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Below: After
Christian's comments to kick off the day, the first
business session in the Keynote Hall got underway with Unstoppable
Domains Founder & CEO Matthew Gould there to
discuss Making the Internet Safer by Bringing
Domains Onchain. The session synopsis noted,
"With the advent of AI we will need more
ways to verify authenticity online. Domain names are
exactly the right technology to build digital identity
– but they need an upgrade. Domains were the worlds
first real world digital assets and will be the first
industry to go 100% on chain bringing defi, fast
settlement, verifications, and payments to consumers
globally."
To make things
easier to follow, I will run down all of the Keynote
Hall sessions first, then do the same for what played
out on the Moniker Stage Friday. In real time I was
actually running back and forth between stages
throughout the day. That's the entrance to the Moniker
Stage above. This actually worked out well because I had
to enter the adjacent Exhibit area to reach the Moniker
Stage and that gave me more opportunities to see
vendors and various friends like D3 Global Founder
and CEO Fred Hsu, at right below, with Internet
Naming Company Founder Shayan Rostam.
Above: At
10:30am in the Keynote Hall, Hallie Cao, the Vice
President of Aftermarket at Dynadot,
told attendees how to Elevate Your Domain Game
With Dynadot (coincidentally, as a customer, the
Dynadot booth (below) was one of the first I visited in
the Exhibit Hall). As technology and the online space
evolve at a rapid pace, domain registrars must
continually adapt. Over the past year, Dynadot has
introduced a range of innovative tools designed to help
domain investors, business owners, and tech enthusiasts
buy, sell, and acquire domains more efficiently.
Above: at
10:50am attendees from both NamesConGlobal and
Cloudfest USA came together at the nearby WebPros
Stage to watch a Zoom interview with acting ICANN
Interim President & CEO Sally Costeron,
conducted by Christian Dawson (Executive
Director, i2Coalition). Just two days after the
conference ended, on Monday, June 10, ICANN announced
the appointment of a permanent new President
& CEO, Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist. Even
so, it was very helpful to get an update from Sally on
the many ICANN initiatives that impact domain investors
and developers.
At 11:25am it
was back to the Keynote Hall for one of the highlights
of conference week, Christian Dawson's interview
with the trail blazing architect of the domain name
system itself, Dr. Paul Mockepetris (seen at left
above and below). In addition to his first hand account
about the evolution of the DNS, Paul provided insights
into how new technologies and use cases might impact the
domain industry and what lies ahead for domain
professionals. Having been in the room when the
domain name system was born, no one has more knowledge
about the past, present, and future of domains than Dr.
Mockepetris.
Above: In the
final Keynote Hall session before the lunch break, Ronnie
Burt (Head of Gravatar at Automattic) delivered a
presentation titled Gravatar: The
Profile-As-A-Service You Didn't Know You Needed.
The program noted, "For two decades, Gravatar has
been an unsung hero of the internet, quietly powering
billions of avatars across countless websites. Dive into
the latest evolution of Gravatar as we unveil how we are
building a new open graph that intertwines domains,
identities, and social connections, setting the
stage for a more connected and personalized web
experience."
One other note
from the Keynote Hall. A thank you to the
moderators above, Dennis Tinerino (DomainSmoke.com)
and Elisabeth Klughardt (Finding Betty), who kept
things on stage moving like clockwork throughout
the week.
We has to head
for the airport at the lunch break Friday to keep an
important appointment in Tampa - the first time I've had
to leave a NamesCon early, so I missed an afternoon
panel session that looked like a great one - Diversifying
Your Domain Portfolio with an all-star team of
experts - Ammar Kubba, Elie Eweka, Monte Cahn, Brian
Harbin and Braden Pollock. I don't have to
leave this story early though, so now let's check out
what happened on the Moniker Stage Friday!
