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On October
23, 2004, exactly 20 years before I started
writing this sentence), the historic first
conference in a game changing series of TRAFFIC
shows was entering its closing hours at the Delray
Beach Marriott in Florida. When it was
over, the headline for our review of the first ever
major conference for domain investors and the
small number of service providers that existed at that
time was "Successful Trade Show Heralds
the Start of a New Era For the Domain Industry"
- and that is exactly what TRAFFIC 2004 did.
That event
was the start of a 10-year run of 28 shows
that spread from Delray Beach (and later Miami,
Fort Lauderdale and Orlando) across the
United States to Las Vegas, Silicon Valley
and New York City (3 times), then
internationally to Australia, Europe (Amsterdam,
Milan and Dublin), as well as Vancouver,
Canada. TRAFFIC (an acronym for Targeted
Redirects and Financial Fulfillment Internet
Conference) was also the spark that
ignited a constellation of new conferences that
sprouted after TRAFFIC proved the concept could work.
It
was not a challenge for the faint-hearted to take on
because of the enormous cost to rent hotel
ballrooms, guarantee rooms and provide food service
(something almost no shows do any longer due to the
expense). Yet, even though there was nothing
comparable to today's "domain
industry" to draw on, pioneering investor Rick
Schwartz, AKA The Domain King, and
his partner, the late great domain attorney Howard
Neu, took a giant leap of faith and signed
the
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Florida's
Delray Beach Marriott where the first
TRAFFIC conference was staged October 20-23, 2004
In
2009, halfway through TRAFFIC's 10-year run,
Howard Neu and Rick Schwartz were back in
New York City, staging a conference in the Big
Apple
for the 3rd time.
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contracts. It was a decision that would change
their lives and that of countless others who built
invaluable business relationships and, in many cases,
lifelong personal friendships, as a result of meeting
face to face at a TRAFFIC conference.
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Rick Schwartz had
already been a very successful domain investor for many years
before TRAFFIC began. In that mid-90s era, the business
consisted of just a handful of remarkably prescient individuals
who envisioned what the arrival of the Internet would mean -
and more precisely - the invaluable role domain names would
play in what many view as the greatest technological shift
of all-time. Almost everyone else in their lives laughed at
them for "wasting their money" on "imaginary
real estate." Rick knew better, so why, as one of those
rare people who had discovered a goldmine, would he want to
stage a conference and invite competition for great
domains?
Rick, as usual, got
right to the point. "Life is short," he said.
"Everything's going to be worth a fortune in 100 years.
There's only one problem. None of us are gonna be around in
100 years! So my primary reason was accelerating
the understanding, acceptance, and the value and the need for
a great domain name. This was something that was going to take
decades to get to its full potential, so accelerating it
was my mission then and is still my mission to this very
day."
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Rick added, "I
actually first started thinking about doing the show in 1997.
But I had one little hurdle. Something called stage fright.
I had to figure out how to overcome my fear of getting in
front of a large audience. I knew it was something I wanted to
do and I knew it was something I had to overcome to actually
be able to do it. As time went on Howard had become my
attorney and after working with him for about 5 years I
realized that while I had stage fright, he had stage
presence! He was had been the Mayor of North Miami
and also had a local TV show for 13 years, so as a team, I
felt like we could do it."
The year before they
took the TRAFFIC plunge, Rick sold Men.com for $1.3
million, a transaction that confirmed his theory about the
high value of top quality domains. "The sale of Men.com
in 2003 was reported worldwide," Rick noted.
"That sale turned theory into reality and gave me
the street cred to be able to pull off a show about domains
and assemble those involved for the first time - and also to educate
the universe as to why a domain with traffic could
and would be life-changing."
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Rick
Schwartz had to overcome stage fright
to take the podium on the opening day of the
first TRAFFIC conference in October 2004. |
"The
sale allowed me to take a huge financial risk to put on
that first show," Rick continued, "While I had attended and had booths at
hundreds of trade shows in 55 industries, I had never run
one. So my reputation was squarely on the line because
I didn't have a damn clue of what I was doing!"
Things got even scarier when he had to start
signing the checks. "Our keynote speaker, Ben
Stein alone was $50,000 but that also
helped to give us credibility," Rick said. "I had to guarantee
each and every room months in advance. Had to guarantee
about 225 room nights. Then there was the food. The big nut. I
had to guarantee something like $150,000 in food. All
that just to acquire the space. Who knew? But there was
no turning back!," Rick declared, adding, "Bottom
line, I personally financed it and was on the hook for about $300,000
if this all went south. And I was in a tough financial
position because I was fresh off of a divorce. Still, I signed
the contract months before the conference, even though I only
had $69,000 in the bank at the time. That left me with
one thought, "This better F'ing work!"
Rick
and Howard went all in to get Keynote Speaker Ben Stein for
their first conference.
