Topic: CoinFest 2014! (Read 3649 times)

If you haven't heard of the Decentralized Dance Party, read this article: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/wild-dance-party-breaks-vancouver-international-airport-171559139.html They love Bitcoin, and have had outdoor parties of up to 20,000 people with hundreds or even a thousand boomboxes.

As it turns out, the DDP has volunteered to throw a decentralized Doge party on the first night of CoinFest in Vancouver! We're proud to have such an awesome group as a part of the crypto community. Thanks Gary Lachance and Grassfed Jeff. Much excite! Check it out: http://www.decentralizeddanceparty.com/2014/02/13/decentralized-doge-party/

Check out the Currency and Commodity Exchange, where people can reserve booths to trade bitcoins, altcoins, barter dollars, Seedstock, precious metals, rare coins, and anything that stores wealth for investment or transfer. It will be held at Doolin's Irish Pub, a hotspot on the Granville Strip that has agreed to lend space for the event. They will take Bitcoin during CoinFest using Coinos, and possibly thereafter if all goes well. This would make them the first Irish pub in Canada to do so.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1391985417727622/

Meet Up: http://www.meetup.com/bitcoinvan/events/161914112/

Welcome to the first CoinFest Currency Conference! A free, day-long event to be held every CoinFest, the Currency Conference brings the spirit of CoinFest to more academic or professional settings. In partnership with the Simon Frasier Bitcoin Club, we're going to gather at the notable Segal building, which is nearly a century old and houses SFU's graduate school of business. Given all that the Bitcoin Club has accomplished for Bitcoin, this will be the perfect place for us to reflect on the state of Bitcoin, its past and its future. Acting as the first Master of Ceremonies, Mike Yeung, founder/president of the Bitcoin Club, will introduce a series of presentations, followed by a panel. RSVP now!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1460677647493704/
Meet Up: http://www.meetup.com/bitcoinvan/events/164629382/

Congratulations to Josh Nekrep, who is now the second person outside of Vancouver to launch a CoinFest! He is signing up venues in Winnipeg to accept Bitcoin using the Co-op's open source POS, now dubbed "Coinos." From his official announcement:

If you listen to the radio in Alberta, you potentially might have heard of Peter, the Bitcoin Edmonton Guy. Despite being smaller (and having a less-developed tech or finance sector) than other Canadian cities like Vancouver, Edmonton has become one of Canada's most notable Bitcoin communities thanks largely to his efforts.

Now, he and his friends have decided to launch a CoinFest of their own, connecting the Bitcoin economies of Vancouver and Edmonton! They are the first to accomplish this outside of Vancouver city, but they will not be the last: https://plus.google.com/events/cjquh1sfa8q8vddelle7co2tl0k

http://bitconomy.ca/coinfest-edmonton/

We used Barter Dollars to book a more convention-sized space for CoinFest, with the intention of keeping it free for guests. From the event description:

"We have 8,000 square feet of space, large monitors for digital presentations, a kitchen for catering, a sound system and high speed Internet with livestream capability to the International Hangout and Utherverse. We have dozens of booths showcasing art and creative projects related to and/or available for Bitcoin"

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/252326548258083/
Meet Up: http://www.meetup.com/bitcoinvan/events/154705712/

Due to the rapid expansion of CoinFest and some unforseen circumstances, some changes were made to 2 events already listed (India Gate and Waves). More changes and some big announcements will follow. Please stay tuned.

I thought inviting 10,000 non-Bitcoiners on Meet Up would be enough, but we might do that.

This is great, will you be advertising in locally with offline methods?

This year's CoinFest will be unlike any seen, before. In keeping with the philosophy behind our beloved cryptocurrency, CoinFest will be held internationally, utilizing the borderless properties of Bitcoin to foster communication and trade across far-flung regions of the globe. It will function as a way to stimulate the Bitcoin economy, and be structured in the following decentralized manner:

The organizer of CoinFest will book several venues in Vancouver simultaneously (no fiat venues allowed), with satellite venues all over the word, tentatively including locations in Mexico, Japan, Chile and India, all to be detailed, soon. The organizer retains ownership of CoinFest, but has chosen to keep it in the public domain, meaning anybody is free to join us and have a CoinFest of their own. I merely request that you talk to me about it and try to cooperate with everyone.

This CoinFest will have a virtual component, consisting of a Hangout, livestreams and a virtual 3D art gallery. Find the virtual event at https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cjquh1sfa8q8vddelle7co2tl0k

EDIT - Forgot to add links to the new event postings:

VANCOUVER - India Gate Restaurant and Bar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/605660176138226/
Meet Up: http://www.meetup.com/bitcoinvan/events/153446662/

CoinFest is going to have its own art show, the first Bitcoin-themed art show of which I am aware. It is brought to you by the Artistrun Collective and the lovely Liza J. Lee! Check out their website at http://artistruncollective.org/about/

All of the paintings will be made of de-circulated Canadian pennies and be available for purchase using bitcoins. Let's send a powerful message to the art community and leave a lasting commentary!

All 5 of the following Meet Up groups have been invited to CoinFest (more will follow):

ESV - 4,753 members
http://www.meetup.com/Extremely-Shy-Looking-for-friends/events/151227392/

ESL - 2,968 members
http://www.meetup.com/ESL-Conversation-Classes/events/152070862/

Hello Van. - 1,139 members
http://www.meetup.com/HelloV/events/151976622/

VFE - 1,064 members
http://www.meetup.com/VFEVFE/events/151977072/

MSN - 1,017 members
http://www.meetup.com/MSNMSN/events/151976332/

Please be nice to our guests, so Bitcoin spreads far and wide. My estimated number of confirmed attendees so far (minus some for no-shows) is 50-60. I will open more Bitcoin venues and announce more Bitcoin events as this number increases. If necessary, CoinFest will evolve into a multi-day event.

