DCBKK 2023 Recap: Videos, Pics, Highlights, and More

This year was one DCBKK to remember. Our biggest one yet, with more of everything: 400 attendees, bigger parties (with food!), and more connections. Our theme this year was ‘connections,’ and based on the feedback, I believe the theme was felt throughout the event.

This recap post will attempt to capture some of the magic (and relive it for those who were there).

Here’s a highlight reel to kick us off.

Also, hear the founders’ take on this year’s DCBKK DCBKK Recap on the TMBA Podcast.

See the original DCBKK 2023 forum post.

A Little DCBKK History

The first DCBKK was in 2012. The DC’s founders wanted to bring together like-minded founders, but at the time, they were flying to fairly remote locations with shaky WIFI to do so. They decided to instead meet someplace convenient with world-class amenities.

Bangkok was suggested as a city with a great airport, killer prices, and world-class accommodations. At the time, they didn’t know much about Bangkok, but it was the perfect home for this event.

Here we are, eleven years later, and DCBKK has taken on a life of its own. Our team strives each year to make the next DCBKK the best one yet.

DCBKK 2023 Highlights

Our members created some videos of the event:

Till Carlos’ Highlights

Jake Matthew’s First Day Reel & Highlight Reel

Quick highlights:

14 speakers

400 attendees

75 member-organized meet-ups

DC baseball caps and bucket hat swag

Members shared stories from the stage

Lots of food at every party

Transportation to parties

The Golden Ticket raffle

As Dan Andrews said, “Kids are trending!” It was fun to see all the kiddos running around and enjoying the Conrad. There were more parents and kids at this event than ever before. Martijn Reintjes wrote this guide to help families bring their kids and helped organize playdates during the event.

Check out Matthew Newton’s 'No Hesitation' Thread: Immediate Actions Taken and Wins Post Conf . It’s inspiring and gratifying to see how attendees are downloading and implementing what they took in during the event.

Our Hotel Partner: The Conrad. The Conrad is by far the best hotel partner we’ve worked with at an event. They are extremely generous to our staff and the attendees. I hope everyone attending DCBKK has a chance to stay and experience the Conrad.

Headshots by Jake. Jake Matthews took headshots of attendees before the ‘Going Out in Style’ Closing party.

The Pre-Event Meet-Ups

Members frequently ask, “When should I arrive before the event?” It’s safe to say you can arrive one week before and there’ll be plenty of things going on. The week leading up to the event had most of the activities happening. In one day, you could go from a morning yoga session to a city tour, dinner, then a party, all thanks to Meet Ups in Whova. Whova is the app event we use to manage meet-ups and communication. It has its faults, but it definitely helped create lots of connections between members.

Here are some of the meet-ups that happened before the event and are broken down by category:

Tours and Food Experiences

Coffee walk

Khao Soi Lunch

Thai Food Dinner

Bangkok Tourist Trail

Yamazato (sushi) dinner

The Comedy Joint at Khao San Road

Michelin Guide Street Food Tour by Tuk Tuk

Activities and Sport

Yoga

BJJ in BKK

Coffee walk

Indoor Climbing

Bangkok Nature Walk

Transcendental Meditation

Basketball in Lumpini Park

Let's play tennis at The Conrad

2nd Annual Go-Kart Championships

Skillshare and Learning

Pizza & Pitch

VC in the DC

Coaches Meet up

Language meetup

E-commerce Meet-up

Business Buyers Hangout

Agency Owners Meet-Up

Preparing for AI disruptions

Real Estate investors Meetup

Professional Services Meetup

ADHD/Neurodivergent Meetup

Location independence with kids

Branding and Design Breakdowns

YouTube For Busy Business Owners

Here are some pics of DCers at The Comedy Joint at Khao San Road:

There was something for everyone here. It’s amazing to see members maximizing their time together, getting to know each other, and getting the most out of the city.

Thank you to our amazing Meet Up hosts who made all this possible!

Day 1 of DCBKK: Thursday, October 19, 2023

Meet-Ups Hosted in the Conrad

DCBKK kicked off with 29 meet-ups happening throughout the Conrad. These meet-ups were on our official schedule and led by our members.

DC Black Meet-Up

The members of DC Black, our DC sub-community of 7 & 8-figure founders, went on a luxury boat cruise. This was their first official in-person meeting since DC Black’s launch.

Women’s Meet-Up at the Riddler

The women of the DC got together at the Riddler wine bar. The meet-up was led by DC team members Mackenzie Akers and Clare Jacky.

The ‘Welcome to DCBKK’ Opening Party

Thursday night was our official opening party. Attendees were taken by bus to the ‘Paradise Lost’ rooftop bar.

Day 2 of DCBKK: Friday, October 20, 2023

Mastermind Day

70% of attendees participated in the mastermind day. Because this was our biggest DCBKK yet, we had to split the mastermind groups into two big rooms: The Ballroom and Beverly Hills I-III. This resulted in a calm environment more conducive to mastermind conversations.

