Musings on My First Crypto-conference
I have had the pleasure of attending a variety of conferences during my career. Conferences are a fantastic way to get to understand the state of an industry, network and knowledge share with like-minded people as well as listen to informative discussions. Some conferences are better than others, but if you enter with an open a curious mind, you will exit with valuable information, experience, and new contacts.
I have been interested in Blockchain technology for some time and through my consulting work, I have had the benefit of getting more involved in the industry and technology. So upon discovering there was a major crypto/blockchain convention (https://coinvention.io/) coming to my hometown of Philadelphia, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to attend.
My personal opinion of blockchain and crypto industry is that it is still incredibly young and will take at least a few more years to really find it’s foothold in the world. That being said, I feel that it absolutely will find that foothold. The technology and its potential are far too impactful. The behemoths of industry and banking have all taken notice and many have been investing in departments and R&D specifically focused on blockchain. There is no denying its validity anymore. While the potential is there, it is still far from being reached. Given the early stage of the industry, it’s challenge to current economic structures, low barrier of entry for fundraising, potential for mass disruption and lack of general knowledge it has provided an outlet for idealists, hucksters, fraud and many other poorly formed early startups seeking another outlet for capital raises.
Knowing all of this, I wasn’t entirely sure what I would be walking into at Coinvention but I was very intrigued, to say the least.

The Conference
For a first time conference, the layout, structure, agenda, and venue were well prepared. There were certainly some minor inconsistencies but no glaring deficiencies. Having the event at the upscale Loews Hotel provided for a professional backdrop and gave the rookie conference an aura of credibility. The website, agenda, well laid out vendor area was well planned and added to the professionalism as well.
The conference spanned 2 floors of the Loews with a vendor and bar area downstairs and a ballroom for speaking sessions upstairs. Outside the ballroom was a well laid out networking area where food and coffee were provided throughout the day. Given that the vendor area was also a pseudo networking zone, I found that much of the conference divulged into a meet and greet session and was less focused on the sessions. This was a blessing and curse for the conference organizers.
I personally find networking and speaking with other attendees to be more informative than the sessions at conferences and Coinvention was certainly no exception. Along with the rest of the larger group, I opted for more informal conversation with other attendees then spending a great deal of time listening to the speakers.
In an effort to keep the conference to one day only, the organizers packed the short conference with a great deal of content, with speaking sessions running from 9am — 7pm. The topics ranged from Crypto-anarchism (and some transition into the benefits of psychedelic drug therapy) to the current state of regulation and SEC for cryptocurrency (my favorite session) to a variety fo ICO’s and new blockchains peddling their coins and tokens. Each session I did attend was interesting in their own right, but it certainly felt a little bit unfocused.
Speaking with other blockchain conference organizers at the event, there was a sentiment to keep ICOs and other startups out of the speaking sessions for other events. Given that they were mostly speaking to investors, of which there were some in attendance, the material was not of significant benefit to a majority of attendees.
With the amount of space provided by the venue, the conference was comfortable to navigate and never felt cramped. You could easily move around all of the space and find your way into many conversations. It was also one of the best networking and thought sharing events I have ever attended. Everyone was passionate and happy to meet and discuss all things blockchain. While attending other conferences, I have found that certain attendees and higher level speakers will hide from conversation for fear of being solicited or generally disinterested. aT other events some speakers come strictly for a payday or exposure and have no desire to follow up with the audience. This was far from the truth at Coinvention.
The People
Networking is the greatest benefit of time spent at any conference. I was very curious to see what type of crowd Coinvention would draw. The result was a varied and diverse group of incredibly impassioned people that ranged from those which have been involved in the young community for years to interested parties seeking out information.. Regardless of their background, I found that everyone was equally interested in meeting and discussing theories, tips, and generally expanding the community and evangelizing the technology.
I found this to be one of the easiest conferences to spark conversations and meet interesting people I have ever attended. I spoke with lawyers who were dedicating their craft in assisting entrepreneurs in the newly regulated waters of cryptocurrencies, as well as lobbying to bring reasonable regulations to the industry. There were attendees from prestigious universities seeking insights to bring back to their students, consultants from IBM, Accenture and more, news outlets, startups launching new platforms utilizing blockchain tech, influencers, and various other members of the blockchain community. Every conversation provided me with some new piece of information.
Within blockchain, there lies a great deal of debate on a variety of topics that range from philosophical to technical. I listened intently as people discussed the variety of arguments and opinions. Despite what might seem like a contentious conversation, the feeling of camaraderie and community never wavered. This community cares deeply about its purpose and larger mission, and while some may carry some deeply seeded opinions regarding how to achieve their goals; they understand that technology may change and adapt, but ostracizing others through ideals will not benefit the goal of industry and large-scale adoption.
Conclusion
While most of my general opinions of the state and future of blockchain and cryptocurrencies did not significantly change from my time at Coinvention, I did gain valuable insights into the community and industry. Technological advancement is still required to gain wider adoption by mainstream industry and enterprise. That being said, the world is paying attention. The mainstream industry was in attendance at Coinvention, they are interested and anxiously waiting and considering the use of blockchain.
While the mainstream is lying in wait, there is a vibrant and engaged community building out their own industry ecosystem. Developers, designers, lawyers, consultants, and others are working, building and actively engaging in commerce in what was once a technology that was derided as a joke by many scions of banking and finance.
While unclear what the future of blockchain looks like, if Coinvention is an indicator, the future is bright. Intelligence, creativity, community and idea sharing abounded. Kudos to the Coinvention organizers and to the community at large.