Blockchain in Practice

Blockchain in Practice


What is currently possible with blockchain technology, and how easy is it to build smart contracts ?

9 March 2017 (14-18.30)
Location: Parker Hotel (Diegem)
Presented in English by Sam Wouters and others
Price: 420 EUR (excl. 21% VAT)
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 Learning Objectives

Why do we organise this seminar on blockchain technology ?

The technology that is most likely going to spur the most business disruption in the next decade is not social media, not big data, not the cloud, not artificial intelligence and not even machine learning. It is blockchain, the technology behind digital currencies like bitcoin, and behind global, decentralized, secure solutions for doing trusted transactions - not only money transfers, but any asset.

Blockchain technology is complex, but the idea is simple. Essentially, blockchain is a huge global distributed but shared ledger (database), running on millions of devices and open to anyone. Anything of value - money, music, houses, deeds, art, intellectual property, scientific discoveries, and even votes - can be stored and transferred securely and privately.

In other words, blockchain is the first native digital medium for value, ownership and trust, just as the Internet was the first native digital medium for information and communication. Believe me, blockchain technology could have huge implications for business, government and the society. Blockchain technology may dramatically drop transaction costs for transferring all sorts of assets, while making these transactions much faster and more secure. While the first applications were in the financial services industry, there are now applications in many more industries. During this seminar, we'll show you how to prototype on the leading blockchain platform ethereum, and how to write distributed applications (DApps) and smart contracts, small applications that automate and support value transactions on the blockchain.

Blockchain is also ideal for both managing and maintaining digital identities, and will give a boost to the Internet of Things, one of the accelerators of Digital Transformation. The possibilities of blockchain technology are only as limited as our imagination. Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology will continue to grow in importance in our agile, global, digitally transformed and highly connected world. Be prepared by attending this in-depth afternoon seminar.

Who should attend ?

This workshop is aimed at anyone who wants to know more about blockchain technology, one of the most important innovations since the Internet. Blockchain is not just for the financial industry but can disrupt any industry. We organize this seminar to show you how blockchain technology can be applied in your industry, and will focus on the why, what and how.

This seminar answers these and many other questions:

  • What are Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum, Hyperledger, DApps, smart contracts, the DAO, ... ?
  • How does blockchain technology work and how you can use this ?
  • Why and how will this change businesses, government and the society ?
  • How do you start a blockchain project, and prototype a blockchain solution ?
  • Where do ethereum, smart contracts and distributed apps fit in ?
  • How do big companies like Microsoft and IBM look at (and try to influence) the blockchain evolution ?
  • What does the future of blockchain looks like ?

 Full Programme

13.30h - 14.00h
Registration and Coffee/Tea
14.00h
Introduction to Blockchain (Sam Wouters, Duval Union Consulting)

Sam will give you a broad introduction to Bitcoin and the blockchain, to help you understand why there are millions of people around the world that believe in it, despite the skepticism and misconceptions.

  • Why do Bitcoin and blockchain exist ?
  • How do they work ?
  • Debunking the skepticism and misconceptions
  • What can be done with blockchain technology ?
  • Some business use cases
15.00h
How to Start a Blockchain Project? (Sam Hendrickx, Craftworkz)

We'll go further into depth on the different characteristics of a blockchain network. The 4 types of existing blockchains – public/private and permissioned/permissionless – will be discussed.

  • A decentralised network needs concensus mechanisms, which ones are currently used ?
  • When can a blockchain improve your business? How to differentiate a good use-case from a bad ?
  • Where does a blockchain fit in your current - or future - technology stack ?
  • What are the different competences needed in the team to start a project ?
15.30h
Evolution of Blockchain technologies (Thomas Marckx, Optis)

Bitcoin is old blockchain technology. Currently there are much more capable technologies under development. We'll discuss the differences between Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric in detail, both so-called blockchain 2.0 technologies.

  • What is a smart contract and how can it benefit cross-industries ?
  • How do big companies like Microsoft and IBM see the evolution and what are they investing in ?
16.00h
Coffee/Tea Break and Networking
16.30h
Prototype on the Ethereum Network (Thomas Marckx, Optis)

Let's build a blockchain from scratch. We'll guide you through the different steps needed to setup a private ethereum blockchain network.

  • What is a genesis block? How is the mining done?
  • We'll explain how to write a smart contract and deploy it using a multitude of build tools.
17.30h
Future of Blockchain Technology (Sam Hendrickx, Craftworkz)

Blockchain will undoubtedly have an enormous impact on our society. But how will the technology further evolve and what are the different visions ? How it will integrate on different levels of our daily lives?

We’ll discuss how the blockchain in combination with other technologies can bring science fiction closer to reality.

18.00h
Discussion + Questions & Answers

 Speakers


Duval Union Consulting

Sam Wouters is a Consultant at Duval Union Consulting who specialises in Blockchains and Artificial Intelligence. He helps organisations understand the impact of digital on their business, what this means for their future and how they can take digital transformation in their own hands.

Sam helped write the Digital Transformation book which has been sold in over 50 countries.

Sam got into Bitcoin and the Blockchain in 2013 and has been learning about them every day since. As a speaker he helps people without any background understand these complex topics.

Sam Hendrickx (Craftworkz)
Craftworkz

Sam has a background in Applied Informatics. He founded Craftworkz in 2016 as part of the Cronos group of companies. Craftworkz focuses on building innovative prototypes. Inside Craftworkz, he is responsible for all cloud & blockchain projects.

Thomas Marckx (TheLedger.be)
TheLedger.be

Following his studies, Thomas worked as an IT consultant in the financial industry for several years.

Since 2016, he works at the company TheLedger, a part of the Cronos group, where he is responsible for everything related to Blockchain.

Questions about this ? Interested but you can't attend ? Send us an email !

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