Nordic Domain Days 2024 Wrapped With a Record Crowd on Hand for Non-Stop Networking and Updates on the Latest Industry Trends

On Monday we told you about the Nordic Domain Days (NDD) conference getting underway that day in Stockholm, Sweden. The two-day show concluded Tuesday evening (May 14, 2024) with another record crowd on hand for the event that Lars "LG" Forsberg founded in 2015. Once the dust settled in Sweden's beautiful capital city, we circled back around to LG to get his take on how things went this year.

"Nordic Domain Days 2024 built upon the success of our previous events, and our attendees could tell that this was the case from the feedback we received during the event," Forsberg began, with his eye already on the next one. "This was our seventh event in nine years, and next year will be our 10th anniversary. While we cannot reveal the dates, it's safe to say that NDD 2025 will happen in Stockholm in mid-May unless something earth-shattering happens."

May 13 & 14, 2024 - Stockholm

Above: Stage host and moderator Robert Jacobi welcomed a capacity crowd  to Nordic Domain Days 2024. (All photos in this article are courtesy of Nordic Domain Days).

Below: At center, IT.com Director of Channel Development Tess Diaz was
one of many Americans who made the trip to Stockholm for NDD 2024.

LG noted, "Something unique about this iteration of Nordic Domain Days was the composition of the audience. With ICANN CPS in Paris the week before, a larger portion of our crowd came from North America and the Asia Pacific region, as they were already in Europe. The NDD team is always happy to see new people at the conference, and with yet another growth spurt at roughly 20% over last year, we are in or around the sweet spot of our desired size."

Above & Below: Every survey of domain industry conference attendees produces
 the same results - the main reason people go to conferences is to take advantage of the 
networking opportunities. Proving them was job #1 for the NDD 2024 team.

LG confirmed that, noting, "It has always been the team's intention to maintain a specific size for the event, not exceeding 400 attendees. This deliberate choice allows us to prioritize the quality of our venues and the intimacy of our space, ensuring that each attendee feels valued and can engage in meaningful conversations. The idea behind Nordic Domain Days has always been to be a place for Excellent Networking and good conversations. 

Above & below: NDD 2024 attendees building new relationships and strengthening existing ones. 

While the emphasis on networking that did not come at the expense of an exceptional business agenda that was jam-packed with informative and invaluable presentations and panel discussions. LG noted, "Our main stage agenda is an integral part of NDD and we will always provide it to facilitate conversations before and after each session."

The dozens of business sessions at NDD 2024 gave attendees plenty to think and talk about, including (above) a presentation from Radix's Varun Punjab who provided "A Deep Dive into an E-commerce Seller's Journey & E-commerce Domains".

Another (below) featured Sedo's Christian Voss (left) and Team Internet's Matthias Kaiser (center) with Domain Crawler's Rickard Vikstrom to talk about Domain Mastery: Navigating Success in Traffic Domain Investing.

LG added, "This year, there was also a focus on collaboration in tackling DNS Abuse and Registrant Data Validation. The EU directive NIS2 was heavily featured, as was e-identification. On the other hand, NDD 2024 held our first-ever Aftermarket session, which was very well received. I can already disclose that NDD 2025 will feature even more on this particular subject," LG added.

Above (left to right): Braden Pollock (LegalBrandMarketing.com), Alan Shiflett (GoDaddy) and Giuseppe Gaziano (GGRG.com) presented NDD's inaugural session dedicated to the domain Aftermarket. 

In conclusion he noted LG Forsberg added, "The NDD team and I are very happy with how the event turned out, and we can't stress enough that to make this event happen, we rely on our many partner's support and the attendance of our awesome industry!"

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Experts from Both Sides of the Atlantic Gathered in Sweden for Today's Start of Nordic Domain Days

LG Forsberg founded Nordic Domain Days in 2015 to serve as a yearly domain industry event for the Nordic geographical and cultural region that encompasses Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. The industry as a whole knows no bounds though, so well-run regional conferences like this continue to attract increasingly larger crowds year after year as domain professionals from other parts of the world come in to make or strengthen connections in the world's fastest growing markets.  

The 2024 edition of Nordic Domain Days that got underway at the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden today is no exception with domain pros from the U.S., the UK, throughout Europe and beyond on hand for two full days of wide ranging business sessions and face to face networking.

May 13 & 14, 2024 - Stockholm

Sedo Premium Broker Mark Ghoriafi and GoDaddy Domain Investing Community Manager James Iles (who is also an outstanding journalist) are there and are sharing some photos with us so we can give you a peak into the busy proceedings.

Things actually got off to an early start Sunday evening (May 12) when Forsberg (standing at top center) welcomed some of the first to arrive in Stockholm to a VIP Dinner. 

Above: Braden Pollock (LegalBrandMarketing.com), Nordic Domain Days Founder LG Forsberg and Sedo Premium Broker Mark Ghoriafi ready for the show to begin this morning in Stockholm.

