DomainFest

The 2014 edition of DomainFest will be taking place in Hollywood, California from March 31 – April 2, 2014, which is two weeks from Monday. When I initially posed this question shortly after the dates were announced, just over 50% of the people who voted in the poll said, “yes.” Now that the conference is just a short time away, I am curious if you are going.

At this point, I am 95% sure I am not going to be able attend. I had originally scheduled a short family trip during DomainFest and the weekend before, but we changed it to the week prior. Instead, we’re having Hailey’s 2nd birthday party that weekend. I may make a last minute trip out there to finalize a deal that is in the works, but it’s a long trip for me and I don’t think I’ll be able to swing.

I am curious if you are going to be at DomainFest. You are welcome to share why you are going or aren’t going in the comment section. I am sure it’s going to be an excellent event as always.

There was a live domain auction held at the Webfest Global conference at the beginning of February, and the auction yielded close to $600,000 in domain name sales. Domain names that didn’t sell, as well as additional names, are now included in the Webfest 2013 extended auction. The auction, which is running on SnapNames, will end tomorrow.

As of the time of this article, 22 domain names currently have bids in the auction. The domain name with the highest bid of $35,000 is Hum.com, although the high bid is not in the reserve price range yet. Most of the auctions with bids are “No Reserve” auctions, so these domain names will sell to the highest bidder.

Price notwithstanding, my five favorite domain names that are up for sale include Animation.com, Bali.com, Bows.com, Jambalaya.com, and WebsiteBrokers.com. None of these domain names have a bid as of right now.

If you are interested in buying any of the domain names listed in the Webfest auction, you have until tomorrow to place your bid. If you are interested in a domain name that doesn’t happen to sell, be in touch with John Mauriello of Moniker to try and work out a deal after the auction closes.

Richard Lau and Gregg McNair sent emails regarding a special party they are hosting to raise funds for The Water School  during WebFest.

“WaterNight” is being held at Sonoma Wine Garden  on Tuesday, February 5th after the WebFest dinner (from 9:30pm – 1:30am). There will be an open bar and DJ at this roof top venue. The cost for admission to this event is a $50 advance donation to the Water School (more expensive at the door). Because Namecheap is paying for the open bar, ALL funds from entry fees will go to the Water School.

I am not going to be at Webfest this year due to a previously scheduled trip, but I wanted to show support for The Water School anyway. I bought three tickets to Water Night, and I am giving them away to readers of my blog for free. You are still welcome and encouraged to make a donation if you are one of the three winners.

If you are going to the conference or if you live in the area and want to attend Water Night, post “I want to go” in the comment section. I will draw three winners later on this evening and give the event planners your name so you’ll be on the list.

Now that we’ve all digested the news of the DomainFest Global name change to WebFest Global, I am curious what you think of the decision. I posted a poll below to see what your immediate reaction to the name change is.

I am curious about whether you think domain investors may be less likely to attend the conference since it seems like it’s now officially deviating from its domain name baseline. Of course, it is still going to maintain its roots and the agenda has shifted over the years, but the change indicates that it is telling everyone that it’s not just domain names anymore.

On the other hand, it’s a good idea because it seems that many domain investors aren’t “pure” domain investors any longer. People have been using their domain names for more than parking and getting involved in other domain-related business ventures.

One other thing I am curious about is whether professionals from other Internet related fields will attend the conference. There are many highly successful search, affiliate, and other web publisher conferences, and a WebFest conference may seem too  “general” for some of these professionals. It’s almost like the old “that domain name is too generic” argument.

Vote in the poll below about your feelings on the name change, and comment about whether you think it will lead to a larger or smaller attendance.