We were lucky enough to host international speakers Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Pamela Morgan and Tatiana Moroz at Australia’s largest Bitcoin meetup for 2014, The Bitcoin Address.

The free and open-to-public event ran over two days in two cities, with over 370 attendees and thousands of livestream viewers worldwide. A key highlight of #TBA14 was a live Q&A platform, allowing anyone to ask a question to our speakers, as voted by global technological consensus.

In under 24 hours, The Bitcoin Address ‘sold out’, with people travelling all around the country for a chance to hear Bitcoin expert Andreas M. Antonopoulos speak. The local Australian Bitcoin community banded together to host a series of events around the visit, including a smart contracts Q&A, Bitcoin 101 sessions and an afterparty at Sydney’s Metropolitan Hotel (bitcoin-friendly, of course).

Andreas spoke about different topics across the two days. In Melbourne, he inspired the audience with his discussion on the revolutionary impacts of Bitcoin in unbanked economies and broken marketplaces. He also shared his personal experiences, his discovery of Bitcoin and the importance of developing user-friendly technology that interface with Bitcoin.

In Sydney, Andreas provided valuable insights on the technical side of some of the more advanced features of the blockchain, and inspired the audience on the potential of its technology. Specifically, he delved into the new features being added to the blockchain such as nLockTime, smart contracts, multi-sig technology, consumer protection features and the danger of early regulation.

US singer-songwriter Tatiana Moroz was also a popular favourite, performing the “Bitcoin Jingle”. She shared about how she discovered a movement that aligned with her personal values and how she has used cryptocurrency to help monetize her music. Bitcoin law and smart contracts expert Pamela Morgan also explained how the blockchain can be used to facilitate and automate complex legal transactions.

The Bitcoin Address was a chance for us to give back to the Australian community. Our customers are an integral part of our growth and this was a way for us to say thank you. It has been quite a year for Bitcoin, and we’ve been quietly reinventing CoinJar, building products for the future of consumer finance.

By far our favourite event for the year, The Bitcoin Address was a whirlwind of incredible and inspiring discourse, beers, sushi and laughs. We can’t wait for the next one.

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