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I posted daily
reports from T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas 2013
in our Lowdown section during show week that
you will find at these links:
Fun,
Fountains & Friends: Pre-Show Photos &
Highlights from T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas
Opening
Day Photos & Highlights from the 2013
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas Conference: Cabanas,
Cocktails & Canadians!
Photos
& Highlights from the Busy 2nd Day (and
Neon Night) at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas 2013
Photos
& Highlights From Friday's Closing Day of
the 2013 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas Conference
Breakfast
of Champions: Why the Final Hour at
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas 2013 Was One of the
Show's Best With
conference and related social activities going
on almost 24/7
during show week, those daily recaps have to
be done "on the run", so after every
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference, when I am back home
and have a chance to reflect on the event that
just concluded, I put together a full show
review that provides photos and highlights
in one comprehensive article. For
the latest show in the 9-year-old
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. series I decided to take a
slightly different approach to this
article than I have in the past. By getting up
early on show mornings (several hours before
breakfast, made possible by never quite
re-adjusting from Eastern time to Pacific) I was able to provide
fairly detailed written coverage in the daily
posts linked to above. So, rather than walking
that same trail with this piece - and
considering that neon lit Las Vegas provides endless
photo opportunities, I decided to do a pictorial
review this time around. 
The
Bellagio Hotel's world famous dancing
fountains also provide one of the best
photo opportunities in Las Vegas. Every
evening the fountains spring to life at
15-minute intervals, each time swinging,
swaying and shooting skyward in a perfectly
choreographed routine to a different
popular song. The
photo format will give me a chance to show you
more faces and places while we cruise
through the week that was in chronological
order. Unless noted otherwise, all of the
photos in this article were shot by either
DNJournal.com or my friend and show hostess
extraordinaire Barbara Neu who has been
blessed with a wonderful photographic eye (as
fan's of each others photo snapping prowess,
we exchange camera cards at the end of
each conference to see what one caught that
the other missed - and I invariably miss more
than she does!) 
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Co-Founders Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu
(at right) with their wives Alina (at
left) and Barbara at the Bellagio Hotel
where T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas 2013 was
staged. Having set the stage, let's get this show on
the road! Though
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas 2013 didn't
officially open until the Wednesday evening
(May 29) Opening Night Cocktail Party, those
who got into town early were able
to get in some pre-show networking
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s poolside cabanas at the
Bellagio - set up specifically for that
purpose. 
Above:
view of the Bellagio pool area from the
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. cabanas that opened a
couple of days before the show began so early
birds would have a place to hang out
and network. By the way, if you like the
way this looks, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. will return to
the Bellagio in 2014 for another show that
will run the same week (immediately after
Memorial Day). Below:
Among those seen chatting at the cabanas were
(left to right) John Yeomans,
Morgan Linton, Sam Aidun and Escrow.com's
Andee Hill. 
Above:
If it got too hot outside, guest could sit
down inside the cool T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
cabanas to chat and have a drink as Chris
Baldwin (left) and Maxam Magnata
did. Below:
By Wednesday multiple parties were going
on in the cabana area. Next door to
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s main cabana Igloo.com
threw a re-christening party to
celebrate the new name for the company
formerly known as DomainAdvisors.com. Guests
were welcomed by (left to right) Amanda
Waltz, CEO & Co-Founder Tessa
Holcomb and Christina Oklund. 
Above:
On Wednesday afternoon (May 29) at
4:30pm - an hour before the conference
officially welcomed all guests, T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
held its traditional orientation session
for newcomers - and there were a lot of
them this year, coming from countries all
over the world. 
Above:
At 5:30pm Wednesday (May 29) T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Las Vegas 2013 shifted into high gear when
the Opening Night Cocktail Party got
underway at the Bellagio Hotel. 
Above:
Monica Hans (KeySystems) and Gregg
McNair (Igloo.com) have fun catching up at
the Opening Night Cocktail Party. Below:
Those on hand also included (left to right) Andy
Booth, Shane Cultra, John
McKanna and Steven Kennedy. 
Above:
Two first time T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
attendees, Dan Anderson (left) and Anshul
Goyal (who came from India) made a
lot of new friends at the Opening Night
Cocktail Party. Below:
Domain
Holdings brought 11 representatives
to T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas 2013, the
biggest contingent from any one company.
