Suggestions - What should be there in Domain Name Conference?

[Soofi]

The only people who are pro-gtlds are the people new into the market who either don't understand the value of an established domain, can't afford an established domain, or are quickly trying the 'pump and dump' routine. Have a look at the gtlds being pushed here and on other forums - look at the signup date..... We know that the only people making money are the registries. I think that if you approached from that angle you would put off the people who've been doing this for years - remember we've seen the .info hype, the .mobi hype, the .uk hype, and then the gtld hype. By giving credibility you are saying 'hey we're amateurs please give us your money'. That's just my opinion anyway I've always been of the opinion that 'domain conferences' are a waste of time and promote a lot of back-slapping.

I completely understand. We do not like many products out there but we still get to see their advertisements aired every day on TV, Radio, Internet etc..

Oh and about "domain conferences", they are best for networking at least

 

[Soofi]

If you really don't know, then you're hardly qualified to organise a conference! Not here in a mature market like the UK, anyway.

Hardly qualified? I am sure I know quite a few things and the reason why I have been doing this for last 4 years, successfully even. Pulling up quality speakers & crowd, along with sponsors

Oh forgot to mention, I was questioning because of the way you have portrayed that there should be no opportunity given or offered to anything NEW entering the market today as few (legacy) established ones are already there, and they should continue glorifying everything around us. Is this because you are heavily invested in legacy tlds or cctld and you do not want more options around? *Just wondering*

25 million registrations across 1,000 new GTLDs works out to about 25,000 each. That's just pathetic. There's no other word for it. As Rob pointed out above, the only folks making money are the registries and the pump-and-dumpers who find a "greater fool" to flog their worthless domains to.

You cannot compare every TLD with one another. As you have yourself stated, there are 1000 odd new gTLDs out there, but there are definitely some sensible ones in that bunch which has over 100,000+ registrations. NameStat says there are at least 27 with over 100,000+ registrations.

Again, I do not endorse any gTLDs as I am not associated or invested in them so fullstop here. I am not going to let this thread get sidetracked to the gTLD discussion.

 

[Soofi]

This. And then if you run auctions i'm sure they might fare well

You mean alot of pre or after-parties?

 

[dog]

NameStat says there are at least 27 with over 100,000+ registrations.

It is called zone stuffing and registry hoarding.

http://www.hosterstats.com/link-website-usage-survey.php

http://www.domainanimal.com/kiwi-gains-170000-domain-registrations-in-two-weeks-yeah-right/

Again, I do not endorse any gTLDs as I am not associated or invested in them so fullstop here. I am not going to let this thread get sidetracked to the gTLD discussion.

You asked for input about hosting a conference which we are providing. Who wants to PAY to hear hype about end-user demand from registries on new domains? I don't.

We know there isn't any. There is hardly good public awareness of these extensions.

@Edwin has been doing this a long time and I respect his opinion and advice.

Just like any other private business starting up, all these new TLDs will have a 50 per cent chance of going out of business in two or three years,” Holland says. “That’s going to be somewhat disquieting to people.

Byron Holland, CEO of CIRA, managers of .CA.

66% of new domains are LOSING money.

http://dottba.com/new-gtld-infographic-2016-year-in-review/

 

[Edwin]

Here's the problem: most of the money in the industry right now is sloshing around the overfunded new GTLD registries (not all of them, but there are so many) So it's very appealing from a sponsorship perspective since they're some of the most likely candidates.

But a big step back and a truly dispassionate look at the subject would suggest that what they're selling has long since turned out to be a load of hot air, so the best sponsors (from the perspective of a conference organiser) are also the worst invitees (from the perspective of domain professionals).

How you square that particular circle depends on your nose for sniffing out hype vs your interest in filling booths and ad slots. It kinda sorta works in some of the big US conferences because they're big enough to attract newbie cannon fodder to appease the sponsors, and the industry pros can catch up with each other and ignore the fleecing going on in the darker corners of the room...

It's also worth noting that Brits probably have much less appetite for hype and get-rich-quick in general than those on the far side of the pond, so expectations need to be calibrated accordingly.

(I'm not the target market either as I stopped going to domain conferences round about the time it was clear there's nothing really new under the sun. I go to informal get-togethers from time to time and they're 100x more interesting at an infinitely lower price!)

 

[Domaintial]

I've always been of the opinion that 'domain conferences' are a waste of time and promote a lot of back-slapping.

My two pence: Conferences are a good face to face networking opportunity, especially in an industry thats very "online" like ours, where most of our interactions are through a screen exchanging 1s and 0s.

