city.    Trust me.    Everyone would like the places on the beach in Pattaya better than anywhere in Bangkok.

It amazes me at how critical people can be.... about places they've never been to... and things they've never attended... etc.

Anyway, you'll love the 5-star resorts on the beaches of Pattaya....  for about maybe 10% of the cost of the same room in the US.

Oh, and the last time I was there....   The hotel sends a Mercedes limo and driver to the airport to pick you up... no extra charge.

Speak of what you know.

[BitcoinStars.com]

Actually, Pattaya is CLOSER to the brand new Bangkok International Airport.... than Bangkok is... driving time wise.

Also, Pattaya in on the beach.  It has gorgeous resort hotels like The Ritz Carleton or the Four Seasons --- on the beach --- to choose from.... for the Conference.

Bangkok is a big ugly dirty city.    Trust me.    Everyone would like the places on the beach in Pattaya better than anywhere in Bangkok.

It amazes me at how critical people can be.... about places they've never been to... and things they've never attended... etc.

Anyway, you'll love the 5-star resorts on the beaches of Pattaya....  for about maybe 10% of the cost of the same room in the US.

Oh, and the last time I was there....   The hotel sends a Mercedes limo and driver to the airport to pick you up... no extra charge.

Speak of what you know.

Bruce talking shit for the first time

Love that  

[Nasakioto]

i lookend into the vid on staurday evening, but unfortunately, the sound was to low.
but i saw a ixcoin banner.. was thomas there? if yes, do u have any pictures? was he beaten up  

I couldn't make unfortunately.

Thanks Bruce for organizing the event. I look forward to watching the speaker videos.

[Bruce Wagner]

Examples of Pattaya Resort Hotels:

(1)  http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1549

(2)  http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pyxmc-pattaya-marriott-resort-and-spa/

And from this tool, http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=4900&From=THB&To=USD

You can see that rooms there range from US$163 to US$197.

[repentance]

Examples of Pattaya Resort Hotels:

(1)  http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1549

(2)  http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pyxmc-pattaya-marriott-resort-and-spa/

And from this tool, http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=4900&From=THB&To=USD

You can see that rooms there range from US$163 to US$197.

You can get rooms at the Four Seasons for much less (<USD 100) depending on who you book through.

I think that now would be a good idea to find out how much interest in attending there's going to be at various price points.  Some people will be able to attend no matter what the cost, but for many others there's going to be a ceiling above which it's simply not affordable.  In deciding where to hold the event, you need to consider whether you want it to be more of an industry insider event for people who are happy to drop a couple of thousand dollars on attending or whether you want it to be more accessible to the average Bitcoin user.

[helloworld]

i lookend into the vid on staurday evening, but unfortunately, the sound was to low.
but i saw a ixcoin banner.. was thomas there? if yes, do u have any pictures? was he beaten up  

I couldn't make unfortunately.

LOL.




Did anyone else LOL?

[Colargol]

It amazes me at how critical people can be.... about places they've never been to... and things they've never attended... etc.

Isn't it in the best interest of Bitcoin to consider the views of the average person, narrow though you may think they are?

Pattaya!? Really?? 

A lot of people, partly thanks to some media outlets and bloggers, already see bitcoin as the currency of drug dealers and
terrorists...  shall we add sex tourism to the list?  Why beg for bad press?

And are good beaches really a priority when it comes to bitcoin conferences? 

I mean who cares what the public thinks about this stuff as long as we can have a good time?

So much for me getting family and friends interested in Bitcoin... 

Seriously, what are you thinking?   

Consider focusing the bitcoin conference locations on world financial centers (hong kong, london, dubai, nyc, ...) rather than fun vacation destinations

+1

[helloworld]

I wouldn't be too concerned about what the press think, after all the silk road press was good for bitcoin. But telling family you're going to Pattaya might be awkward.

[freequant]

Upcoming Bitcoin Conferences:
Dubai, Pattaya, Sydney, San Francisco, Mumbai, Amsterdam, Moscow, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Shenzhen, and London

Bruce,

I feel very grateful to you for offering to Bitcoin a dedicated TV show and an international conference.
But I have to say that I agree with Jgarzik regarding the location, and I have a few concerns about the content and the atmosphere.

The Bitcoin Conference is now permanently associated with Bitcoin's brand in everyone's mind.
Accordingly, it must fit with the image the whole community is willing to give of Bitcoin.
It must feel right to merchants, developers, researchers, hackers, bankers and the general public.
Defining what this image should be is a topic of its own, but I take no risk telling that it should be very professional.

Organizing private events is a good thing to strenghen the community.
But it should not be associated with Bitcoin in an ambiguous way.
I suggest you create a separate branding for such initiatives, like "The Bitcoin Club", "Bitcoin Meetups" or whatever..

Imagine if you attend a Defcon thinking it's going to be about hacking, only to find yourself unconfortable in some private party where you don't know anybody... Imagine if the Linux Expos were organized in Ibiza, or if LUGs were an ambiguous mix of party going and Linux geekness.

