About 5 weeks ago when I was doing the dishes it suddenly popped up to me. "Steemit is great, how cool would it be if many steemians from all over the world would meet in real life". And so the idea of SteemFest (working title SteemCon) was born.
Tbh the whole Steemit launch and vibe reminded me of the early days of Twitter, where you got to know so many new people in such short time, but only online, and when we finally met at a meetup it was epic. I still have many friends and acquaintances from that period.
This idea of a global "conference" to enable steemians to meetup kept 'bugging' me and I started talking to some people from the community on Steemit.chat how they would feel about this... Overall the response was: "Great! when can i book my flight?" So i knew I hit somewhat of a "want" here...
I really like the local meetups and they really add value to the Steem ecosystem but for SteemFest the "vision" is to bring many steemians from all over the world together to nurture new IRL relationships, learn from each other and just have great fun.
Since this idea was "kinda big" from the get go I wanted to have official endorsement by Steemit HQ in the USA so I reached out to @ned on Steemit.chat with the following:
Ned, I'm dabbling with the idea of having some kind of bigger get-together... Like a conference but not too corporate but try to embrace the Steemit frontpage feel in a day full of diverse content... Sort of Ted X meets Pecha Kucha etc. Best of confs (imho) is to meet other people and most fun I recall was meeting twitter people for the first time IRL...
Amsterdam could be a fitting place, but I am biased... but might be nice to cut ties from home for a few days 🙂 Have you guys thought about something like this already?
Before coding I studied Hospitality Management, worked at a festival for a couple of years, and have afterwards organized a couple of hackathons (organizing 1 at the moment too).
Think about it...!
And yes, he was very enthusiastic about the idea. So from there my thoughts where: Wow, this can just really happen!
And so it will!
Really proud to pre-announce this! So you can save the date for:
SteemFest 201611 - 12 - 13 November
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(Yessss @cass is officially aboard ofcourse :D with great designs!)
What will it be all about?Steemit is different compared to other 'Blockchains'. You might have heard the term "Blogging is the new mining", and yes Steemit is a great mix of diverse thinkers, technophiles, libertarians, crypto enthusiasts and creative people in general.
The conference global program schedule will be as followed:
Friday 11 November (Day 0): People fly/travel to Amsterdam. Night drinks in the official conference hotel (package deal will be announced asap) Volkshotel.nl
Saturday 12 November (Day 1): Plenary Conference. In the morning we go by boats from the Volkshotel to the Conference Venue in the city centre. The conference will be as diverse as Steemit's Frontpage. 20 minute pecha kucha / Ted X style presentations. Part of the program is already set, and the rest will be open for your suggestion (soon more on that). In the second room workshops, and well have Lunch, Dinner and a Night party (with Steem Djs) in this place too.
Note: This day will be livestreamed and recorded, so no one will miss out (well,... Amsterdam of course), even if you somehow can't make it!
Sunday 13 November (Day 3):Unconference day, called the "Red Light Mashup" where we are able to enjoy a "late sunday breakfast" in the hotel (until noon) and go on a longer boat tour along the canals to the oldest part of Amsterdam, which won't be that much about XXX in on a sunday during daytime and you can 'hook'up with fellow steemians as a diverse set of activities is planned nearby for you to pick: Guided tours, climb the Old Church tower, visit a weird attic museum on the canals, follow a workshop, grab a coffee, explore side street surprises and we have a base hangout (looking at a former arcade hall at the moment), all within the vicinity of one-other. This lazy sunday afternoon is followed by a closing dinner and drinks in the Volkshotel.
Costs $$$ and Wins. How does 1000 Steem Power sound to you?So yes: drinks, lunches, dinners, open bars, conference venues that must cost a shitload right?
The idea of this event is also to show the power of Steemit and next to support from Steemit HQ, quite some whales are supporting SteemFest and therefore help lower the ticket price a great bunch for SteemFest to make it as accessible as possible for any Steemian to join.
Very soon (this week) we will communicate the conference ticket price. We are even working on a 'Steem Travel Reimbursement Fund' where you can apply to get part of your trip paid by this fund, based on miles travelled!
