The last five years have blurred into a reel of hotel rooms, passport stamps, and ideas scrawled on cocktail napkins in places that are so fuzzy in some ways, and so vivid in others! In February 2020, I boarded a flight to London for my first major CoinGeek assignment; I thought I was covering a technical upgrade to make a truly unbounded Bitcoin node, but I was really stepping into a community that would become family. Since then, I have eaten New York slices with punk-rockers-turned-big blockers, watched Swiss cowbells sway beneath Alpine peaks while cooking pretzel dough over an open fire, and sweated through Dubai’s desert air.
Each city left a taste, a sound, and a cacophony of faces I won’t soon forget.
Year One – London before the world changed
My first CoinGeek conference was a whirlwind in London just as the Genesis upgrade set the original Bitcoin rules back in stone. Twetch’s founders were brainstorming in the hallways, miners debated block sizes over pints, and I had my first proper pub session with Ian Grigg, the man who devised the Ricardian contract that very few are willing to credit him for.
After days of panels, we crammed into a massive afterparty where the music and Back to the Future-themed actors and decor competed with all of my senses to make solid memories. Of course, this was at a time when I was still a drinker!
Outside, the February air hovered around the high 40s (Fahrenheit), damp and cool as London often is in winter. But inside was electric, and this conference solidified the professionalism that I needed to seed in order to take my favorite hobby and truly start a career in BSV.
I left for Heathrow exhausted and elated, only to see rolling news about a virus shutting down flights. My wife and newborn awaited at home; I boarded the plane with a cough and the uneasy sense that nothing would be the same. Within days, the world closed, my fever spiked, and conference dreams gave way to lockdowns for months.
The Hybrid Era – New York and a skeleton crew
Like many, I grew a lockdown beard and got right to working from home on explaining the power of the “real bitcoin” to a world gone mad.
When things partially reopened, CoinGeek Live in New York was part television studio, part ghost town.
Only a handful of us were onsite to conduct interviews, run cameras and moderate panels; everyone else spoke through screens. Times Square’s neon glow reflected off empty sidewalks. Outside our studio near Midtown, sirens and honking cabs provided the soundtrack New York is famous for, a constant hum typically punctuated by street vendors hawking coffee and hot dogs, it was weirdly quiet; reminiscent of pick-your-favorite apocalypse movie.
We ate pizza slices from a corner shop and waved at the occasional passer‑by as we streamed to thousands around the world. But the hybrid format felt surreal: presenters in suits speaking to cameras instead of people, and the “afterparty” whittled down to little more than Pat and me having a quiet dinner alone in what used to be the busiest city in the world.
But we kept the conversation alive until we could all meet again.
Back to the top ↑
Zurich – Rules, mountains and $CORK
Our next gathering brought us to Zurich in 2021, a city of wealth, beauty, precision, and rules.
Switzerland was still cautious, so we filed into conference halls in small numbers, scanning QR codes and sanitizing hands.
Something extra surreal about being asked for “papers” in a German accent to get the libertarian in me riled up… But we had a blast anyways.
On free afternoons we took walks into the Alps and listened to the echo of cowbells, surrounded by the smell of wild-flowers. Let’s pretend I knew it was edelweiss and all be very impressed with my knowledge of Swiss greenery!
Over fondue, cold cuts, and rösti in a wood‑paneled barn-turned-restaurant, it was just “outside” enough for us to gather and enjoy some time like the good old days before Oceania—I mean, the virus (silly me!).
On day two, at the Alpen Sausage Party (I’m sure it has a better name than that), I watched Brett Banfe play frisbee with Ian Grigg while I discussed the power of the “Swiss Made” brand with a local investment banker who asked why I don’t open up a lockbox and “put a few Rolexes in there.”
It was before the horology bubble, so he was right, and I should have! Maybe next time…
The air was crisp and thin; you could smell pine and hear distant water rushing as we traded stories about early Bitcoin days. Zurich’s Old Town charmed us with its narrow lanes and chocolate shops, but the mountains were the star, reminding us how small we are compared to nature. Oh! And the conference itself. It was something of a blur, but I do remember Grigg pulling me into a back corridor to give me a few hints about the history of Bitcoin.