(Left to right): Domain Investor Marcia Lynn Walker,
Ben Stein,
Barbara Dillman Neu, Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu.
Despite
the risk, Rick believed it was the road he had to take.
"I felt good about marrying my expertise in domains with
Howard's ability to be an emcee, but the most important thing
was the timing was right. Everything in life is about
timing and it had to be done and done then. I
would select the topics and populate the panels and put the
schedule together and do the outreach and the marketing. But
when show time arrived, Howard took the reins and I was the
locomotive engineer that kept things running on time and
making sure that everything was running smoothly and attendees
were happy."
"However,
I was also the point man that took all the slings and arrows
from everyone wanting to run it their way. Many had their own
agendas. My only agenda was to further the understanding of
why domains and traffic were so important to a successful
business on the Internet. My focus was on those that could
benefit from that vision and could get on board. But it was
always a tug of war with others trying to derail the mission
and I wasn't going to let that happen. The time had come for
pioneering domain investors who had been working and
collaborating together for up to 5 years and longer to
finally have an opportunity to meet face-to-face for the very
first time.
Above: Attendees at the first TRAFFIC conference eager to
get the historic 2004 event underway.
Below:
Attendees getting to know each over dinner at the 2004
event. Rick & Howard believed breaking bread together
brought people closer to each other so TRAFFIC shows
provided meal service to keep everyone together throughout
the event.
Photo credit: Marcia Lynn Walker
When
guests began arriving for the TRAFFIC 2004 conference it quickly became
apparent that Rick had gotten a major bonus in partnering with
Howard - Howard's super sociable wife Barbara
Dillman Neu, who took on the role of TRAFFIC
hostess and always went above and beyond to make every
person she met feel welcome, at home and appreciated
from time they walked in the door until the time they left.
While Barbara is all about helping others, she had one big
concern about that first show. "The hotel at the
time was in the middle of remodeling and due to a rash
of hurricanes that hit Florida that year, the
refurbishment got delayed," Barbara recalled. "I was
worried how we would look if the hotel was not presentable; it
had bare cement floors and walls the first time I saw
it! At the end of the day it didn't matter...once everyone got
to finally meet at our opening cocktail party there was so
much excitement in the room no one noticed the
bare floors!," she marveled.
Barbara
had a full-time job at the time and son Ray (who
became an indispensable TRAFFIC team member in the decade of
shows that followed) helped as often as he could, even
though he had just started playing college basketball at
Florida Atlantic. "Neither one of us knew how our lives
would change just from this first conference,"
Barbara said. "No one ever really discussed who
would do what but we all found a job to do. I knew I
wanted to greet everyone as they came in at registration
and also had a passion for photography so I used any free
time to walk around meeting people and having them pose
for photos. After seeing how it all worked in 2004, Ray
also found his role in the operation and by the next year we
both took on TRAFFIC as a full time occupation and it became
a family business for us. At every meal it was the topic
of discussion. Before TRAFFIC we all had our separate professional
lives but when it immediately started to grow after that
first show it became our life together as a family."
Howard
Neu, Barbara Dillman Neu and Ray Dillman Neu at TRAFFIC
Amsterdam in June 2009.
The
hard work they put in yielded countless highlights. Barbara
agreed noting, "It would be impossible to pinpoint favorite
memories. So many business relationships became a
reality because of TRAFFIC and for us the best thing is the personal
friendships that have lasted through our lifetime.
The ultimate testament to that was how many domain people
from all over the world attended Howard's
celebration of life this year. It was incredibly meaningful
for us."
Howard
Neu, along with Ari Goldberger and John
Berryhill, were among the very few attorneys that
concentrated on legal issues related to domains. They were
so successful in defending domain owner's rights that
grateful clients and others in the industry nicknamed them The
Three Amigos. All three were at the first conference and
Berryhill has vivid memories of the experience.
"Finally meeting people whom I had known electronically
was like opening packages on Christmas morning,"
John said. "It started at the airport, actually. MJ and I had
booked a shared van from the airport and we were chatting
about I don't even remember when the man in the seat behind
us asked, "Are you John Berryhill?", and it
was one of my own clients whom I had not met personally! I
think it took about an hour to get across the lobby from the
check-in desk to the elevator, just from the excitement of
meeting actual people behind the familiar names on
conference badges," John recalled.
The
Three Amigos together for the first time at TRAFFIC 2004 in
Delray Beach
(Left to right): John Berryhill, Howard Neu and Ari
Goldberger.
Photo credit: Marcia Lynn Walker
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Attorney
John Berryhill speaking from the
audience at the first TRAFFIC conference in 2004. |
That first conference
was also the first time The Three Amigos actually
met each other in person. John noted,
"Ari, of course, had done pioneering work in
domain litigation and UDRP disputes, and I can
remember the first time I called him just to say
"hello" and tell him how much I admired
his work. The few attorneys that were doing
this sort of work in those days would keep in touch
by email to discuss arguments that worked, arguments
that didn't, and to sort of flesh out a roadmap
of issues that needed to be resolved in domain
disputes.
