Foreword

"He gave you a name. You must be very special."

-- K (protagonist of "Blade Runner 2049")

In 2017, on the big screen in Hong Kong, it was still a sci-fi blockbuster where biotechnology replaced future humans. Desolation, ruins, futuristic cities, guns, and spaceships intertwined with light and shadow. Bathed in golden, warm light were the confrontations between human clones and their pursuers.

At that time, the concept of a global financial system dominated by blockchain had not yet swept the mainstream cultural system. In the same year, "Blade Runner 2049", which won the Hollywood Film Award, mainly explored themes such as humanity, identity, memory, and the blurred boundaries between humans and artificial life forms.

When most people are still lost in the vague illusion of future artificial life, Alex Fiskum is the one experiencing movie scenes in reality.

This European from Norway, who lives in Hong Kong, has created the world's largest crypto event in 2023 in Singapore - TOKEN2049. The 2049 conference attracted more than 10,000 participants, over 400 sponsors, 250 speakers, and spawned more than 450 side events. More than 70% of the attendees came from outside Asia, with 10% to 15% coming from the United States. TOKEN2049 has truly become a global crypto celebration from a regional Asian crypto summit.

Under the hustle and bustle of Token2049, rumors have been circulating among attendees that Alex and his Token2049 team may be the biggest winners in the bear market. "I heard that the organizers of TOKEN2049 made $15 million this time!" The circulating number is staggering.

Regarding rumors, Alex stated that people underestimate the material costs, time, and effort required to organize such events. They have already begun preparations for Token2049 in Singapore in 2025.

So who is Alex, the co-founder of TOKEN2049 in the encryption industry? What does TOKEN2049 really mean? In this TechFlow interview, Alex shares the story behind it all.

TechFlow: What kind of experience do you have in the crypto industry? Everyone is very curious about your background, can you share it with us?

Alex: has a background in venture capital and focuses on financial technology (fintech). I work in Hong Kong.

In the second half of 2016, cryptocurrencies began to enter our field of vision. At that time, we started to interact with it from a research perspective and made initial investments at a personal level. I still remember clearly taking a screenshot on my phone when the price of Ethereum (ETH) continued to exceed $10 and $50. Later, we became more and more interested in this field, but at that time we did not have many connections in the Web3 cryptocurrency industry.

Therefore, the original intention of Token 2049 was actually to explore how we can quickly expand our network in this field. So, we decided to hold an event, inviting the smartest people we know in this field, and then they will recommend other speakers and projects, which really grows like a snowball gradually.

I remember our first event in 2018 attracted about 1500 participants. Clearly, this was an excellent opportunity to meet everyone in the field and provided us with valuable networking resources.

So, my experience with cryptocurrency actually started from the perspective of venture capital. At the time, we saw it as an interesting and potential investment opportunity, and we began to try to get involved. We explored many ways to participate, from attending conferences and building projects to investing in exchanges. From that point on, 2049's business began to develop.

TechFlow: Why choose to develop Crypto in Hong Kong?

Alex: My past experiences are indeed quite complicated. I have lived in Sweden, Switzerland, and Norway, and have studied in Norway, Singapore, and China. I also worked as a data scientist in the Philippines before gradually moving to Hong Kong.

I believe that my current position is the result of many accidental factors and random situations. Initially, I never thought about settling in Hong Kong, but I am glad that I chose to be here and have been living here for eight years now. In fact, the only other place on Earth that I would consider moving to is Singapore.

Most of our team is also based in Hong Kong. In the spirit of cryptocurrency, our team and organizational structure are relatively decentralized. We have five team members in Hong Kong, as well as team members in the UK, Thailand, and the Philippines. We also have some extended team members in Singapore and other places.

Hong Kong is a very vibrant city. In my opinion, it is almost an international city with close connections and strong interconnectivity. For me, Hong Kong is undoubtedly the most unique city where you can quickly access pristine beaches and take 10 to 30-minute hikes. As a Norwegian, the climate and food here are very exotic.

