‘Crypto Current Conference’ To Cash In On Cryptocurrency, Blockchain Concepts

To bitcoin, or not to bitcoin? That is the question. 

Whether it’s a phantom supply of currency, or one that could lead to outrageous fortune…

Richard Carthon, the founder and principal of cryptocurrency and blockchain education platform Crypto Current, is hosting New Orleans’ first-ever cryptocurrency and blockchain conference on Friday, March 15, at the New Orleans Jazz Market, 1436 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Carthon said his Crypto Current Conference is on the money, and will help people stay “crypto current” by giving access to asset information and resources to better understand cryptocurrency (a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank) and blockchain (a system in which a record of transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency is maintained across several computers that are linked in a peer-to-peer network).

The conference’s agenda features keynote speakers and panel discussions with representatives of industry leaders including Bitcoin.com, Coincierge Club, Saxo Bank and Tulane University.

More than 100 cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiasts are expected to attend, and sponsorship opportunities are still available. 

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Leslie’s List readers can reserve their space and save $25 if they use discount code BIZ when buying single tickets for the conference.

Gold ticket packages cost $500 for 10 tickets, and Platinum ticket packages cost $1,000 for $25 tickets.

Louisiana native and New Orleans resident Carthon, who graduated cum laude from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, also hosts social meet-ups and produces podcasts, blogs and social media posts about cryptocurrency and blockchain. 

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He invested some time with Biz to talk about the upcoming Crypto Current Conference:

 

Leslie Snadowsky: Why create cryptocurrency and blockchain education platform Crypto Current? Is interest in cryptocurrency still going strong?

Richard Carthon: The interest in cryptocurrency is definitely still going strong. I have discovered that this is especially true after people have the technology properly explained to them. There is a major gap that is being created between people who know little about cryptocurrency and blockchain and people who know a significant amount. Once I learned more about everything that is happening in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space and how complex it is, I wanted to be able to explain it to people in a more digestible way. That is the reason why I created Crypto Current. 

 

L.S.: What’s the most important thing people need to know about the cryptocurrency landscape?

R.C.: Cryptocurrency is still in its infancy. This is still just the beginning of an emerging opportunity. People need to pay attention to what’s going on in the space and educate themselves to be able to capitalize on the opportunities in the space. 

 

L.S.: What’s the easiest way to explain what a blockchain is?

R.C.: Think of it as a massive immutable database that cannot be corrupted. The blockchain network lives in a state of consensus; the network reconciles every transaction that happens in 10-minute intervals. Each group of these transactions is referred to as a ‘block.’ A network of so-called computing ‘nodes’ make up the blockchain.

 

L.S.: You’re hosting the Crypto Current Conference next week. Who should go to your conference, and what will they learn?

R.C.: Our conference is meant for people who are new or know nothing about cryptocurrency or blockchain; people who know about cryptocurrency and blockchain and are trying learn more and grow their network; and people who are experts and want to meet other thought leaders or be seen as thought leaders. By highlighting interesting cryptocurrency and blockchain projects, our conference will give attendees the opportunity to educate themselves, engage with others, and embrace the laissez-faire of New Orleans.

 

L.S.: Tell me about your keynote speakers Sterlin Lujan with Bitcoin.com, Carl Fravel with Decentraland and Rachel Siegel with Crypto Finally. 

R.C.: Sterlin Lujan will give a great presentation on the history of money and how it applies to cryptocurrency; Carl Fravel will be discussing the future of virtual reality on the blockchain; and Rachel Siegel is discussing millennials and mass adoption. Additionally we have three unique panel discussions on legal matters, taxes, accounting and opportunity zones; the importance of education on cryptocurrency and blockchain; and the future of cryptocurrency.

 

L.S.: It seems that cryptocurrency’s value is very erratic. Why should people still invest in cryptocurrency? Do you think there will be a time in the future where cryptocurrency will have the same legitimacy as cash?

R.C.: Let me preface this by saying this is not financial advice. I believe people should invest in cryptocurrency for multiple reasons, but the biggest reason is because of its underlying technology, blockchain. You have large institutions spending billions of dollars on blockchain including Amazon, IBM, Walmart and others. Additionally, cryptocurrency is on a large international stage.

I would argue that cryptocurrency, in some cases, already has the same legitimacy as cash. For example, I have a colleague that lives in the Philippines working in oil and gas. Every time he would get paid, he would send some of that money back to his family in the U.S. It would take a couple of weeks for the money to clear, and after all of the money conversations about 40 percent of the transactions would be lost to fees. He then decided to start converting that money to bitcoin and transferring it to his family. Now, sending money to his family takes a couple of hours and costs a couple of dollars. This example and several others like it is why cryptocurrency is being used so widely internationally because it simplifies conversion rates and speeds up the process for money transactions. 

 

L.S.: Will cryptocurrency remain a growth industry? How popular do you think cryptocurrency will become in the future?

R.C.: A great way to see how the cryptocurrency market is currently doing is by checking out coinmarketcap.com. This website allows you to see the top cryptocurrencies that are being traded, its market supply, price and much more. If you want to learn more about a particular cryptocurrency, all you have to do is click on that cryptocurrency and it will bring you to a page that shows you its website and how it has been performing in the market. 

I think cryptocurrency will either crash and burn and be worth nothing, or be one of the next biggest things – the new internet of my generation. There are so many resources being poured into cryptocurrency and the technology behind it that I believe it will have no choice but to be a great success or a huge failure. That is why I am educating myself as much as I can in this space because the opportunities it presents. 

 

L.S.: When you think about your portfolio – cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. – what percentage do you recommend for cryptocurrency investments?

R.C.: Again, let me preface this by saying this is not financial advice. I would put cryptocurrency as a high risk, high reward investment. Therefore, I would put this in the five to 10 percent category. 

 

L.S.: What do you tell people that still need to be convinced of the legitimacy of cryptocurrency?

R.C.: Come check out the Crypto Current Conference! The reason I am bringing together thought leaders in the space that purely want to educate others on cryptocurrency and blockchain is so that we can continue to push this conversation forward. The best way to help people understand what cryptocurrency and blockchain are is to introduce new concepts and then break them down in a digestible way.

 

 

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