S12 E5: Rodolfo Andragnes on Labitconf’s 10th Anniversary (Buenos Aires, November 10-13, 2022)

Rodolfo Andragnes is a man of many firsts. He was one of the first Argentinians to discover and adopt Bitcoin, and he’s used this opportunity to reshape the reality around him. As an advertisement and business graduate, Rodolfo found himself at the avant-garde of finance, technology, and art. By looking at his resume, it’s no surprise that he ended up being so rigorous with the artistic side of his Bitcoin conferences.

In 2022, Labitconf (Latin American Bitcoin Conference, or La Bitcoin Conference) celebrates its 10th annual edition. This makes the event the longest-running of its kind in the entire world. The anniversary represents a legitimate reason to return to Buenos Aires, Argentina for the third time in the conference’s existence. And since 2022 is the year when the FIFA World Cup tournament takes place in Quatar, Labitconf 2022 received a makeover which reflects the football (for US citizens, soccer) event.

Why go to such great lengths to represent something that has very little to do with Bitcoin? Well, football is the most popular sport in Argentina (the country which gave us legends such as Diego Armando Maradona, Mario Kempes, Alfredo Di Stefano, and Lionel Messi). And as you’re about to find out from this interview, Labitconf is the Lollapalooza of Bitcoin conferences – an event which puts artistic expression in the center of all technical talks and gives all audiences something that they’ll enjoy to discover.

Between November 10 and 13 of 2022, more than 5000 attendees are expected to enjoy the Labitconf experience. Sure, there will be talks from some of the biggest names in Bitcoin. But around the venue, you will also find a real football match that takes place between two teams and the kind of food which gets served in stadiums. Sure, it’s a great networking event for professionals. But it’s also an opportunity for enthusiasts to take their understanding to the next level and figure out the stuff that’s being built during this bear market.

Most importantly for myself and the Bitcoin Takeover project, Labitconf 2022 is also the event where the Spanish edition of the BTCTKVR magazine gets launched. Translator @roberto-scott will be at the venue to deal with the logistics and around 300 copies of the magazine will be distributed to the attendees. So if you attend the 10th anniversary of Labitconf, take a good look at this cover and look for the Braiins booth (the most likely spot to find a print).

Naturally, none of these would have happened if it wasn’t for the relentless and contagious enthusiasm of Rodolfo Andragnes – the mastermind behind these 10 annual editions of Labitconf. While his creation of ONG Bitcoin Argentina has helped local bitcoiners receive free education, his “Coordinator General” role at Labitconf has put the entire Latin America on the world map as an interesting destination for bitcoiners.

Grab your tickets to Labitconf 2022!

Listen to Rodolfo Andragnes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube!

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Time stamps:

00:50 – Intro

02:40 – In 2013 when the first Labitconf took place, everything was about Bitcoin

05:25 – Why Labitconf is like Lollapalooza

08:25 – Labitconf 2022 guests and projects from Argentina

10:05 – Why does Mastercard sponsor Labitconf?

13:35 – If we win, we’ll win regardless of centralized institutions

17:10 – Regular people and Bitcoin

21:20 – Scaling is a matter of time

23:16 – How does Labitconf stay fresh every year?

29:20 – Labitconf goes to a different country every year

32:30 – Will locals speak at Labitconf?

32:33 – Will there be a livestream?

35:40 – Tourism and nomadism

40:38 – Highlights from previous editions of Labitconf

45:35 – Speakers who weren’t at Labitconf yet

48:45 – Bitcoin Core developers who attended Labitconf

49:20 – Bitcoin NFTs on Counterparty at Labitconf?

50:40 – Labitconf football team

53:40 – Professional Argentinian football player coming to Labitconf?

55:30 – The charity side of Labitconf

56:40 – Satsconf in Brazil, Labitconf in Argentina, Adopting Bitcoin in El Salvador

01:01:20 – The food at Labitconf 2022

01:03:00 – Crazy Bitcoin mobile game (Hyper Bitcoin)

01:04:00 – Can you still apply to speak at Labitconf?

01:06:15 – BTCTKVR magazines at Labitconf 2022

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