Conferences & Tradeshows

Chef… errr… Captain Patrick Announces Domain Conference Cruise

Chef Patrick of Chef Patrick.com is going to be hosting a domaining conference so awesome it will literally make you float. This event will be the first domaining conference he’s held and the industry’s first ever conference on a boat. The event will be accommodated aboard the Carnival ship Imagination.

The cruise is leaving out of the port of Miami, Florida on October 11, 2010 and returns to Miami on October 15. DNCruise is perfectly timed for those attending the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. event in South Beach, Miami, which kicks off on October 17, 2010.

With a starting price of only $429 per person (interior cabin), no other conference can offer such a great value. Fare includes your cabin, all you can eat food, cruise taxes, port fees, gratuities, most of your cocktails and your conference pass.

Chef Patrick promises a laid back atmosphere of fun and mingling mixed in with some speakers and sponsored parties. There will be plenty of free time as well to enjoy the beautiful beach in Cozumel, Mexico.

Although the conference is in the early stages of planning, DNCruise has had a tremendous amount of interest so far and anticipate selling out within the next few months. In addition, Chef Patrick has a lot of great sponsors already lined up and even more coming. These sponsors have allowed him to keep the pricing down and still cover the expenses for some awesome activities and parties.

Chef Patrick has lined-up some great speakers ranging from web development, domain investing, SEO, affiliate marketing and social media. He will encourage room participation through moderated group discussions. In addition he will hold several networking sessions in ways never before done!!!

If for some reason a guest cannot afford the pass, Chef Patrick will work out fair payment arrangements. No one should miss an opportunity like this to network with fellow domain investors.

If you’d like more information about the cruise or would like to book your room please visit www.DNCruise.com or you can contact Chef Patrick directly by email at Patrick@ChefPatrick.com or by phone at 702-373-1127

Super Bowl Sunday Quickie – Go Saints!

Just a few quick bullets on this super Super Bowl Sunday:

  • I have two lengthy articles about the current state of live domain auctions that I will post beginning tomorrow. The first part dissects what I believe are problems with auctions lately, and the second part offers some suggestions to improve them. Hopefully other domain investors can contribute some valuable feedback.
  • I’ve heard from a couple people that Domain Roundtable will be happening this year, despite the fact that the DRT website still shows information about the 2009 conference. I expect to hear where and when it will be held soon, assuming those two people were correct. Once I hear, I will share with you.
  • A couple of people emailed me this week asking if I know anything about the GeoDomain Expo. As far as I know, it is still scheduled for New Orleans at the end of April (during Jazz Fest). I really hope the schedule is set ASAP because the price of flights seems to continue to increase and people need to make reservations soon.
  • If you live in the New York City area (or New Jersey), don’t forget that the Castello Brothers will be having drinks with us at the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central on Tuesday at 6pm. You can RSVP via comment or email. So far, about 25 people have confirmed.
  • I’m excited for tonight’s Super Bowl, and without a doubt, I am rooting for the New Orleans Saints. Next week’s Domainer Mardi Gras in NOLA will be even better if the Saints win and the city is celebrating.   As a Patriots fan, I generally root against the Colts, and New Orleans is one of my favorite cities, so it’s a no brainer for me.

Meet the Castello Brothers in New York City on February 9

David and Michael Castello will be speaking at the sold out Local Online Advertising Conference being put on by Borrell Associates. After the conference, the Castello Brothers will be the guests of honor at a special New York domainer get together.

On February 9th at 6pm, I am organizing a domainer get together at the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central. This classic jazz cocktail bar is located in bustling Grand Central Station, and is the perfect spot for a drink or two after work.

I have a reservation at the Campbell Apartment, but I need an approximate headcount by Monday.   Please email me or post a comment if you will be attending. In the past, there have been anywhere from 20-40 people at these get togethers, and it’s a great opportunity to meet other domain investors in the area.

*Dress code is dressy casual, and sneakers are not allowed.

Trade Show Update

Gift Show

This is a tradeshow update, but it’s not THE tradeshow update from Domain Fest that I plan to post tomorrow. My parents are in town for the New York International Gift Fair, which takes place a couple of times a year at the Javitz Center. How does this relate to domain names?

This afternoon while walking around the massive Javitz Center floor, I found a number of companies that sold unique dog-related products. I mentioned my Dog Walker website, and all of them said they would drop ship products for me. In addition, they could send me catalog quality photographs of their products to display on my website, and all but one would be willing to give me an opening order break (most companies require a large opening order to open an account).

Selling product (without touching it) is one other way to drive revenue, as I can sell dog bags, collars, leashes, and other things that dog walkers and owners would want. I will need to find an easy to implement e-commerce solution or contact one of the companies to see if they are able to assist with the shopping cart functionality. If that is expensive or time consuming to set-up, the incremental revenue probably wouldn’t be worth the effort.

Right now, I am looking through the show’s huge catalog, filled with a couple hundred pages of information. To me, the most valuable bit of information is contained on the category listing pages.   There are hundreds of different categories of product lines listed, and I am using this list to search for potentially valuable .com category domain names.

Although most of the categories listed (like soap and bath) are well-known, the list is a way to get fresh domain ideas. It’s also a way to see how many companies have products in these categories. If you own a category-type domain name, I recommend that you try to go to one of the industry tradeshows where you can network with people in that industry or vertical. It’s a way to learn about the industry, meet contacts, and maybe even sell a domain name.

Adspace Conference, Sponsored by Google, Doesn’t Renew Domain Name

AdspaceThe inaugural Adspace Conference was held on April 22, 2009 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California in conjunction with ad:tech San Francisco. Adspace’s lead sponsor was Google, and it was billed as a “One-day event, sponsored by Google, to highlight billion-dollar ‘hidden economy’ and best practices leveraging AdSense and other networks.”

The event is still prominently mentioned on the Ad:Tech website, along with a link to its website, located at AdspaceConference.com. Unfortunately for the conference management team, the domain name was allowed to expire on 1/20/2010, and anyone who visits the website will see a Godaddy parking page.

“Contextual advertising is a $6.7 billion industry globally,” says Marc Phillips, co-director, ADSPACE, LLC. “By bringing this community of publishers and advertisers together, ADSPACE can help attendees learn how to make more money from text advertising such as Google AdSense and other affiliate advertising offers.”

Hopefully this was just an oversight rather than a reflection of the future of this conference. Unfortunately, the domain name had a private registration, so I couldn’t contact the previous owner to ask about the domain’s expiration. However, I do recommend registering a name for longer than a year or two, keeping an active credit card on file, and managing your own domain registrations.

Picks for Moniker’s DomainFest Auction

Moniker announced the inventory with reserve prices for the Domain Fest live domain auction that will take place in Santa Monica on Thursday, January 28, 2010 from 2:00 – 6:00 pm PST. Bidding can also be done online at Snapnames. Below are my top 10 domain names (along with the reserve prices) that are included in the auction. You can see the full list on the Moniker website.

  • CardCollection.com       $2501 – $5000
  • ElectricFences.com       $2501 – $5000
  • FigureSkaters.com       $2501 – $5000
  • FiveStarHotel.com       $1001-$2500
  • Paper.com       $500,001 – $750,000
  • Performances.com       $10,001 – $25,000
  • Spoilers.com       $50,001 – $100,000
  • TaxPreparers.com       $25,001 – $50,000
  • Watchmaker.com       $10,001 – $25,000
  • WoodCabinets.com       $25,001 – $50,000

I didn’t check the Whois info on the names, so I don’t know if I know the owners or not.

What are your favorites in the auction?

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