The world's largest Bitcoin conference, Bitcoin 2023 in Miami, once again brought together industry experts, innovators, company representatives, developers and enthusiasts from around the world.
Around 15,000 visitors filled the Miami Beach Convention Center this year. Inside, 4 stages (Main Stage, Open Source Stage, Mining Stage and Enterprise Stage), a Networking Lounge and the large Exhibition Hall with numerous booths, artworks and games awaited the participants.
The numerous panels, talks and workshops revolved around solutions for the scalability of Bitcoin (such as the Lighting network or even the young second-layer ARK), questions about data protection in transactions, the future of Bitcoin mining, the integration of Bitcoin into social networks or even the advantages and disadvantages of self-custody solutions in the coming mass market.
Among the numerous presentations and panels, we believe the following left the most impression and value:
On Industry Day, MicroStrategy Executive Chairman, Michael Saylor, was received with thunderous applause on the Main Stage. Saylor's speech was very captivating and offered valuable insights into a very likely future with Bitcoin as an established alternative to the current monetary system.
In particular, he emphasized the importance of Bitcoin as the #1 store of value and its potential to completely upend the global financial system. He also talked about MicroStrategy's Bitcoin investment and how it positively impacted his company's valuation. Presumably, all listeners were able to take something valuable away from this presentation.
Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer of the Human Rights Foundation, is known for his wake-up revelations that often expose seemingly benevolent organizations as corrupt and self-serving.
Based on his new book, "Hidden Repression: How the IMF and World Bank sell Exploitation as Development", he reported in his lecture on how the IMF (International Monetary Fund) repeatedly brings developing countries under its control under the pretext of promotion and ultimately destabilizes and exploits them. Shocking, and therefore so important!
Eric Weinstein, a mathematician, economist, and influential thinker, gave a fascinating speech that challenged traditional notions of currency and economic systems. Weinstein shared his vision for the future of finance and the potential impact of Bitcoin on society.
His presentation focused on the concept of "smart money" and the potential of blockchain technology to reshape existing power structures. Weinstein's unique perspectives sparked many a discussion among attendees and encouraged them to think critically about the transformative nature of Bitcoin.
At this link you can find all talks & panels of all three conference days of Bitcoin 2023: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bitcoin+2023+live+stream
The large Exhibition Hall was filled with exhibitors, artwork, games and gadgets - here's a brief overview of the highlights away from the stages.
Here, artists, authors and artisans from various fields exhibited their articles. You could spend your sats on artwork, merchandise, decorative items, mining gadgets, wallets, etc. - paid via Lightning, of course!
The passion and creativity of the exhibitors:inside created such a vibrant atmosphere, a unique shopping experience, and fostered a sense of community among Bitcoiners.
The Lightning Food Court at the Bitcoin 2023 conference was a culinary haven for the hungry. As the name implies, everything here was lightning fast: There was enough choice of international dishes and, of course, you could pay via the Lightning network.
However, the prices for the food and drinks were quite "salty", which unfortunately gave us a slightly "bad taste". But in the end, it was a great demonstration of a future in which you can quickly and cheaply pay for your lunch with Bitcoin.
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Of course, no conference should be without entertainment! In the back of the Exhibition Hall there were chess boards, a virtual soccer goal with a real soccer ball, a small basketball stand (where people threw Bitcoin balls, of course) and the now infamous "Bitcorn Hole" game of skill in Space.
While throwing bags into the coin hole, we naturally treated ourselves to a team spirit-boosting competition. Matthias and Joachim finally won the game against Laura and Andi! ;)
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The whole conference area was decorated with trinkets a la Bitcoin. Artworks, sculptures, a DeLorean and yes, even a toilet - you can see some of them here.
Bitcoin 2023 is a great place to exchange ideas with other people, to make new contacts and friendships. This is also true for our German-speaking Bitcoin Bubble, which was again represented in Miami in large numbers.
We spent a lot of time with Ayhan from Seedor, spent an evening on the beach with our Viennese colleagues from Stadler Völkel Rechtsanwälte and also finally met Theresa from 21bitcoinwines in person. The Rooftop Party on Lincoln Avenue, organized by bitcoinnews.com, was then the place where everyone came together.
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In addition to all the positive experiences, there were also a few things that we think Bitcoin Magazine should do differently in the future. Here are a few of our criticisms of the conference.
Bitcoin Magazine gave two U.S. presidential candidates a stage to campaign on Friday and Saturday, and the main stage at that. These Eagle contenders were Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy, and his Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy. What followed was a series of "pro-Bitcoin campaign pledges," patriotic speeches, and the collection of campaign donations in Bitcoin.
This was definitely a mood-breaker for us, because while the conference was supposed to be about fostering constructive discussions around Bitcoin and blockchain technology, the interference of political campaigns distracted from the primary focus of the event.
Many panels and discussions sounded very exciting and promising according to the title and we generally had the expectation to learn something new from these presentations. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. There was often just chit-chat or the panelists told each other stories of development steps.
Especially at the panel about Nostr we expected a lecture with a basis, but unfortunately it was much more an exchange of ideas and nice small talk.
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A small disappointment was the discovery that you had to buy a ticket for the official conference afterparty. This cost around 65€. Considering what Bitcoin 2022 offered compared to this year's conference, this extra cost was a nasty surprise for many visitors:inside, and also for us. Networking and socializing are intrinsic parts of conferences and should not be an additional financial burden for the participants.
Another vacuum was formed by the silence of Jack Mallers during both of his appearances. Absent was any mention of Jack Mallers in relation to the NCR deal, which was actually planned for last year. Jack had created a lot of buzz with the announced partnership between his company Strike and NCR, a leading financial technology company.
This partnership would mean widespread acceptance of Bitcoin as a payment method at international chains like Walmart, McDonalds and Starbucks. We were actually expecting an update from Jack Mallers on this.
The bottom line is that Bitcoin 2023 was a great event that showed us the immense potential and significance of Bitcoin in our society and economy in a new way. Seeing speakers like Michael Saylor, Alex Gladstein or Eric Weinstein live is indeed an experience.
A conference like this is simply the ideal place to get to know each other personally, exchange ideas, brood over collaborations and partnerships, and get inspiration for your own business. For us as the Coinfinity team, it was also an exciting as well as fun business trip that brought us even closer together. :)
The Coinfinity Bitcoin App is here! Stay humble, stack sats.
