Top Blockchain Conferences 2022: Where to get industry insight?

Many countries are finally letting go of all the restrictions we've had for what feels like an eternity. So naturally, this means that places are opening up, and event calendars are being filled up. So naturally, cryptocurrency will have some events of its own.

I'm sure that many have an urge to travel as soon as possible. If that's you, then what better way to pick a destination with a crypto conference. Not only will you get on that long-awaited trip, but you will also learn and hear from industry leaders. Plus, I've included some sunny places in this list, which means swimming, relaxing and some crypto. What better way to travel?

Bitcoin Miami

Since I promised you some sun, I'll start off with just that. Bitcoin Miami 2022 is held between the 6th and 9th of April. Bitcoin Miami is hosted by BTC Media who also runs the popular news site Bitcoin Magazine. Last year was the first year this conference was hosted in Miami. Before that, it was held in San Francisco in 2019. Last year the initial plan was to hold it in Los Angeles, but because of Miami's Bitcoin-friendly mayor Francis Suarez, it was moved there. Suarez is the guy that aims to make Miami the crypto capital of the world, and he's also the guy that will take his first paychecks in BTC. The conference is also hosted a week before Tech Week in Miami, making it a good fit. Last year the conference sold out and attracted 12,000 visitors. This year they plan to go even bigger with a whopping 35,000 tickets for sale.

From the name of the conference, you have probably guessed that it's Bitcoin focused. However, I'm sure you'll find someone there to discuss altcoins with too. The conference is divided into four days, where the first one is an industry day with Bitcoin companies presenting themselves. The second and third day consists of the main event, while the fourth is a music festival called the sound money fest.

When it comes to this year's speakers, there are some big names, including Michael Saylor, who's the CEO at MicroStrategy, Jack Mallers, the founder and CEO of Strike, Saifedean Ammous author of one of the best Bitcoin books, The Bitcoin Standard, and Elizabeth Stark CEO at Lightning Labs. On top of these, even one president is speaking, and I think you know who. If not, it's the president of El Salvador-the country to first make BTC legal tender-Nayib Bukele. Keep in mind that these were only five of a multitude of speakers, and there are at least ten more that I'm sure many would pay the full ticket price to only hear from one of them. I highly recommend you look at the speaker list.

When it comes to ticket prices, I hope you’ve saved up on your Bitcoin gains. The cheapest ticket is $110, but with that, you’ll only get access to some good music in the form of the Sound Money Fest. The next ticket is what I’m sure most people are interested in, and that’s GA Pass for $799. This gets you access to the main event days and the Sound Money Fest. The third ticket is $1899. It will get you access to everything the GA has to offer, plus Industry Day, Industry lounge and networking, Pitch Day access, and Sound Money Rooftop.

Now, unless you’re a professional investor or entrepreneur in the Bitcoin industry, this might be a bit expensive to pay. However, I’m sure there are a lot of interesting companies to look at and hear from. The last ticket is the Whale VIP Pass which will set you back $14,999. With this, you’ll get everything mentioned above and food & beverage, transportation, access to whale night, and access to the deep (whatever that means). Both the Whale Pass and Industry Pass are undoubtedly great for networking and hearing from some top tier people, but they get quite expensive, as you can see.

Consensus

For one more conference, we’ll stay in the US. If you’re a US resident who maybe likes altcoins more than Bitcoin, then this might be the place for you (of course, non-US residents can attend too). Consensus is held between the 9th and 12th of July in Austin, Texas. It’s organized by one of the leading cryptocurrency news sites, Coindesk and it has been up and running since 2015 (a real OG). Last year, however, the conference was virtual, and I think everyone can guess why.

This conference is truly for those who want to learn about the broader impact of cryptocurrency. Here you can find talks on Web3, blockchain, crypto and NFTs. On top of that, there are music performances, parties, dinners, and other experiences not to keep it too serious. All in all, a great way to learn about crypto and have a good time. I promise you won’t be disappointed when it comes to the speakers.

First, we have the crypto guy with the most beautiful hair and the fanciest way to tie shoelaces, Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of FTX. Others worth mentioning are Abby Johnson, chairman and CEO at Fidelity Investments, Mike Novogratz, Galaxy Digital founder and CEO, Guy Sheffield head of crypto for Visa, and Charles Hoskinson, one of the creators of Cardano. This list could go on and on since so many brilliant people speak at this event. To be honest, I was utterly blown away by the quantity and quality of the speakers, especially the quality is something truly amazing.

