DomainFest

Things I Am Looking Forward to at DomainFest

I am writing this post from somewhere above the middle of the US (maybe Omaha), and the huge storm is causing some turbulence. I guess I should consider myself lucky I was able to get out of New York City this morning, since most flights were cancelled today due to the snow storm. Despite the rough ride, I am very excited for DomainFest, which begins for me in just a few hours.

As with every domain conference, I am most excited about seeing friends and colleagues, meeting people I haven’t met, and chatting with vendors and sponsors. I’ve heard reports that more than 650 attendees are expected, so this should be a good opportunity to see the people who are most actively involved in the domain space.

Jeff Kupietsky is meeting with domain bloggers and journalists first thing tomorrow morning, and I am looking forward to hearing about what he and his executives are seeing in the domain space. The unique thing about Oversee.net is that the company is active in many channels within the domain business, and they have a good perspective on the overall market.

Listening to Go Daddy CEO, Bob Parsons is something I am excited about. Mr. Parsons never minces words and always says what is on his mind. Tony Hsieh of Zappos was interesting last year, but I think Mr. Parsons’ keynote will be more relevant to my business.

The live auction is going to be interesting to watch. I think there are very few “weak” names in the auction so it could be exciting, although I think many of the great names are overpriced for a domain investor audience. If some of these big names sell, it will bre very impressive.

Of course, the parties are always fun, and the Playboy Mansion fundraiser is always memorable. I anticipate this tradeshow will help get 2011 off to a great start.

Snapnames/Moniker Releases DomainFest Live Auction List with My Picks

Snapnames/Moniker has released the final inventory list for the DomainFest live auction, which will be held in Santa Monica on Thursday, February 4, 2011 at 4:30pm local time (7:30 ET). Bidding will also be held online on Snapnames. You can view the full inventory on the Moniker website.

My favorites are bolded below (I did not submit any names):

Vnq.com $2,501 – $5,000
TrafficJam.com $10,001 – $25,000
DrunkDrivers.com $10,001 – $25,000
SecurityEquipment.com $10,001 – $25,000
P5.com $100,001 – $250,000
Kkt.com $10,001 – $25,000
LocalCalls.com $2,501 – $5,000
Flaw.com $10,001 – $25,000
Relative.com $25,001 – $50,000
Kiss.me $5,001 – $10,000
PartyFood.com $10,001 – $25,000
HomeRestoration.com $25,001 – $50,000
Location.net $50,001 – $100,000
TourGuides.com $50,001 – $100,000
OnlineDrugs.com $50,001 – $100,000
RentalHouse.com $50,001 – $100,000
AdvertisingAgency.com $100,001 – $250,000
Love.me $5,001 – $10,000
Seasons.com $100,001 – $250,000
Hy.com $250,001 – $500,000
ExoticCars.com $250,001 – $500,000
Footwear.com $750,001 – $1MM
SlotMachine.com $1MM – $5MM
Savants.org $2,501 – $5,000
HomeAppraiser.com $5,001 – $10,000
Ufn.com $5,001 – $10,000
SnowboardingEquipment.com $5,001 – $10,000
Bloodline.com $10,001 – $25,000
Linen.com $10,001 – $25,000
IShows.com $25,001 – $50,000
RoadBikes.com $25,001 – $50,000
TennisCourts.com $10,001 – $25,000
Hikers.com $25,001 – $50,000
Apn.com $50,001 – $100,000
FileSharing.com $100,001 – $250,000
InsuranceProducts.com $100,001 – $250,000
HomePrices.com $100,001 – $250,000
Won.com $100,001 – $250,000
Dust.com $100,001 – $250,000
Countries.com $100,001 – $250,000
ComicBook.com $250,001 – $500,000
Smoking.com $250,001 – $500,000
HouseInsurance.com $500,001 – $750,000
HomeRefinancing.com $500,001 – $750,000
Cotton.com $750,001 – $1MM
MedicalBilling.com $750,001 – $1MM
Girl.com $1MM – $5MM
InsuranceQuote.com $1MM – $5MM
Vehicles.com $1MM – $5MM
RxRx.com $5,001 – $10,000
EasyDivorce.com $25,001 – $50,000
Tabloids.com $25,001 – $50,000
ChatWorld.com $50,001 – $100,000
Newlyweds.com $50,001 – $100,000
Loo.com $50,001 – $100,000
Dorms.com $100,001 – $250,000
Toasts.com $100,001 – $250,000
Bootleg.com $100,001 – $250,000
Eel.com $100,001 – $250,000
DatabaseRecovery.com $50,001 – $100,000
Rash.com $50,001 – $100,000
Row.com $50,001 – $100,000
Chili.com $100,001 – $250,000
BankAuctions.com $250,001 – $500,000
WirelessPhone.com $250,001 – $500,000
MountainBiking.com $250,001 – $500,000
OfficePark.com $5,001 – $10,000
RecyclingCenters.com $5,001 – $10,000
ComputerCrash.com $10,001 – $25,000
Engraved.com $25,001 – $50,000
Porn.org $500,001 – $750,000
Designers.com $500,001 – $750,000
ICarts.com No Reserve
Uzy.com $5,001 – $10,000
BankWires.com $10,001 – $25,000
BridgeLoan.com $10,001 – $25,000
Decades.com $10,001 – $25,000
FaceValue.com $10,001 – $25,000
SportsCamps.com $50,001 – $100,000
Deductible.com $25,001 – $50,000
Damages.com $25,001 – $50,000
SearchFlights.com $25,001 – $50,000
Bucket.com $50,001 – $100,000
Abg.com $250,001 – $500,000
Closings.com $25,001 – $50,000
BeachDestination.com $25,001 – $50,000
Allergists.com $50,001 – $100,000
LoanQuotes.com $50,001 – $100,000
PregnancyTest.com $500,001 – $750,000
List.com $1MM – $5MM
UsTravel.com $25,001 – $50,000
TemporaryJobs.com $50,001 – $100,000
WireCash.com $50,001 – $100,000
Bvi.com $100,001 – $250,000