The domain industry
itself was not well developed when the UDRP
was being put together and we had to figure out ways
to carve out defenses for legitimate domain
investing in contrast to cybersquatting. When
the Barcelona.com UDRP case went the wrong
way, and then again at the district court level, the
attorney that was hired for the appeal was an appeal
specialist who reached out to us for domain-specific
input, and the appeal brief became something of a group
effort. So, yes, we had spent a fair amount |
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of
time in the trenches together for a couple of years
before finally meeting in person at that first
TRAFFIC conference. Now, there is a big
Howard-shaped hole in the community." |
"The
best analogy of that first TRAFFIC conference is like the "Enchantment
Under The Sea" dance in the Back To The
Future movie franchise," John added. "It's
an event through which so many story lines converged and
subsequently diverged, but is the indispensable event
through which all of those story lines connect. At the time,
though, it reminded me of "Some Like It Hot"
in which the top gangland bosses hold a summit meeting at a
Florida resort hotel. Domaining at that time was so obscure
and difficult to explain to people that being in the
industry was like having a membership in a secretive
organization."
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In another anecdote
John told us, "Frank Schilling had graciously
invited me to use a room he had reserved but ended
up not needing. He told me to check in under
the name "Vern Jurovich" which I
assumed was an alias Frank himself used. I
actually didn't know Vern was a real person
until quite some time later when I met him in
Cayman, to our mutual surprise. So, using what I
thought was Frank's alias added to the feeling of
being in on a secret," John recalled. (Editor's
note: For those who don't know Vern, he is one
of he most widely loved and respected members of the
domain community. John and I want convey our deepest
sympathy to Vern and his entire family after
the tragic loss of beloved daughter Keayton last
month after she suffered an unforeseen embolism and
cardiac arrest. No words suffice to convey our
sorrow and concern for Vern and his family in this terribly difficult
time). |
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John
Berryhill got Vern Jurovich's room at the 2004
TRAFFIC conference when Vern couldn't attend,
but Vern (center) was there for the 2nd
TRAFFIC show to accept the 2005 Domainer of
the Year Award on behalf of his close friend
Frank Schilling. |
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One of the industry's
all-time greatest broker/entrepreneurs, Larry
Fischer (GetYourDomain.com)
was also at TRAFFIC 2004. Larry and Ari
Goldberger had become partners in a new parking
company called SmartName.com and they took a booth
at the show. Larry said, "The first TRAFFIC
conference holds a special place in my heart,
not just because of the business it helped ignite
but because it was the beginning of lifelong
friendships with some of the most amazing people in
the industry. From the very start, I had the
pleasure of meeting pioneers like Rick Schwartz,
Howard Neu, Ron Jackson,
Michael Berkens and Ari Goldberger,
who quickly became not just colleagues but some of
my best friends in life. The camaraderie we shared,
both during the event and in the years that
followed, shaped my experience in the domain world
and beyond.
"One
of my fondest memories from that first event was
sitting down for dinner with people I had only ever
communicated with |
Larry
Fischer at the first TRAFFIC conference in 2004. |
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online—it was surreal to
finally meet these
legends in person. The conversations we had about the
future of the domain industry were inspiring, and we
all left with a renewed sense of purpose and
excitement. That conference wasn’t just about
deals; it was about community. It was where we
all began to realize just how far the industry could
go with the right people driving it forward. The
friendships formed during that time still mean the
world to me today, and many of us continue to work
together, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
Looking back, that first TRAFFIC event laid the
foundation not just for the success I’ve
achieved, but for the close-knit relationships I
treasure. It was the start of something truly special,
both professionally and personally." |
The
Exhibit Hall at the 1st TRAFFIC conference in 2004. At far
right, Larry Fischer and Ari Goldberger greet visitors to
the SmartName booth. At far left, Joe Alagna checks out a
presentation from domain attorney Stevan Lieberman.
One
thing about the early days of the domain business that
immediately struck me was how few women were in it.
You could literally count them on one hand and have a finger
or two left over. Marcia Lynn Walker was one of those
early pioneers and she was at that first TRAFFiC conference
and was the lone female speaker on panel
discussions. I met Marcia there and we have been friends
ever since. In recent years, every time I walk in to cover
one of the Women of the Web events at NamesCon
- with a hundred or more brilliant businesswomen filling the
room - I always think of Marcia and how much things have changed for the better on that front over the past 20 years.
Marcia
Lynn Walker (at far right) was the only female speaker at
the 1st TRAFFIC conference.
