By all accounts that I’ve heard, the ICA meeting last week was a big success. Thanks to the efforts of Kamila, Tiffany, and the ICA board, the ICA pulled off another well-attended event in Las Vegas. The event was held at a new venue – Park MGM – and I think that was a good choice, particularly due to the non-smoking environment and smaller footprint.
My single disappointment was that I had to leave early for a family commitment. As a result, I did not have the opportunity to meet with everyone I wanted to see. I did connect one on one with quite a few friends and colleagues who I only see once a year, and that made the trip worthwhile.
My personal highlight of the ICA meeting was being voted the recipient of this year’s Lonnie Borck Memorial Award.
I am very appreciative of my friends and colleagues in the ICA who selected me. As many of you know, Lonnie Borck was a close friend of mine, and I always enjoyed spending time with him at industry events. We attended quite a few Las Vegas conferences together, and I still know many of the kosher restaurants in the city because of Lonnie.
As I mentioned at the awards gala, many of Lonnie’s colleagues continue keep him in our thoughts and actions. Lonnie was known for reaching out to friends on Friday afternoon just before the Jewish sabbath. Several of us have a text message thread dating back many years to keep that connection alive to this day.
Making the award ceremony even more meaningful was Ronit Borck’s presence and introduction. I still can’t believe it has been almost 10 years since Lonnie’s passing.
I shared a few words at the award gala, and I will summarize one aspect here. Lonnie worked very hard to excel at domain name investing. He and I would exchange emails all hours of the day. Lonnie’s sudden passing taught me an important lesson. Spending time with family and friends is much more important than spending extra time working.
Since Lonnie’s passing, I’ve cut back on the time I spend on my business. My job is flexible and I have the ability to work from anywhere. I am taking full advantage of that. I know a lot of people in this business spend as much time on domain names as possible. This grind culture may drive revenue, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of family time.
I appreciate the recognition, and I am looking forward to next year’s ICA meeting.
Elliot, you very much deserve this award, and I think the entire industry agrees. Mazel Tov, and what a great tribute to your friend and mine and many others, Lonnie!
Congratulations again, and great to see you in Vegas. Lonnie was one of the first people I met in the industry and we shared the stage for the infamous “Schwartz vs. Schilling” panel at Traffic 2013. I had a few great conversations and phone calls with Lonnie afterward, and while I didn’t know him that well, I was very sad to hear of his passing back then. I am glad the ICA has done such a good job of keeping his memory in the forefront.