Women in Domaining Party During DomainFest

Despite the reputation as a male dominated business, there are many highly successful women domain investors and executives in the domain industry.  During the DomainFest conference in Santa Monica next week, there is going to be a special event for women only: the  Women in Domaining Party.

This year, Oversee is inviting women in our industry to share ideas, meet new contacts and have a chance to network with leading women executives. This year’s party will be held on Thursday, February 3rd from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM at the Malibu Cabana near the Pool at the Fairmont Miramar  Hotel.

No RSVP is necessary to attend. For more information about this event, please contact Oversee’s Lisa Box (lbox@oversee.net) with any questions.

Going to DomainFest

I know, I know. You read on my blog that I was going skiing at Breckenridge in lieu of attending DomainFest.  Shortly after my article was posted, you may have read on Frager’s Factor that I wasn’t going to DomainFest, where I think the article seemed to imply it was because I had issues with Oversee.

Surprisingly (because I didn’t think anyone would actually believe what he wrote), a couple of people emailed me asking me if I had problems with Oversee. I don’t. In fact, most of my domain names are registered at Moniker and will continue to be registered there.

After speaking with a close friend and colleague, I’ve decided that I need to go to DomainFest. I’m going to fly cross country 4x in the next few weeks. If you’ll be at DomainFest, I will see you there.

Sunday Afternoon Update

Just relaxing today, trying not to do much work. Just some football, the gym, and some good food.  I am a bit envious of my friends and colleagues who are out in Vegas right now. Seems like a very good weekend to be there.

I’m excited about the rumors of a Verizon iPhone, supposedly being announced this Tuesday just a few blocks from me in Lincoln Center. It’s amazing that I was a pc user just a few years ago, but now I’ve got a Macbook, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, and soon an iPhone.

Here are a couple business updates:

– I decided not to attend DomainFest this year. I am going to go skiing out west instead, and taking two trips across the country in less than a month isn’t desirable to me.  I am sure it’s going to be a good show, and I will probably regret not going, but there are going to be plenty of others this year.

–  This is common sense, but if you wait until the last second to snipe a domain name at NameJet, you should be mindful of potential slow loading pages (or slow hands). I wanted to bid on BandForum.com last night, and since there weren’t bidders, I waited until the last second so nobody would see me bid. The page didn’t load fast enough, and I didn’t end up getting my bid in time, so another person was able to buy it for $69. Good buy, IMO.

– If you rely on one web developer or designer for a majority of your work, it’s always good to have a back up just in case. People get sick, take vacations, or have other projects that take  precedent  over yours so your work may be on hold if something comes up. Having a back-up developer or two is important.

Make Your Travel Plans for DomainFest

I am someone who generally waits until the last possible moment to book a trip. It tends to cost me more in the end, but I always worry that if I book a trip too soon, something will come up along the way and ruin those plans.

Yesterday at Ad-Tech, I bumped into Jeff Kupietsky, CEO of Oversee.net, and we had the chance to speak for a bit. After speaking with him, I realized that DomainFest is just a few months away – February 1-3, 2011 in Santa Monica, California. It’s a little less than three months away, which I hadn’t thought about.

Three months may seem like a while, but it can be a good time to purchase airline tickets, not to mention that you can expense it in 2010 along with the hotel. I did a bit of research, and the flight from NYC to LAX is just $299 round trip on JetBlue, which seems very reasonable. American also has a similar schedule and pricing, but they don’t have Direct TV. Depending on where you’re coming from and the price, you might want to track airfares using Farecast.

I am probably going to book my flight and hotel soon, and I want to remind you that DomainFest is coming up.

Recent Posts

Negotiate an Inbound Lead via Broker

5
Successfully negotiating a deal is something I enjoy. The negotiation is an important aspect of why I find domain investing to be exhilarating. It...

Candidate Gets Flack for Old Domain Investments

5
When I read about domain names being involved in a political campaign, it is usually because one candidate bought a domain name related to...

Pepe.com Acquired by Pepe Coin ($PEPE)

3
Pepe is a popular meme coin ($PEPE) that has been using the Pepe.vip domain name for its website. According to Binance, Pepe is trading...

FedEx Buys Its 3 Letter .com Ticker Symbol

0
It looks like FedEx has acquired a valuable 3 letter .com domain name. Whois records show FedEx is now the owner of FDX.com. The...

Squadhelp Rebrands as Atom with Atom.com

7
Squadhelp announced a complete rebrand this morning. The company is now known as Atom, and it acquired the Atom.com domain name in advance of...