Over a decade of evolution, for self-justifying personal reasons, a handful of crypto community members have chosen to believe in supporting Bitcoin (BTC), resulting in a narrative that preaches “blockchain is great, bitcoin is bad.”
According to Josselin Tonnellier, founder of Bitcoin exchange StackinSat and organizer of Surfin’ Bitcoin 2022, this particular concept is one of the main obstacles to the wider adoption of BTC in France.
In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph reporter Joseph Hall, Tonnellier discussed several important topics, including the adoption of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in France, the origins and goals of the Surfin Bitcoin Conference, and overcoming challenges during a bear market.
The executive explained that one of the most pressing concerns in France in terms of Bitcoin adoption is the pro-blockchain narrative, which paints a negative picture for Bitcoin. He said:
“Blockchain has been great over the years. Bitcoin sucks. So we try to produce content with well-known Bitcoin enthusiasts and people expect us to explain what Bitcoin really is.”
Regarding the connection between surfing and Bitcoin, the executive stated that the goal of the event is to have a very cold place where the ecosystem can gather and connect. Tonnellier explained:
“We want to have a place by the end of August where we can gather people in a really nice environment so people can enjoy the beach and feel like we’re on vacation talking about bitcoin, we want to be very calm and relaxed, so you don’t” Not many suits and bow ties to be seen. “
Event organizers also highlighted that the country has seen a lot of Web3 and non-fungible token (NFT) events, while Bitcoin has not had much. He added that this prompted their team to put the event together.
related: Cryptocurrencies That Copy Bitcoin Didn’t Really Work, Experts Say
In addition to this, Hall asked Tonnellier about the difficulties they are currently facing in organizing events during a bear market. Event organizers explained that there were several ups and downs, including setting a budget for the event. He says:
“This limits the number of sponsorship opportunities, especially in a bear market, where sponsorship opportunities are reduced even more, and as you can imagine, marketing budgets are shrinking considerably.”
Despite the challenges they had to face, Tonnellier said they were able to gather people and continue the event. He said their team saw how rewarding it was for people from outside France to come to the event.