Regarding
that historic 2004 event, Marcia said,
"The most memorable thing about the first TRAFFIC conference was
all the photos we took!...and spending time with people we've known online for years. We had a smaller
DEANfest in Beverly Hills in 2002, but the TRAFFIC conference included more people. Also memorable 20 years later is that while at the conference, I shared how
a sponsor owed me money for traffic I sent to them as an affiliate but the sponsor refused to pay me. Many of my colleagues contacted that sponsor, threatening a boycott of domain
traffic, and I was paid within days of that conference. It was a first example of our collective power as domainers!
Looking back, I also appreciate what a unique opportunity it
was to be there at the beginning of a new industry that
shaped the online world, and make good friends with
others that were there with me as well"
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One
of the most successful domain investors in
industry history, Nat Cohen from Telepathy.com,
was also at the first TRAFFIC (Nat also went on to
play a key role in building the Internet
Commerce Association into a fast
growing, highly effective non-profit organization
that fights for domain owner's rights today). Nat
will never forget what the first feeling he
experienced at TRAFFIC 2004. "That was the
head-spinning shock of having names that I'd
seen in the Whois records over the years
suddenly coming to life as real people whom I was
now talking to!," Nat said.
"The
first TRAFFIC transformed the industry and my
experience of it. For the first time,
I could develop in-person relationships with others
who were doing the same thing that I was. It
was my first chance to meet Rob Montgomery
from Canada, whom I had worked with closely for
years and whom I had never met - and, without whose
encouragement, I wouldn't have attended."
Nat
added, "In those few hours, so many important
relationships were begun that lasted
decades. Of course, there were our hosts Rick,
Howard and Barbara and I met Ari Goldberger,
Larry Fischer, |
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Nat
Cohen was at the first TRAFFIC conference in
2004 but somehow evaded our cameras! We
caught him at many future TRAFFIC events
though, including this one when he sped
through the Exhibit Hall at the 2008 TRAFFIC
East conference at Disney World in Orlando
on a Segway! |
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John
Berryhill, Monte Cahn (who
started the first impromptu
domain name live auction by writing domain names on
a whiteboard), Rick Latona (one of whose
domains I bought at that auction), Russ Goodwin,
Richard Lau, Stevan Lieberman, and
you, Ron, and so many more, many of whom have
moved on to other fields. It was a kick to see
Ben Stein present to our small group as the
keynote speaker. I believe he said it was the
smallest group who had ever engaged him to speak,
which somehow had the effect of making us feel like
we belonged to a special club. Years later I
saw him at a social event and asked him if he
remembered the TRAFFIC conference. Ben said
that he had good memories from doing the show and it
was one that stood out for him." |
Nat
also noted how the results from being at TRAFFIC conferences
often worked like a time-delay capsule. "I rarely did
much, if any, business at the TRAFFIC shows, so when I was
flying back, I might wonder how attending the conference had
helped my business," Nat said. "But I found that
in the course of the year, the relationships formed at
the shows would lead to lots of deals and new opportunities.
The friendships and the trust that were developed by meeting
in person at the conferences would wind up having a huge
business impact down the road. When I think about how close
I came to not going to the first TRAFFIC conference, and
about how transformative an experience it was, I am
grateful that I was given the nudge to go and also grateful
that I don't have to live with the regret of not having gone!"
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Monte
Cahn chatting with visitors to the Moniker
booth at the first TRAFFIC conference in 2004. |
Nat
mentioned how Monte Cahn orchestrated the
first live conference domain auction at TRAFFIC
2004. That is a story best told by the industry
pioneer himself. "For the first time, domainers
(domain buyers, investors, sellers, and monetizers)
and domain industry professionals gathered in Delray
Beach thanks to Rick and Howard's thoughtful
planning," Monte began. "Many of the
attendees and panelists were invited to come because
they participated on the early discussion boards
like RicksBlog.com,
eRealestate.com
and RicksBoard.com
and Rick felt they could and would positively impact
the new domain industry. Being one of the early
domain investors and pioneers in the space
(1994/95), I was fortunate to be invited to
participate in these discussions and help shape the
future of the industry."
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At
the time, I was the Founder and CEO of Moniker.com.
It was our first domain conference and we had a
special exhibit booth/display built just for that show.
It was super exciting to be part of something that was
destined to change the industry in such a positive way.
Rick and Howard did a phenomenal job of organizing the
event with great content, sessions, networking, and FOOD
& DRINK!
We solidified many relationships with customers and
even our competitors. I was preaching coopetition
back then which was the concept of all of us working
together…even competitors, to build a strong, ethical,
and trustworthy foundation of an industry that has proven
successful today."
