Cryptocurrency and the blockchain represent a major inversion of financial norms, a truly disruptive force in an industry that has seen so little innovation. While Bitcoin and other pioneers of digital currency may have begun in the basements and garages of the internet, today cryptocurrencies are the driving force behind million-dollar companies. And remember: if something exists, there will be an expo for it somewhere.
2019 is absolutely jam packed with expos and conferences focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain, all terrific opportunites for new and established companies alike to take advantage of idea sharing. Taken from Bitcoin Market Journal here are 5 conferences coming up in Q1 of 2019 that should be on your radar.
Japan Blockchain Conference
Jan 30-31, 2019
Yokohama Japan
“This event is one of the biggest blockchain conferences in Japan, consisting of seminars and lectures by key players in the blockchain industry, and the exhibition zone will comprise of leading companies and organizations from Japan and abroad, sharing a great deal of beneficial information.”
While the JBC touts itself as the foremost gathering for blockchain insiders, it is impossible to ignore the presence of John McAfee as one of the guest speakers. While he made a fortune with his ubiquitous (and terrible) anti-virus software, which was the first commercial anti-virus software on the market, John McAfee is perhaps better known now for his various run-ins with the law. His Wikipedia page reads like a summary of a season of Narcos, with the government of Belize raiding his house on suspicious of drug trafficking and murder. While in hiding in Belize from being prosecuted for tax evasion by the US government–He has stated he believes taxes are illegal–his location was given away by a writer for Vice magazine who forgot to turn off the location tags on his images. $30 for a day pass to a conference is pretty cheap and coupled with getting the chance to hear McAfee speak–where he’ll presumably discuss his recently announced “in exile” bid for President–puts the Japan Blockchain Conference at the top of our list.
London Blockchain Week 2019
February 8-14, 2019
London, UK
https://www.blockchainweek.com/home
Established in 2015, London Blockchain Week is practically ancient compared to most of the events on this list. That, and it being situated in London, give it a certain cachet that can’t be matched by other cryptocurrency expos. Calling themselves “early pioneers in blockchain events”, London Blockchain Week started as a conference in 2015 before blowing out into a full week of events in 2017. LBW starts with a hackathon, focused on “Parity, Ageing, & Eldercare”, which requires teams to have at least one woman, showing an acknowledgement of the lack of representation in the industry. Unfortunately, this extends into a well-meaning but unfortunately tone-deaf promise: women are worth bonus points if there is more than one on a team.
Nakamoto’s Den Investment Blockchain Conference
February 19-20, 2019
Limassol, Cyprus
Call this Shark Tank for blockchain: a chance for companies to present themselves in front of investors from leading companies for a chance to win funding. Using the name Nakamoto–the name of the person who created Bitcoin whose true identity is unknown–gives this event a disruptive slickness the other events have eschewed in favour of financial industry corporate cool. The website for Nakamoto’s Den promises “A decentralized, new world”–common jargon appealing to the “hack the planet” enthusiasm of young blockchain adopters.
Finance World Expo
March 6-7, 2019
Zug, Switzerland
Switzerland’s Finance World Expo is more than just a cryptocurrency or blockchain conference: their aim is to bring to gather industry professionals of all levels to discuss the current economic climate, upcoming trends, and identify future opportunities. They promise exposure for businesses to prospective partners and the ability to spread awareness of your brand to worldwide financial interests.
While the FWC clearly has a general financial focus, the sponsors page clearly shows how much of a presence cryptocurrency and blockchain companies will have and the two afternoon sessions are both concerned with blockchain and STOs.
MPWR CryptoMining Summit
March 12, 2019
Vancouver, Canada
“MPWR 2019 brings together an international group of medium to large-scale crypto miners, researchers, utility companies, power producers, machine learning enthusiasts, developers, regulators, and political leaders to discuss the crypto mining industry. ”
The MPWR summit has a unique focus: it is specifically about the opportunities and challenges inherent in digital mining. With space for 400 exhibitors, it should be a great place to push forward next-generation ideas about cryptomining. That it is based out of Vancouver adds a vital component: there will be a focus on how to build digital mining facilities that are environmentally friendly.