Despite the difficulties faced by crypto community members who flew to the United Arab Emirates because of the Token2049 event, the number of attendees who persevered surprised community leaders who came to the event.

Crypto community triumphs: Token2049 attendees brave Dubai storms image 0 Bus stuck in the middle of the road. Source: Cointelegraph

On April 18, the attendees were met with blocked roads and challenges that could make many people just turn around and fly away from the country. 

Leaders in the space who were scheduled to have interviews with Cointelegraph were stuck in different airports and had to turn back because of the situation.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino had to wait an extra two hours in the sky because the plane was unable to land due to the storm. “I was quite lucky because I only spent two more hours in the sky,” said Ardoino.

However, after witnessing the number of people who still made it to the event, Ardoino expressed gratitude because of the type of people crypto community members were. He said:

“It’s a good sign that this industry is made by people who are willing always to gather, to discuss and keep pushing the industry forward. I’m grateful to see many people around.”

Ava Labs founder Emin Gün Sirer also shared the challenges their team went through as they went to the event.

“It was very difficult to come here. We were landing in the middle of the biggest storm ever. We spent five hours on what should’ve been a 20-minute landing,” he said.

Crypto community triumphs: Token2049 attendees brave Dubai storms image 1 Fully-packed main stage of Token2049. Source: Cointelegraph

Despite this, Sirer believes that coming was the right choice and that it was worth it. He said:

“We ended up going through a lot of water. My luggage and clothes were wet, but it was so worth it because the energy I see in the room right now is amazing.”

Among the attendees, almost everyone faced their own difficulties. Still, in the middle of the first day, the Token2049 team stopped accepting new registrations as all tickets were sold out.

Crypto community members indulged in the various activities available at the event. This included various content-packed talks, project booths, and networking.

Ultimately, the crypto community showed resilience amid a historic storm that made attending the event difficult.