Token2049 audience braves the storms of Dubai

Despite the difficulties faced by members of the crypto community who flew to the UAE for Token2049, the number of attendees who persevered surprised the leaders and executives who came to the event.

On April 18, attendees faced challenges with closed roads and many people simply turning around and leaving the country.

Various leaders of the place who were scheduled to give interviews to Cointelegraph were stuck at different airports and had to turn back due to the situation.

Tether CEO Paolo Arduino said the plane was unable to land due to the storm and had to wait in the sky for another two hours. “I was very lucky because I only spent two more hours in the sky,” he said.

However, after looking at the number of people who made it to the event, Arduino expressed his gratitude to the members of the crypto community. he said:

“It's a good sign that this industry is always made up of people who are willing to come together, discuss and move the industry forward. I am grateful to see so many people.”

Emin Gun Sirer, founder of Ava Labs, shared the challenges his team faced as they approached the event.

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

Despite this, Sirer believes attending is the right choice and worth it. he said:

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

Almost everyone in the audience had their own problems. Still, in the middle of the first day, the Token2049 team stopped accepting new registrations, because all the tickets were sold.

Members of the crypto community engaged in a variety of activities at the event, including content-packed talks, project booths and networking.

In the end, the crypto community persevered through a historic storm that made attendance at the event difficult.