Tropical Dinner Party

Attendees were wearing their best floral shirts for the ‘Tropical Dinner Party’ by the pool. There were food stations with plenty of Thai food throughout the party. The party started at 4:30 PM, and many parents brought their kids early on to join in on the fun.

Day 3 of DCBKK: Saturday, October 21, 2023

Mainstage Talks and Workshops

Saturday and Sunday are workshops and mainstage talks led by our speakers. All of our speakers are DCers who have volunteered their time to create unique talks for the community.

The day started with mainstage presentations. These members came on stage and shared their stories of how the DC has positively impacted their lives:

Kevin Miller

Sofia Grande

Karla Singson

David McKeegan

Then, Mark Zhang and Lucy Simkins gave talks from the mainstage. After the lunch break, we reconvened in the afternoon. Attendees had their choice of workshops to choose from.

The Saturday Speaker Lineup

Mark Zhang: How the DC Helped Me Build an 8-Figure Ecommerce Brand

Lucky Simkins: From $200k to $2M/Year in 18 Months (and the 5 mistakes I made along the way)

Nick Drewe: Test, Tweak, Triumph: A/B Testing My Way Towards 8 Figures

Melanie Balke: 5 Email Hacks That Drive Immediate Results

Dustin Overbeck: Blueprint for Hiring Exceptional People

Alexej Pikovsky: How Bootstrappers Can Raise Money, Grow Faster, and Retain Complete Control of Their Company

Leon Bennets: How We Acquired a Boomer Business with Sweat Equity and Scaled from $950K to $3.5M in 2.5 years

DCBKK Comedy Show by Adam Palmeter

Between the workshop breaks, our emcee, Adam, gave his annual comedy show. The jokes were perfectly crafted for the DC and entrepreneurs.

Party at Muse

Saturday’s was at the Muse rooftop bar. The Saturday night at DCBKK is usually when many attendees choose to explore the city or arrange dinners. Afterward, attendees tend to head over to the party. We had over 200 partygoers at Muse.

Day 4 of DCBKK, Sunday, October 22, 2023

Mainstage Talks and Workshops

The day began with the workshops. After lunch were the mainstage talks. Einar Vollset and Frankie Thorogood presented from the mainstage.

The Sunday Speaker Lineup

Justin Brown: The Path to 1.5 Million YouTube Subscribers

Marcus Taylor: Venture Studio Moneyball: Building 7-8 figure Portfolios in Data

Julian Goldie: ChatGPT SEO Strategies: How I Increased my SEO Traffic by 7X With AI

Maneesh Sethi: From Shark Tank to 8-Figures: How to Get There and the Mistakes that Almost Bankrupted Us

Jessica Malnik: How I Learned to Show Up Less on Linkedin and Build More Business

Einar Vollset: When to Sell Your Business

Frankie Thorogood: Building 7-Figure Businesses by Doing the Opposite of Everyone Else

The Golden Ticket Giveaway

The mainstage talks concluded with the Golden Ticket raffle which is sponsored by Remote First Recruiting. We gave away a DCBKK experience, which includes a 2024 DCBKK ticket, steak dinner, and a spa treatment at the Conrad. The winner was Antoine Rousseaux.

Antoine received the Golden Ticket Hat, signifying his win. There is only one hat in existence.

‘Roadhouse’ Pop-Up Bar

At 5:30 PM, there was a ‘Roadhouse’ pop-up bar in the Conrad. Attendees gathered there to enjoy drinks and hang out while waiting for the tuk tuks to arrived.

Tuk Tuk Parade

Starting at 6:30 PM, the Tuk Tuk parade began. 100 Tuk Tuks were taking DCBKKers to the closing party, led by a police escort.

‘Going Out in Style’ Closing Party

The closing party was at The Howler on the Bangkok river. The party atmosphere on the river was unlike any other party we’ve had before.

We had the photo wall at the closing party which was very well utilized as always.

Post-DCBKK Migration

As usual, many DCers went to Chiang Mai to continue spending time together and keeping the vibe going. It is still the de-facto place after the event.

This year, a few groups of DCers headed off to other parts of Asia:

Members from the London community stayed together in the same Phuket resort

Sri Lanka Surf Trip

DCers headed to Koh Samui and stayed together in the same villa complex

Grab Your Ticket for Next Year

Want to join us for DCBKK 2024? Grab your ticket for next year. The ticket is being sold on our recently launched in-app ticketing platform:

Thank you to everyone who was a DCBKKer this year! Thank you to our speakers, sponsors, and meet-up hosts, who all helped make this event possible.

What did you think of DCBKK 2023? Any big takeaways? Share with your fellow DCers in the thread.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, we hope to see you next year!

Thank you,

Alex and the DC Team