5 With… Patrick Carleton, Executive Director, Associated Cities

Associated Cities’ annual GeoDomain Expo in New Orleans is coming up at the end of the month, and I asked Patrick Carleton, the organization’s Executive Director, to answer some questions about it.   The   early-bird rate of $995 will expire tomorrow, April 6th, as will the room block at the Roosevelt Hotel, though they will do their best to help latecomers find rooms at close hotels.

Due to extensive travels this summer and a previous engagement during the conference, I will not be able to attend this year’s conference. I do think it’s a great opportunity for anyone who intends to develop geodomain names or would like to learn ways to better monetize their geodomain names.

ES: What will make this conference different than years past, and are there specific themes that will be covered?

PC:   The 2010 Geodomain Expo in New Orleans this April 28-30 will include sessions ranging from beginning startup development to some of the hottest topics of today including maximizing geo brand traffic revenue, social media, business directories, mobile apps and the mobile web.   We continue to bring in cutting edge speakers and sponsoring companies to partner with you to take your company and sites to the next level.

EJS: Who should consider attending the conference, and how does it differ from other general domain conferences?

PC: The Geodomain Expo was the first domain conference to spotlight development, and continues to focus on development topics to stay on top of the pulse of the ever changing geo space.   Anyone vested in Geodomains, Geodomain development, or even those interested in learning to develop any of their domains should attend the Expo to form relationships with and learn from the brightest and most successful minds in the local domain development space.

EJS: My favorite part of the GeoDomain Expo is the networking. Can you talk about the great networking opportunities that are happening in New Orleans – and are there special events happen because of Jazz Fest?

PC: Year after year attendees tell me that the networking at the Geodomain Expo is second to none – there is next to no competition amongst any of The attendees, so the sharing of best practices in the development of Geodomains is widespread. The networking alone at the Geodomain Expo is worth the price of admission. Learning from the best of the best like the Castello Brothers, Dan Pulcrano, Josh Metnick, etc. is what this conference is all about.

The welcome cocktail reception will be held in the world famous Blue Room of the historic Roosevelt hotel, a venue where musical greats like Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Tony Bennett were all regulars.   This cocktail reception and the Thursday night party will each have a New Orleans Jazzfest flare and feel.   Breakfasts, lunches, breaks and receptions will provide ample opportunity to form long-lasting relationships with fellow developers which will pay dividends on the growth of your businesses.

The New Orleans Roosevelt Hotel is one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen.   Elvis Presley stayed there while he was filming King Creole

EJS: How has Associated Cities changed over the years, and what are the future plans for the organization?

PC: Associated Cities has just become a 501(C)6 non-profit association. With this new structure, every Associated Cities member will now have a larger voice in the growth of the association and its impact on the industry.

EJS: What are the 5 most important reasons someone should attend the conference?

PC:

1. No other event this year will bring together the owners of the most successfully developed Internet properties and brands in the world.
2. Local media experts, recognizing the opportunity in the GeoDomain space, are coming to this event to learn directly from GeoDomain pioneers and practitioners.
3. Two full days of presentations, panels, networking and learning opportunities.
4. Great after-conference-hours events for fun and invaluable networking.
5. Jazzfest!   This event draws as many people as Mardi Gras. And did I mention Pearl Jam is playing the day after the conference ends?