In September I told you about Radix Registry's launch of Startup League, a  startup-support program designed to aid early stage startups that use any of Radix's TLDs to launch their idea or company (Radix is a new gTLD registry operator whose portfolio includes .website, .tech, .store, .online and .space to name a few).

Startup League took another giant step forward this month with a significant presence at Web Summit 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal - Europe's biggest tech conference and the world's biggest startup event. The show that ran November 6-9 attracted 53,000 attendees and 1,500 startups from around the world. 

Startup League sponsored 15 startup  

companies at the event, paying 30% of each company's booth fees, providing branded goodies at the booths, public relations support on leading startup event portals and more.

Radix reps with staff members from the startups they sponsored at Web Summit.

As we previously noted Sedo scheduled three auctions of short .AT domain names this month. Our report on results from the first one is here and the second one just ended Monday (November 22) with another impressive list of sales. .AT is Austria's official ccTLD but, unlike some country code domains, .AT names can be purchased by anyone. 

Sedo said thousands of bids came in from around the world on nearly 400 domains in the latest  auction. The top ten sales alone totaled €79,242 ($83,996 at today's exchange rate). Here's a list of those top sellers:

The founders of India's DomainX conference, who held their 3rd annual show in New Delhi August 6-7, 2016, debuted a completely new event for bloggers - BlogX - that same weekend in New Delhi. BlogX was held in a different hotel August 5 (the day before DomainX started). The blogger's event was so well received that organizers immediately began making plans to return in 2017 and they have just announced the date and location for the return engagement.

Those who missed the first one or didn't look forward to a year-long wait before the next one will be happy to know that BlogX 2017 will be held less than three months from now. The show will go on Saturday, February 11 at Shangri-La's Eros Hotel

in New Delhi. Shangri-La's is where DomainX was held in August while the first edition of BlogX was staged at the JW Marriott Aerocity Hotel. Dates of Domain 2017 haven't been released yet but it looks like the domain conference and blog event will no longer be joined at the hip going forward. 

Part of the crowd at the debut edition of BlogX in New Delhi August 5, 2016.

Organizers describe BlogX as "A conference where bloggers and content managers from all backgrounds connect to learn from each other while networking with industry leaders in the blogging community. Accomplished bloggers share their experience and show you how to be a successful professional blogger. Hands-on, in-depth sessions with leaders in their niche; advanced topics where we take you to the next level in terms of content, relationship and brand building."

You can book early bird tickets for the event now but the speaker's lineup and session topics haven't yet been announced. As the agenda comes together you will find updated information on the BlogX website that also has more details for both attendees and those interested in sponsoring the conference.

Almost all of our readers are familiar with domain aftermarket platforms like Sedo, Afternic, BuyDomains, SnapNames, NameJet, GoDaddy Auctions, Uniregistry Market, Flippa and  many others. One thing they all have in common is a vast inventory of domains covering 

every conceivable product, service or category. As the domain industry has grown an interesting thing we have started seeing is the arrival of specialty aftermarket sales platforms that are dedicated to a single vertical or category (for example BrandBucket who focuses solely on selling brandable domains - typically made up names or word combinations that wouldn't normally be used together).

The latest example of this trend is ElevatedNames.com - a just launched marketplace dedicated to entirely to domains for the rapidly emerging legal cannabis industry. Here in Florida a constitutional amendment legalizing medical use of marijuana just passed this month. More than half of the states in the U.S. have now legalized cannabis for medical and in some cases even recreational use in one form or another.

According to Forbes Magazine, "the legal cannabis Industry is set to top $7 

Cannabis image from Bigstock

billion in revenues in 2017." Anytime new industries are created new domain names are going to be needed to represent those enterprises online and forecasts indicate thousands of new canna-related businesses will launch within the next few years. The magnitude of the opportunity convinced ElevatedNames CEO and Founder Farley Cahen that now was the time to move forward with the marketplace, but he is no newcomer to the cannabis field. 

Cahen noted the ElevatedNames website will be updated regularly with new domain additions as well as a soon-to-launch blog that will help to inform readers about cannabis industry related topics. He added. "Domain owners interested in selling their names to or on the website, may contact the company directly to discuss terms and details. Visitors are encouraged to explore the website and are welcome to contact the company through the form on the site or directly at [email protected]."

Radix Registry offered a peak into their premium domain sales results for 3Q-2016 today when they issued their first quarterly report of this data in infographic format. Radix 

operates a portfolio of new gTLD extensions including .online, .website, .tech and .store to name a few.

As is the case with most new gTLD registry operators the sale of premium domains at considerably higher price points than standard registrations is a key source of revenue for Radix. These sales are made through their registrar partners or via marketplaces like Sedo, Afternic, auctions, brokerages and direct premium sales.

Some are "annuity" sales (those that carry a premium price that is paid again with each annual renewal) while others revert to a standard renewal price after a one-time premium price is paid when the domain is purchased.  

In 3Q-2016, Radix reported 406 premium domains were registered or renewed, generating $607,818 in revenue for them. .Online produced the lion's share of that income - $197,165 - accounting for 37.5% of the total. .Store was next at 19.8%, followed by .tech with 15.9%.  Five other extensions were each in single digits percentage wise. 

