2022 end of year lookback: The return of work travel & wider Bitcoin (BSV) scope

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Sometimes it’s hard to grasp what a wild year it’s been until you pause to take a look back. It’s crazy to think at the beginning of 2022, travel was severely disrupted due to pandemic-related restrictions, and everything was online. Only until I went back across 2022 did I realize just how far we’ve come with travel, but also how far we’ve come—and I’ve come—with the Bitcoin (BSV) and blockchain ecosystem.

As my Bitcoin knowledge and set of contacts grew across 2022, my scope broadened from the gambling, iGaming and gaming industries to everything and anything that can benefit from the greatest invention since the internet. In fact, now I find myself covering the blockchain tracks of IEEE, IoT and IPv6 events, something that would have been completely over my head just one year ago.

To help remember what events I attended and where across the year, I did exactly what you’d expect…reviewed my videos on CoinGeek.com. I has a huge smile on my face while going through this process, simply because the exercise brought back amazing memories and also highlighted the clear path to Bitcoin’s bright future ahead.

LEAP 2022, Riyadh – February

It’s funny to think I was a bit nervous to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because out of all my travels in 2022, this one trip was my favorite. I loved witnessing the excitement at LEAP, especially with future tech and Saudi Vision 2030, hence the government’s interest in blockchain tech. Keep your eyes on this rapidly evolving region as its about to explode with innovation. Don’t believe me? Check out The Line in NEOM for starters…

Player Protection Forum, London – March

While London is my home base, it was a real treat to finally have an in-person event in early March (imagine that!!). The team at KnowNow put on a great show for gambling industry professionals who are focused on Responsible Gambling and Player Protection, the perfect platform for nChain’s Kensei solution, the exact reason why I was there.

AIBC Dubai – March

Our friends at AIBC hosted thousands of blockchain and crypto professionals in Dubai in late March, my first trip to the region and most certainly not the last. Each day of the show, the Bitcoin Association organized a BSV blockchain-focused track and hosted guests and interested parties at a booth on the bustling expo floor.

ICE London – April

I’ve attended every ICE London since 2006, a gambling industry event that will forever remain special in my heart. The 2022 edition of ICE will always stand out from the rest as I came down with COVID a few days before the event kicked off, finally testing negative on the morning of Day 2. Lucky for me, I was able to reschedule my blockchain-related interviews from the first day, so in the end, it all worked out.

Global IEEE 5G-IoT Blockchain Summit Rabat- May

When I think of Morocco I think of Casablanca and I’m guessing I’m not alone in this. In order to reach Rabat, I actually flew into Casablanca but after witnessing the chaos at the airport, I think Rabat—Morocco’s capital—might be a better fit for me. Rabat itself was beautiful, clean and safe. I enjoyed the IEEE event at the local university and of course the lively group dinners with the likes of local professors, Latif Ladid and Dr. Wright.

BSV Global Blockchain Convention Dubai – May

Calvin’s conference—which has now been rebranded to London Blockchain Conference (please join us May 31-June 2, 2023!)—is growing into the “Woodstock” of the blockchain space, with a special focus on the superpowers of BSV blockchain in particular. I spent the majority of my time in Dubai conducting interviews with speakers and moderating panels on stage, loving every minute of the luxurious official hotel because it was far too hot to go outside!

Blockchain 4 Gaming Conference & CoinGeek Bitcade Warsaw – June

Although I’ve broadened my scope from the gaming world for CoinGeek, I still attend gaming-focused events and believe this industry is going to benefit greatly from the mass adoption of blockchain tech. This event in Warsaw was special because it was held at an actual eSports venue and was a natural fit for a packed CoinGeek Bitcade straight after the conference.

Global IoT Summit Dublin – June

IoT is such an amazing and exciting space and within it blockchain tech will certainly become its plumbing. Dr. Wright’s keynote at this event was a highlight, alongside food supply chain and blockchain panels and other academics speaking on blockchain and where it fits with future tech.

Gearing up for the big keynote! 😃#IPv6 #BSVBlockchain #IEEE #Dublin #IoTWeek2022 @gavinlucas110 @RealCoinGeek @Latifv6 @Dr_CSWright @SebPloetzeneder pic.twitter.com/d1SqiuKlXX

— Rebecca Liggero Fontana (@RebeccaLiggero) June 20, 2022

Unbounded Capital Summit, New York City – September

Due to a massive construction project my husband and I have undertaken on our London home, I spent a good amount of Q3 and Q4 in the Boston area working from my parents’ place. It was an absolute pleasure to hop on a train and join the Unbounded Capital team at their summit in NYC, an event geared towards “showing vs. telling” investors the innovation happening within the real Bitcoin (BSV) ecosystem.

iGaming Idol & iGaming NEXT Malta- September

This event was not one that I attended for CoinGeek, rather the organizers invited me to host their fabulous iGaming Idol Awards and moderate a blockchain and iGaming fireside chat with a big name in the iGaming world. iGaming NEXT featured quite a few sessions dedicated to blockchain tech and its surrounding buzzwords such as metaverse, NFTs, tokens and more, a good sign that blockchain tech is on its way to becoming more mainstream.

IEEE Future Networks World Forum, Montreal – October

Montreal is a city I hold near and dear to my heart as it was once home to GiGse, one of the biggest online gambling industry events. In fact, the venue for the Future Networks World Forum was the exact same as GiGse’s, so the entire experience was filled with amazing memories even though the subject matter and surrounding social activities could not have been more different.

IEEE Exeter Blockchain Event – November

Professor Jack Rogers of the University of Exeter is an absolute gem, but also a forward-thinker when it comes to future technologies and exposing his students to the best blockchain technology in existence. This event was full of positive energy and a unified view of educating intelligent young adults on the technology that will power their future.

Blockchain, tourism and the future of the internet conference, Mallorca- December

The highlights video from this incredibly special experience will be out in the near year, but it will be full of eye candy, everything from the magnificent private estate in which we stayed to olive tree groves to horseback riding, bespoke five-star cuisine and mountainous views of Mallorca. The purpose of this Gate2Chain-organized event was to educate the local tourism industry on how blockchain-powered tech can solve problems in their space, a concept that was a huge success and drew in all sorts of interested big names from the island.

So excited to be here! #Mallorca @Gate2Chain @RealCoinGeek @nChainGlobal @Dr_CSWright @Latifv6 pic.twitter.com/d2Go5H5lvd

— Rebecca Liggero Fontana (@RebeccaLiggero) December 1, 2022

IEEE 5G IoT Blockchain Summit, Alexandria – December

Considering the number of events I’ve attended throughout my career, I’ve been pretty lucky with travel. But not this time. While the event went forward on the 19th of December, sadly I was not able to make it due to the perfect storm of snow in Europe and holiday season travel. My flight was cancelled last minute, and I spent the weekend at Heathrow in lines and on the phone, both trying to rebook my flight and track down my checked bag. Due to all my information being held in different silos across different departments and airlines, everything was a mess and my bag was sent to Egypt days after my cancelled flight, even though I never went!

So, going into the New Year, I will leave you with this…imagine a world with all our data stored on one immutable ledger, that all the relevant parties such as airlines could access. Thanks to the BSV blockchain, this is what you have to look forward to. Happy Holidays everyone!