This year at Token2049, I actually received many invitations from friends in the crypto space, project parties, and exchanges, all of which I politely declined. Because every September is the busiest time of the year for me. On one hand, it marks the peak sales season of "Golden September and Silver October," and on the other hand, I also need to discuss some group buying business for my side projects.
I like Web3 and was once the best angel for #Bitget. But for me, Web3 is just a pastime. I still have my Web2 job to do, and I have my life and family to take care of.
If Web2 is the foundation of my life, then Web3 is my poetry and distant place. Only by establishing a solid foundation can I provide a more comfortable and stable living environment for myself and my family, and pursue poetry and distant places.
Though my body is not there, my heart is far away. I can still feel the crypto carnival in WeChat groups and Moments.
During a voice call, I asked my friend Straw Hat what his most profound impression was from attending Token2049. He said, "There were a lot of foreigners on-site, and the atmosphere was clearly more international than at the previous Hong Kong Wanxiang Summit. It might be because of the favorable news about the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts; the suppressed emotions in the crypto space that had been building for half a year finally got released, and cryptocurrencies broke the curse of always dropping during conferences, energizing everyone."
This year's Token2049 "crypto showcase," besides the three major exchanges dominated by Binance, OKX, and Bitget, also featured public chain teams led by Solana, Aptos, Ton, and ETH, along with dazzling project parties and KOLs from all over the world. Most importantly, a large group of old babies even showed up this year!
No matter the industry, innovation and creation have become a current necessity!
For traditional industries, the overall environment is not great right now, and innovation and creativity have become essential! Traditional brands, once they show any innovation, are immediately imitated by competitors, leading to rapid homogenization. Therefore, providing services, organizing events, and innovating have become urgent needs.
The same goes for the crypto industry. This year at Token2049, besides the major exchanges #Binance #OKX #Bitget showcasing their strengths, a whole bunch of second, third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth-tier exchanges also made appearances, demonstrating their capabilities and charm. The big players are securing gold sponsorships, while the smaller ones are setting up booths. Whether it's exchanges, project parties, or public chain teams, hosting cocktail parties is a test of team strength, and inviting KOLs for photo ops is a must-do in the office.
My friend Straw Hat said, "To keep up with the events, I can basically only sleep about 4 hours a day, juggling various roadshows, private gatherings, and cocktail parties. For socializing, everyone even sets their TG or WeChat QR codes as their screensaver; after adding someone, they rush to the next person, often without much time to sit down and chat with friends."
I asked Straw Hat which events left the deepest impression.
He said the most eye-catching was #Bitget's sixth anniversary offline event and CEO meet-up held on September 17. They kicked off the prelude to Token2049. Over 400 people attended the event to communicate face-to-face with Bitget CEO @GracyBitget, and the atmosphere was vibrant. Gracy and family member @xiejiayinBitget took care of every friend present.
For me personally, I am one of Bitget's earliest angels. Since July 2023, I have been continuously buying BGB, and for both emotional and rational reasons, I pay close attention to all of Bitget's movements. BGB is currently my third-largest holding after BTC and SOL.
The biggest highlight of OKX is inviting KOLs to check in at their Singapore office.
I don't know if this event was personally planned by Teng EO @Haiteng_okx, but it was very down-to-earth. As we all know, exchanges not only provide products and services but also convey a sense of security to users. Bitget also publicly opened its Dubai office in April this year, which I know was planned by family member @xiejiayinBitget.
I must say, OKX is really impressive; their office is luxurious, and they invited a considerable number of global KOLs to the site. Wolf @0xKillTheWolf posted videos from the event for everyone to watch. CEO Xu's willingness to publicly show the office represents the exchange's attitude, which is worth learning from for other exchanges! (Ps: Currently, only OKX and Bitget have publicly disclosed their office addresses.)
Solana #Breakpoint2024 is of the highest quality.
Another must-mention is Solana's Breakpoint, which is of very high quality in terms of organization and content, with each project only having 5 minutes to present. Everyone only talks about the essentials and avoids gossip.
Ps: In January 2021, I became an administrator of the Solana Chinese community, when the price of $SOL was 3 USD. My investment strategy was either tenfold or zero, and ultimately I couldn't hold on, selling at over 240 USD, which was still an 80-fold increase.
Most noteworthy: Bitget X La Liga
During the conference, Bitget held a press conference announcing its official partnership with the Spanish La Liga @LaLiga. This cross-industry collaboration not only reflects Bitget's international strategy but also demonstrates BG's determination to integrate sports and crypto spirit.
x.com/bitgetglobal/s...
Most eye-catching: Vitalik singing and pumping online!
Many people are discussing whether ETH is finished, with Vitalik either dating or singing. But I want to say that everyone has their own life. Vitalik @VitalikButerin is one of the absolute leaders of the crypto era. Of course, there's also CZ @cz_binance.
x.com/TylerDurden/st...
Most anticipated: JJ and Vitalik together, entering Web3?
Teacher Da @0xVeryBigOrange mentioned that Vitalik + JJ Lin = Ethereum skyrocketing? But I have indeed noticed that since Fan Bingbing released NFT-related photos mid-year, more and more celebrities want to enter Web3. If this is good for the industry and can help more people understand Web3, I think it's a good thing.
x.com/JJ_Lin/status/...
Conclusion
Before the heat of Token2049 dies down, I hurriedly worked overtime to write this long article to see if I could ride the wave of popularity. Although I didn't attend in person, I gathered the above information through WeChat groups, Moments, and Twitter.
If you have any other information, feel free to share it in the comments.
Finally, many people say that October will usher in a bull market, and I hope the assets in my hands will skyrocket; you can't imagine!