In practical terms, I would divide your list of events in two lists rebranded as follow :

The Bitcoin Conference (in major financial places to start with):
- New York
- London / Paris
- Hong Kong / Singapore / Tokyo
These would require a higher budget, heavy media coverage, and a seamless organization.
It would be community and sponsors funded, and would cover mostly technical, financial and business related aspects of Bitcoin.
It would cater mostly to professionnals, and serve the purpose of broadning the economical base and public awareness of Bitcoin as a reliable financial backbone.

The Bitcoin Club / Meetup (anywhere):
- here, anything goes
This event would be mostly funded by people attending the event, and sponsors willing to be associated with the community life.

Separation of concerns is the key.
You have a high status in the Bitcoin community, and with high status comes high responsibility.

[defxor]

Anyway, you'll love the 5-star resorts on the beaches of Pattaya....  for about maybe 10% of the cost of the same room in the US.

Exactly. It's why huge conferences (CES!) are held in Las Vegas as well. It's simply a great place for conferences no matter everything else that the place in question might be famous for.

[enmaku]

Anyway, you'll love the 5-star resorts on the beaches of Pattaya....  for about maybe 10% of the cost of the same room in the US.

Exactly. It's why huge conferences (CES!) are held in Las Vegas as well. It's simply a great place for conferences no matter everything else that the place in question might be famous for.

I actually live in Vegas. I don't exactly have the resources to whip something up from nothing - least of all the TIME to do something of this scale - but I can say this: bring bitcon to Vegas and you WILL have a fair amount of local assistance and one hell of a turnout. I'd also advise that there should be a bitcoin booth at next year's CES and Defcon, and there may still be time for a booth at this year's HOPE.

[Bruce Wagner]

I forgot to mention that...    We do have a booth at this year's upcoming CES.....   a Bitcoin Booth.   Email me if you want to know more about that.

Also, I think you Americans have the wrong ideas about places like Amsterdam and Pattaya.    Europeans are totally used to attending conferences in Amsterdam.    Asians are totally used to attending conferences in Pattaya.     Please don't impose American fears on places you've never even visited.    There needs to be a rule:   You don't get to tell us how much you disapprove of a place... unless you've first visited it.

Bottom Line:   You pick and choose the Conferences you wish to attend.   I expect very few people to actually attend them ALL.   Only a crazy person (like me) would try.

We have an entire PLANET to cater to.

Remember, we called it BitCon Asia for a reason.   Pattaya is a central place in Asia.    Flights are common and cheap.    The airport is new and world class or better.    Everything is extremely inexpensive there.

If you don't like the city.... skip that one.    I listed 12 cities....   Pick one you approve of, and go.

There are plenty of families with kids who will be attending in Pattaya and Amsterdam.     The city is only what you make it.

There are also plenty of people who are ecstatic that we included those two cities.

Also....   After giving it much thought, I realized that we do NOT have to pattern ourselves after DefCon or Comdex or CES.   

Bitcoin is new.     Bitcoin is ground-breaking.     Bitcoin is global.

We can make our own new rules.    ....and we have a whole planet to cater to.

[geek-trader]

I really like the "new" feisty Bruce.   

[Blackout]

Gay, straight.... zig zag.. whatever...  I am really not interested nor care about anyone's sexuality as long as they don't push it on me. I'm straight but I don't need to wave a flag about it (except just now). Pattaya is not the BEST place to hold a bitcoin conference. Bitcoin is already got enough trouble with the bad press that insists the only viable thing right now holding bitcoin up to real value is silk road's drug site via tor.  Yes, that press ended up helped the price of bitcoin go up, but it's still not a good way of advertising bitcoin to new people.  I'm sure high school / college crowd immediately wanted to know how to get some bitcoins after hearing about silk road - but I don't think the CONFERENCES should be affiliated with that. Having an official conference about bitcoin in Pattaya which is known for it's sex industry is not in my opinion a very good idea - it is ASKING for bad press to further associate bitcoin with it's only use being wild crazy illegal activities or over priced regular items through middlemen.

I enjoy a good burning man festival, but I wouldn't make it where any OFFICIAL bitcoin conference is held, even though having a meet up there would make sense. Just my two bitcents.

Also - remember you are trying to spread bitcoin to regular people, not just rich high volume btc holders.... do those events in private if you want to. Do you really think your average joe is going to go to Pattaya to learn about bitcoin if they are not heavily invested in it? Think about it.  Not trying to stifle you're sense of adventure, I like a good party and travel as much as anyone, but I agree with what some others have already stated.  

I'll see you at the next NYC conference and if you want to make sure this one streams correctly I can provide that.

[Grouver (BtcBalance)]

Gay, straight.... zig zag.. whatever...  I am really not interested nor care about anyone's sexuality as long as they don't push it on me. I'm straight but I don't need to wave a flag about it (except just now). Pattaya is not the BEST place to hold a bitcoin conference. Bitcoin is already got enough trouble the bad press that insists the only viable thing right now holding bitcoin up to real value is silk road's drug site via tor.  Having an official conference about bitcoin in Pattaya which is known for it's sex industry is not in my opinion a very good idea - it is ASKING for bad press to further associate bitcoin with just wild crazy illegal activities.

