Amsterdam Survived Steemfest

Countless hours of preparation, stress, organization, communication and collaboration went into this thing we all know fondly as Steemfest.

If it wasn't for @roelandp we would've been a bunch of tourists aimlessly wandering down the streets of Amsterdam hoping for a peek at a lady in a window or a whiff of an especially aromatic coffee shop. Ok, ok, so that all happened anyway. But really, all thanks and praise are truly due to @roelandp @firepower @razvanelulmarin and everyone else who devoted their time effort and donations to make sure this thing would be a success. Well done boys, every minute detail was thought of and covered.

(He even handed out tulip bulbs :) )
For those of you who couldn't make it, allow me to try my best at conveying the magnitude that was the warm and welcoming spirit of this weekend.

This is the first time in my life I've been surrounded by so many open, genuine, intelligent, witty, people. I'll admit that at first I was nervous, just like in any other social situation I can be quite shy, but that wasn't the case this weekend. Just the looks on everyone's faces were pretty much consistently eager, happy and enthusiastic. Everyone was genuinely interested in learning about what you do, what you think about certain things and what you have in common.

I don't think I had any conversations that began with small talk, which was incredibly refreshing!

They say if you want to be successful, surround yourself with successful people. If that's the case then there was an extremely high concentration of success found in Amsterdam on November 11-13.

This was the first conference I've ever attended and I have a feeling that the bar has been set very high. I came away from that weekend feeling incredibly inspired and motivated.

We all know how amazing this platform is, and that of course is due to the people involved.

People like:

@ned who- while I was mesmerized by his perfect hair and nice smile- gave me some words of encouragement moments before he went on stage

@guerrint who is incredibly sweet and encouraging in addition to being a badass.

@roelandp who has a great sense of style and an even better sense of humor.

@firepower who is an incredible dancer, seriously, I'm envious of his smooth moves.

@gargon who has hilarious commentary on any given situation.

@razvanelulmarin who's passion for quinces and storytelling made me cry of laughter more than once.

@blueorgy who can properly recognize the flavor of a peach vs a strawberry and who's username is still a mystery to me.

@wadepaterson who's as friendly in person as you'd hoped for, and who's doing amazing things to bring outsiders into this really cool club called Steemit.

@knozaki2015 who is a master of earning miles and warned me not to get spoiled by flying 1st class, and will go out of his way to ensure that all around him have a great time.

@mrs.steemit who can give a presentation despite a minor mishap and also play a mean game of foosball.

@gandalf who was always there for words of encouragement and a smile.

@neilstrauss who gave some tips on writing that have proven already to help me focus, and who was a pleasure to talk with and even provided a bit of psychoanalysis.

@cardiff who's pure enthusiasm and sharp knowledge about economics and Steemit's potential reminded me of a madman who uses his powers for the good.

... and so many more.

Now that I've got all that sappy stuff out of the way, here are some photos from the beginning of the weekend!

(A lovely little button shop)

(And ALL of the bicycles)

(@ballinconscious knows what's up, I mean who doesn't love a game of air hockey!?)

(Don't ask, because I don't know.)

(@wadepaterson being photogenic with a happy taco)

Don't forget to use the #steemfest-reconnect tag to keep the good vibes going :)

More to come tomorrow! I'll get into the great presentations and the incredible things I've learned.