More announcements will follow shortly. Please spread the word.

I don't think they have any such requirements. Put in money --> get bitcoins

fingerprint identification? or how does it work with the new lamassu ATMs?

Nice!  That's great to hear.  One of the biggest issues is converting Fiat currency to BTC, and BTC back to fiat currency.  Putting one of the Bitcoin ATMs downtown Toronto would definitely create a lot of buzz within the business sector.

I looks great idea, it would be easier to cash dollars fro bitcoins. At least it would be a faster process.

There will be a Robocoin in Toronto as early as December, otherwise early 2014. The new batch of ATMs coming to Vancouver are from a different company. The Toronto ATM could go anywhere, but the Vancouver ATMs will all be located at places that take Bitcoin, likely one of the malls, casinos, night clubs or hotels I'm talking to this week.


Um, who are you? Please direct questions or concerns to me, since I founded and am organizing the CoinFest and know everything about it that's going to happen.

Anyone who has a question or concern regarding CoinFest can pm me.

Good to know!

Do you have any speculation of when might arrive in Toronto?

What are the plans for having them located aiports?  I think a large international airport, like Vancouver International would be the perfect spot for this!  Just imagine how many people would prefer to exchange BTC rather than pay rediculous exchange rate fees.

At least 4 more ATMs will arrive in Western Canada by CoinFest 2014. The final locations of some of the ATMs are still pending, but likely all in Vancouver. At least one of them will definitely be present for demonstration at CoinFest, but not necessarily at the Waves event outlined here. Enjoy your speculation

A new era has dawned for Bitcoin, and CoinFest is back to showcase what 2014 has in store! As you've probably already heard, the Bitcoiniacs brought the world's first Bitcoin ATM (made by RoboCoin) to Vancouver, and Bitcoin took China by storm after Baidu announced its support. Now with the value of a bitcoin at all-time highs, a new company plans to bring 4 more ATMs by Lamassu here--just in time for CoinFest. With the rate at which we're planning to sign up new Bitcoin venues (and consumers), this might be the last CoinFest held at Waves, so read on for another amazing glimpse into the future of money!





CoinFest is a fun gathering for people of all kinds who are curious about Bitcoin. Here you can practice and learn about the revolutionary technology and concept behind new digital money. It's also the perfect place for Bitcoin afficionados. CoinFest serves as a free platform for the exchange of goods, services, currencies and ideas--an exciting event of freedom and opportunity, where you can meet the innovators who drive this movement forward. Intended as a hub for the Bitcoin economy, CoinFest showcases how it works for anyone to see. There will be plenty of attractions, such as:

• The CoinFest physical Bitcoin Faucet, an offline Bitcoin giveaway service that provides free Bitcoins to stimulate the crypto-economy. Those who have never had any Bitcoin, before, can get a couple dollars' worth from the Faucet.

• The Faucet also provides the prizes and bolsters the prize pool in the Bitcoin Poker/Card Games. We have games with small buy ins for people who just want to try out using bitcoins.

• A new team-based Bitcoin game challenge, even better than the Amazing Race from last year! Stay tuned for news on the rules and the grand prize.

• Live ambient music from a volunteer musician playing in the background. If you enjoy it, please consider tipping the musician a little BTC for his or her hard work.

• Tables arranged for anyone who wants to set up demonstration booths for digital coin trading (altcoins are allowed), merchandise, or discussion about a service or cause. Accommodations will be chosen by and moderated at the discretion of the event organizer.

• The Mining Demo Booth, a joint project between Bryan Hellard and CoinFest! He builds and demonstrates a Bitcoin mining rig that grows via a small take from each group buy made at CoinFest. Watch the Block Erupters multiply!

• 2 meeting rooms (1 large, 1 small), free for your booking any time during the event. Some activities may be given priority. If you have any ideas for a presentation, seminar, panel or discussion, start a comment thread about that idea or email me at [email protected].





CoinFest has no rules beyond common courtesy (and decency) and those required by law; however, there are some guidelines that you should be aware of. The space and staff for this event are graciously provided by the chosen Bitcoin venue free of charge, so please purchase at least one item from the venue. This also encourages more venues to accept bitcoins in the future. CoinFest is an ardent supporter of cryptocurrency and does not work with fiat or venues that refuse to accept Bitcoin.


The organizer of this event does not charge any money to the Bitcoin venue or the event participants. It takes work, though, so if you want to, you may donate BTC to him at 13SH6sEaETA5Ca7Gb5kb1Yv5SjqxauvKdm. If you possess more than a few hundred bitcoins, or you are a business that will profit from this event, it is recommended that you donate and write him a nice message at [email protected].

Individuals and businesses that support the CoinFest will be be recognized by the host and the community in many ways, and may be given preferred accommodations. For the upcoming CoinFest, 50% of the bitcoins raised will go directly to the Bitcoin Cooperative's Non-profit Bitcoin Outreach Fund, to be used for spreading Bitcoin awareness and acceptance in a manner chosen democratically by the community.


Meet Up: http://www.meetup.com/bitcoinvan/events/150664252/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/427623470671171/
Address: 900 Howe Street (at Smithe Street), Vancouver, BC
Time: 12-6 PM, Saturday February 15, 2014

We will definitely have a hangout this time during the event. We will try to get more videos and photos and stuff.