Conferences & Tradeshows

The DOMAINfest website has been updated with content from their January 2009 conference.

Visitors can now view a collage of photos taken at the event.   Also posted are full- length videos of each session so that attendees and non-attendees can benefit from the vision and advice of our expert panelists.   In addition, there are a number of written and video testimonials available. They give a flavor for the business-building and networking opportunities that DOMAINfest Global offered.

The links are:
http://www.domainfest.com/videos
http://www.domainfest.com/photos
http://www.domainfest.com/videotestimonials
http://www.domainfest.com/writtentestimonials

The updated website also mentions the feedback from the DFG post-event attendee survey.     Sample findings include:

–       97% of survey respondents rated DOMAINfest Global as valuable or extremely valuable.
–       87% rated the sessions and content as valuable or extremely valuable.
–       84% of respondents said that they were able to meet with industry leading vendors and service providers.
–       81% met new, influential business contacts.

The video of the fireside chat with Steve Wozniak, the keynoter and co-founder of Apple Computer, is also on the site. As many of you know, Steve has been in the news lately with his appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.”

I returned to New York last night after spending a week in California visiting Burbank and attending DomainFest Global.   It always seems that each domain conference is better than the previous conference I attended.   This can certainly be said about DFG. Aside from the panels (which were good), the networking opportunities were phenomenal – both during conference time set up for networking and during the parties in the evening. Believe it or not, I even had several great discussions at the Playboy Mansion (all involving domains and development… get your mind out of the gutter, friends!)

I don’t typically attend all of the panels, but the few I attended had good information and dialogue. Typically at domain conferences, I maximize my time meeting colleagues, introducing friends, and learning about what others are doing to increase the value of their domain names and generate revenue from them. The atmosphere and layout at DFG was great for individual meetings and discussions involving several people. There were a few times in the exhibition area where people from different backgrounds had great conversations just by happenstance because we were sitting on adjacent couches.

Some people who didn’t attend are going to look at the results of the domain auction and possibly consider it a low point for domain owners.   I disagree with this view for a couple of reasons.   Even in tough times, close to a million dollars in domain names were purchased.   Sellers don’t have the need to drop their prices and give away their names.   This shows some strength, as weakness would be indicated by great domain names being listed at very low reserves, as domain owners need to sell ASAP. This just isn’t the case, and owners of good domain names aren’t looking to sell them in a down market.

This was the best domain conference I have attended so far, and it is a tribute to the hard work of everyone at Oversee.net who oversaw a great show.   Even in difficult times, amid lowering revenues and layoffs, the team at Oversee pulled through and gave us a great conference.