What we can already say is that Steemit HQ has this supercool (!!!) offer for all Steemians showing up (with a ticket (available soon)) in Amsterdam: 1000 SteemPower onto your account!
We have also bargained a great package deal for the Volkshotel for the given dates and more info will be published on that soon. This will be the official hotel and key events (opening drinks, closing dinner, boat departures) will happen from here, so its great to book a room there. Soon more info. We have blocked 130 rooms for the conference, so that would mean the hotel would be practically owned by Steem people. LOL.
What can you do now already?
Save 11-12-13 November 2016 in your agenda and book a flight / train / start arranging visas!
Follow @steemfest the official account for SteemFest
Signup via SteemFest.com
Wait with booking a hotel until we announce our hotel package and ticket price.
Soon to be published on @steemfest
Conference Ticket price (trying to make it 1/4 of the costprice per person)
Hotel package details for the official conference venue "Volkshotel" (130 rooms blocked)
Infos on the Travel Reimbursement Fund to claim back (part of your) travel costs
First names and 'call for program ideas'
Financially I can say is that this event will be run of @steemfest which will turn into a multisignature account very soon (before sponsor money will be put on the account). More info on that soon, but you can already check @xeroc's recent posts if you want to learn more about multi-signature steem accounts.
All proceedings from this post will be transferred to the @steemfest account and help fund SteemFest 1
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So cool, I've been dying to talk about this :)
@krystle and I haven't been on a holiday or really away from my kids for more then 5hrs for 7+ years now , and to be honest I haven't reaaaally been bothered by it.. Till now.
I'm super keen, I'll do everything I can to get there and I love that you guys are working to cut costs but even after discounts I would probably be looking at a pretty big cost (more then I've ever made from steem, even if we fastforward the 2yr withdrawal delay)..
However.. I'm here for the long term, money isn't my primary goal, and the networking opportunity would be priceless. Fingers crosssed I'll be seeing you all there !
Babe we still have over a month to figure out how to raise the funds, you know I'm committed to finding a way to send you.
I really think this is a great idea and I really think it would be awesome to meet and network with everyone going, it's a massive commitment and expense but it really could be worth the effort.
As i've said I am happy to donate all of the earnings I've made here on steemit to go towards the cost in sending you, at the moment it won't help much but we still have a month and who knows what will happen in that time.
That doesn't feel fair at all.. We'll work it out :)
i would contribute $250 SBD to your flights! Hope this helps!
Whoa thats such a generous offer @cass thankyou so much !
And thankyou to everyone that upvoted these I wasn't intending to beg for money here with my rambly comments!
I'll save everything I get from now till steemfest to cover costs and post an update once we have a better picture of what it'll take :)
I'm in the same boat. I would love to be part of this wonderful networking opportunity and meet Steemians in person, even if that means flying to Amsterdam from Australia. FirstI'll have to find a way of raising funds for the trip, and apply for leave from work. But the most challenging thing for me is to convince my wife, who is still in her first trimester of pregnancy. (btw, Steemit is the first to hear about her pregnancy, even before Facebook).
Hopefully, if all the stars align, I will see all of you in Amsterdam!
It would be great to meet you if you can manage it, and congratulations on the pregnancy :)
Thank you so much @ausbitbank. I would love to meet you in person too.
Btw, I just told my wife about this. Understandably, she is a bit hesitant, but hasn't closed the door on the idea. The more I think about this, The more excited I am about it, and more keen on coming. I'm hopeful that we could make it work.
upvote and hope work :)
What if someone created a post or a plan for people to contribute SBD to people who want to come but can't afford it? I would like very much to contribute to a pot like that.
The blockchain could pay for up to 1000 plane tickets, and give a ticket to every steem power holder with over $1000 worth of steem power who is willing or able to go, but can't afford a ticket
Hey @andrarchy yes this is going to be created we call it 'The Travel Reimbursement Plan'..
This was mentioned in the post! We will start an inquiry soon for this. Stay tuned.
Best is to follow @steemfest and / or subscribe via the site http://steemfest.com
Great to hear Ausbitbank!
Note that we are also working on setting up the 'Travel ReImbursement Fund' about which we will post more soo.