Today,
people are fascinated to hear that the first TRAFFIC live
domain auction was run with Magic Markers and a
Whiteboard. As the old Virginia Slims commercials used to
say, You've come a long way Baby! Monte told us how that all
happened. "Having conducted several online/email
auctions before the 2004 TRAFFIC…including the auction and
first 7-figure sales of WallStreet.com, Autos.com,
Computer.com, and Pay.com, Howard approached
me to discuss the possibility of putting a fun domain
auction together for the show," Monte said. "We decided
to do a style list and bid auction where people list
their domains for sale on the board, and others then bid by
writing their bids in on the board. The winning bid
was the last highest bid written prior to the
start of our dinner that night. I announced the
winning bids at dinner, and I believe we racked up a
whopping $48,000 worth of sales that night. I
know it does not sound like much, but it started what would
become a standard event at TRAFFIC and other conferences
going forward when I turned that listing board auction into live
auctioneer auctions with paddles in the air and
eventually online and live simultaneous bidding.
History was made that night, for sure!"
Above
& Below: The world's first major domain conference
started out with a low-tech domain auction but just a year
later things changed dramatically when Monte Cahn brought in
a live auctioneer and turned the auctions into a cornerstone
conference event.
That humble beginning evolved into Monte's current company, RightOfTheDot.com.
Monte noted, "With more than $590 million in
domains and digital asset transactions, Moniker.com
Monker/Snapnames and now RightOfTheDot, ROTD has
become the standard for brokerage, live, and online
auctions at industry conferences and events from 2004 to
today. Without that first live-style auction in 2004,
we may be looking at a much different industry with way
fewer sales and stability.
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Asked to reflect on why
the first TRAFFIC conference succeeded in capturing
lightning in a bottle, Rick Schwartz cited several
elements including a pressing need for support
and recognition of what we were doing. "Most of us worked
solo and people around us - family friends, significant
others - did not understand what we were doing so there
was no mental or positive
support for what we were doing because very few
understood it. If anything, there was a lot of doubt
and headwinds from spouses and other family members
that some were gambling with their family finances. So it
was a pretty tough journey for many and that's why
part of the formula of TRAFFIC was to have spouses
come for free or a very nominal charge,' Rick
said.
"As
domain investors, their support was vital. They needed
to be on board and understand what their significant
others were doing, why they were doing it and
help them. Encourage them. Be proud of
them!" |
Rick
& Howard making their TRAFFIC
conference debut at Delray Beach in 2004. |
"There was also
a lot of pushback from
publishers and developers and techies that domain
names weren't even important. We had a lot of things
to overcome, a lot of pushback and a lot of bad advice
being given to start up companies that really needed
good advice...and many of these people that were lecturing us
didn't even believe in natural type-in traffic,"
Rick said, "Their
ignorance was misleading throngs of new businesses
getting online. People needed to be educated. We
needed to spread the word somehow and now we had a
megaphone to spread it with the domains that we owned."
Rick
cited another key, not only for the first TRAFFIC, but the
27 shows that followed. "The big surprise was that
companies wanted to sponsor
us all of a sudden and that was something we didn't
factor in at all. I think we expected maybe 35
to 50 people. We ended up with 135 people and 8 or 10
sponsors that was not even in our plan. We thought this
would just attract domain investors.
My mission was not to make money. My
mission was to just break even and not take money out
of my pocket. But the sponsorships sort of changed
things and all of a sudden it became a little bit of a
business. Surprise surprise!! That
allowed us to expand. Do more shows. Expand the
audience, raise the game, breakthrough and get
noticed. I guess when Google and Yahoo started sending
teams of their employees to TRAFFIC the message was
finally out," Rick said.
DomainSponsor,
with Ron Sheridan at the helm, drew a constant flow
of attendees to their booth at the first TRAFFIC conference.
Confirmation
that TRAFFIC 2004 was only the beginning of something
much bigger was cemented the next year when TRAFFIC ran
two events - TRAFFIC West in Las Vegas in May, then back
to Delray Beach for TRAFFIC
East 2005 in October, with attendance at each
more than doubling that of the 2004 debut. That 2005 Las
Vegas show at the Venetian Hotel was the
first one that
one of the most widely-known figures in
the industry today, Ammar
Kubba (afterTHOUGHT.com),
attended. "I seriously can't
believe it's been 20 years since TRAFFIC launched?!,"
Ammar declared. "I remember my first TRAFFIC show
like it was yesterday (well, not quite yesterday, but
definitely not 20 years ago). That show holds a special
place in my heart as being the tipping point for my
domain entrepreneurial journey. We drove out through the
desert from LA to Las Vegas in a rented cargo van packed
with our booth and some merch. No air conditioning, no
radio, just two young guys, both excited and nervous about
our first real interaction with the domain community. Once
we got to the hotel, checked in, and went down to the
conference floor, we could feel the energy. Rick, Howard,
Barbara and Ray were so welcoming as they checked
us in… I'll never forget that!"
"Once
the show started, it was a nonstop whirlwind,"
Ammar recalled. "Never-ending conversations
with domainers and continuous learning about the
industry and the landscape. It was that week that
I learned what it would take to succeed. I saw,
met, and spoke with our future customers, and our
competitors. It was electric!"