I enjoy a good burning man festival, but I wouldn't make it where any OFFICIAL bitcoin conference is held, even though having a meet up there would make sense. Just my two bitcents.

Also - remember you are trying to spread bitcoin to regular people, not just rich high volume btc holders.... do those events in private if you want to. Do you really think your average joe is going to go to Pattaya to learn about bitcoin if they are not heavily invested in it? Think about it.  Not trying to stifle you're sense of adventure, I like a good party and travel as much as anyone, but I agree with what some others have already stated.   

I'll see you at the next NYC conference and if you want to make sure this one streams correctly I can provide that.

So whats your opinion about Amsterdam?

[Technomage]

I'm seriously considering coming to the Amsterdam conference. It's the only one that's close (I live in Finland). It's definitely a location I can approve of, haven't been there yet either so it would be a perfect trip.

[Grouver (BtcBalance)]

So it would be a perfect trip.

Your gonna have a great time over there.
I am curious how many guys from the united states will fly in for also that particular reason you bring up.

[bitcoinTrader]

Yes.   We agree.    The OnlyOneTV Team agrees that the lack of live streams was a big fail.    I assure you that that won't happen again.

Fortunately, all the videos are viewable at http://onlyonetv.com now.

I may as well announce what I've been working on the past 48 hours....

Upcoming Bitcoin Conferences:

Dubai, Pattaya, Sydney, San Francisco, Mumbai, Amsterdam, Moscow, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Shenzhen, and London

I can attend these
See Map:  http://goo.gl/tjjQD

The only dates that have been officially announced are:

• Pattaya / Feb 16-19, 2012
• Amsterdam / June 14-17, 2012
• New York City / Oct 18-21, 2012
• Bitcoin World Cruise / Feb 26-Mar 10, 2013

As we work out the details, final dates, venues, etc....  we will be posting them on http://bitcoinconference.com and here in this thread.

My hope is that each of these cities could have a recurring Bitcoin Conference annually.

Obviously, planning this many Bitcoin Conferences is an enormous undertaking....   But I have taken on enormous undertakings before.     Wish me luck.   

[Blackout]

Gay, straight.... zig zag.. whatever...  I am really not interested nor care about anyone's sexuality as long as they don't push it on me. I'm straight but I don't need to wave a flag about it (except just now). Pattaya is not the BEST place to hold a bitcoin conference. Bitcoin is already got enough trouble the bad press that insists the only viable thing right now holding bitcoin up to real value is silk road's drug site via tor.  Having an official conference about bitcoin in Pattaya which is known for it's sex industry is not in my opinion a very good idea - it is ASKING for bad press to further associate bitcoin with just wild crazy illegal activities.

I enjoy a good burning man festival, but I wouldn't make it where any OFFICIAL bitcoin conference is held, even though having a meet up there would make sense. Just my two bitcents.

Also - remember you are trying to spread bitcoin to regular people, not just rich high volume btc holders.... do those events in private if you want to. Do you really think your average joe is going to go to Pattaya to learn about bitcoin if they are not heavily invested in it? Think about it.  Not trying to stifle you're sense of adventure, I like a good party and travel as much as anyone, but I agree with what some others have already stated.  

I'll see you at the next NYC conference and if you want to make sure this one streams correctly I can provide that.

So whats your opinion about Amsterdam?

Amsterdam's better than Pattaya but still, Amsterdam is associated in most people's minds as the drug & sex and party city so I still don't think it's a good strategic move at this point.  I might go, I just don't think it's going to be good for bitcoin's rep.  I can just see the articles now "Bitcoin, known for it's use in buying illegal drugs and contraband on the Silk Road website, is now taking it once step further and meeting to do it in Amsterdam"

I agree with one of the several posters above to keep in in some of the main legit financial centers.... maybe in Vegas if you want to have party time yet still be legit.  The goal is to get more NON bitcoin people involved so yes, you can have the geek bitcoin experts and rich massive btc holders, but you can also have NEW people coming up and getting their first bitcoin wallet set up and getting some free bitcoins or prizes etc..... it sounds more like these cities are for party time for the high btc holders than spreading bitcoin and having a real conference that open up bitcoin and furthers it's legitimacy - and to you super early adopters BTC elites, you guys should be putting up some coins to make this happen, if you;re sitting on thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of bitcoins, it is in your best interest to give some away to spread the bitcoin far and wide to new users.  It doesn't hurt you much since you were able to mine at a far increased level, and it will sustain the value of your coins.. probably more than any lost value you would incur by giving some away.

Have fun, party, but do that after a real conference that can be accessed by most people.  I'm not ragging on Bruce or any of the gang, they were extremely friendly and hospitable, I just got bogged down and couldn't make it (I found out about it really late).

- Blackout