after last years incredible first steemfest for both myself and @dayleeo (steemfest 2) in portugal I felt that I had to put together a bunch of tips and tricks, thoughts and maybe a little guidance to get the most out of a steemfest and also things that we did not do which in hindsight might have made everything even more awesome than it was. .. these are just some things that popped into my head this morning when thinking about what I was gonna vlog about.. .
it’s like the best party you’ve ever been too
Seriously last year maybe it was just the timing and the fact that we got everything locked down into place but going to Portugal was amazing, the weather was perfect, the food & drink sublime, great hotel, we had a blast, we met a bunch of people we had a lot of time and respect for and just an all around general great week that we never wanted to end — having a hotel with breakfast laid on was a game changer, always get a good breakfast start to the day, don’t skip it! :)
pace yourself
The first night we got in was pre-pick up passes day so we ended up chatting in the foyer with a bunch of other steemians about all things life and steem, try and find those pockets of time but remember that it can feel a little like downloading wikipedia, it can be overwhelming to use so much mental energy and it will tire you out quickly — be careful of drinking too much on the first few nights because your excited, in hindsight, i should have taken it a little more steady that I did, it was all good thou — I think we drank all the double bock that night they had.
try to meet everyone there
Don’t stop with one circle of people, all around you are usernames and avatars of people you hope you’ll meet, it’s kinda weird actually because you get transported to a funny place where you know a little about these people because of the videos you have watched or the things they have said — it’s interesting how people identify with people and why they are pulled towards people, how people shuffle in to say hello — don’t forget to move, use the old conference method of the ‘rule of two feet’ — excuse yourself and walk on, get a drink, get back to that group at some point but if you really wanna meet people try and do it on the opening drinks night.
drink water regularly
I’m deadly serious on this one and it might mean heading to the toilet a lot in the process but trust me it’s a sure fire way to feel much better the next morning — have a beer, have a water after it, then another beer, just keep it moving, literally, otherwise bear in the morning with sore head does not get the most out of the event, nothing better to be fresh and activated on the morning of the event, honestly you are gonna love it, best thing you will have been too, roeland is a genius event organiser.
it’s not content, be human.
Put ya vlogging cameras away, these are people, not content. If you wanna do something ask everyone involved if it’s cool, I’m sure someone will say something anyway as the opening part of the night but not everyone wants to be on camera, remember this is crypto land, we have a lot of people between grids and they would rather stay that way — this is a time to enjoy the presence of other humans, if you have a great conversation arrange a lovely dinner breakfast vlogging date and do it that way after your breakfast, that normally flows awesome.
alway follow the late night bunch
If your a late night (non daywalker) kinda person you would be hard pressed not to spend time out with the ‘late night bunch’ exploring the city or staying up at the bar with whisky — some of the best conversations I’ve ever had happen in these times, maybe because people are drunk or more vulnerable or coming down from the initial high a little, I’ve found these times to be really life affirming and you can have some incredible chats while wandering, you never know you might find a real bond with someone over a topic that you’ve been wanting to pick apart for ages! :)
always eat the local food
Listen whenever you go in the world you gotta try the local ‘snap’ (as my grandad used to call it) try all of the things — last year at steemfest 2 I have never eaten so much pastry on a daily basis as I did there, it was a delight, filo feeling fruity notes of custard tarts and all things nice, literally bags of random food stuffs that would surprise — just don’t get the fish stuff anyway where they are selling them in the window, that could take you out for a few days if it’s been sitting there for a while (always ask what’s in it) — you’ll be pretty good with potato fillings on the whole thou! :)
thank people face to face (hugs for sure)
If people have had an effect on your life, your writing, your reading, the way someone shared something with you then make sure they know about it, shake their hand, give them a hug, let them know face to face at eye level and build that relationship out — remember we are not auto generated AI accounts we are people at the other end who want to live a different kind of life on the whole, the majority of people here are gonna be change agents, they want change in the world, themselves and the people they interact with — this is a great moment to go deep on all the things! :)
keep on top of the hygiene
take wipes, seriously, saviour, your doing a lot of walking about, drinking a lot, lotta water, you’ll be sweaty, even thou it might be cold you’ll have that big coat on and you might be like a baked potato inside, fix that situation with a quick run to the toilet and get those wipes flying, you’ll be in good shape until you can get back to the hotel or airbnb to get a shower — fellas, aftershave helps as well ya know — this ain’t no GitHub session push! :)
wireless off, vpn on, be present.
in between talks and such like get that wifi switched off, if you have to connect use a vpn and don’t use public wifi networks, switch bluetooth off, be present in the presentations or at the events afterwards, you never know when someone might say something that triggers a reaction or ‘of course!’ moment and changes your life in crazy ways you never imagined.
bottom line, have fun.
Seems quite simple really, maybe too simple but it’s really true, remember to have fun with the other people around you, they are way more than the sum of their avatar parts, they are living breathing human beings and especially if you meet witnesses, get to know them, do you have a good vibe with those people to be the figure heads of the witness node network — always a good idea to evaluate that stuff while at big events like this, remember they form the foundation blocks of this network we love so much, pretty much all the witnesses I’ve met face to face have been awesome but there is always new people wanting in!
ROCK ON STEEMFEST 3! :)
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