Of course, from the perspective of company structure, since we held our first event in 2017, we have gradually grown here. We have hired employees here and have a team in Hong Kong. That being said, there is nothing stopping us from moving to Singapore, which may also be our future choice.

TechFlow: Why was the name 2049 chosen in the beginning, and what does it mean?

Alex: There are several reasons. One of them is to make it sound mysterious, and I hope our audience can understand the meaning behind it. It also foreshadows certain things in the future. This number has a very sticky feeling, so the name behind it should embody a sense of technology and futurism.

For example, if the name of a conference is difficult to pronounce, it may be popular among audiences in China, Korea, or Japan, but may not be as easy to remember for Western audiences. We have found that numbers are easier for people to remember, so we often see it referred to as 2049. Participants from different countries can easily remember this name. Overall, one important aspect is that this number has an implicit message, foreshadowing the future of 2049 and beyond.

TechFlow: This time in Singapore 2049, in addition to Asian faces, we saw many people from Europe and America. Do you have any statistics on how many people are from the United States? In your opinion, what are the attractions of this conference for them?

Alex: I think this is a very good part of our business. 2049 is definitely an international event, not a local one. For example, when I look at our data, it's interesting to see how the data changes over time. Last year's event had about 70% of attendees from overseas. This year, over 80% of attendees are from overseas, and we have more than 10,000 participants, which means we have attracted a large number of international participants to Singapore. If I delve deeper into these data, I estimate that about 10% to 15% of attendees are from the United States.

Moreover, this is during the Formula One (F1) racing week, and the hotel prices are not cheap. I believe this is an achievement as we are able to attract so many attendees to fly to Singapore to participate in TOKEN2049 during that week.

Why can TOKEN2049 attract so many international audiences?

I think there are several reasons. First of all, 2049 is a global event in itself. We have held it in Hong Kong, Singapore, and London. I think people underestimate the time and effort required to organize such events. To give you an idea, we have already started preparing for the Singapore events in 2024 and 2025.

If we focus on more localized content, such as the ecosystem in Hong Kong or the cryptocurrency landscape in Asia as a whole, or take a more macro perspective, such as regulatory conditions in the United States or Europe, we cannot attract an international audience. Therefore, we combine content from both the East and the West, which I believe provides people with an excellent platform to fly to Singapore.

Singapore is a transportation hub between the East and the West, making it relatively easier to fly to other places, such as China or Japan, especially those located further east. We are dedicated to making 2049 an international event, and we always prioritize this goal. This applies to our speakers, sponsors, and community.

TechFlow: From the perspective of cryptocurrency investment, what have you discovered through your discussions with the attending cryptocurrency investors?

Alex: We have been communicating with important investors in the cryptocurrency investment industry, and they have significantly increased their investment after FTX. They believe that the market in November last year was closer to the bottom, both in terms of liquidity and private transactions. However, we have also noticed that secondary market trading has slowed down, which may reflect the cautious attitude of retail investors. It may not be suitable to focus too much on venture capital at this time.

Regarding the market sentiment during period 2049, most people believe that the market has hit bottom, but I do not make price predictions. Compared to November, the market was more panicked in September last year, while November was more uncertain.

Currently, it is widely believed that new projects and enterprises are emerging, especially in Asia, which appears to be more active than the West. In addition, many well-known cryptocurrency venture capital firms continue to invest and allocate capital.

TechFlow: Everyone is curious, how much money did the organizer make this time? The current rumor is 30 million US dollars. I know this topic is a bit sensitive, can you reveal a little bit?

Alex: I want to emphasize that many people may underestimate the actual cost of holding events during the Singapore F1 weekend. For example, as the F1 season approaches, hotel prices in Singapore can increase up to three times. And for large-scale events, the cost will be even higher because it involves a lot of manpower and resources. When considering the economic benefits of TOKEN2049, people should understand that holding such events requires huge investments, including costs for venues, equipment, personnel, and other aspects. Organizing such events requires a great deal of work, and we are already planning for the 2025 event.

