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The
pandemic is still far from over, of course, but a mix of factors including,
vaccinations, natural immunity developed by some and careful attention to
following safety protocols made it possible for this to finally happen for
those ready to take the plunge back into the physical world.
There
is a theory
that we are all living in a computer simulation. I don't know about
the rest of you, but after doing almost everything online for almost two
years now, I definitely feel like I've been living in one! Regrettably, I
wasn't able to go to to the ICA meeting that ended the day before the latest
NamesCon Onine conference began,
but I was there with my colleagues in spirit. Better yet, thanks to some
information and photos I got from ICA Executive Director Kamila Sekiewicz,
I was able to see and hear about some of what happened and now share that with you.
Kamila,
ICA General Counsel Zak Muscovitch (who came in from Canada), Board
Members Paul Nicks (GoDaddy), Jay Chapman (Digimedia) Nat
Cohen (Telepathy) and long-time ICA supporter Gregg McNair (who
traveled from Panama) were among those who flew in to greet several dozen of
their fellow members.
Above and
below: Nevada currently has an indoor mask mandate in place but the Green
Valley Ranch made it possible to hold many functions outside, including
meals and casual networking in cabanas near the pool.
Above
and below: There was no cost to attend the meetup and generous
sponsors provided the meals, drinks and cabana rentals at no charge
throughout the event. Thank yous for that went to GoDaddy,
Above.com, Michael
Cyger (DNAcademy.com), Zak
Muscovitch, Ammar Kubba,
Dynadot, Bodis
and Gregg McNair’s PTL.
Above
and below: After a busy opening day of socializing, casual talks and an
evening reception, nearly half of the attendees got out of bed early the
next morning for a hike near scenic Red Rock Canyon. Michael Law
rounded up the ICA adventurers long enough to snap these shots.
(Below)
Everyone got back to the ranch in plenty of time to sit in on a Q&A
session with Paul Nicks, the Aftermarket Director at GoDaddy, as
well as a
presentation from DNAcademy's Michael Cyger and a Town Hall
discussion about the past, present, and future of the ICA. During the town
hall, one of the earliest
ICA members, Nat Cohen, shared stories many members had never
heard before. General Counsel Zak Muscovitch then spoke about issues
the ICA is currently focusing on and their importance to the domain industry.
After that the floor was opened for members to ask any questions they had.
(Above
and below) With the business day done, attendees were taken to Virgil’s
BBQ on the Las Vegas Strip, where they were treated to a sumptuous
and drinks.
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With a large outdoor patio
overlooking the LINQ promenade (at right), Virgil's was the
perfect location to start a night out in Vegas.
The next day (closing day, Tuesday, September 21), the
members of the ICA leadership team who attended the meetup got
together for a team breakfast. It gave them a a rare opportunity to
meet in person and review how the meetup went - which seems to have
been all good judging from the comments we have seen on social
media, More importantly, it was a
chance to plan for the future and address the
challenges ICA members and the domain industry are most concerned
about.
Kamila Sekiewicz gave me this closing
note - "Judging by the response we received after this event, we
hope to do this again soon!" That should be music to
everyone's ears. |
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Sun
setting over the Green Valley Ranch where the Internet Commerce Association
celebrated the organization's 15th Anniversary. If you are not an ICA
member, you should be! You can join
here.
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