Would I go to DomainX... if others I want to meet/network with are going, then yes. We go to most of the UK/EU RIPE/UNOF events, just for the networking - and the pub sessions...

There are few guys on here for example I'd love to meet. Charging for a conference thats just starting out, and has yet to show "value"... not entirely convinced myself, but thats not a criticism, you need to set a bar, and you need to start somewhere.

All depends on the value offered / perceived by the individual.

--

GTLD: A good idea in principle... the execution has been a joke, far too many new Gs being spun up. Only time will tell if they'll last. We've seen a lot of registries rationalising and extensions changing hands already, and its not even been //that long//. Come on... .horse... why does the internet need .horse?!

The only place we've seen an opportunity to make money in the new Gs has been spanning the dot (perhaps thats just my/our failing and lack of creativity). But all of us know how hard it is to get the consciousness of society to adapt (.uk adoption - dropping the .co).

Nominet are //relatively// sensible, they know the adoption path for dropping the .co is a long long long way off, hence the massive RoR period for pre .uk registrants. Its going to be //funny// to watch the chaos post the RoR end date.

There is one upside to the new Gs, end users start using them... then they decide they actually want the .com... and we have an end user with budget.

Lets not even get started on the whole registry reserved nonsense... pyramid/scam/scheme for registries to make monies anyone... @Edwin is right... seeing through the B.S at lightning speed... perhaps a very British thing.

H

 

[DomainManage]

Domain Focus at the Savoy... those were the days... people doing 100k sales in the lobby.. Sitting next to Doug buying fly.co.uk for 87k.. a stream of jellies waffling about their wonderful businesses that no one in the UK cared about. I had a bloke from a very well known isp offering to sell me the data of every user search mashed into an address bar over 5 years for serious bucks. A free Samsonite briefcase!! A few other things that standout - Xyz.co.uk went for 3k. Phones.co.uk 49k.. later sold for 180k nice flip. I think an auction can work well at the end of the event if the stock is good.

 

[RobM]

I guess the only difference from the greater fool theory was that they were there as opposed to current online... An old saying but I've modified it - those who can 'do' - those who cant 'teach' - those who can never do 'have conferences with people who can or can't do'

 

[dog]

Positive articles on new domains on news sites are written and paid for by registries. You will find few organic articles praising new gTLDs.

For people to hear the hype at a conference, same thing. Gotta be paid for.

Does anyone realise .TEL is running out of money?

 

[jasman]

Looking at it from a domain conference organiser's perspective, of course new tlds should not be prevented from having a place at the conference. There's too much sponsorship potential for you. Obviously limits need to be placed around how much of a place they could have because too big a presence would likely put the majority of attendees off. It's a bit like a newspaper - you don't buy it for the ads, but the ads make it a feasible business model. But if the newspaper is nearly all ads the readership will be put off and dump it. Perhaps have no presentations etc for new tlds but allow large advertisements around the room, or let them have stalls that people can visit if they want but can completely ignore if not so it doesn't interfere with the rest of the conference (if you have stalls that is - I'm not sure what kind of conference you have).

Domain auctions could also work if the inventory is good, if the auction is open to bidders online too and if the auction is well advertised in advance on major domain news websites i.e. like how the Snapnames live auctions used to work. Then the major domain investors around the globe would likely participate too, so demand would be much stronger than from just the limited pool of attendees at the conference. If the conference received say 10% commission on each name sold it could become a significant revenue stream, and with the right auctioneer the auctions would be highly entertaining for attendees too.

One last suggestion - can we have some stocks into which we can place the people responsible for ramming through the launch of .uk against overwhelming opposition, so we can all throw rotten eggs and vegetables at them? You'd have people beating down the doors to get into the conference then!

 

[lazarus]

Don´t do it in London, far better places out there

I would absolutely do it in London !

 

[Soofi]

Thank you everyone for your candid suggestions. We shall try and do good!

 

[Whois-Search]

Domain Focus at the Savoy... those were the days... people doing 100k sales in the lobby.. Sitting next to Doug buying fly.co.uk for 87k.. a stream of jellies waffling about their wonderful businesses that no one in the UK cared about. I had a bloke from a very well known isp offering to sell me the data of every user search mashed into an address bar over 5 years for serious bucks. A free Samsonite briefcase!! A few other things that standout - Xyz.co.uk went for 3k. Phones.co.uk 49k.. later sold for 180k nice flip. I think an auction can work well at the end of the event if the stock is good.

Actually the Savoy was never booked by the organizer...At the last minute several people got together and booked the Strand Palace across the road from the Savoy.

