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I
fully expect
the
2011
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference, coming up
October 16-19, 2011 at the fabulous
oceanfront Ritz Carlton Hotel on
Florida's famous Ft. Lauderdale Beach
will be one of the best, if not the best, show
in the history of the ground-breaking
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. series.
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That
is saying a lot because there have been some
great ones among the previous 21 conferences
that date back the first
major domain conference ever, staged
by T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founders Rick Schwartz
and Howard Neu in October 2004.
For
starters you have what I think is the best
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. venue yet. I personally
had a chance to tour the Ritz, including the top
notch guest rooms and conference facilities, on
a visit to the Ft. Lauderdale area earlier this
year. The hotel is right on the ocean and
provides spectacular waterfront views at every
turn. You are also just
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T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Co-Founders Howard Neu (left) and Rick
Schwartz on the balcony of Schwartz's Ft.
Lauderdale Beach penthouse condo. The
building next door (seen over Howard's shoulder
at left) is the show venue - the fabulous Ritz
Carlton
Hotel located directly on the Atlantic
Ocean waterfront. |
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steps
away from all of the top night spots,
restaurants and attractions on one of the
world's most beautiful beaches - a stretch of
white sand that runs north and south for
miles.
View
of the beach directly in front of the Ritz
Carlton on Ft. Lauderdale Beach
where T.R.A.F.F.I.C. 2011 will be
held Oct. 16-19, 2011
Another
reason I believe this will be one of
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s best yet is that it is the
only T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference being held
this year. Neu and Schwartz will have had a full
year to prepare since their last show - the very
well received T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
South Beach show in Miami in
September 2010. Even when they were doing
multiple shows annually you could always count
on them to deliver a world class event.
Given more than 12 months to work on
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. 2011, I would be surprised if
they didn't clear the exceptionally high bar
they have set for themselves from past events.
The
reason for today's post is to let you know that
the last day to get the current early bird rate
of $1,495 will be Thursday, June 30
(you can register
here). On July 1, the cost goes up
to $1,795.
The
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows Schwartz and Neu produce
have never been the cheapest conferences and as
long as they run them them I doubt they
ever will be. But I've yet to meet a past
attendee who didn't feel they received excellent
value for their money from these
opportunities to spend a few days in paradise
networking with new contacts and old friends
alike. With most of the industry's key players
on hand, countless major deals have been cut at
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. over the years and 2011 will be
no exception. I hope to see many of you on Ft.
Lauderdale beach this fall!
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One other
note today - earlier this month I wrote
a post
about a new wave of domain monetization
companies that have sprung up seeking to
cash in on dissatisfaction with payouts
at current parking providers. The field
of newcomers continues to grow with RookMedia.net
the latest to enter the fray.
The people
guiding the new company, based in Zurich,
Switzerland, include some well-known
industry names who made their mark with NameDrive.com.
RookMedia quietly started running in
February, exclusively serving very large
portfolio owners. With their successful
opening months under their belt they are
now opening their platform to the rest
of the industry. |
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RookMedia's
Ed Russell told me, "Our aim
is to make the experience at
RookMedia.net the closest thing possible
to having a direct relationship
with one of the big advertising
providers. That means very accurate per
domain statistics and a focus on
increasing and optimizing traffic
quality. If you want to point your
domains and just collect a check in the
mail every month, that is fine. But we
cater better to portfolio owners that
wish to build and improve their holdings
in a data-driven fashion. We work
together with our partners, and we hope
it’s a more satisfying experience than
“here are your stats, here is your
check, rinse and repeat.”
The
company's CEO, Ash Rahimi, added,
“After turbulent times in the domain
monetization industry, the sector is now
mature and this is the first time that a
professional platform has been built
from the ground up with the benefit of a
full understanding of all the
technologies and techniques involved in
providing a truly cutting edge system.
While traditional monetization platforms
have strengths and weaknesses in their
specific niches, we have used our wealth
of experience to build a brand new
platform which we believe performs
better across the board. This coupled
with our streamlined company structure
and attractive location means we can
offer a premium service and still pass
on a very large share of revenue to our
partners."
"As
portfolio owners ourselves, we
understand the frustrations bred by the “black
box” culture of other monetization
providers. We therefore work hard at
RookMedia.net to deliver the most
accurate domain stats in the market. No
estimates, no games, no excuses.
Accuracy and transparency are vital in
helping our partners build out their
portfolios," Rahimi said. |
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