The funds related to this activity are usually determined several years in advance, and this is a capital-intensive business model. We currently do not want to disclose specific numbers, but thanks to our excellent team, the business has developed very well.

Regarding the strategy of using events to make money, this can be seen as our secret recipe. It's similar to the question of "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" To succeed, you need to attract speakers, audiences, and sponsors, but if any one of these parties is missing, the other aspects will be affected.

TechFlow: TOKEN2049 cancelled London and added Dubai. What was the reasoning behind this decision?

Alex: I deeply love London and identify myself as a European. However, this year we have chosen to move the 2049 conference from London to Dubai. This does not mean that we have permanently given up on London, but rather due to various considerations.

Despite the active cryptocurrency ecosystem in London, its scale is still not comparable to that of Singapore and Dubai. Expanding activities in London is not easy, especially in the city center. In 2022, we chose the Greenwich area for our event, although it is located in the central area, participants need to spend 20 to 30 minutes to get there. To expand the event to 10,000 people, it may be necessary to look for a location further away from the center of London. Coupled with London's high cost, this is a huge challenge in the short term from all aspects.

On the contrary, Dubai's development momentum is strong. Its rich venues, accommodations, logistics, and transportation make it our first choice. Although Dubai often has various small-scale events, we hope to bring a unique and truly global Web3.0 event brand to it.

TechFlow: Is there any unforgettable moment for you in TOKEN2049 this time?

Alex: I have been organizing the 2049 Conference for seven years now, and this year's experience is different from previous years. Despite the emotional and financial pressures that come with organizing such a large-scale event with many participants, I feel that we have reached new heights this year.

In the past, despite our early preparations, the pressure of preparation for the event continued to increase as it approached. I always feel that after the 2049 conference, you will almost have a feeling like you built a sandcastle on the beach, and then the waves came and washed it away, leaving you with nothing. You spent a whole year building it, investing so much time and resources, and then it suddenly disappeared.

But this year, I feel that we have achieved unprecedented results. The 2049 Conference is no longer a one-time event, but has formed a truly sustainable community, as reflected on our social media. I am confident that over time, our community will generate greater network effects.

For the success of the entire event, I am very proud, especially when I see the booths of sponsors and the main stage. This gave me a great sense of satisfaction. People like to see overnight success, but behind it is often more than a decade of work. As I emphasized, this is a team effort, and without our team, we could never accomplish such a feat.

TechFlow: It seems that you are also involved in investment. Can you share any other business you are doing besides events?

Alex: Working at Token 2049 makes me very excited. We often get to know about many secret projects in advance, and some projects even contacted us long before they went to market because they wanted to promote themselves at our events before going public. Being able to learn about these behind-the-scenes projects is a privilege, and not everyone has the opportunity to do so.

In our events, we have seen various decentralized projects, including some large-scale projects that cover areas ranging from decentralized storage to decentralized computing, especially those related to artificial intelligence. Many such projects will participate in the 2024 event and they also plan to participate in the Dubai event. I noticed that many people are particularly interested in the artificial intelligence theme of the Dubai event.

Although I am a full-time operator for TOKEN2049, we operate more like a family office and are also looking for some projects for strategic investment.

Epilogue

Alex, a low-key person, stands behind the bustling stage of Token2049, silently watching everything, just like the lyrics in "The Ascetic":

I want people to see me, but not know who I am. There are no results without reason. What people see is the extraordinary buzz of Token2049, with the organizers raking in countless profits. However, behind it all is the 7-year effort of Alex and his team, who have worked tirelessly to achieve this success. They have not given up, and after 7 years of hard work, they are now reaping the rewards.

"Blade Runner 2049" left many unresolved questions at the end, and TOKEN2049 has not ended. We will meet again at the Dubai conference in April 2024.

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