Their annuity sales were by far the most lucrative, producing 86% of their $366,071 in new premium domain registration fees vs. 14% for one-time sales (those with a high price up front that reverts to standard renewals fees after that). Their top one-time sales were 1.store at $30,000, Bam.tech at $15,000 and Hello.store at $10,000. Their annuity sales were led by eight domains that cost $6,500 each up front and require the same amount to be paid again each year as premium renewal fees. Those domains were Reg.tech, Fire.host, Project.space, Audible.store, AWS.store, Showroom.store, Bonds.store and Bot.store.

You will find a lot more data on these premium sales in this easy to read infographic.

A couple of weeks ago I told you about a series of three weekly auctions that Sedo would be running this month with each featuring ultra-short domains from Austria's .AT  ccTLD. This afternoon Sedo released the results from the first of those auctions that ended yesterday. The top sale was C.at at €56,000 ($59,920 at today's exchange rate), followed by 1.at at €26,008 ($27,828.). Here is the rest of top ten sales from the event:

That works out to €174,717 ($192,181) for the ten biggest sales in an auction that drew almost 6,000 bids on a catalog of close to 400 domains. While .AT officially represents Austria interest in the domains extended well beyond that country and next door neighbor Germany. Sedo said bidders from China, the U.S. and Canada were also very active participants.

The second of the three auctions is underway now and you can see the full catalog here. Once again, a variety of one and two letter or number domains are featured including I.at, 6.at, Me.at and many others. The third and final week-long sale will begin November 21. 

China made domain investors sit up and take notice last year when buyers there ignited an astonishing market boom by snapping up everything that wasn't nailed down in categories they favored - especially short .com domains consisting of 2-4 letters or numbers. Most people on this side of the Pacific didn't know much about selling to Chinese buyers but they 

were eager to learn with hopes of cashing in on the rally before it ran out of steam.

The dizzying pace of buying and selling that drove prices into nosebleed territory did prove to be unsustainable and this year prices have fallen back to lower levels though still, for the most part, they are  higher than they were before the explosion. It has become pretty obvious that China is going to remain a key player in the domain business for many years to come so  researching and gaining an understanding of that market will be time and money well spent. 

A great place to start would be a new ebook, China 101: A Guide to Domain Name Investing in China, that has just been released by domain investor, freelance writer and Chinese market aficionado James Illes. The well researched, comprehensive 85-page compendium will quickly get you up to speed and the $27 price tag won't break the bank.

After staging the first seven editions of Domaining Europe in Valencia, Spain, conference Founder Dietmar Stefitz decided it was time to take the show on the road. The first move in a direction aimed at better serving the entire continent came last May when Domaining Europe 2016 was held in The Hague, Netherlands.

Today Stefitz announced the 2017 event will be held in another great European capital, Berlin, Germany. The show will run May 14-16 at the five-star Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt in the heart of Berlin.

Above: The Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt in Berlin, Germany 
where the 2017 Domaining Europe conference will be held next May. 

Below: The hotel is located in the heart of Berlin within walking distance of the German 
capital's many historic attractions including the Brandenburg Gate that is just a mile away.

(Brandenburg Gate photo from Bigstock)

If you are going to Berlin you will also want to reserve some time for sight seeing. The city has many fabulous landmarks and museums and well as a lively nightlife. 

Above: The stunning Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dome)
 is one of the many must see attractions in Berlin.

Below: Inside the historic Berlin Cathedral. (Both photos from Bigstock)

Early Bird Tickets for Domaining Europe 2017 are on sale now for €350 (plus taxes and fees) and can be booked at that rate until December 15, 2016 (after that the price will be the standard rate of €650). All Tickets include Catering during the Conference. The conference has also negotiated discount room rates for the show (€149 or €179 depending on the room category chosen) and those can be booked here. Sponsors interested in exhibit space can contact Stefitz through the event website. 

The .AT Registry - administrator of Austria's .AT country code top level domain - has decided to release 4,965 previously unavailable one and two character domain names that will be sold in a trio of Sedo auctions this month. The first of those will get underway Monday, November 7 and run for one week, with next batch starting November 14 and the final one November 21 (click on the dates to see a list of domains that will be sold in that week's auction). 

These ultra-short domains will consist of one or two letters, one or two numbers, or one or two mixed characters (one letter and one number). For example, C.at, Wh.at, 1.at or K2.at. All domains purchased in this auction will be entered into the .at zone on December 6. From that day on these domain names will be fully operational. There will be no premium prices charged when renewing domains won in the auctions - all will renew at the standard rate for any .at domain.  

While .AT, which was established in 1996, is Austria's official ccTLD, anyone can own one regardless of where they live (at one time I owned Jackson.at). A Sedo statement about the upcoming auctions noted that they expect significant interest in these domains from the China market because the AT letter combination has special meaning there. The statement said, "The .AT combination is the initial letter for certain Chinese words and phrases in pinyin like “loving him/her”, “lament”, “loving to listen” (e.g. music), etc.  Furthermore, .AT domains are easier for the Mandarin speaking population to remember making this TLD attractive to commercial end user groups in China as well as Chinese domain investors."

For more information and a detailed auction schedule you can visit Sedo.com/at.