Barbara Neu got them all together for this
group photo on Opening Night. 
On
Thursday morning (May 30) it was time
to get down to business. The day began
with a 9am Power Brunch with opening
remarks from T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founders
Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu. 
Above:
A packed Food and Beverage Ballroom where
the crowd heard opening remarks from
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s co-founders Thursday morning
(May 30, 2013). Below:
After brunch the audience moved across the
hall to the General Session Ballroom
for the show's first panel discussion - Selling
to Start-Ups featuring Braden
Pollock, Morgan Linton, Dave
Evanson (Sedo) and Joe Uddeme (DomainHoldings). 
Above:
Braden Pollock of LegalBrandMarketing.com
offers some tips on Selling to Start-Ups
in the first business session at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Las Vegas 2013 Thursday morning (May 31). Below:
A view of the audience on hand for that opening
panel discussion. 
Below:
Freddie Schiwek (left) and Rook
Media's Joe Higgins grabbed a
couple of seats along the back wall to see the
opening panel discussion Thursday
morning. 
In
the second morning session Nat Cohen (Telepathy.com),
attorneys Ari Goldberger and Karen
Bernstein and NameNinja.com's Bill Sweetman
debated the pros and cons of the current
UDRP system that issues rulings in domain
name disputes. 
Above:
Attorney Ari Goldberger of ESQwire.com
commenting on the merits of the current UDRP
system in a Thursday morning panel discussion
(May 31). Below:
Between (or during) sessions guests could
visit the adjacent Refreshment and Exhibit
Hall to grab a cup coffee, a drink or a
snack and visit company representatives that
also set up there including Above.com's
team (left to right) Melissa Dafni, Victor
Pitts and Nancy Bianchi. 
The
Thursday afternoon (May 31) program began with
a Blog Roll discussion featuring
eight well-known domain industry bloggers and
reporters on the dais. Those were Shane
Cultra (DomainShane.com), Morgan
Linton (MorganLinton.com), Elliot
Silver (ElliotsBlog.com), Andrew
Allemann (DomainNameWire.com), Michael
Cyger (DomainSherpa.com), Michael
Gilmour (WhizbangsBlog.com), Adam
Dicker (ArtOfTheName.com) and Ron
Jackson (DNJournal.com). 
Above:
Ron Jackson (DNJournal.com) answering a
question from moderator Howard Neu during
Thursday afternoon's Blog Roll discussion
that covered a wide range of industry issues. Next
up at 2pm Thursday (MAy 31) was the T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Live Domain Auction. With veteran
auctioneer Wayne Wheat
directing the action 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. 
Above:
A scene from the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Live Domain
Auction Thursday (May 31). Below:
The final business session of the Day Thursday
was The Rick and Danny Show
in which Rick Schwartz (at right)
introduced his new partner in JointVentures.com,
Danny Welsh (at left). 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
Thursday's business out of the way it was time
to shift gears and get ready for that night's T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Water Night Vegas Charity Party sponsored
by NameCheap
- a gala that wound up raining $25,000
for the Water
School (T.R.A.F.F.I.C. donated $50
for every show registrant that attended the
party). 
Above:
Guests arriving for the T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Water Night Vegas Charity Party held at Planet
Hollywood's PBR Rock Bar got the red
carpet treatment. With two Water Night models
on each side of them, we snapped this shot of Axel Kaltz (ParkingCrew.com),
Negar Hajikhani (Sedo) and Mark Stepken (Sedo) Below:
Once the guests got inside they were greeted
by friends and endless food and drink on a
beautiful night to be on the PBR Rock's Bar
outdoor patio. 
Above:
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Water Night Vegas Charity Party guests
Roy Messer (left) and Dan Adamson from
DomainNameSales.com. Below:
Also on hand (left to right) were Jos
Lipman, Jodi Chamberlain (who helped
organize the party) and Hennie Groot Lipman.
Jos and Hennie came to the show from the
Netherlands. 
