When I was thinking about writing this article, one of the things that came to my mind was: I am going to be misunderstood in many ways no matter how I explain myself. Well, I don’t think so, because I have done some research about this. Let me tell you why I believe that Bitcoin conferences are unnecessary.
Bitcoin Is Still Misunderstood by Many
One thing is clear: Bitcoin, just like most things in life, has good and bad things. It has become a topic of discussion in several places, and in some you cannot even talk about it because people immediately think you are a scammer.
I completely understand that some people don’t want to know anything about Bitcoin for whatever reason. At the same time, I don’t agree with it. Why? Because if you don’t know how something works, why do you critique it? Why do you go all against it? Have you ever used it? It’s like saying that Samsung phones are trash because you heard an Apple fanboy (I have nothing against them) saying that, and now you critique everything that Samsung launches because you “think” it is bad. Where’s the logic there?
Now, I am not saying that you cannot provide your opinion, but hating something just because you don’t like it and saying it is bad because you think it is and you haven’t even tried it… Well…
What I am saying is that whatever happens around Bitcoin is always going to be criticized, and that is ok because that means it is getting more and more traction.
The fact that Bitcoin is always criticized by people who believe in the old financial system means that it is working. Now, I am not saying either that believing in the old financial system is a complete chaos—we live in a “free” world where we have the right to believe in what we think is right.
That does not mean that we can go and say that they are all wrong or that bitcoiners are all wrong. There has to be a balance, which right now is basically non-existent.
Why Bitcoin Conferences Are Unnecessary
Anyways, let’s get to the topic at hand. Why do I think Bitcoin conferences are unnecessary? Because it’s a waste of time and resources. Ok, allow me to elaborate on that before you get upset and close this page.
Bitcoin conferences are like echo chambers where they often feature the same speakers discussing repetitive topics that lead to a lack of fresh perspectives and innovation.
Also, the ticket prices are so high, and it is not worth the value of hearing the same information that is already accessible online for free, so there’s a huge cost-value gap. Now, the idea is to have people come and get introduced into Bitcoin, but the reality is that if you go to a Bitcoin conference, you will see the same attendees all over again.
My Experience in Bitcoin Conferences in El Salvador
Now, let’s just focus on my country, El Salvador. I will talk about two of the conferences I went to and that were held here.
Adopting Bitcoin 2024
Adopting Bitcoin 2024 was in November, and it was my first Bitcoin conference. They introduced several new things that really caught my attention.
Things like the open-source NodeNationSV curriculum to make Bitcoin education fun for students. Also, they focused on real-world Bitcoin usage, encouraged collaboration among developers, and many other things.
Now, was that new for El Salvador? It was. But was it new for foreigners that came to the conference? No. A lot of the information shared at these conferences tends to be repetitive, especially for those who are already familiar with Bitcoin.
Plan B Conference 2025
What about the Plan-B conference? This one was held in January 2025. There are no official reports from the organizers, but I did a research and they attracted around 2,500 participants including global leaders and tech experts. They announced integration of USDT with the Bitcoin and Lightning Network for scalable payments.
Let me ask you a question. How did these conferences benefit Salvadorans to get into Bitcoin? Ok, probably you may say that it attracted tourism and that hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants, and all local businesses benefited from the huge amount of foreigners coming. Yeah, but El Salvador now is booming in tourism thanks to the renovation of the country.
Local Participation and Concerns
Now, let’s talk about how many Salvadorans attended these events. Unfortunately, there’s not much information about it, but both conference ticket prices for Salvadorans were at $21 USD with DUI for verification. Just for the Plan-B conference, about 2,500 tickets were sold in total, and roughly half of them were purchased by Salvadorans; however, the exact numbers are not fully disclosed.
This brought positive things like financial literacy, because many of the attendees value the opportunity of learning about Bitcoin and its integration in daily life. But it also brought some bad comments like very low local participation. Despite the efforts, Bitcoin adoption is still limited among Salvadorans.
Some other people see it as elitism, because they consider the conferences are focused towards investors, stakeholders, and foreigners rather than the locals.
Conferences or Meetups? What’s Really Needed
From my point of view, both conferences had similar topics, and basically I saw almost the same attendees.
I went to Adopting Bitcoin because some of my friends were going and as well, some of my students were there like Matt Macpherson from uila.io who provided a speech. Nicki Malcom and James Turner from Bitcoin Berlin were there too. So I wanted to go and support them. Rather than that, no new things.
Oh, I got a tattoo there too from ema.handpoke who did a great job, and the after party of Adopting Bitcoin sponsored by Blink was great.
So, I think that Bitcoin conferences are unnecessary because they provide the same information that you already know and that you can find for free on the internet.
Some people attend for the experience of seeing the Bitcoin world, which is fine. Some others think that just for going to a Bitcoin conference you are a “real Bitcoiner,” and if you don’t go, you are poor and can’t afford the expenses. (I have talked to people like that, and that’s disgusting).
What About Bitcoin Adoption in El Salvador?
The real reason behind me thinking that, is because I think more towards the future of my country. It’s ok to have lots of foreign bitcoiners coming and going, helping the tourism industry, but what about Bitcoin adoption in the so-called “Bitcoin Country”?
In a previous article, I mentioned that almost 70% of Salvadorans don’t have a bank account, which also leads to cash dependency. Many companies are trying to solve this problem like Tiankii or Blink for example.
However, we can still see Bitcoin as a cluster in areas like El Zonte and San Salvador, like La Escalón, San Benito, La Zona Rosa, where even in some of those places, businesses don’t accept Bitcoin.
The Need for Local Bitcoin Meetups
So, what do we need then? More casual Bitcoin meetups where both locals and foreigners can interact with each other and talk about Bitcoin.
The majority of the people don’t need to pay for a ticket to have access to a fancy venue and listen to hundreds of people talking the same: Oh Bitcoin is the future, No! Bitcoin is the present, with Bitcoin you can be free, don’t trust the filthy banks…
People need a softer integration with Bitcoin because there’s too much information about it, and people often don’t feel like learning it nor experience it because they are afraid, they simply don’t want to, or they think it’s a scam.
Bitcoin conferences are ok, but I think attending too many conferences a year is unnecessary. Just seeing the Adopting Bitcoin conference where some of the rooms where people were giving their speeches were almost empty or people just leaving before the speaker finished.
So, Salvadorans don’t need that kind of “getting to know Bitcoin” type. It needs to be focused towards community, something similar to what Mi Primer Bitcoin does, incentivizing to bring friends who don’t know about Bitcoin to know about it and of course to do some networking.
Networking Matters, But the Info Is Already There
Networking is a huge part of it. Recently, I was talking with one of my students who attended a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas. He said the venue was huge, and there were many people every day. What caught my attention is that he said he went there just to do networking.
That’s what we need. Bitcoin information is there, on the internet for free. So why do I need to pay an overpriced ticket to get the same info I already know or that I can find on the internet? Bitcoiners always say: Do Your Own Research, so…
Final Thoughts
Now, are Bitcoin conferences all bad? No, of course not. They do help to move the economy of the place where it is held and help with networking. But does it work to attract more people into Bitcoin? Not much.
Anyways, long story short, Bitcoin conferences are just high-priced events to network with business owners and make deals. Real Bitcoin adoption happens outside those events.
I know many people will disagree with me, some others will agree, but that’s the beauty of debating. Tell me, what do you think about all of this?
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