If you want to stay up2date on all recent developements, follow @steemfest and subscribe to the list via http://steemfest.com
Awesome ill be following and i subscribed , thanks for all your hard work organising this :)
FULL SUPPORT!
I'll contribute SBD i'll collect with "steemfest" related posts till venue date :) Well Done!
Steempay.io will also forward some SBD from it's posts to help financing this awsome project. Keep up the good work!
Cheers to the Steempay.io team! :)
Really looking forward to meeting you and @steve-walschot at the convention!
Count me in!
Fantastic @roelandp! I've been waiting for this for a while! I really hope to be able to make it to the event. This is going to be expensive for sure but I know it will be worth the long distance travel! I'm glad you took the initiative to make this happen and cheers to all the whales and @ned/Steemit for endorsing your proposal.
I think this is going to be huge! A great opportunity to meet some known and new people from Steemit. Awaiting further details!
Btw, It goes without saying @roelandp that if you think that I could be of any help in putting this together, feel free to ask!
I second @firepower. And @roelandp ask up if anything.
And can't wait to see you guys there! :D
This is awesome! Can't wait to catch that flight now! :D
I can't wait!
Looks like we will be in Holland 11 - 12 - 13 November @fabien
ahahaha
Definitely coming. Count me in! If you need help organising or something else contact me
Great work from you and @cass and great initiative! Definitly the place to be in November!
I'll be there!
So good to hear, congrats and all for one and one for all! Namaste :)
Awesome work, Roeland. This will be one for the record books.
woo hoo
Hoping this will be a huge success for Steemit and everyone part of the community!
count me in... i can cover the photography videography section of the event. its my job anywayzz. :)
He makes exceptional work! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++++++++
Thanks steemy for your offer WOW!
some of his work..
see his professionals videos here...
https://vimeo.com/ioannischatzis/videos
Guys it is very difficult for me to come, BUT I will make everything is possible to eventually come with my wife Maria ! It will be 100% worth to make it successful! It could turn out the best PR move that ever happened to steemit... I hope all great authors, developers, witnesses, investors will be there... It would be awesome to meet all of you in person guys and girls!
really hope you guys can make it!
Really well said!
I will contribute to this initiative as well.
You da man! \m/
Awesome. Will definitely try to come! :)
try ? Get out of this jail mate AHAH !
you must come :)
Count me in.
Great idea with the travel reimbursement fund; I will pay for the trip myself.
I hope that helps support others.
Great, I already advertized the event to a company employee (ad campaigns) here in Amsterdam.
Shla-Rafia - Quality Promo Since 2013
thanks Shla-Rafia!!! You the King!!!
Thanks, I want to print flyers. My listeners are also kings. From this morning:
King on, :-)
cool cool. verify with @cass he is the king design as you most probably know :)
@cass Could you post a little flyer so I can print it?
Like SteemFest and a link to my profile. Would be nice.
sounds like a great idea-we could perhaps incorporate an "ideas session"/brainstorm into the conference so that steemit knows how to grow whilst taking along the smaller participants.
for example the platform itself could be more user friendly--like being able to upload pictures from your own laptop rather than going to the internet to get pictures....
i have not seen a help feature on the site either which most sites do have as a basic ......
thanks for this suggestion, really love this!!! will you attend?
I was just talking to @kryptik about this, and he let me know on #steemprentice that this post was trending. So we have a location and dates! This is awesome!
I am going to be very, VERY curious about the travel reimbursement, as I live in Alabama and work for peanuts most days (love the job though), so I'm not in the whale category for being able to afford a trip to the Netherlands. That said, if there is a way I can make it there, I will go. Absolutely love Steemit, love the people here, and would love to be part of our first international gathering.
What a great idea. I love Amsterdam and steemit and I will definitely try to make it there.
This is one of those 'once-in-lifetime' chances.
Can't wait to meet all you awesome guys in person.
Thanks for all the great work so far @roelandp !
And now I do my dishes hoping an amazing idea like this will also pop up ;-)
Finally out, count me in... ;-)
As you know already ! I be there ! I am flying in from Bali with stop in Munich , Vienna and Amsterdam for ADE and of course this Festival can't be missed. Can't wait ! 💃💃💃
And we shall meet! :D Looking forward to this event!
