|
Day 2
of the 2013
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las
Vegas
conference
got underway Thursday morning (May 30) at the
Bellagio Hotel with welcoming
comments from show co-founders Rick
Schwartz (at left in the photo below)
and Howard Neu. This is the
25th time attendees have been
welcomed to a T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference since
the pioneering domain industry showcase began in
October 2004.
Immediately after Rick and Howard kicked off the
first full day of business, the show's first
panel discussion began - a session called
Selling to Startups: New Niche or Old
Habits. With Howard Neu (standing in
the audience in the photo below) moderating,
successful domain brokers Dave Evanson
(Sedo.com), Morgan Linton
(LintonInvestments.com), Braden Pollock
(LegalBrandMarketing.com) and Joe Uddeme
(DomainHoldings.com) offered advice of how to
market and sell domains to new companies.
In the next session the pros and cons of the
current UDRP arbitration
process were debated in a session featuring
(left to right in the photo below) Bill
Sweetman (NameNinja.com), Nat
Cohen (Telepathy.com) who thinks the
current UDRP system in unfair to domain owners
and needs to be changed, attorney Ari
Goldberger (ESQwire.com), who thinks
the current UDRP system should be left alone as
changing it could end up being even more
detrimental to domain owner's rights, and
attorney Karen Bernstein.
| |
|
I joined seven fellow
domain industry bloggers and reporters
on stage for the next session moderated
by Howard Neu who asked each of us for
our opinions on a wide range of current
industry issues. The panel included
Shane Cultra
(DomainShane.com), seen making a point
in the photo at right while
Morgan Linton
(MorganLinton.com) listens in.
Also on the dais
contributing to the discussion were
Elliot Silver
(ElliotsBlog.com), Andrew
Allemann (DomainNameWire.com),
Michael Cyger
(DomainSherpa.com), Michael
Gilmour (WhizbangsBlog.com) and
Adam Dicker
(ArtOfTheName.com).
|
 |
At
2pm it was time for T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s
Live Domain Auction. T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
staffers Kimberly Howard and
Ray Neu (in the photo below)
were on hand to help register bidders for the
fast moving sale.
With veteran auctioneer Wayne Wheat
(who I think is the best in the
business) directing the action while show
co-founder Rick Schwartz looked on (both seen in
the photo below), at the auction ended with just
under $112,000 worth of winning
bids booked. The highest of those was
Bouquet.com bought by Bill
McClure for the $30,000
reserve price.
The business day closed with The Rick
and Danny Show in which Rick Schwartz
introduced his new partner in
JointVentures.com, Danny
Welsh (seen addressing the audience in
the photo below. The duo is building a new
domain leasing/joint venture platform that they
believe has the potential to be a game changer
in domain monetization.
With business out of the way, attendees went
back to their rooms to freshen up for the week's
big social event - Thursday night's
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Water Night Charity Party
sponsored by
NameCheap.com. 180
guests signed up to attend the fund raising
event for
The Water School with
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. donating $50 for every show
registrant that attended the affair held at
Planet Hollywood's PBR Rock Bar.
|
|
|
Guests received the
red carpet treatment
when they arrived. In the photo above,
Paul Goldstone
(DomainIt.com) and his wife
Barbie were greeted by the
Got Water? girls
representing The Water School effort.
The attendees packed
the PBR Rock Bar's outdoor patio
on a pleasant Las Vegas night to enjoy
good food, drink and great company - all
benefitting a very worthy cause. Many
added personal donations to the money
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. donated on their behalf.
Today's closing day of
business at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. will be
another very busy one for attendees.
After breakfast I'll be kicking things
off with a talk about current sales
trends in the domain aftermarket. Four
business sessions will follow concluding
with the Meeting
|
 |
|
of the Chiefs
(featuring leaders from seven of the
industry's best known companies) at 4pm.
Tonight at 8:30
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. will host its
Closing Party and Celebration
to bring down the curtain on another
very productive event. I'll have photos
and highlights from all of today's (and
tonight's) highlights in my final post
from Las Vegas in this column tomorrow.
|
|
