The New York Domain get together will be held on Tuesday, December 9 from 7 – 9pm at 420 Bar and Lounge on the Upper West Side at 420 Amsterdam Ave (between 80th and 81st). I have reserved the basement bar area, and there will be a cash bar with happy hour discounts – no cover charge. Although there aren’t food options available in the bar area, there are plenty of restaurants in the neighborhood.
If you haven’t let me know if you’ll attend, please do so in the comment section or via email. I want to give them a head count.
New York Domain Get Together Details
Much to be Thankful For
I don’t like to write sappy posts, but I have much to be thankful for this year. On the personal side of things, I married a great girl a few months ago and things have been going very well. We are both happy and healthy, and have a lot of good friends and family who are close with us. Our puggle Lucy has stopped peeing on the floor, although she has more energy than a work-from-home guy can take sometimes!
While the economy has been in a tailspin of late, I really can’t complain about business. I launched Burbank.com, TropicalBirds.com, Lowell.com, several mini sites, and I own a few other pretty strong domain names that will be developed in the coming months. I also had a pretty strong year in terms of domain sales. I’ve made a number of new friends in the domain industry, and I have established many new business relationships with quality companies and people.
For me, 2008 was a year of change (personal and business), and I think the focus in 2009 will be to strengthen the core business and emerge stronger. Outside investment has been shaky lately with many added risks (markets down, companies facing liquidity problems, buyers not buying as much…etc). Right now, I would rather spend money investing in my websites and technology for my websites than buying new domain names. Sure, I will buy if the price is right and/or I want to develop, but I (and many others) are buying to hold less often than before.
I tend to always think ahead (almost to a fault), and I rarely look back at what’s been accomplished. 2008 has really been a good year for me (with a few exceptions), and I am very thankful for it. I know the predictions for 2009 haven’t been great, but I will keep myself focused on growing and strengthening my companies.
Planning for DomainFest Global
It’s time to start making plans to attend DomainFest in Hollywood January 27-30th at the Renaissance Hotel. Last year’s conference was one of the top industry conferences I attended, and I had to miss the first day. This is a great opportunity to network, and the price is only $895 until the end of December.
You do have some time, but I am recommending that you order your flight tickets (or at least price them out and follow) ASAP. I’ve heard prices may actually go down as a result of the dropping price of oil, but I wouldn’t be so sure of that.The Renaissance Hotel is offering discounts for conference attendees, so start your hotel search by calling them.
As you might imagine, I am taking a direct flight in to Burbank Airport on Jet Blue from New York’s JFK. According to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Burbank Airport was the second least expensive airport in the country in Q2 of 2008. I paid under $325 round trip… not so bad. I will also spend a few days in Burbank visiting some businesses.
With the economy in the shitter, this is a good year to attend DomainFest to network with others and see how the leaders are weathering this storm.
New York Domainer Get Together
I am putting together another domain investor get together in New York, which will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2008. The location is still TBD, but it is going to be either a cash bar or a small cover charge to reserve a room at a bar/restaurant. It will probably be somewhere on the Upper West Side (figure somewhere between 60 – 86th St between Central Park West and Amsterdam) because I can more easily meet with managers to get the best deal depending on the turnout.
There were around 30 people at the last New York get together I helped organize, so it should be a well-attended event. If you think/know you can make it, please drop me a note or leave a comment so I can plan accordingly. It’s much easier holding this event at a bar in a private room because it’s tough to communicate at a large dinner.
I will post more details once this is confirmed.