The
next morning (Friday, May 31) the final
business day at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas
2013 got underway at 10am with a one hour
breakfast that include two talks. I gave one
on the latest sales trends in the domain
aftermarket and India's Anshul Goyal,
whose company Email.biz
sponsored the breakfast, detailed his
company's innovative new services in the
second presentation. 
Above:
Before taking the stage at breakfast Friday
morning (May 31) Anshul Goyal from Email.biz
(left) goes over his presentation with
T.R.A.F.F.I.C tech whiz Danny Pryor. 
Above:
A highlight of the Friday business schedule
was The Adam Dicker Show
featuring DNForum.com
owner Adam Dicker and TheArtOfTheName.com
blogger Adam Dicker (right) who was
interviewed by DomainSherpa.com's
Michael Cyger (left). Dicker shared many
of the tricks of the trade that have
made him one of the most successful
entrepreneurs in the domain space. Below:
Between sessions, Guests continued to mingle
in the refreshment hall where they could also
chat with sponsors like GoDaddy.com.
(Left to right) Brad, Alfredo, Paul
and Alan were all available to talk
about the wide ranging services offered by the
world's largest registrar. 
Above:
Back in the conference hall Australia's
Michael Gilmour of ParkLogic.com
opened the afternoon session when he shared
his expertise in domain monetization
in a discussion labeled "The Truth
About Your Traffic." A
2:30pm Networking Lunch Break followed
and it featured SEO guru Jason
Hennessy from EversparkInteractive.com
(left) being interviewed by Braden Pollock.
Jason shared a string of valuable SEO tips
that were of special benefit to domain
investors. 
At
4pm it was time for the conference's grand
business finale - the always popular
Meeting of the Chiefs featuring eight
industry leaders who covered a broad range of
territory under questioning from moderator Howard
Neu. 
Above:
On the left side of the dais for the Meeting
of the Chiefs were (left to right) Michael
Gilmour (ParkLogic.com), Dwayne
Walker (Oversee.net), Adam
Dicker (ArtOfTheName.com), Donny
Simonton (Voodoo.com). Below:
On the right side of the dais were (left to
right): Ammar Kubba (ThoughtConvergence.com),
John Smrekar (InternetTraffic.com),
Dr. Chris Hartnett (Global
Media) and Joe Styler (GoDaddy.com). 
Above:
With business at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las
Vegas 2013 conference now out of the way,
it was time for the show's closing night
social event - a Dessert, Coffee, Beer
& Wine Party at the Bellagio Hotel
Friday night (May 31). Left to right at the
table above are Brett Napoli (WebsiteSchool.com),
Kimberly Howard and Ray Neu
(both representing T.R.A.F.F.I.C.) and Benjamin
Evans (Kname.it). Below:
The five lovely ladies captured in this shot
from the closing night party are Barbie
Goldstone, Diana Jackson, Barbara
Neu, Abigail Harris and Mary
Alvarez. 
Above:
There was something extra to
celebrate in the closing night party (May 31)
- it was Vishal Manjalani's birthday.
Vijal (standing at center in the black jacket
above), who represents Directi's
Skenzo unit, got a big surprise
when T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s Barbara Neu
(seated at left) had one of the most
elaborate and beautiful birthday cakes
I've ever seen brought in to help Vishal and
his many friends celebrate the occasion. 
Above:
The 2013 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas conference
officially closed the next morning (Saturday,
June 1) with the show's traditional
Farewell Breakfast. In addition to some
great food before you hit the road, the
breakfast is an opportunity to spend a
final hour or two visiting with
great friends and colleagues in the show's
most relaxing environment. I wrote a separate
post right after the show about
why, in my opinion, the closing breakfast is
one of the best parts of the
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. experience. With
T.R.A.F.F.I.C.'s 25th conference now history,
everyone is looking forward to the next
one coming up in South Florida
where it all started in 2004. The event
will run October 20-23, 2013 at the
Ritz Carlton Hotel on Fort Lauderdale
Beach. If
past history has proven anything it has proven
that Rick Schwartz and Howard
Neu with the indispensable help of
their wives Alina Schwartz
and Barbara Neu, Barbara
& Howard's son Ray Dillman Neu and
Kimberly Howard can be counted on to
stage another great conference when T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
East 2013 convenes this fall. I
hope to see you there!
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