"Speaking
of tipping points, two things happened in those
first couple of shows that really helped solidify
our business. As a sponsor, we had the opportunity
to give a presentation to the attendees. It was
my first time speaking in front of such a large
audience, and I was beyond nervous – despite
downing a few Black Labels of liquid courage right
before going up on stage. Somehow I rambled and
stumbled my way through the presentation, but not
before ruffling a few competitor feathers
with some friendly smack talk. To my surprise, as
Rick took the stage after my presentation, |
Ammar
Kubba speaking at the
TRAFFIC 2005 West conference in Las Vegas |
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he
graciously welcomed us to the domain community,
thanked us for our sponsorship, and then announced
to the audience that he would be entrusting us with
several of his prized domain possessions, including
Property.com, Properties.com, and, I believe,
Candy.com, among others. And when Rick speaks,
people listen… and then they follow. The rest
is history." |
Ammar concluded, "The value we got from TRAFFIC is immeasurable
– not only as a company providing a service, but also for
me, individually. I made countless friends at those shows
that I still talk to, hang out with, travel with, do
business with, and most importantly, laugh with. The TRAFFIC
shows weren't cheap, that's for sure, especially for
fledgling businesses and new investors. But not attending
would've been much more expensive. I am forever grateful
for the opportunities to attend TRAFFIC (I never missed a
single show) and to become a part of the community. And none
of that would've been possible without the foresight
and the determination and the hard work of Rick, Howard,
Barbara and Ray. Thank you!!"
The
2005 conferences were also the ones that had Ray
Dillman Neu onboard full-time to complete the
TRAFFIC team. Ray told us, "The year before, at 18
years old, I just starting to get my feet wet with college
and playing basketball for Florida Atlantic University when
the the first TRAFFIC show was happening just 30
minutes up the road from FAU. I knew my dad was starting a
new venture but I was very wrapped up with practice and
school as the season would be starting in early November. I
was able to sneak up to the opening cocktail party and start
to meet and mingle in the domain business. Little did I
know this new venture my dad was getting into would quickly
change my life!"
The
secret was out and the crowd size DOUBLED when TRAFFIC
returned to Delray Beach in October 2005. My wife and I came
down the elevator to go to a welcoming cocktail party and
there were so many people to talk to in the lobby we completely
missed the party even though it was just 100-freet away.
Just as we finished the last conversation and reached the
door to the party room it was closing down! Photo
credit: Marcia Lynn Walker
|
"As
the second show rolled around I began to get more
involved operationally with the conference,"
Ray recalled. "Working with my dad and Rick was
so easy; following their lead of hard work and
attention to detail, I just started filling in
places I could help. None of us ever defined roles,
it was just a synergy for everyone to work
together to bring the best conference for the
attendees to have a great time and find
success."
"20
years later I cannot imagine my life without
TRAFFIC. From being 18 years old and never
even thinking about a business to a point
where pretty much every day since the first show I
was either assisting with the conference or starting
my own domain projects. There is not a day that goes
by that I am not grateful for the first TRAFFIC
and everything it brought for me and my family. To
this day |
Ray
Dillman Neu with parents Howard & Barbara
The domain industry's First Family |
|
domains
and the domain business is still my passion.
My Dad was always so proud of TRAFFIC and it is an
honor to know I was there, side by side with him, through it all." |
TRAFFIC
got off to a great start in 2004 and 2005 but it was really
off to the races in 2006 when they hit the road for a
landmark show in Silicon
Valley and a return to Las
Vegas with each doubling the size of the
2005 shows and quadrupling the first one in 2004. "The Silicon Valley
show definitely brought us to a
different plateau on the way to New York."
Rick said. "The
mission of Silicon Valley was to educate the techie
class just how important domains were and why their
traffic was so important.
I would say
one of the most memorable evenings was the party we
had at the Googleplex.
There
was no question that we were flying. We got up to 665
attendees at our height and those shows were terrific
and all were the lead up to what I would say was the
most important show which was New York City in
2007".
Rick
& Howard reach the promised land - New York City for
TRAFFIC 2007.
"TRAFFIC
New York 2007 was the big time and like going to the major leagues.
So was the cost!," Rick laughed. "This time I was on the hook
personally for an $800,000 overhead. It was a big roll
of the dice. And it ended up being a great show with a
historic auction, but there was also a lot of
splintering and headwinds by sponsors themselves that
ended up derailing some of the momentum."
"When
we hit New York City, our target was Madison
Avenue," Rick said. "To this day a panel
discussion there was one of the most memorable
and contentious we ever had. Their
answers were outrageously terrible. The excuse for not
having a company like Marriott or Holiday Inn
or
Westin or Hyatt or Hilton to not obtain
Hotels.com for
a small fee was the worst single answer I have ever
heard in my business career. "It wasn't in the
budget that year." So
if you have a fire in your business or a pipe explodes
and water is going all over your factory, if it's not
in the budget that year you ignore it?! Is that the
answer? Like I said it is the dumbest answer I have
ever heard in over 50 years of being in business."