And of course, connecting with the coolest people in the world.
Last thing was, on the way out, Brett also convinced me to do something really cool with the champagne Cork from the closing ceremony!
Back to the top ↑
Eastward – Dubai, turkey, and a bigger tent
In 2022, the conference rebranded as the Global Blockchain Conference and headed to the Middle East. Dubai is a city built on ambition; its skyline of mirrored towers reflects a desert that used to be empty. In summer, the heat hits 105 °F with humidity that makes you gasp, so we darted between hotel lobbies and our booth at the conference center. Camel leather lounge chairs, gold‑trimmed elevators, and baristas pouring latte art created a surreal mix of traditional and futuristic.
Our GorillaPool crew brought a “traveling banana-rista” around, playing music and handing out BSV‑branded fruit.
Between sessions, I walked through the Mall of the Emirates, a climate‑controlled city of 1,200 stores and 200 restaurants, listening to children shriek on an indoor ski slope while a call to prayer drifted in from a nearby mosque. It was fascinating to meet Saudi and Emirati royalty and get to know the culture.
Back to the top ↑
London Again – A conference for builders
By 2023, the event settled permanently back in London and re‑emerged as the London Blockchain Conference. The focus widened beyond BSV to enterprise solutions and cross‑chain projects. It was surreal interviewing the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Peter Schiff, and Ben McKenzie.
I think this was also the peak of my weight gain. It was, at least, the wake-up call; seeing myself filmed and photographed in high definition made it obvious I had gotten too unhealthy. COVID put me in a rough spot, and when I got the Delta variant, it put me in a terrible place with my liver health. I had to start fasting shortly thereafter just to get inflammation and my BMI back to normal, and the next year I returned about 50lbs lighter!
But that wasn’t until 2024!
In 2023, the conference center buzzed with developers demoing supply chain tools and lawyers discussing regulation. Outside, London showed its colors with vibrant parks, canals lined with narrowboats, and markets selling Scotch eggs and samosas. One evening, we ducked into a pub near Borough Market for pints of ale and plates of fish and chips, the batter crisp and hot, and we ended up having drinks with the Offspring!
It was a wild time with the world waking up from nearly three years of lockdowns, and finally able to travel without masks and papers. And BSV was humming along for the hopeful big blockers of the world.
Since the 2023 conference, a whole bunch has changed. Trials, tribulations, massive shifts in focus, new faces in many key positions, and a new era with the release of Teranode!
2024 was a big transitional year, and 2025’s conference is just about to start.
Back to the top ↑
Why I keep going
These conferences are more than trade shows. They are roving reunions where arguments turn into friendships and ideas become businesses. In London, I learned that good Vindaloo and good conversations can turn skeptics into collaborators. In New York, I saw how determination keeps a movement alive even when no one can meet. Zurich reminded me that history and innovation can coexist in the same mountain air. Dubai taught me that to change the world, you need to understand it, from red‑sand deserts to spice‑filled bazaars, and I also learned I’m just not that into “dry heat.”
Each trip reinforced my belief that Bitcoin’s promise isn’t just technical; it’s social. It’s about honest debate, perseverance, and the thrill of shipping something that works. When you sit around a table with miners, critics, regulators, lawyers, and entrepreneurs and find common ground, you realize the chain isn’t the only thing that needs scaling: our empathy does too.
Back to the top ↑
See you there
Next week, we return to London. I’ll be there with the CoinGeek crew, who are older by five years but still excited. If you’re a developer, entrepreneur, artist, or just curious, come say hello. I’ll be wandering the expo floor, grabbing coffee every hour, and chilling at the CoinGeek booth.
No GorillaPool booth this year, as I want to focus on one thing at a time rather than being stretched in a million directions. I will miss the bananas though.
And if you see me, ask me about scaling, about building on Bitcoin, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, being a father of three or about what Ian told me in the hallway in Zurch…
Let’s share war stories and plan what comes next. You’ll find me wearing a smile and an unreasonable amount of yellow.
Back to the top ↑
Watch: Bitcoin and Entrepreneurship with Lex of Gopnikz and METADESK
Source: https://coingeek.com/five-years-on-the-road-with-coingeek/