Above &
Below: The first session on the Moniker Stage
Friday morning (June 7) at 10:10am covered Brandable
Domains That Sell. The panelists, from left to
right, were Joey Nabor (Domain Investor at
DomainJoey), Elie Eweka (Author &
Investor at NameVase who is also seen below), Art
Malkov (Co-Founder at Lever.io), Mark Ghoriafi
(Premium Broker at Sedo) and moderator Dennis Tinerino
(DomainSmoke.com). This session gave attendees an
opportunity to learn what’s hot—and what’s
not—in the brandable domain space. Moving from idea to
brand to successful sale, the experts provided
actionable insights into how they navigate this
sometimes-confusing area of the domain market and find
success.
Above: The
audience at the Moniker Stage ready for the next session
at 10:55am, Picking Winners: Everyday Strategies
and Tactics for Domaining.
NamesCon assembled
another terrific panel for this session featuring, left
to right below, Bruce Breger (Owner, Web Real
Estate, LLC), Jack Dai (CEO, DN.com, who
is also seen in the second photo below), Yiqiu Tao
(Sedo Account Manager for Europe and
Asia-Pacific), Mark Daniel
(Managing Director, Domain Holdings Group) and superstar
domain broker Jeffrey Gabriel
(CEO, Saw.com) who proved to be a superb moderator with
his ability to always ask questions that elicit the most
valuable information. The panelists shared what
has worked for them when it comes to identifying
lucrative opportunities, building valuable portfolios,
and brokering successful domain sales.
Below: The
last morning session on the Moniker Stage covered Hidden
Gems: Real-Life Domaining in a Niche Market. For
this one Soeren von Varchmin (left) interviewed
Maxam Magnata (President, DomainGems.com) and Abigail
Harris (VP, Domain Gems.com) who have been mining
domains (and precious stones) for decades now.
Above: As the
program noted, "Most domaining stories do not
involve 10-figure deals, and the vast majority of domain
name investors aren’t doing this full-time. All
emerging domainers must first master the early—and
essential—steps in building a business that will last.
Abigail Harris and Maxam Magnata got into
domaining over 20 years ago, carving out a niche in exact-match
.COM domains focused on gems and jewelry." They
detailed how they manage their own deals, interface with
marketplace platforms, and fit the digital asset game
into their overall long-term strategy for a happy and
prosperous life.
As I noted
above, we had to head for the airport during the lunch
break so we regretfully missed an afternoon session when
our friend Marie Lanyon (CMO, OpenDNS) was to present
The New Era in Domain Reselling: Meet OpusDNS. We
also missed the Saturday Fun Day for the first time, but
that's what friends are for - and who the Fun Day photos
below are from (Thank you Kina Merdinian, Mark
Ghoriafi and NamesCon)!
Above:
NamesCon picked a new venue for this year's
Fun Day Saturday (June 8), Pelons Tex Mex
Restaurant in Austin, just a few blocks from
the show hotel.
Below: Great
food and drinks plus a mariachi band! What more
could you ask for on a trip to Austin! (Photo from
NamesCon).
Above &
Below: Pelons has indoor and outdoor seating and
it's a good thing because it gets pretty hot in Austin
this time of year! In the top photo, left to right, it
looks like Shaun McMeeken (Escrow.com), Jeff Garbutt
(PrimeLoyalty.com), Braden Pollock (LegalBrandMarketing.com)
and James Iles (GoDaddy.com) have it made
in the shade! Likewise in the bottom photo for Greg
Ricks, Kina Merdinian (DomainConnectors.com)
and Michael Curving. (Photos from Kina)
...and for the
Grand Finale...where else could it come from but
MrPremium himself, Sedo Premium Broker Mark
Ghoriafi, seen kneeling at center. If I could have
been there, had a sword and found Mark kneeling like
that, I would have dubbed him Sir Premium on the
spot! Thanks to all involved in staging another highly
productive and entertaining 10th edition of NamesCon
Global - and Happy 10th Anniversary to the
greatest domain show on earth!
*****
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