Above: Of the 15 business sessions held on opening day one of special interest to domain investors was this afternoon discussion about the current state of The Aftermarket that featured (left to right) LegalBrandMarketing.com Founder and angel investor Braden Pollock, GoDaddy Senior Director of Global Sales and Product Leadership Alan Shiflett and Host Giuseppe Graziano, the Founder of brokerage and consulting firm GGRG.com.

LG Forsberg noted that this was the first Nordic Domain Days session ever to focus solely on the domain aftermarket. The panelists gave the audience advice on how to build and manage a successful domain name portfolio while also sharing insights into recent aftermarket trends.

As we write this, opening day at NDD was winding down with a Grand Social Event at the Living Room Bar & Main Stage at the Clarion. 

Of course, one of the premier attractions at Nordic Domain Days is the historic and beautiful host city, Stockholm, Sweden.

Enjoying an evening stroll around Stockholm are (left to right): Mark Ghoriafi, Nicole Derseweh (Creator and CEO at Love Lox), Braden Pollock, Alan Shiflett, GoDaddy Marketing Director Trip Briscoe and James Iles.

Day 2 of Nordic Domain Days gets underway bright and early Tuesday morning at 9:30am (local time) and continues through a 7pm Farewell Dinner.

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Revelation of  $8,515,000 Price Paid for Gold.com Ramps Up Buzz for Andrew Miller's Appearance at NamesCon Global

Coming off last month's news that Hilco Digital Assets Managing Director Andrew Miller helped broker the $15.5 million sale of Chat.com last year (the 2nd highest publicly reported domain sale of all time), anticipation has been building for Andrew's keynote session at the upcoming NamesConGlobal conference in Austin, Texas (June 5-8). Thanks to George Kirikos, who just reported the previously undisclosed $8,515,000 price paid for Gold.com in March, the needle on the buzz meter has just been pinned to the right because Andrew's hands are all over this one too. 

In a post on his FreeSpeech.com site, George revealed he found the exact price paid for the domain in an SEC filing made by the parent company of subsidiary JM Bullion, the new owner of the domain. Long time readers know George has been bringing gems like this to light for over 20 years now. That information has given the industry at large a huge boost in credibility as these sales clearly demonstrate how valuable these top tier assets can be. 

With the sale a public record now, Andrew was able to confirm George's reporting of yet another blockbuster win for the Hilco team. Coincidentally, Andrew also happens to be the subject of our current cover story, titled The Sound of Success: How Record Breaking Domain Deal Maker Andrew Miller Keeps Hitting the Highest Notes. If you aren't already familiar with his story (one we first chronicled in one of our earliest cover stories back in 2005), checking out the new profile will give you some great insight into how Miller has been consistently orchestrating deals at this level for so long.

We will be adding the Gold.com sale to our charts when our next bi-weekly domain sales report comes out Wednesday evening (May 15). It will take over the top spot on our Year To Date Top Domain Sales Chart, at a price that is over 7 times higher than the current leader. Gold.com will also take a place among the 10 highest verified publicly reported sales of all time.

Andrew Miller

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After Successful Debut in Dubai Last Fall, Domain Days Answers Call for an Encore With Release of November Dates 

With Nordic Domain Days coming up next week in Stockholm, NamesCon Global set to go next month in Austin, Texas and the London Domain Summit following in August, the 2024 domain industry conference calendar is really starting to heat up. That being the case, it seems appropriate that the year's final major event, will be held in the UAE's dynamic desert metropolis, Dubai, on November 5th and 6th. That's when Domain Days will return for an encore after a very successful launch last fall. 

Domains Days Founder Munir Badr announced the 2024 dates when the show will return to the  popular venue where it launched last year, the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah. Munir said ticket sales and hotel reservations will be opening later this month. 

The ground-breaking 2023 event, with IT.com Domains as the title sponsor, attracted nearly 200 attendees and 40 speakers from around the 

world. The Internet Commerce Association's Legal Counsel, Zak Muscovitch, was a featured speaker. Zak said, "After only a few minutes at Domain Days it was clear that Munir had exceeded all expectations and put on a first class domain name conference, not to be missed. Everything about Domain Days is top notch including facilities, organization, speakers, and attendees." 

LegalBrandMarketing.com CEO Braden Pollock, who also served as a moderator at Domain Days, added, "What I enjoyed the most about Domain Days was not only were there lots of familiar faces, but I also met serious players from other parts of the world that don’t normally make it to US based domain conferences. After the first event, it became a must-attend conference."

These scenes (above and below) from the 2023 edition of Domain Days provide a peek at how Munir Badr and his team utilized the spectacular Dubai skyline and harbor to provide an unforgettable backdrop for their debut event. They are committed to making the 2024 conference even better and will be giving us updates to share with you as they develop in the weeks ahead.

