Making Meetups Fun & Sustainable: Bitcoin Bay | Ep. 008

Making Meetups Fun & Sustainable: Bitcoin Bay | Ep. 008

Author: Reed & Rev Hodl April 22, 2026 Duration: 1:27:00

Reed and Rev sit down with Liz and Wesley of Bitcoin Bay to talk about building a circular economy across the Tampa / St. Pete area, turning a local meetup into a full-blown 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and why designing events around locals, nomads, and non-Bitcoiner spouses can transform the gravity of a local scene. Liz shares how throwing creative events like Hodlween and Bitcoin Rocks pulls in people who'd never walk into a bar meetup, while Wesley breaks down the benefits and challenges of going nonprofit and why organizers shouldn't be shy about charging for workshops. The conversation closes with takeaways on sustainability, not reinventing the wheel, and a long boost readouts testing the new valuechain workflow between Fountain, nostr, and the boost bot.

Bitcoin Bay was the first bitcoin meetup to incorporate as a 501(c)3 and is one of the longest continuously running Bitcoin meetups in the US. Their website is https://www.bitcoinbay.foundation/ and people can build their own meetup website following their template here https://github.com/bitcoinbayfoundation/open-meetup

Reed's Meetup: westernmassbitcoin.com

Rev's Meetup: South Bend Bitcoin Meetup: Meets the First Thursday of Every Month at Lang Lab 6:30pm Eastern Time

Find the show on nostr: npub1cvcgs83gw6pcrhvtmlf8gdqaegx93qkznwry96jteqhh2cexgkfq45rtya

Reed's npub: npub1xgyjasdztryl9sg6nfdm2wcj0j3qjs03sq7a0an32pg0lr5l6yaqxhgu7s

Rev Hodl's npub: npub1f5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajs7gwt3z

Do you run a meetup and want to talk about it with us? Want more information about Grassroots Bitcoin or the quarterly meetup organizer calls? Reach out to us: localbitcoiners@gmail.com

Find or contribute information on how to start, run or grow your meetup here: https://github.com/Reeds-Agent-Team/Bitcoin-Meetups

Prefer on-chain donations?

Silent Payment (what are silent payments?): sp1qq0cvn8x7x43xcpmqjzmej24jr5ccnsmvqpvjcn7ctzlpntfq9u252qj70jgwxsqugcwp7tmuq6pq77ffepsklhlhv7r434ycxy00zknjygxsl0rl

Paynym (what is paynym?): +raggedtrack25 (PM8TJa9CSHGKkr2ZxvAicubwbF45NcABU3iWNCqjPxspMAXXjqcNYYqwEYYndHBgWUFHdSFZjrs7DKBT2f77XCjtAhkSMrv5cZ4G1JM7jkAqGbE6xsAk)

[guests: npub1h8ktyt8zvqc8dcpk7yh9gq6fs0csqcujlkqdwwspwgtef9ral6xqzugdky, npub1tampasjf5z0rllvrh8nlqckrjtzzj9590uljzeuu6ymsr8hq9pjsrw0ynt]


In a world of digital finance, the most important connections often happen face-to-face. Local Bitcoiners explores the human networks forming the backbone of the Bitcoin ecosystem, moving beyond online forums to the coffee shops, pubs, and community centers where the philosophy gets personal. Hosts Reed & Rev Hodl travel the globe through conversation, sitting down with the organizers who build these local hubs from the ground up. Each episode is a deep dive into a specific city or region’s unique Bitcoin culture, uncovering the distinct challenges, triumphs, and social dynamics that define each group. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of what draws people together, how trust is built offline, and why a local meetup can be more transformative than any whitepaper. This podcast is about the stories behind the screens-the shared meals, the educational workshops for newcomers, and the spontaneous collaborations that spark when curious minds gather. It’s a chronicle of community building in its most tangible form, examining how these local nodes contribute to the resilience and growth of the broader Bitcoin idea. For anyone interested in the social layer of this technology, Local Bitcoiners offers an essential and often overlooked perspective, revealing how global change starts with a handshake in your own neighborhood. Tune in to discover the diverse characters and passionate conversations shaping the future, one local meetup at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 14

Local Bitcoiners
Podcast Episodes
Big Upsides, Small Risks: The Value of Bitcoin Meetups | Ep. 013 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:20:36
Rev and Reed go guestless for a deep-dive into the mechanics of Bitcoin meetup culture, tackling circular economies (and the unsolved problem of creating payment splits on physical goods), "proof of reputation" as the so…
Attendee to Organizer to Conference Host: Portland, OR | Ep. 011 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:46
Eric from Portland, Oregon joins Rev and Reed to talk about running six monthly Bitcoin meetups across the city and building Bitcoin Is For Everyone, the largest Bitcoin conference on the West Coast, from a nonprofit ang…
Evolution & Development of a Meetup: Niagara Canada | Ep. 010 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:17:37
Rev and Reed welcome Shaun from the Niagara Bitcoin Meetup (Ontario, Canada) for a wide-ranging conversation on building Bitcoin culture across the border, from his first underground, mask-defying meetup at a Tahini's du…
Growing Slow Builds Strong Communities: KC Bitcoiners | Ep. 009 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:15:09
Reed and Rev are joined by Spencer of KC Bitcoiners and the Bowl After Bowl podcast to dig into value-for-value as a sustainable foundation for both Bitcoin meetups and the podcasts that orbit them. Spencer makes the cas…
How Meetups can Benefit from V4V, Nostr and Valuechains | Ep. 007 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:00
Reed and Rev share meetup updates including Western Mass Bitcoin's successful first night at their new venue and the birth of a brand new meetup in Middletown, Connecticut before diving deep into Nostr as critical infras…
Grassroots Recap: Philly Suburbs & Bitcoin Park Nashville | Ep. 006 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:24
Episode 006 brings together Reed, Rev, Fundamentals from the Philly Suburbs Meetup, and Andrew from Bitcoin Park in Nashville for a recap of the annual Grassroots Bitcoin event. The crew digs into the nitty-gritty of run…
The Meetup Is the Farmer's Market: Kansas City, MO | Ep. 005 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52:22
Reed and Rev chat with Auggie from the Kansas City, MO Bitcoin Meetup to dig into what a thriving circular economy looks like in practice; from Auggie's farm goods making their way to meetup tables, to collaborative sour…
Cypherpunks Write Code: AI, Meetups & the Meshtadel | Ep. 004 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:27
Rev and Reed share stories from their recent Bitcoin meetups and dig into how AI is rapidly becoming part of the Bitcoin culture conversation — from vibe coding to the tools bitcoiners are using to build and connect. The…