How many conferences are out there? We just had Consensus 2018 yesterday. I think there's an ongoing one in Sweden, Bloxpo.
These conferences shows that the blockchain technology is heading towards the mainstream as more industries are figuring out how to take advantage of this tech.
I think this is one of the things that most Bitcoin maximalists are not seeing, mass adoption and filling out of niches that aren't served by Bitcoin will help these blockhains to thrive further into the future, just like your point on having a physical crypto project.
RE: Blockchain & Bourbon: The Need for Physical Crypto Projects