There are many blockchain-related conferences coming up this year, but Blockchain Live 2018 event will stand out. We’ve connected with organizers of the event and asked many questions about their view on the current situation of the crypto market and also why they are organizing the event right now. Take a minute to read all the answers because they brought up some very important points about the connection between blockchain innovators, traditional businesses, crypto enthusiasts and investors.
Blockchain Live 2018 will bring the leading innovators and influencers of blockchain together on 26 September and you can be part of it. Did you know that Nick Szabo is coming to the conference as well? Here is a sneak peak of what you can expect from the event.
Interview with the team of Blockchain Live
London plays an important role as the financial centre in Europe. We are probably standing on the edge of one of the biggest banking and financial revolutions in history. Is London taking the leading role or where do you currently see the biggest blockchain and crypto movement in Europe?
We firmly believe that London is primed to take the crown of blockchain capital. It is widely accepted that blockchain’s success will depend upon the collaboration of big business, communities of developers and trailblazing entrepreneurs, oodles of which exist in London.
There are some great advances being made in smaller European jurisdictions such as Malta, Gibraltar and Cyprus, and much like regulatory sandboxes, the innovation which takes place in these pioneering nations will set the tone for future development. A more crucial step however is modelling blockchain in more complex global economies, and we predict that London will cradle the most exciting and decisive projects and products.
Is Great Britain a good place to set up a blockchain or crypto-related project? How do you see the future for blockchain/crypto business in Great Britain? Does or will Brexit influence the decisions of start-ups to do business in London?
This is a common question, but rightfully asked. Brexit represents an opportunity for Great Britain to take the lead in embracing blockchain technology and the benefits to businesses, and consumers, public services and citizens in a blockchain-enabled future.
In addition to London there are many hubs of development including Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff making the UK a great place for aspiring developers. Finally UK government has consistently been part of leading nations in regards to digital government. A member of the D7 group (previously D5) the UK government and particularly the Government Digital Service has been an evangelising force for digital technology and public service delivery.
What industries will thrive in the blockchain economy first? We heard about gaming, sports, artificial intelligence and augmented or virtual reality. What are your thoughts about the first mainstream impact of blockchain?
Blockchain is a trustless technology and so its value lies in both building trust where it was not previously economically possible and making existing mechanisms of trust both instantaneous and virtually costless.
This has huge implications for many industries but most prominently finance will see the greatest opportunity in the blockchain enabled world, a quality which was preempted by the original architects of blockchain. A global peer to peer economy will enable a wave of innovation for new financial products and services as well as opening a market of more than two billion people who have previously not been able to take advantage of financial services.
We see increasing demand for blockchain- or crypto-themed conferences and meetups not only in Europe but also Asia, the US and South America or Africa as well. What feedback did you get from the attendees and presenting companies? What do they like the most about the conferences?
Testimonials of last year’s event from our attendees, sponsors and exhibitors.
‘After the 2017 show, Blockchain Live is set to become the must-attend event for entrepreneurs, technologists and business in the cryptocurrency and blockchain application space.’ – Attendee
‘The interesting thing about the conference it’s brought together people from various different industries and multiple sectors to figure out how this technology can be deployed’ Charley Cooper MD, R3, Speaker and Contributor
‘It’s 3pm at Blockchain Live, we’ve been talking to customers since 8:30 this morning, we’ve had retail clients, banking, insurance, manufacturing and many start-ups.’ Bob Yelland IBM
‘Attending Blockchain Live has been the most impacting event of the year for me. Mind melting, revolutionary stuff. A World-changing mix of people.’ – Attendee
The price of Bitcoin dropped from 20k in December 2017 to 7k USD in Q1 2018. Did you notice a change in the approach or behaviour of investors and blockchain projects during those four months?
It can be said that price Bitcoin is the bellwether for investor confidence in blockchain, however we believe that the vast potential of blockchain, despite its debt to bitcoin, lies outside the confines of this particular project.
The changes we observed were a natural reaction to the ICO bubble, which no doubt had a correlative impact on Bitcoin. Despite ICOs continuing to be a favoured investment mechanism for companies, investor strategies have matured and we predict that the price of bitcoin will dwindle in its effect on blockchain investment.
Could you summarize what we can expect from the Blockchain LIVE conference?
The speed of development, the staggering list of new companies and projects and the eye-watering investment going into blockchain has resulted in new communities of interest. Many events and media outlets cater to these communities, events designed to service the growth of blockchain developers, events for investors as well as events for the new generation of crypto traders.
We have also seen niche events emerging based on how legal professionals or policy makers should be engaging with blockchain. Finally there are sector and function based events. Blockchain brings all of this together!
Why are we doing this? Because we know that in this formative period of a world changing technology, it’s better to build in the needs and to factor in the considerations of everyone than post-hoc engineer a system.
We are already achieving this. With buy in from platform builders such as EOS as well as early movers such as bitfury, Consensys and Applied Blockchain, Blockchain Live will also host multinational corporations such as ING and respected trade associations such as techUK. Moreover, Blockchain Live will provide a platform for both community leaders such Rhian Lewis of Women in Bitcoin, Alastair Band of Blockchain for Beginners and Stephan Tual of the London Ethereum Meetup as well as legislators and regulators including MPs/MEPs and the FCA.
Get the ticket to Blockchain Live 2018
Blockchain Live is the largest one day exhibition dedicated to the business application of blockchain and DLT technology. This year our event will bring 3000 delegates, taking place on the 26th September at the Grand Hall, Olympia. Meet the leading thinkers of the financial sector as they announce the speakers of the Fintech stage. Join Dean Demellweek of BNP Paribas, Herve Francois of ING Bank and lead blockchain architect Michael Coletta of London Stock Exchange.
Registration for Blockchain Live 2018 is officially open. Learn more about the event and its program by visiting the official website.
