Libertarian National Convention in Las Vegas, May 2-6

[gabbynot]

Just curious if there's any interest in vendors attending this event; seems like a natural fit for promoting Bitcoin.

http://www.libertywillwin.com/

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[gabbynot]

Wow, *zero* interest?  I thought Libertarianism & Bitcoin made such a good pair.

 

[acoindr]

I think it's just too much of an uphill battle.

A bitcoin vendor would have to pay to be at the convention, take out time to be there, then while sell little to nothing while trying to explain what bitcoin is.

[Technomage]

Bitcoin and libertarianism are a good fit but there are two important points.

1) Bitcoin is still niche even in its best interest groups, libertarians and techies. It will take a while until we will have a continuous presence even among these groups.

2) It's actually good if we don't focus too much on something that's deemed political, it can create disinterest (even if unwarranted) among people who support different political ideologies.

People constantly expect too much and too soon from Bitcoin. Everyone should just wake up and realize that we're not on a rocket yet, our plane just left the terminal last summer. We're currently taxing. No one knows when we actually hit the runway and start truly accelerating but I can guarantee that we're not there yet.

And the newsflash to some might be that this is actually good. We're not ready for liftoff yet and it has been proven by the bubbles. Let it grow, if Bitcoin is as revolutionary as it is (and I believe that it is), it will grow inevitably. Just give it some time.

[Melbustus]

Nice. I live in Vegas. I'll head over to Red Rock to check things out, regardless.

[Raize]

As someone who has been a national delegate in the past, I think a Bitcoiner would be wasting their time with a booth. Instead, just walk in with Casascius BTC and sell them directly to people interested, along with instructions explaining what they need to do to redeem their coin online. I think a fair number of Libertarians are aware of what it is by now but have probably never seen a physical coin. If you have a phone or tablet you can show them how to check the blockchain to verify their coins haven't moved.

[gabbynot]

Well, I'm definitely going (not as a vendor, but as a delegate).  It would be cool to get some sort of informal meetup scheduled.

[Technomage]

Indeed, the best plan is to simply go there and start discussions on Bitcoin. Showing them Casascius coins is a good discussion starter.

[triplehelix]

i think fliers/pamphlets with some basic information highlighting some specific bitcoin benefits that align with libertarian ideals, with some urls for further reading is a good way to go.

i know for me, all it took was getting started reading about bitcoin to get me hooked.

[herzmeister]

Convention? Libertarian? Las Vegas? So is this a Kochtopus-type thing right?   

[Tuxavant]

Interested.... PM sent to locals and attendees.

[Nefario]

I'll go if someone wants to pay for entry fees and air travel costs...from London.

[Tuxavant]

Economy Booth Fee is $400, ($1525 with electricity and Internet)

8|

[Raize]

Well, shoot, if it's only $400-$1500 for a booth you might actually find enough interest to make it worth while. Mike Caldwell or MemoryDealers should honestly go and set up a booth and sell coins, I'm pretty sure they could recoop the costs of a booth pretty easily. A greater concern might be security at an event like that. You could probably sell a few thousand BTC in one weekend though. Especially physical coin. There were at least a few thousand in attendance at the 2008 convention, and every single one of them would be interested in a decentralized currency for sure. Most of them will have probably heard of it, too, so you could just put up a sign saying "Physical Bitcoins Sold Here" and they'd sell themselves.

Actually, just thinking about this is making me want to buy Bitcoin ahead of time since Caldwell or MemoryDealers would eventually have to restock.

[Tuxavant]

PM sent to them seeking interest.

[SistaS0uljah]

Well, shoot, if it's only $400-$1500 for a booth you might actually find enough interest to make it worth while. Mike Caldwell or MemoryDealers should honestly go and set up a booth and sell coins, I'm pretty sure they could recoop the costs of a booth pretty easily. A greater concern might be security at an event like that. You could probably sell a few thousand BTC in one weekend though. Especially physical coin. There were at least a few thousand in attendance at the 2008 convention, and every single one of them would be interested in a decentralized currency for sure. Most of them will have probably heard of it, too, so you could just put up a sign saying "Physical Bitcoins Sold Here" and they'd sell themselves.

Actually, just thinking about this is making me want to buy Bitcoin ahead of time since Caldwell or MemoryDealers would eventually have to restock.

I know some folks on the committee organising the 2013 Libertarian Party of California's convention, and they put out a call last week for vendors interested in exhibiting at that event (probably to be held in March or April of 2013 in Sacramento).  I'd love to see BTC represented (and traded and promoted) at an LP event.

[gabbynot]

Well, we're a week away...who's going?

[Tuxavant]

Too many bones for me to get a booth and a job (got laid off while back) fell out of the sky and hit me on the head this week, so I'm all booked up.

[gabbynot]

Well, I'll be arriving at the hotel this evening.

I don't have a BTC tshirt or anything to help with promotion... 

[Tuxavant]

Since my 8 Bitcoin tshirt I offered to the Poker tournament probably won't get used, I'll donate them to this event.

Any Bitcoiners attending this event, PM me and we'll meet up, share a beer, talk about Ron Paul and Liberty and I'll transfer possession of said tshirts.