Then if we take a look at prices, you'll find that they're pretty similar to Bitcoin Miami. The basic pass is $899, and it's for those interested in sessions, parties, and networking, so this is the correct ticket for most of you. The second ticket is $1299, aimed at creators, entrepreneurs and investors. Finally, the last pass is a tiny bit more expensive, sitting at $9000. The two latter passes are probably not worth it for most of you since you'll only get access to some fancy features, including better seating and some exclusive parties and lounges.

Coin Bureau Conference

We may be a little biased here, but of course, the Coin Bureau conference has made the list! The entire Coin Bureau team was on pins and needles all day as this was our first-ever hosted conference, and we all know how first times don't always go as planned. But thanks to Macey, Guy and the CB team, not to toot our own horn, but we nailed it!

The event went off without a hitch and we received some fantastic feedback from our community. In fact, it went so well that we are planning on doing it again next year.

Tickets for the event went for 5 dollars, we wanted entry to be free but put the 5 dollar ticket in place to make sure only people who were actually going to attend signed up. Attendees did receive free barista-made coffees, complimentary drink vouchers, and a swanky swag bag on arrival, so they quickly got their 5 dollars worth.

The event was held in London at the Grand Connaught Rooms which is quite luxurious; let me tell you, there is a reason the word "Grand," is in the title. It perhaps felt a little too "Grand," for the likes of a bunch of crypto crusaders and DeFi degenerates like ourselves but hey, just because you wear a sweater with a picture of Vitalik riding a unicorn on a rainbow, doesn't mean you can't appreciate the finer things in life.

The Coin Bureau partnered with our friends at Lunar Crush, which played a massive role in helping make the event possible so a huge shoutout to them, and our sponsors at FTX, FTX.US, Cudos, MegaFans, Unique Network, Juno Network, Celsius and Swissborg helped provide our community with an unforgettable event that marked a monumental day in Coin Bureau history.

The session was broken into two throughout the day with Guy kicking the first part off at noon and giving an introduction as to why the world needs crypto now more than ever. He was later joined for breakout session chats with the guys from CryptoBusy and Coin Club for an insightful chat about altcoins and the current market. The first half of the event also saw keynote speakers from LunarCrush and Swissborg, Unique Network spoke about the future of NFTs and Cudos took us through a deep dive into the Metaverse.

There was 5,000 worth of cash/crypto up for grabs then Guy closed out the first half for about a half-hour break before kicking off the start of the second half at 5 pm, opening up with a chat about the development going on in the space and introducing the Coin Bureau Recruitment team, who specialize in helping folks find jobs in the blockchain industry.

Then followed a Fireside chat with LunarCrush, Guy had a fantastic discussion with Rob from Digital Asset News about crypto taxes and the development in the space, followed by Maren Altman who presented an incredibly insightful and knowledgeable in-depth session about social media outreach strategies. One of the highlights of the evening was the discussion with DeFi Dad about his journey into Decentralized finance and the future, before Guy's final round-up and conclusion ending the evening.

The event was a fantastic opportunity for networking and meeting like-minded individuals. The attendees were made up of an eclectic mix ranging from crypto startup entrepreneurs, crypto enthusiasts, and the crypto curious, all the way to veterans and titans in the industry. I am already looking forward to the next one, and it is definitely worth keeping an eye out for and adding to your calendar. The event was live-streamed for those who could not attend and are now posted to the Coin Bureau Clips channel. Here are the links to view the Coin Bureau Conference Part 1 and Part 2.

Token 2049

This is actually two conferences in two different locations, London and Singapore. Also, these are both organized in the fall of 2022, so you'll have a bit more time to plan your trip than for the two previous conferences. Token 2049 conferences feature leading crypto people, just as in the two previous conferences. The main difference is that while the two earlier conferences were more festival-like with a huge audience, Token 2049 is smaller, with only over 3000 attendees.

Let’s begin by looking at Token 2049 in Singapore. This event will be organized between September 28th and 29th. However, while the main conference only lasts two days, there’s much more to it. In London and Singapore, the week leading (or a few days after) to the conferences will feature multiple independently organized events. None of these is yet listed on their site, except they advertise the Formula Grand Prix organized in Singapore between September the 30th and October the 2nd. Maybe some of you’d like to visit that too after listening about cryptocurrency for a couple of days.