"That
shortsighted mentality caused companies to suffer and
miss what WAS the greatest opportunity of their
business lives.
Because
Hotels.com for a few hundred grand was not in their
budget that year these companies that I mentioned now
have to pay Hotels.com for leads for eternity! Those
leads probably cost them more on a daily basis than
the damn domain would've cost them to acquire. All
because they got such terrible advice from the
misguided fools of Madison Avenue that think of
themselves as experts. They are exactly the opposite."
Rick
added, "Nonetheless,
I believe that marked the highlight of the journey
and to
be honest, I really wanted to walk away from the show
in 2007. We had gotten to the promised land and I was
satisfied with what we had accomplished. But by this
time, a lot of people were depending on that show, and
I was pressured into continuing it. But honestly, that
would've been good enough for me."
A
highlight of TRAFFIC New York 2007 was the TRAFFIC/ Monte
Cahn live domain auction
that generated over $12 million in sales, a record that
still stands today.
While
Rick would have been happy exiting the stage at that point,
TRAFFIC would only continue to expand over the next seven
years, including the first of many international shows in
2008 with TRAFFIC
Down Under in Australia. A year later,
five years after the first show, TRAFFIC arrived in Europe
with a 2009 event in Amsterdam.
The years and shows continued to scroll by until Rick
decided once and for all to bring down the curtain on a
remarkable 10-year run. The final show in the series was at
a suitably luxurious location for a grand finale, The
Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach where the
last show ran in autumn of 2014.
Howard
& Rick at the final edition of TRAFFIC - the 10th
anniversary show that Ran Oct. 30 through Nov. 2, 2014 at
the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach. Rick was able to
leave TRAFFIC behind with a smile and no regrets.
This
brings up two points Rick wanted to address in
looking back at TRAFFIC history. Why was it expensive to
attend? and what led to his final decision to walk
away? If there is one thing everyone who knows Rick has
learned about him it is not to ask a question unless you are
willing to hear an honest answer, no matter how blunt that
answer might be. He will tell you exactly what he thinks, a
trait he fully understands can
create both new friends and new enemies. Knowing that going
in, why did he decide it was time to hang up the cleats?
"Well,
I guess this is where I may get in trouble, but I
do have
to give you an honest answer," Rick began. "The bottom line was I
wasn't gonna be a whore for the new gTLDs. We were even
offered a percentage of Namescon at the time,
but I refused to endorse a product that I thought was
garbage and done for all of the wrong reasons! I could
not and would not mislead businesses to just have them do
costly re-branding as we now see. At
that point there were too many agendas and I simply
didn't believe in gTLDs and I'd
rather walk away than sell my soul on something I
didn't believe in."
|
Rick
Schwartz speaking during his final TRAFFIC
appearance at the 2004 10th Anniversary
Farewell conference on Miami Beach. |
"So,
here in 2024, 10 years after the last show, all I can say is they were crap 10
years ago and they're still crap. At the end of the
day, it was a needless detour that cost domainers a
lot of time and money that they will never get back.
Countless businesses were led down the wrong track and
because of that probably failed before they had a
chance to succeed. Most
importantly, it was a true disservice to end users.
the whole thing was a money grab by people that missed
the boat on .com domain names. That's the simple
reality. Domain
investors watered down and devalued their own assets
led by a corrupt ICANN and some of their past leaders.
It was pure corruption in my humble opinion. I
said at the time that coming out with 1,000 or more
extensions at the same time was foolish and would be a
stampede with mostly big losers and only a handful
coming out well at best. Most of the extensions got trampled.
Numbers don't lie, even though there were a lot of pumpers
and dumpers," Rick said.
"On
the other hand, I want to thank them because the
biggest part of domain investing today are those that
got fooled and went with one of those silly gTLDs only to realize the
headwinds that they were never
told about. That has led to many millions spent on
rebranding to a viable dotcom. Wasted valuable time
and effort were the needless and very costly detour.
Most were probably not even lucky enough to rebrand. Their
cardinal mistake was telling businesses and others and
anyone that would listen that dotcom was dead. Nothing
could be further from the truth and they sounded like
fools for saying it. So that was the moment that they
lost all of their credibility. Delusional is about the
only word that comes to mind."
|
"Had
they done it the right way, some of them could've been
viable," Rick opined. "The right way would've been marketing those
names as an on-ramp and another door
to their already existing business. But they chose the
dumb way and they paid for it.
So
in 2014 it was simply time to walk away and get out of
the middle of a train wreck. I wanted no part of
it.
It would've been easy and financially rewarding to go
with the flow but I couldn't justify spewing bullshit
and lies and things I didn't believe in just to get
along. So I walked away. I refused to go along to get
along. My
main mission was accomplished. I can look back proudly
at what we achieved, who we brought together and the
life-changing opportunities that TRAFFIC gave us.
