In this post, I’ll write about my experience attending a phenomenal remote work conference facilitated by NomadsBA in Buenos Aires. I’ll cover what the NomadsBA program is and things I learned during their remote work conference.
Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.
What is NomadsBA?
NomadsBA is a program run by the government of the City of Buenos Aires. As the name implies, it’s catered to digital nomads and remote workers who are living or working in Buenos Aires.
The program hosts all types of free activities and workshops related to life in Buenos Aires. One of its main goals is to attract this type of employee/business owner to the city and to make them feel at home once they have selected Buenos Aires as a place to live and conduct business.
It’s important to note that NomadsBA is the first of its kind in all of Latin America. While governments around the world—especially in Europe—have been creating programming for remote workers and digital nomads, NomadsBA has definitely taken the lead in this area in Latin America.
The size of the program and just how involved the government is in executing its mission is also noteworthy. This is evident in the way NomadsBA is marketed and the growing popularity of its remote work conference.
Attracting Digital Nomads to Buenos Aires
The City of Buenos Aires has recognized just how much value is brought to the city and its residents when digital nomads and remote workers choose to live in the city.
From jobs created by entrepreneurs to dollars spent in restaurants and city attractions, it’s clear that digital nomads bring all the benefits to a city that traditional tourists are associated with. Where the former is even “better” than the latter, though (from a city or country’s perspective), is the sustainability of its contributions.
In other words, tourists spur economic activity through their spending for a couple weeks, at best. Digital nomads are essentially living in these places for months on end. Thus it’s clear why governments would want to draw these people in.
I have to give it to the City of Buenos Aires for not only recognizing this emerging dynamic but also taking action on it.
In the almost two months since I’ve been in Buenos Aires, I’ve seen quite a few posters for activities and events going on aside from the NomadsBA conference.
Another cool thing the program provides is a welcome kit for prospective digital nomads coming to Buenos Aires. If you access their site, you can order a kit at least 7 days before you arrive in Buenos Aires and it will be waiting for you at the airport.
The kit includes special discounts for your first few nights in Buenos Aires, a discounted fare for the shuttle from the airport, as well as a SIM card and Sube card registered in your name.
I, unfortunately, didn’t learn about this until I got here. Don’t be me!
The NomadsBA Remote Work Conference in Buenos Aires
So what exactly is the conference all about?
It’s essentially a gathering for digital nomads, remote workers, and people interested in either of those lifestyles. There are panels held with government officials from Buenos Aires and other municipalities and countries, as well as other folks involved in the world of digital nomadism and remote work.
The panels cover a wide range of topics from how to successfully attract nomads to strategies for success for anyone thinking about becoming a remote worker or digital nomad. This year’s conference (more on this below) also included entrepreneurs in this space, with a focus on how they’re adding value to both governments and the people themselves.
In one of the best panels of the conference, we got to hear from Kristin Wilson. She’s the author of Digital Nomads for Dummies and the host of the podcast, Badass Digital Nomads.
We also heard from Dean Kuchel, widely known as “the king of digital nomads” and Sergio Sala. Sergio is a YouTuber and digital nomad whose city guide films have helped me and countless others prepare for what life will be like in various cities.
For me, this meant everything.
I’ve been following Kristin and Sergio for a while and heard Dean as a guest on a few of my favorite podcasts. Though they weren’t in person, hearing them speak live about what they’ve gotten out of the digital nomad lifestyle and the things they’ve learned along the way was incredibly inspiring. This rang the truest for Sergio, as I found myself relating to him the most.
Hearing them speak also completely reinforced the actions I’ve been taking to ensure I’m able to live a similar lifestyle. It also reminded me that as recognized as these people have become, they’re real people who started off on a completely different path and eventually worked their way to where they’re currently at.
Networking at the Remote Work Conference
The conference additionally serves as a huge networking opportunity. I personally had the chance to connect with a few people and learn about what they’re doing in Buenos Aires.
At one point about midway through the panels, I spoke with a journalist from the Netherlands who was covering the event. We got to speak about his job and what led him to Buenos Aires, and what I was doing in the city and at the NomadsBA conference.
While not delving into too much detail, I told him how I was unsure of what the next steps for me are. He went on to ask me my age. When I told him he made a gesture toward the sky and said “Ahhh, that’s beautiful. No worries, you have time to figure it out.”
Little did he know how helpful this minor comment was for me to hear. I’m noticing more and more that it is the random encounters that have the potential to be so impactful!
What did I learn?
In just a few hours, I walked away with so much knowledge that I didn’t have before I attended the NomadsBA conference.
One significant takeaway was learning about Tulsa Remote, a program that pays remote workers and business owners to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
I’m not interested in participating in TulsaRemote. But hearing about how successful the organization has been in drawing remote workers to a small city in the middle of the United States prompted me to think about the countless possibilities in the space of remote work.
What contributions can be made to the economy in cities that aren’t traditionally at the top of most people’s lists?
How might this impact population changes throughout the next 10-20 years?
I also thought about how interesting it would be to start something similar in a different city.
Additionally, I learned how long it’s been since remote work has been an option. One of the speakers traced the start of telecommunications work to the 1970s and spoke about how much the opportunities have increased in the years since.
It made me reflect on what the future will look like in terms of remote work and what I could do in business to move the needle even further.
Other Key Insights from the NomadsBA Conference
One of the major things I took away from the NomadsBA conference was just how much digital nomads and remote workers travel for community.
I could definitely relate to this.
Before arriving in Buenos Aires, I thought I needed to travel to so many different places and see as much of the world as possible, but I’m realizing that this isn’t the case. I much rather be in a community with a group of people who challenge me to think bigger and push me out of my comfort zone.
I could absolutely see myself traveling way slower and taking advantage of the community created by digital nomads in cities all around the world. Three months in a place sounds like a great balance for me.
The most important takeaway, by far, was hearing Dean Kuchel give advice to people seeking to live a digital nomad lifestyle. He said something along the lines of “Just do it!” He talked about the importance of preparing and setting yourself up for success, but also just taking the leap.
I loved this.
I also felt extremely validated because this is what I’ve done since I started my journey in Buenos Aires.
Dean also told the audience to be the best at whatever they do, whatever it is, and the lifestyle they want will follow. But, it is only by exceeding in what you do that you’ll have the options available to you.
Cheers to that!
I highly recommend attending the NomadsBA remote work conference!
No doubt about it, I highly recommend attending the conference.
If you’re thinking about embarking on this lifestyle or how to sustain it, this digital nomad and remote work conference is a great opportunity to put yourself in an environment where people are doing amazing things in the space. You can network, learn, and then take the necessary actions to achieve your goals.
I certainly did…
Attending the conference will likely give you so many ideas for how to contribute and make this lifestyle accessible to more people. I believe that’s one of the major reasons the speakers were there.
Like one of the moderators said at the end of the second panel, “Who knows? Any one of you could be on this stage next year”.
‘Till Next Time Travel Friends
