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Bitcoin Expo 2014 Aims To Break Down Barriers

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As a global movement, from day one of Bitcoin arriving on the scene, the digital currency has been an example of international cooperation, attracting a community across the globe unified around a vision of a world without barriers.

But to achieve such an aim, there are more barriers to overcome than those imposed by governments and banks: Culture and language can be a formidable obstacles as well. One such example is the confusion that resulted when the PBOC released a statement last December banning financial institutions from dealing in Bitcoins, which set off a chain reaction of panic selling in all major exchanges. Had there been better communication, such overreaction may have been avoided.

This demand for communication has given rise to a flood of Bitcoin media outlets as well as a generation of emerging Bitcoin journalists / writers - many of whom, like your correspondent, write in a second language for an international audience.

There is also an increasing number of Bitcoin meet-ups and conferences that try to bridge the gap. One example is Bitcoin Expo 2014, which is due to open next month in Shanghai. Aware of the demand for cross-cultural communication, the Expo describes its mission as being a “bridge for startups, service providers, investors, venture capitals and traders to cross the Asia-gap.”

Recently, I sat down with Andrej Šebesta, the main event manager, and asked him a few questions:

Mu: Who is the organizer? What is the vision/mission behind the expo?

Šebesta: Bitcoin Expo 2014 is organized by Crypto Events, the same company that organized a very successful event: the Central European Bitcoin Expo in Vienna. We try to bring western Bitcoin influencers and visionaries to Shanghai and allow them to mingle with local key players, which gives conference attendees the chance to build or discover the future of digital currencies in China and worldwide.

Why Shanghai?

We decided to bring Bitcoin Expo to Shanghai, because China is the largest market with the highest exchange volumes, the biggest producer of the miners and also dominates in many other fields. Shanghai is a very innovative area with newly built free trade zone, which makes it a perfect candidate for hosting such an event.

How many people will attend? How many tickets have been sold?

We estimate 800-1,000 attendees. Currently we have sold 200 tickets, and more are being sold every day.

Anything exciting about the expo that you would like to recommend to the Chinese bitcoiners?

The attendees can look forward to lots of different topics supervised by personalities from across the industry and for the opportunity to make connections at the bombastic party on Friday. Everyone can join the workshops focused on mining and security, which will explain the most recent trends in a very interactive way. But what really makes our expo different from any of the others is the atmosphere where various kinds of attendees can meet in a friendly way and discuss business partnerships, get new contacts and customers.

Any problems with the Chinese government during the preparations?

Fortunately, part of our team has been in China for a considerable amount of time by now, so we have the needed knowledge about the Chinese law. Thanks largely to that, we avoided any potential law problems.

Funny or otherwise interesting anecdotes?

You can never meet so many businessmen in suits acting in such a casual way as during Bitcoin Expo 2014!

What do you think of the Chinese bitcoin scene in general?

Well, it's huge. It's the largest Bitcoin market, but we believe it's possible to develop its potential even more. You can find a lot of successful Bitcoin businesses within China, new ones are arising everyday, that is a very good trend. Yet the grey zone in regulation is a little confusing for many users and entrepreneurs. I'm very confident when talking about Bitcoin's future in China, because the country with the world's highest user base will definitely find a way to embrace Bitcoin in a sustainable way.