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ROTD Has Year's Biggest Live Domain Auction Ready to Go June 6 at NamesCon Global 

The domain investing industry's biggest event, NamesCon Global, returns to Austin, Texas June 5-8, 2024 and, once again,  the RightOfTheDot (ROTD) live auction of premium digital assets will be a major highlight of show week. ROTD has assembled an exceptional catalog of Web2 domain names and Web3 digital assets for the event that will get underway at 3PM (U.S. CDT) on Thursday, June 6 at the downtown Omni Hotel. ROTD President, Director and domain industry pioneer Monte Cahn will again team up with world champion auctioneer Wayne Wheat to run the fast-paced sale.

Premium domains scheduled to go on the block include Dog.com, Fish.com, Messages.com, Desktop.com, DataStorage.com, Horses.com, Consulting.ai, Army.ai, Blue.org and Christmas.net, among dozens of others. Many Web 3 names including Wallet.x, Beer.x, A.nft, Bet.gaming and 8.polygon, supplied by industry

Above: Scenes from the June 2023 RightOfTheDot
live domain auction at NamesCon Global in Austin, Texas. 
Monte Cahn is at bottom left, Wayne Wheat at bottom right.

leaders Unstoppable Domains and Freename, will also be offered as traditional and blockchain-based digital ecosystems continue to converge.

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Goodbye SquadHelp, Hello Atom! Popular Naming & Branding Platform Goes Nuclear With Move to Atom.com 

After staking a claim as the world's largest company naming and branding platform, Squadhelp completed an explosive rebranding of themselves this morning when they re-emerged from the makeover blast with a new name - Atom -  and a new super-premium web address at Atom.com!

Since launching in 2011, Atom (formerly Squadhelp) has helped over 50,000 clients, including Nestle, Pepsi, Dell, Alibaba, Hilton, Phillips, and Kellogg's in polishing their brands. Atom also offers a full startup ecosystem for ambitious new businesses, providing the brand building blocks they need to thrive, starting with the perfect domain.

is now

As naming experts,  the team at Atom knew it was also time for their own rebrand. “We deeply believe in the importance of a world-class brand and the concrete impact it has on
business results," Darpan said, adding " Squadhelp was a great brand for what we used to focus on exclusively – crowdsourcing business names with the help of a vast creative community. But, Atom helps us take everything to the next level. Atom is an inspiring, memorable, and innovative name that people can get excited about. As a naming startup, with this tier A+ name and domain, we are betting on ourselves and aspiring to become a B2B household brand."

Darpan Munjal summed the rebrand up with this - “Just like atoms are the building blocks of the universe, Atom.com will provide the building blocks of success for every great startup. It will be an ecosystem for early-stage startups that offers founders everything they need to build and launch a new brand or grow an existing one.”

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Price Paid for Chat.com Last Year Confirmed to Be $15.5 Million Making It One of Top 2 All-Time Publicly Reported Domain Sales 

Last year at this time Hilco Digital Assets Managing Director Andrew Miller and fellow pioneering domain broker Larry Fischer were busy helping Hubspot Co-Founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah put together a multi-million acquisition of the super-premium domain name Chat.com. Andrew and Larry represented the seller but Andrew also served as a facilitator in bringing both sides together - a role he frequently plays due to the extraordinary high level contact list he has developed over the past two decades.

Having a hand in historic sales is nothing new for any one of these three. In 2022 Dharmesh acquired Connect.com for $10 million in the year's highest publicly reported sale (and one of the five highest ever). Andrew and Larry, working individually, together or with other partners have closed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of sales in their illustrious careers.

The exact price paid in eight-figure domain sales rarely gets released to the public and up until a few days ago, it seemed unlikely we wouldever learn what Chat.com sold for in the spring of 2023. However, as Andrew noted on his LinkedIn feed, Dharmesh, during an interview on the Lenny Rachitsky podcast, revealed he had paid "$15 million+" for Chat.com. Ever since, people have been speculating about what that + represented (we were among them as having the exact price would allow us to chart the sale and give the public another great example of just how valuable top tier domains can be).

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Radix Records 28% Premium Domain Revenue Jump YOY Led By .Tech, .Online and .Store TLDs 

Radix has released their latest semi-annual report on the registry operator's premium domain sales results across the 10 TLDs they administer. Their H2-2023 Recap (.pdf file) details how Radix generated $4.8 million in Premium Retail Revenue, including $3.1 million that came from premium domain renewals. That represents a 28% year over year gain for this segment of their business.

.Tech was Radix's top performer, generating $1.36 million in revenue with $984,380 of that coming from renewals and $377,622 from new premium registrations. Rounding out their top five TLDs, in order, were .online, .store, .space and .site. The top chart below breaks out the renewal revenue produced by each of their leading TLDs. The second chart shows the new premium registration revenue from each of those extensions.

NEW PREMIUM REGISTRATIONS:

There is a wealth of additional information in the free, full report here (.pdf file).

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