See 11th Sep 2007:
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2007/september.htm

The Samsonite cases were promised but never even ordered... you were lucky to get a cup of tea !

As for the auction well it was Recycle.co.uk and Mobile.co.uk and that was more about hyped press releases to get another sale!

https://www.acorndomains.co.uk/thre...me-the-highest-value-for-pr-newswire-u.27071/

That was after the first event in February 2007:
http://www.dnjournal.com/articles/events/ukdomainchannel2007.htm

So 10 years later....

I wish DomainX the best of luck organizing an event in London as I know how difficult it is from my own events.

My advice would be:

1. Don't charge £99 for a ticket and make it free paid for by sponsors

2. Invite the key UK people first (hint: Edwin is one of them) to the event and share a list of who is going

3. Have it in a hotel close to a train station like Paddington or Euston with a discount room rate if people want to stay

4. Have an after party and book a bar with free drinks - maybe some entertainment.

5. Forget the auction and leave that to Domainlore.uk

 

[Sam]

I agree on this after helping organise many domain events its hard enough to get domainers to come to a event with a free bar let alone charge people £99 just to enter..

Things we all like are entertainment and a free bar / afterparty

Like andrew has said these are all solid points and i know it takes alot of time to arrange these domain get together events we have !

I wish DomainX the best of luck organizing an event in London as I know how difficult it is from my own events.

My advice would be:

1. Don't charge £99 for a ticket and make it free paid for by sponsors

2. Invite the key UK people first (hint: Edwin is one of them) to the event and share a list of who is going

3. Have it in a hotel close to a train station like Paddington or Euston with a discount room rate if people want to stay

4. Have an after party and book a bar with free drinks - maybe some entertainment.

5. Forget the auction and leave that to Domainlore.uk

 

[DomainManage]

5. Forget the auction and leave that to Domainlore.uk

I don't agree, I thought the live auction was one of the highlights, and I think sellers might do better for class names than current reseller pricing.

I would like something interesting like a massive board or screen with hundred crowd sourced domains.

 

[Soofi]

That was after the first event in February 2007:
http://www.dnjournal.com/articles/events/ukdomainchannel2007.htm

So 10 years later....

I wish DomainX the best of luck organizing an event in London as I know how difficult it is from my own events.

I am grateful to you for your kind words and best wishes. This is going to be a history-making event IMO, coming back exactly after a decade to the country and we intend to be for Domain Name Owners & Investors.

1. Don't charge £99 for a ticket and make it free paid for by sponsors

We do not have (m)any sponsors because we are very specific and straight to the point while making sure that our events are straight to the point and not too promotional in nature. Though, can offer heavily discounted ticket prices here to my domainer family because that's what we have been trying to do from the day 1 with DomainX, spread domain name industry awareness among masses.

2. Invite the key UK people first (hint: Edwin is one of them) to the event and share a list of who is going

My team is working on touching base with most domain name investors, and not just prominent ones because I personally feel each and every individual is important to our community. My data is limited, but we start an outreach campaign as well with what we have.

Edwin has already brushed us away as something of not-so-interesting for him. I am of the opinion that we learn so many new things from experienced professionals like Edwin, yourself and others that each one counts and the reason why I started a thread here.

If it was something happening in my region, that too after years, I would have been the first to go out and show support so that more such events could happen in the country while giving all an opportunity to come together, make a mark and known among masses. Domain Name industry exists foreals!

3. Have it in a hotel close to a train station like Paddington or Euston with a discount room rate if people want to stay

We are supposed to announce the venue and location sometime this week, once I am back in the office after spending some time off with family.

4. Have an after party and book a bar with free drinks - maybe some entertainment.

You need deep-pocketed sponsors and new gTLDs on board for such parties to happen and few of our friends here would mind that. Nonetheless, trying to work with some brands to see what can be done, or maybe in-formal get together post-conference on the same day in the evening can also work.

5. Forget the auction and leave that to Domainlore.uk

We are currently in discussion with couple of auction powerhouses regarding the same. I personally want to explore this option and see if we can do a live auction


Last but not the least, your advice means alot brother and I hope to see you soon, probably at DomainX 2017.

 

[Soofi]

I don't agree, I thought the live auction was one of the highlights, and I think sellers might do better for class names than current reseller pricing.

I would like something interesting like a massive board or screen with hundred crowd sourced domains.

So you mean, we should have it or shouldnt?