I am so excited to see this come to fruition! I feel we may all need to wear our @usernames. I have multiple people I would love to meet in person and have so many ideas that I may not be able to sleep until this time.
@roelandp thank you so much for putting this together. As much money as I can will be saved for this event. Please let me know if there are any ways in which I can help you with this monumental endeavor.
Wow, super excited to see an official announcement. @roelandp really really appreciate all your efforts. I know that holding and arranging of such events is extremely difficult, so send you all possible words of support.
I Look forward seeing all you guys personally. Already checking flights for these dates.
So, Amsterdam, I'm coming
Epic, where from? Be sure to follow @steemfest and consider subscribing the list via http://steemfest.com (only email necessary, username helps!)
I'll come from Moscow. Already subscribed
That sounds amazing. I just uploaded a post about my trip to Amsterdam a few hours ago :D Anyway, i would love to come back, especially for the Steem fest!
Amsterdam is a LONG way away but I'll see what I can do about making those dates work. Fantastic idea and thank you for putting this together.
I cant imagine a better place for it!
Great! The perfect city for this kind of event! :)
Aww yeah! Sounds AWESOME!! :)
PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
This is sooo cool! Thanks roelandp :) There's just no way I'm not coming :D
Outstanding idea, I hope I can save enough money to cover a plane ticket before then, 2 months and counting.
Super! I think our team will be with you!
https://steemit.com/steemit/@dmilash/first-steemit-meetup-in-minsk-belarus-pervaya-vstrecha-steemit-v-minske-belarus
Many already have a visa.
What a great idea!!!
This is something I would go to and volunteer at, I can't wait for more information to see if I can swing it! All the luck in this, everyone
Perfect! Just the occasion I've been waiting for! How can I not be there...?! :) See you all soon.
hell yes, we want in!
wwwwoooooooooooo!, where from? Be sure to follow @steemfest and consider subscribing the list via http://steemfest.com (only email necessary, username helps!)
We definitely will! We are from Pennsylvania USA!
This sounds awesome!! I'll do my best to be able to join.
How do we sign up to be considered for a Ted X presentation?
Call for program ideas will be posted soon I think beginning next week after the first names.
Awesome! Bookmarking: $b.conference $b.steemfest
Another great stunt of attraction. Looking forward to hear more on this promotion.
wow.. i will joined..
I hope I can make it... I spent 15 months in this wonderful city and it would be great to be able to pop back and especially meet my fellow enthusiasts.
and it's not expensive for me to go, only 100EUR round trip. even if i live on the other side of the europe
Amsterdam is the perfect location for this incredible gathering!
Whoa this is pure awesomeness! Wish I lived on that side of the planet!
it's plane simple: earth is flat.
This comment is underrated. :DD
@roelandp
This is great. I wish I could fly there but unfortunately I am not able to. Hopefully you will have a live coverage of the event.
there will be livestreaming yes. and recordings. and video. and photos. and a #HASHTAG :)
Got those days off work so i would love to join you and to get to know some of the amazing people on here.
Gotta scrape together the funds, better start looking for tickets early.
Damn you Norway and your heavy taxation on every single thing, even if we pay tax of our hard earned money we gotta pay tax again when purchasing...anything.
Looking forward to the upcoming updates @roelandp
well you are in Norway.... you are rich in Amsterdam!
Hehe not every Norwegian is rich, works the same way like it does in every messed up economic society. The rich will get richer and the common man struggles on with his paycheck ;)
But it has always been a wish of mine to visit Amsterdam and this seems like the perfect opportunity to do so, a much needed "vacation"
Your almost neighbors agree. :P
If I only had more money but I'm broke as fuck. :(
It's so close. 2 hours to airport and 2.5 hour flight to Amsterdam. Flight is only about 200 euros...
I think I have try to get more SBDs :)
This sounds increadible! So psyched that you're organizing. I joined the Steemit book club and after the first call last night I felt so excited to be able to connect over the phone to fellow Steemers. In person would be such a blast!
Awesome!
Will try to join.
What a huge idea! Can't wait to hear more about it, joy!!! Thank you for posting and informing us all about this news. Namaste :)