Top 5 Highlights of 2024: It’s been a strange year…in a good way

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2024 has been a strange year…everything from dramatic court cases to turbulent CEOs to polarizing presidential elections…its been a wild ride to say the least! But not necessarily in a bad way. 

It’s been an amazing year for me, one of grounding and going back to my roots in more ways than one. I’ve learned valuable life lessons and have been reminded that sometimes things are not what they seem. I enjoyed more time in London this year, a nice break from the norm and a chance to focus on the amazing opportunities right here on my doorstep.

Looking back on this strange year, I’d like to share five happy highlights as we head into what I think will be BSV‘s biggest year yet.

Media Partner of London Blockchain Conference (LBC) 2024

One of the amazing London-based opportunities I mentioned above is the London Blockchain Conference (LBC) 2024. I relished the contagious buzz throughout the expo floor, moderating two insightful panels and conducting talk-show-style interviews with VIPs at the swanky CoinGeek studio. The incredible news is that LBC 2025 is shaping up to be something special, with a series of events and webinars leading up to the big day(s) next fall.

I’m looking forward to being a media partner of this first-class event, which will bring together enterprises, governments, regulators, and other C-levels who want to learn and shout about future tech, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and IPv6. 

Speaking at online gambling industry events 

As our loyal readers are already well aware, I come from the online gambling industry and still have deep ties to this unique space. In 2024, I was invited to speak at three conferences in the sector, Prague Gaming & Tech Summit, iGB Live!, and European Gaming Congress, but without my usual CoinGeek camera crew in tow. Rather, I rekindled relationships with my contacts, engaged in numerous conversations with the blockchain-curious, moderated future tech panels, and chaired a startup Launch Pad, all activities I plan to ramp up in 2025 and beyond.

Welcoming more fabulous females in tech 

After spending nearly two decades in tech-heavy industries, I can safely say there are more and more females joining us each and every year.

In fact, 2024 struck me as a turning point of sorts in terms of increased female participation in events. For example, 22% of LBC 2024 speakers were female, in addition to a female emcee and a dedicated Women in Blockchain side event. I was also delighted to moderate an all-female tech panel at the European Gaming Congress and attend a Blockchain Building 101 at the Block Dojo HQ during the United Kingdom’s first Women in Tech week, all brilliant steps in the right direction.

Nikki Beach groundbreaking in Antigua

You might be wondering, what does this have to do with anything? Let me fill you in. 

CoinGeek’s founder, Calvin Ayre, commenced his Jolly Harbour Antigua Nikki Beach project in October and everything about it just warms my heart. Why? I have a lot of love for Antigua—it’s the location where I had my initial job interview with the Ayre Group (15 years ago!! See below!), followed by several visits, including my 40th birthday bash—and the Nikki Beach project will bring new opportunities to the island and my dear friends who reside there.

The resort will also include a wellness element, the feature I’m most excited about. The fabulous Nikki Beach Antigua is set to open its doors in 2028 and I know they say never to wish your time away, but maybe its ok just this one time…

15-year anniversary with Ayre Group

…and 2028 is not that far off when you think about it. To put it in perspective, I’ve been on the media side of the Ayre Group since 2009 and those 15 years have absolutely flown by! I’m so proud to be a part of this incredible team and journey, including all the road bumps that have come along with it. Looking back on this year in particular—certainly a strange year for anyone in BSV—I think sometimes it takes going through a time of uncertainty and turbulence to reveal the best path going forward. We are now on that path.

It’s always been a long game here at CoinGeek, not a short-term popularity contest, and I can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store…with Teranode coming online, I’m predicting a future tech explosion…what about you? 

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