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The
2011 DOMAINfest
Global conference
got
underway today at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel
overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa
Monica, California. The show's organizers, Oversee.net,
said a record number of registrants - close to
700 people from around the world - are on hand
for the fifth annual event (along with more than
three dozen sponsors - also a record). 
Part
of the opening day crowd at the 2011
DOMAINfest Global conference listening
to welcoming comments from Senior VP &
Domain Sponsor GM Peter Celeste In
welcoming comments to attendees Oversee Sr. VP Peter
Celeste, who is also the General Manager of DomainSponsor,
announced a new monetization initiative at
DomainSponsor that will have the company selling
traffic to some of its client's parked domains directly
to advertisers. If they are successful in lining
up enough advertisers that should produce a
significant revenue boost as Google would
not being taking out a cut of those earnings. The
day's first seminar covered Domain
Monetization Basics From Parking to CPL to CPA
and featured panelists Jeff Bartlett
(ConsumerTrack, Inc.), Howard Hoffman
(PPCIncome.com), Jamie MacMillan
(LinkShare) and Joerg Schnermann
(DomainSponsor Europe) in a session moderated by
legendary domain investor Frank
Schilling (NAMedia.com). 
Frank
Schilling moderating today's panel discusson
of current Domain Monetization options. The
morning session closed with an interesting
fact-filled presentation from comScore's
Eli Goodman covering Internet Vital
Signs. After a lovely outfoor luncheon
served in beautiful weather under the stately
fig tree that graces the Fairmont's courtyard,
attendees returned to the ballroom to see
Oversee President and CEO Jeff
Kupietzky's excellent presentation
featuring his view of The State of the
Industry: 2011 and Beyond. 
Oversee
President and CEO Jeff Kupietzky
delivering his
State of the Industry: 2011 and Beyond
address today at DOMAINfest Global I
will have an in depth report on Jeff's 2011
predictions in our comprehensive conference
review article that will ge published by the end
of next week. For now suffice it to say that he
is very optimistic about how this year
will play out for the domain industry and
provided plenty of information and datapoints to
back up his beliefs. The
day's main event - a keynote address from
GoDaddy CEO and Founder Bob
Parsons titled Luck &
Perspective was a huge hit. The
ballroom was completely packed with a standing
room only crowd eager to hear the colorful
leader of the world's largest registrar. 
GoDaddy
CEO & Founder Bob Parsons speaking to
a
standing room only crowd at DOMAINfest Global
this afternoon. Parsons
certainly did not disappoint as he ran through
his entire life's story with often funny but
always insightful and often inspiring anecdotes
about how persistence - a refusal to ever
give up - led to the phenomenal business
successes the decorated ex-Marine has enjoyed.
He expects GoDaddy to reach $1 billion in
sales this year for the first time. Parsons,
an acknowledged marketing genius, comes
across as just a regular guy - a man's
man that you would love hanging out with - and
his self-deprecating down to earth demeanor
quickly won the crowd over. He said his
number one rule in life is to do something you love
to do - that is the real key to happiness. He
closed his talk with a favorite saying that he
credited to his son - "There is always a
reason to smile. Find it because we are
not here for a long time, we are here for
a good time!" Parsons was given a standing
ovation when his talked ended. I'll have
more details on his address in our upcoming
conference review article. As
I write this the business day is closing with Moniker's
Low & No Reserve Domain Auction. It will
be followed by a poolside Polynesian Paradise
Party this evening at the Fairmont. I'll
have more on those events for you tomorrow when
I'll also bring you some photos and highlights
from Day 2 of the event that runs through
Thursday.
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One other major
note today, for those who have been
wondering what Moniker.com Founder Monte
Cahn would be doing next (after
leaving the company at the end of 2010),
we now have the answer. Today Cahn and Michael
Berkens announced
they have formed a new consulting company
called Right Of The Dot, LLC that
will provide guidance to businesses and
investors interested in the new gTLDs
that ICANN plans to introduce in
the near future.
Cahn said,
"“The domain industry is preparing for a
new era of rapid change and a complete shift in how investors and businesses think about domains and online
presence. Enormous opportunity lies ahead for registries, registrars, entrepreneurs, investors and corporations. But the question is, how will you navigate the ever-expanding opportunities? Knowing how to make the most of your time and assets is invaluable, and that's where RIGHT OF THE DOT comes in.” |
Monte
Cahn, RightOfTheDot.com |
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