When it comes to who you’ll be listening to, there are many bright people, although the complete list isn’t available yet. Some of the already known people include Emin Gün Sirer, founder of Avalanche, Charles Hoskinson, Mike Novogratz, Kathleen Beitman co-founder of Tezos, Zu Shu, CEO/CIO at Three Arrows Capital, and Alexander Leonard Larsen co-founder of Axie Infinity.

If you act fast, you can still catch the early bird ticket prices, saving you a ton. The early bird basic tickets are $499, while they’ll be $999 after the offer expires. On top of that, there’s a special access ticket for $3999 which will grant you some food and beverages and the opportunity to connect with speakers and VIP guests. Also, I haven’t yet mentioned that there will be an NFT gallery, and you can access that with all of the above-mentioned tickets.

For the London event, there are sadly not many details yet. The things we know are that it’ll be organized in November and also include a London crypto week with independently organized events. Last year these events were hosted by, for example, Circle, Metamask and Consensys. You can expect speakers at least as great as for the Singapore event. Last year we saw many great minds on the stage, including Vitalik Buterin and Sam Bankman-Fried.

World Blockchain Summit

This is also not just one conference but many. The World Blockchain Summit is organized all over the world throughout this year. The locations and times are the following: Dubai between the 23rd and 24th of March, Poland between the 7th and 8th of April, Canada between the 27th and 28th of April, Singapore in June, Australia between the 15th and 16th of September, and lastly Bangkok in December.

All of the World Blockchain Summits are organized by Trescon, and they’ve been doing this for a while. Trescon is actively organizing different events and conferences, and they’ve been doing it for 6 years. The World Blockchain Summit Dubai will be the 22nd one organized.

The speakers vary from event to event, but past speakers include a plethora of crypto leaders like Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, Alex Mashinsky founder and CEO of Celsius, Dan Morehead founder and CEO of Pantera Capital, and Anthony Pompliano, co-founder at Morgan Creek Digital. As with all the conferences, the speakers consist of cryptocurrency founders, VCs, CEOs, and famous media personalities/influencers. I’m sure you’ll find at least a couple of speakers you’re interested in hearing from at every event.

Tickets to World Blockchain Summits can vary between locations. Looking at Dubai since it’s the first one scheduled this year, you’ll be happy to know the prices aren’t as expensive as for the other conferences. The standard ticket is only $395, and it will grant you access to all the basic things. The next ticket is a business one, and you’ll get that for $795. However, the only additional benefit is access to the after-party, meaning you pay $400 for one party. The third ticket is a VIP ticket which is $1495 and will get you access to a VIP and speaker lounge and a pre-event investor dinner.

MoneyConf

The last conference on the list is a mix between finance, blockchain and cryptocurrency. This conference might be interesting because it takes a step out of the crypto bubble. At this conference, you’ll find speakers from traditional banks, investors, and fintech companies who are looking to incorporate cryptocurrency and blockchain into their day-to-day businesses.

MoneyConf is organized between the 1st and 4th of November in Lisbon, Portugal. Another great combination of sun and crypto. Last year, there were speakers from some major companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Spotify, Amazon, Royal Dutch Shell, etc. On top of that, there are many politicians both from Portugal and the US. From the cryptocurrency side, we saw Alex Mashinsky, Pascal Gauthier, CEO of Ledger, and Kathleen Breitman, co-founder of Tezos, among others.

Tickets for this event aren’t yet available, but you can already pre-register, and with that, you’ll get a 2 for 1 deal. I also didn’t find last year’s prices, but I’m sure you can expect something similar to what the other conferences cost.

Additional Pro Tip: While we are on the topic of gaining industry insight, Telegram is also a powerful tool to keep a finger on the pulse of what is going on in the industry. Feel free to check out our article on the Top 10 Telegram Channels that are worth checking out.

Conclusion

If you’re thinking about which one to attend, it’s hard to give you a straightforward answer. I’m sure many of us have some people we look up to, especially much and attending the event where that person is speaking is probably a good call. Naturally, another significant factor is geographic location. It’s important to understand that while the tickets might not be that expensive for some events, the whole trip can be quite costly when you add flights, hotels and meals.

Lastly, I also want to mention that there are multiple other good ones on top of these events. Many projects have their own meetups, and then there are events for narrower categories. One good conference which gained a lot of attention last year was Into the Galavers by Gala Games. This event was all about blockchain gaming and NFTs. If that’s what you’re interested in, I highly recommend that one (although I wasn’t there myself). In addition, I recommend you keep an eye out on social media since that’s where you’ll find many of these. Another way is to simply type in a city or a country you’re going to visit or would like to visit and see if any crypto-themed events are happening.