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for the first time is over
two-and-a-half-years (due to the Covid pandemic),
the joyous mood at this year's show made it
feel like we have finally gotten an irreplaceable
part of our lives back.
Above:
The Fun Day was a great way to wrap up the
week. No business - just hanging out, having a good
time with old friends and making new ones. The
latter is an easy thing to do in this business
because everyone is welcome and we all feel a
special kinship with those who share our love
for domains (and understand how difficult it can
be to explain that passion to people who are not in
this business).
Above
and Below: Banger's, an Austin institution,
was the perfect place to celebrate domain world
camaraderie with their tasty homemade sausages
and vast array of craft beers.
Above:
One of the most popular gathering spots at Banger's
was in front of the rows of taps that deliver 132
different varieties of beer, hard cider and
other specialty beverages! Below:
No matter what time of day you dropped by (Fun Day
ran from 10am to 5pm Saturday) you were sure to see
both new faces and familiar ones in the
crowd. We were happy to meet April Hawthorne
(at left) for the first time and grateful for a
chance to see Maxam and Abigail Magnata
(center and right) again for the first time in
years. The thing about long time friends in
our field is that, no matter how much time has past,
you can just pick right back up where you left
off as if no time had passed at all.
Above: In
this group you see a guy who stands out in any
crowd, Braden Pollock (at center in the NamesCon
shirt). The personable and witty Californian (I had
to admonish him for being funnier than me) is one of
the industry's most familiar faces after years of
success as a domain investor and countless
appearances on conference stages as a popular
speaker and skilled moderator. In the latter role
there was never a dull moment in Braden's
sessions at NamesCon Global 2022 - and I can say
they same thing for every conversation I've had with
him over the years. Below:
Speaking of successful investors and fun people to
see, it was good to connect again with Texas's own Francine
Callahan (left), top notch broker Jeff
Garbutt from PrimeLoyalty.com
(center) and, of course, spend another day with my
wife, Diana Jackson (right - well, she is always
right, so what did you expect!), who has spent the
past 20 years enjoying the journey with fellow domain
travelers every bit as much as I have.
Above: (L
to R) Aishwin Vikhona, Monte Cahn (RightOfTheDot.com),
Ron Jackson (DNJournal.com) and NamesCon
CEO Christian Jaeger.
I continue to be amazed
how our business - one that spans the entire
globe and sits at the very center of the
Internet infrastructure that allows anyone to
instantly communicate with others worldwide -
has managed to retain the feeling of a small family
business. People come to NamesCom from all over
the planet and quickly become personal
friends, regardless of what culture or unique
background they come from. Aishwin is an industry
veteran from India, Monte (who has been in
the business since the late 1990s) and I are Americans
(both based in Florida) and Christian, who
became NamesCon's CEO last year, is from Germany.
NamesCon attendees also included people from Canada,
Australia, multiple countries in Europe,
South America, the Far East and more.
It's a diverse crowd, some cosmopolitan, some
country, but all intellectually curious about
the world we live in, creative and just a
joy to be around. Thanks
to Christian, Soeren von Varchmin, Helga
Neumer and the entire NamesCon team for a
great week and a triumphant return to
in-person conferencing! Can't wait to see you
again when NamesCon returns to Austin in 2023
(dates to be announced)!
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