Actually, Pattaya is CLOSER to the brand new Bangkok International Airport.... than Bangkok is... driving time wise.

Also, Pattaya in on the beach.  It has gorgeous resort hotels like The Ritz Carleton or the Four Seasons --- on the beach --- to choose from.... for the Conference.

Bangkok is a big ugly dirty city.    Trust me.    Everyone would like the places on the beach in Pattaya better than anywhere in Bangkok.

It amazes me at how critical people can be.... about places they've never been to... and things they've never attended... etc.

Anyway, you'll love the 5-star resorts on the beaches of Pattaya....  for about maybe 10% of the cost of the same room in the US.

Oh, and the last time I was there....   The hotel sends a Mercedes limo and driver to the airport to pick you up... no extra charge.

Speak of what you know.

I couldn't make unfortunately.

Thanks Bruce for organizing the event. I look forward to watching the speaker videos.

You can get rooms at the Four Seasons for much less (<USD 100) depending on who you book through.

I think that now would be a good idea to find out how much interest in attending there's going to be at various price points.  Some people will be able to attend no matter what the cost, but for many others there's going to be a ceiling above which it's simply not affordable.  In deciding where to hold the event, you need to consider whether you want it to be more of an industry insider event for people who are happy to drop a couple of thousand dollars on attending or whether you want it to be more accessible to the average Bitcoin user.

Isn't it in the best interest of Bitcoin to consider the views of the average person, narrow though you may think they are?

Pattaya!? Really?? 

A lot of people, partly thanks to some media outlets and bloggers, already see bitcoin as the currency of drug dealers and
terrorists...  shall we add sex tourism to the list?  Why beg for bad press?

And are good beaches really a priority when it comes to bitcoin conferences? 

I mean who cares what the public thinks about this stuff as long as we can have a good time?

So much for me getting family and friends interested in Bitcoin... 

Seriously, what are you thinking?   


+1

Bruce,

I feel very grateful to you for offering to Bitcoin a dedicated TV show and an international conference.
But I have to say that I agree with Jgarzik regarding the location, and I have a few concerns about the content and the atmosphere.

The Bitcoin Conference is now permanently associated with Bitcoin's brand in everyone's mind.
Accordingly, it must fit with the image the whole community is willing to give of Bitcoin.
It must feel right to merchants, developers, researchers, hackers, bankers and the general public.
Defining what this image should be is a topic of its own, but I take no risk telling that it should be very professional.

Organizing private events is a good thing to strenghen the community.
But it should not be associated with Bitcoin in an ambiguous way.
I suggest you create a separate branding for such initiatives, like "The Bitcoin Club", "Bitcoin Meetups" or whatever..

Imagine if you attend a Defcon thinking it's going to be about hacking, only to find yourself unconfortable in some private party where you don't know anybody... Imagine if the Linux Expos were organized in Ibiza, or if LUGs were an ambiguous mix of party going and Linux geekness.

In practical terms, I would divide your list of events in two lists rebranded as follow :

The Bitcoin Conference (in major financial places to start with):
- New York
- London Paris
- Hong Kong Singapore Tokyo
These would require a higher budget, heavy media coverage, and a seamless organization.
It would be community and sponsors funded, and would cover mostly technical, financial and business related aspects of Bitcoin.
It would cater mostly to professionnals, and serve the purpose of broadning the economical base and public awareness of Bitcoin as a reliable financial backbone.

The Bitcoin Club Meetup (anywhere):
- here, anything goes
This event would be mostly funded by people attending the event, and sponsors willing to be associated with the community life.

Separation of concerns is the key.
You have a high status in the Bitcoin community, and with high status comes high responsibility.

I actually live in Vegas. I don't exactly have the resources to whip something up from nothing - least of all the TIME to do something of this scale - but I can say this: bring bitcon to Vegas and you WILL have a fair amount of local assistance and one hell of a turnout. I'd also advise that there should be a bitcoin booth at next year's CES and Defcon, and there may still be time for a booth at this year's HOPE.

I really like the "new" feisty Bruce.   

So whats your opinion about Amsterdam?

Your gonna have a great time over there.
I am curious how many guys from the united states will fly in for also that particular reason you bring up.

Amsterdam's better than Pattaya but still, Amsterdam is associated in most people's minds as the drug & sex and party city so I still don't think it's a good strategic move at this point.  I might go, I just don't think it's going to be good for bitcoin's rep.  I can just see the articles now "Bitcoin, known for it's use in buying illegal drugs and contraband on the Silk Road website, is now taking it once step further and meeting to do it in Amsterdam"

I agree with one of the several posters above to keep in in some of the main legit financial centers.... maybe in Vegas if you want to have party time yet still be legit.  The goal is to get more NON bitcoin people involved so yes, you can have the geek bitcoin experts and rich massive btc holders, but you can also have NEW people coming up and getting their first bitcoin wallet set up and getting some free bitcoins or prizes etc..... it sounds more like these cities are for party time for the high btc holders than spreading bitcoin and having a real conference that open up bitcoin and furthers it's legitimacy - and to you super early adopters BTC elites, you guys should be putting up some coins to make this happen, if you;re sitting on thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of bitcoins, it is in your best interest to give some away to spread the bitcoin far and wide to new users.  It doesn't hurt you much since you were able to mine at a far increased level, and it will sustain the value of your coins.. probably more than any lost value you would incur by giving some away.

Have fun, party, but do that after a real conference that can be accessed by most people.  I'm not ragging on Bruce or any of the gang, they were extremely friendly and hospitable, I just got bogged down and couldn't make it (I found out about it really late).

- Blackout