As Bitcoin conferences expand across global markets, creating events that serve both grassroots communities and institutional audiences has become increasingly important. From Europe to the Middle East, these gatherings are evolving beyond networking platforms into spaces for deeper conversations about Bitcoin’s role in finance, technology, and long-term wealth.
In an interview with Coin Edition, Gregg Davis, Producer of Bitcoin Amsterdam and Bitcoin MENA at BTC Inc., discusses how the company adapts its conferences to regional audiences and creates experiences for newcomers and long-time Bitcoiners. He also shares insights into event production, community building, and the expansion of Bitcoin conferences into new markets.
1. When people walk into Bitcoin Amsterdam this year, what are you hoping they’ll experience? Is there anything you’re planning that you think will make this edition feel different from the last one?
We want people to walk in and feel the place is theirs for two days. This is the fifth year in Amsterdam, so the event should feel like a community that has been building together. The BFC Symposium on 4 November is closed-door and focused on Bitcoin treasury, so the public days start with a room of people who have already been working on the hard questions.
2. You’ve seen Bitcoin Amsterdam and Bitcoin MENA grow over the years. When you think about how these events started and where they are now, what’s been the biggest change for you?
The biggest change is that the audience has become more serious about what they’re building and why. When we started, many people came to find out what Bitcoin was. Now more of them come with a company, a fund, or a project, and they want to talk about how it works in practice. Bitcoin MENA started from a simple point: too many regional crypto events had not been delivered, so we set out to build one that did.
3. Amsterdam and the MENA region have very different Bitcoin communities. What works for one audience might not work for the other, so how do you approach planning each event?
We start by listening to the audience, not by copying the last event. MENA is built around family offices and high-net-worth individuals, so the content has to answer questions about wealth, succession, and long-term allocation. Amsterdam has its own community of European builders, institutions, and policy people, so the program has to reflect that. Bitcoin for Corporations and UTXO Management are part of how we reach the GCC, and that work teaches us a lot about what a serious audience expects.
4. People see the speakers, the stages, and the crowds, but there’s a whole lot happening behind the scenes to make it all come together. What’s the part of producing these conferences that people probably never think about?
A show that feels effortless is a lot of work. People having a good time and feeling welcomed takes months of planning: the venue, the schedule, the speakers, the small details that make a room feel right. We also know not everything is for everyone, so a big part of the job is making sure each attendee finds their space, whether that’s a stage, a side event, or a quiet corner of the floor, where they feel great.
5. Bitcoin events bring together people who’ve been in the space for years and people who are only just getting into it. How do you make sure both walk away feeling like they got something out of the experience?
We think about the newcomer and the veteran as two guests with two different needs. The newcomer needs a clear path into the subject and someone to talk to, so we build sessions that start from the basics. The veteran needs to hear something new and meet people who push back. The best experiences happen when they end up in the same conversation, so we try to create spaces where that can happen, like the floor and the side events.
6. BTC Inc. is taking its Bitcoin conferences to more places around the world. What made you feel it was time to take these events beyond their original markets, and is there a particular place you’d love to bring the conference to next?
Bitcoin is not one market, and the people who need good events are everywhere. That’s what pushed us to bring one to the Gulf, and it’s the same logic behind every new market we take on. I won’t speculate about new locations before they are announced, but there is definitely always something on our radar.
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