NamesCon 2017 is just over a week away! 1,400+ attendees are expected at this year’s conference. If you haven’t booked your trip, now is the time to do it! NamesCon will be held January 22-25 at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, Nevada.
We are running a series of interviews with NamesCon sponsors. Today’s interview is with Darren Cornwell from our Diamond level sponsor, Uniregistry.
What is your company’s mandate, what sets you apart?
Transparency, honesty and a real love of what we do. We like to take things which are traditionally considered complex (bulk registrations, the ability to sell a name onto an interested party, transferring domains to name but a few) and make it intuitive. If your instinct is to tap or click to perform some action we want to ensure that’s something you can actually do. Software shouldn’t be complicated but it often is and needlessly so.
As the great Paul Rand said:
“Design is simple. That’s why it’s so complicated”
We find that echoes in everything we do, the pursuit of the small, the imperceptible, the experiences that give you that ‘wow’ moment. It can be a real challenge.
Who benefits from your product or service?
I think anyone who wants to exist online. Domains are accessible, easy to buy, easy to sell with and for the first time in a long time available. With the influx of the new G’s, there really is a domain name for all out there.
What factors have contributed to your company’s growth and success?
We are lucky enough to have some of the best minds in the industry working with us and of course we have Frank captaining the ship. That’s a very potent mix of people. Everyone is on board to get us to the same location, there is no right or wrong just an overwhelming sense of exploration, drive and sheer determination to build products which captivate, surprise and excite at every opportunity.
What major milestones has your company accomplished?
This year has been a huge marathon for us. With the release of the inaugural version of our Market at the last Namescon, we’ve gone on to spend the year improving the platform. We’ve released an app for both iOS and Android this year and mobile is very much at the forefront of our thoughts going forward – watch this space.
How has/will NamesCon helped your company achieve its goals?
Namescon is a great venue to reconnect with our colleagues in the industry. We get to learn what’s hot, what’s not and where we’re all collectively heading. We may be from different companies, with different disciplines and different visions on what we’re doing, but as a whole, I feel like the entire industry is moving in the same direction. It’s great to tap into that energy for a few days and use it to create the next wave of products.
What are your thoughts on the new TLDs?
New TLDs are a fantastic invention (they’re not really that new though). I recently watched my nephew get his new domain. He intuitively chose a new G for his cake photo website. He loves to cook, he loves to take photos and for an 11-year-old unfamiliar with the concept of a .com or a domain, in general, he picked based on what he was trying to do, a .pics was a natural choice.
“Uncle Darren, my website has pictures so I should pick a pics right?”
That’s not learned or implied, language is a natural part of growing up, it’s how we converse, learn and explore. The new G’s are a natural choice and as a generation grows up with exposure to these names they’ll be second nature. It’s a matter of language, meaning, and simplicity. We may not see the benefit right away but at some point in the near future, the prospect of having meaningful, informative words to the right of the dot will just be considered the status quo.
Like the save icon we all know and love. Many people clicking it these days have never even seen a 3 ½-inch let alone used one, but we all know it as the save button, that’s the way it is. I like to think this is how domains will be used in the future, there’s no right or wrong, just the correct extension that speaks to the content.
What are you most looking forward to at the upcoming conference?
Doing our sessions and getting new product out of course. Meeting all our friends in the industry, figuring out new directions in which to branch, collecting feedback from our existing users, there’s so much to cram into those few days – Namescon is the event of the year for us, where we get to show the dedication of all our teams, showcase new technology, new product and get back to our roots.
Where can attendees find out more about your company, product or services while at NamesCon?
Look for the giant booth, the shining beacon in the center of the floor. Alternatively, hunt down anyone wearing a Uniregistry name badge and reach out to us, we’re here to meet you, we want to know what you love, what you hate and everything in between.
If you have a company representative speaking at NamesCon, is there anything you can share about what to expect during your session or keynote?
Come and see for yourself. Do you really want to be chained to a desk?… that’s all I’m saying 😉
It is a great opportunity, i to be a part of this conference I’m new in the Domain name business and i see a lot of opportunity’s in the region i me leaving Middle East especially in Afghanistan where I’m from.
please help me with an invitation later for the visa requirement so I can be there and join the 2017 NamesCon conference.
I assure you that I will be able to add new ideas to your business.
Ahmad Mansoor Ahmadzai
It is a great opportunity, i to be a part of this conference I’m new in the Domain name business and i see a lot of opportunity’s in the region i me leaving Middle East especially in Afghanistan where I’m from.
please help me with an invitation later for the visa requirement so I can be there and join the 2017 NamesCon conference.
I assure you that I will be able to add new ideas to your business.
Ahmad Mansoor Ahmadzai