Inside TABConf 7, the Most Fun Bitcoin Conference in the World

Three weeks ago, we hosted yet another unforgettable TABConf, the world’s most fun, quirky, and nerdy hands-on bitcoin developer conference (I may be biased though!) This year marked my fifth TABConf, and every year somehow gets better.

I've finally been able to collect my thoughts, processing yet another successful year and just thinking about how joining this conference is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I mean, TABConf is where I fell in love with my husband. Enough said 🤣

I first joined the organizing team back in 2021 thanks to Brandon Iglesias and Michael Tidwell, the OG TAB organizers, who welcomed me into their special crew and completely changed my life. TABConf to me is so much more than a conference. It’s a family of the brightest builders who care deeply about bitcoin, education, and community. I see people wearing their 2021 swag and they're like "this is the conference I most look forward to each year" or "I've been to all 7 TABConfs"... What a freaking honor!!

All of us organize TABConf in our free time and none of us make a dime doing it. I think that makes it even better because we're not in it for profit, we just care about making bitcoin better and have fun doing it!

Unlike most conferences that separate people with VIP tiers or exclusive access, TABConf is completely flat. Everyone’s on the same level, learning, building, and having fun together. It’s known for its games, parties, hackathons, and casual meetups that make it easy to connect and feel included. We're not a fancy conference by any means. I literally print all of our signs at home. LOL!!!

85 Eventos in 4 Days

This year we used Evento for all of TABConf’s activities: talks, panels, afterparties, dinners, and even Mario Kart tournaments. In total, there were 85 eventos created throughout the week. It made it simple for everyone to see what was happening, RSVP, and meet new people during the conference. Check out the TABConf Evento Profile here & click "past events" to see all the eventos!

We also sponsored Walton, our amazing MC, to fly out from London to make the vibes even more immaculate 😎

Watching the entire conference come to life inside Evento was surreal. This is exactly why we built it! To make it easy for communities to gather and stay connected. I'm not focused on making Evento as big as meetup.com, I'm focused on making it a useful tool for the communities I care about.

Evento already supports Lightning payments, which let users tip each other directly inside the app. And we’re taking that even further. In the next month, we’re releasing a full bitcoin lightning wallet inside Evento, designed to make it easy for anyone, even total beginners, to send and receive sats instantly. We're using the Breez SDK, which has been a delight to integrate! It’s the first step toward a seamless, self-custodial, bitcoin-native event experience, and it’s coming in a few weeks!

If you're organizing a conference and want to try Evento out, please feel free to reach out to me at brianna@evento.so and I'll work with you to make sure you're set up for success!

Mario Kart Double Sats Tournament

One of the biggest highlights of TABConf 7 was the Mario Kart Double Sats Tournament, created by D++ and brought to the community through a collaboration with Evento.

We've brought this game to multiple communities across the world on a smaller scale, like at the Evento Bitcoin Social in Kaduna, Presidio Bitcoin, BitDevs Lagos, and more. But nothing like what happened at TABConf!

We teamed up to make this happen, bringing the game to TABConf for the first official championship. The qualifying rounds had four racers per cup, across four cups. Winners were chosen based on the total number of sats they earned. Each cup champion advanced to the final race, which took place live on the main stage during the closing ceremony.

The prize pool started at 300,000 sats, but the audience was able to donate live using Lightning. By the end, it reached 1.7 million sats in under 5 minutes. That was INSANE to watch. The top 3 took home special merch I designed and the winner took home the title of TABConf’s fastest racer and a serious stack of sats.

We had a leaderboard on the big screen showing real-time rankings, and the crowd went wild. It was one of those moments where everyone was smiling, cheering, and experiencing Bitcoin in the most fun way possible.

If you want to help us bring this game to more people around the world, we set up a Geyser Fund so anyone can donate, whether it's 1 or 100,000 sats! You can donate here: https://geyser.fund/project/dplusplus

The Spirit of TABConf

What makes TABConf special is not only the people who come together to build it, but also the vision of its mastermind, Michael Tidwell, who has managed to turn a deeply technical developer conference into something genuinely fun and full of whimsy.

Every year, he incorporates games into every part of the experience, from chess tournaments and trivia, to afterparties at local game bars, to the super complicated puzzle he calls Capture the Bitcoin, which basically determines the biggest nerd at the conference. And of course, this year’s Mario Kart Double Sats Tournament was the perfect addition to that tradition.

There’s never a dull moment at TABConf. It’s a place where you can go from a talk on Bitcoin Core to a chess match, to a beer with someone who might end up being your next collaborator.

The TABConf Brand & Merch

Every year we collaborate with NoGood, the artist behind TABConf’s brand. His style has become such a part of the conference’s identity that people collect our shirts, hoodies, and posters every year.

This year’s collection was one of my favorites yet. We asked NoGood to imagine what his illustrated characters would actually wear if they attended TABConf and then we made that real. The result was a mix of playful, streetwear-inspired pieces that looked straight out of his art.

We sold the collection at the merch booth and it disappeared fast, especially the hoodies. People were wearing it all week which made me smile 😊

We even gave away Evento x TABConf stickers with every purchase!

Looking Ahead

TABConf 7 reminded me why I started building Evento in the first place. To make it simple for communities to gather, share knowledge, and connect freely, no matter where they are.

And now, that mission is expanding!

Next June, we’ll be bringing TABConf to Kenya, in collaboration with Bitcoin++, for a full week of hacking, learning, and building. The idea came out of a conversation with Femi Longe who leads the Human Rights Foundation Bitcoin Development Fund and Mary Imausen, who both made it clear how much something like TABConf is needed in Africa.

TABConf is one of the most impactful experiences for developers. It gives people the chance to meet in person, share ideas, and innovate together. From an education standpoint, it’s unmatched. But not everyone can easily travel to Atlanta, especially for developers across Africa where visas can be hard to get.

The African Bitcoin dev community is vibrant and growing fast, and bringing TABConf to Kenya is an opportunity to make that network even stronger. I’m so proud to be a part of that effort.

TABConf has changed my life in ways I never expected, and seeing it continue to grow and inspire new communities around the world feels like everything coming full circle.

A huge thanks to our sponsors, amazing volunteers, speakers & workshop hosts... and everyone who showed up and made the conference so incredibly special ✨

If you want to organize a TABConf in your city, reach out to me at brianna@evento.so ✊ We can make it happen together.

If you missed this year’s event, don’t worry! Tickets for TABConf 8 are on sale now for October 12–15, 2026.