As
for the cost to attend TRAFFIC events Rick said this. "I
would say my biggest regret is people not
understanding the rhyme or reason behind TRAFFIC and
why it had to be exclusive to be so valuable and
useful and life-changing.
I
wanted to keep the business in and the noise out. When
you give things away for free or very low cost,
there's no entry bar. You're not qualifying the people
that are attending and therefore you're setting up
your attendee to waste time with people that are
unqualified."
"So
it would cost somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000 to
come to TRAFFIC with hotels and airfare and that high
bar was responsible for only serious people coming.
Also, when you invest $3,000 to $5,000 it motivates
folks to accomplish something and make a deal
somewhere along the way. And that's exactly what
happened. Businesses relationships, and joint ventures
were born at TRAFFIC. Many of them. That's
value!"
TRAFFIC
traditionally ended their conferences with a Farewell
breakfast so attendees could see each other one last time
and fuel up before making their way back to their
respective homes around the world. This shot is from the
last Farewell breakfast at Miami Beach in 2014 with
conference Co-Founder Howard Neu waving from the back.
"That
was a formula of and for success. And I refused to
change that formula because it worked,"
Rick declared. "It changed
lives. I am proud of what Howard and I achieved and
our families that supported us on behalf of a very
special group of people that seized an opportunity
that was life-changing and to this day will be
remembered as one of the most pivotal moments in our
lifetime. That's
what I call priceless. And when you're giving away
something or trying to put together something that's
priceless, you don't argue about price. Matter of
fact, If something is free, YOU are the product! Now
maybe it makes more sense," Rick concluded.
For
awhile there was talk that Rick might be interested in
putting on a one-off 2024 show to celebrate TRAFFIC's
anniversary. He told us, "My
idea of a 20th anniversary TRAFFIC event was one I knew
would probably never occur. However, I wanted to give
Howard something to look forward to even though I knew
it was against all odds as he had already beaten the
clock in fighting a very aggressive, pancreatic
cancer, and was already on borrowed time. Together,
we did something really cool and I'm really proud of
it. TRAFFIC was a significant show that endured for 10
years. With the 28 shows in multiple continents.
TRAFFIC is woven into the history of the domain name
industry. With almost every story told there is some
thread that always seems to relate back to TRAFFIC in
one form or another."
Rick,
Barbara & Howard at their next to last TRAFFIC
conference in Las Vegas in May 2014.
"I
hope it was as meaningful to the attendees as it was
to Howard and myself. And while it's 20 years ago,
those memories seem like yesterday because they were
so important and momentous. So many in the industry
forged lifetime relationships at TRAFFIC. That alone
is priceless.
And
finally, I would like to thank you, Ron Jackson,
editor and founder of this DN Journal. Ron,
you took the time to preview and memorialize each and
every show and everything that transpired during those
shows. That helped to circulate our mission and it was
also priceless.
You, Howard, Diana and Barbara formed a terrific bond and
great friendship that endured from that very first
moment to his very last."
Ray
Dillman Neu and Ron Jackson at the 2012 TRAFFIC conference
at Ft. Lauderdale Beach
In
closing, Rick said, "There
are countless other relationships and friendships and
bonds that were formed at TRAFFIC that will be life long. An
unintended, but wonderful byproduct of our shows that
nobody can deny.
There has always been a lot of turmoil, arguments, and people
protecting their turf in the domain industry. But
there has also been a camaraderie, and love that none
of us will ever forget.
TRAFFIC
is our legacy!"
*****
|
This
article is dedicated to Barbara Dillman Neu and
Marcia Lynn Walker.
Warren
and Marcia Lynn Walker at the first TRAFFIC
conference in 2004.
Photo credit: Barbara Dillman Neu |
|
I met Barbara
Dillman Neu and Marcia Lynn Walker for
the first time 20 years ago at the first TRAFFIC
conference held at the Delray Beach Marriott Hotel
in Florida in October 2004. We have been friends
ever since. They are two of the smartest, kindest
and most considerate women I have ever met. This
year it has been heartbreaking to see them both
having to go through the unimaginable pain of
losing the loves of their life - husbands Warren
Walker (a wonderful, sweet man and fellow native
of Ohio) and my dear friend, TRAFFIC
Co-Founder Howard Neu. Both men had to fight
unexpected battles with aggressive cancer.
Despite
what they are going through and how difficult it is
to focus on anything beyond the pain of their loss,
Barbara and Marcia both pitched in to help me
with this article. Fortunately for me, they are
both talented photographers and dug |
Marcia
Lynn Walker (left) & Barbara Dillman Neu
at TRAFFIC 2004 in Delray Beach, Florida |
|
through their
files to send me some shots I had
never seen before to go along with those from our
own library. They are very special
ladies who have enriched the lives of everyone
around them. Barbara and Marcia, we all love you
and thank you for being a friend!
- Ron
Jackson |
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