 

[Soofi]

Looking at it from a domain conference organiser's perspective, of course new tlds should not be prevented from having a place at the conference. There's too much sponsorship potential for you. Obviously limits need to be placed around how much of a place they could have because too big a presence would likely put the majority of attendees off. It's a bit like a newspaper - you don't buy it for the ads, but the ads make it a feasible business model. But if the newspaper is nearly all ads the readership will be put off and dump it. Perhaps have no presentations etc for new tlds but allow large advertisements around the room, or let them have stalls that people can visit if they want but can completely ignore if not so it doesn't interfere with the rest of the conference (if you have stalls that is - I'm not sure what kind of conference you have).

Domain auctions could also work if the inventory is good, if the auction is open to bidders online too and if the auction is well advertised in advance on major domain news websites i.e. like how the Snapnames live auctions used to work. Then the major domain investors around the globe would likely participate too, so demand would be much stronger than from just the limited pool of attendees at the conference. If the conference received say 10% commission on each name sold it could become a significant revenue stream, and with the right auctioneer the auctions would be highly entertaining for attendees too.

One last suggestion - can we have some stocks into which we can place the people responsible for ramming through the launch of .uk against overwhelming opposition, so we can all throw rotten eggs and vegetables at them? You'd have people beating down the doors to get into the conference then!

Love your last suggestion brother

You have listed some very valuable points and I already have them pinned on my to-do lists on the board. It has been our specialty, and our previous sponsors know that we do not like promotional content on stage until and unless it is clearly specified.

Look forward to see you!

 

[Soofi]

I would love to see you at DomainX 2017

Thank you for the kind words and valuable inputs. Shall help us work towards an engaging event for an awesome get-together

My two pence: Conferences are a good face to face networking opportunity, especially in an industry thats very "online" like ours, where most of our interactions are through a screen exchanging 1s and 0s.

Would I go to DomainX... if others I want to meet/network with are going, then yes. We go to most of the UK/EU RIPE/UNOF events, just for the networking - and the pub sessions...

There are few guys on here for example I'd love to meet. Charging for a conference thats just starting out, and has yet to show "value"... not entirely convinced myself, but thats not a criticism, you need to set a bar, and you need to start somewhere.

All depends on the value offered / perceived by the individual.

--

GTLD: A good idea in principle... the execution has been a joke, far too many new Gs being spun up. Only time will tell if they'll last. We've seen a lot of registries rationalising and extensions changing hands already, and its not even been //that long//. Come on... .horse... why does the internet need .horse?!

The only place we've seen an opportunity to make money in the new Gs has been spanning the dot (perhaps thats just my/our failing and lack of creativity). But all of us know how hard it is to get the consciousness of society to adapt (.uk adoption - dropping the .co).

Nominet are //relatively// sensible, they know the adoption path for dropping the .co is a long long long way off, hence the massive RoR period for pre .uk registrants. Its going to be //funny// to watch the chaos post the RoR end date.

There is one upside to the new Gs, end users start using them... then they decide they actually want the .com... and we have an end user with budget.

Lets not even get started on the whole registry reserved nonsense... pyramid/scam/scheme for registries to make monies anyone... @Edwin is right... seeing through the B.S at lightning speed... perhaps a very British thing.

H

 

[Edwin]

Nobody's going to pay £99 for some unknown conference, I think. Especially when you need to tack on another £30-100 for train tickets and £100+ for accommodation/food for anyone travelling from outside London.

From your comment about bringing a show to the UK after all these years, you seem unaware of the fact that there have been regular meet-ups organised for the UK domain industry every few months, and these have been going on for years and years. They're simple, free events that do one job (bringing like-minded people into the same room, with drink and nibbles) very, very well, and it has been a real privilege to be able to attend. Nominet also hold several free events a year, many of which are open both to members and non-members.

There have also been more formal paid conferences in Manchester as well as in Prague, Amsterdam etc. and there's a regular conference in Spain. There's been shows in Germany too. All places that are nearly as accessible as London for many people given cheap flights and the pricing differential on hotel rooms between London and European cities.

What I'm saying is there's going to have to be some extraordinarily compelling reason for people to come to DomainX in the UK. So far, I don't feel you've made a very good case for it - a lot of that is down to misunderstanding the audience. As mentioned earlier, Brits can't stand hype on the whole, so the vibe of the big US conferences feels just utterly wrong somehow.

Plus when you look at the proposed schedule is there really anything that is worth paying that much for? I don't see anyone on there who would be considered an "industry leader" in the UK, though that's not to take away from Tommy Butler who always seems to be a very affable and approachable guy.
http://www.domainxevents.com/london/#schedule

It's great to be enthusiastic about something, and I commend you for your success in running the previous conferences in India. But unless you can find a compelling hook, I don't think the one in London's going to fly...