Reviewing last week’s DOMAINfest conference.
For many years, DOMAINfest has attracted the largest crowd of all domain conferences. It only takes place once a year, and Oversee.net and DomainSponsor spend over a million dollars organizing it.
The event last week set an attendance record with some 650 attendees. I was literally running back and forth between meetings, all the while bumping into people in the halls that I hadn’t seen in a year.
As hectic as it was, there was plenty of room for quiet conversations about the state of the industry. Many of the top domainers that I usually communicate with via email were there, each providing their own view of where the domain industry is headed. Now that I’ve had some time to think about those conversations, you can look forward to some related posts this week. I also spent several hours with Demand Media on Wednesday, learning about the company’s business. You can look forward to an overview with my thoughts later this week.
The entertainment at DOMAINfest was also hard to beat. Oversee.net doesn’t skimp on parties. Even the rain that brought the “beach party” inside didn’t seem to faze people.
My hat’s off to the organizers, including Oversee.net’s excellent PR and marketing teams that kept in constant contact during the conference.
If you attended, please share your thoughts on the show.
David J Castello says
DOMAINfest 2010 was a great show (it ranks as one of my favorites along with TRAFFIC’s 2007 Miami show with Steve Forbes).
Most importantly, I think that DOMAINfest 2010 may be the nail in the coffin for TRAFFIC or anyone else considering multiple US shows. As a former promoter I can tell you that it is simply too hard to compete with an event that can put all of its eggs into one basket once a year.
There are other excellent shows like GEO Expo, Domainer Mardi Gras, etc, but I don’t think that anyone would argue that DOMAINfest and TRAFFIC are the two biggest kids on the block. Having a super-TRAFFIC once a year in Miami in October and DOMAINfest in LA in February would be the perfect cross-country balance for this industry.
Rick Latona says
Look, I’m not going to get in an argument with anyone but I will say a few things.
I like DomainFest. It’s an awesome show. We all know that. Their once a year format and production value makes it a great show to attend.
TRAFFIC is going to get close to customers and we will have some break out shows like Vancouver and Miami are likely to be this year.
More importantly, we want to bring our format to Europe and Asia.
Lastly, I’m making a lot of moves to expand the show outside the domain industry which will help us all. You’ll find out more about that when I’m ready for you to know about it.
The first is here to stay, in the U.S. as well. You can count on that.
Domain Investor says
Do you think Oversee will pour that amount of money and effort into the domain meeting in 2011?
The biggest threat to DomainFest, Traffic, Roundtable, Mardi Gras, etc are the shows in our neighboring categories.
The above mentioned shows were supported by the ppc companies. I’m not sure they will be as important in the future.
Time will tell.
David, I agree. The Miami meeting with Forbes was excellent.
FX says
DFG 2010 was by far one of the best shows and locations this industry has ever put together.
Mike O'Connor says
I have to admit that there are so many shows now that I stopped attending any. I think David’s on the right track — a couple big events a year would likely draw more people in. Which would self-reinforce and bring more “marginal” folks like me back to the events, etc.
Steve Cheatham says
ditto Mike
You can’t present the rapidly moving domain a,d Internet markets with one commercial extravanze per year.
Everyone I talk to remembers the Playboy mansion and has nothing else to say. Domain Fest is what it says, a festival.
M. Menius says
The attendance record is a surprising milestone. I don’t recall reading about that many ever before.
Quality over quantity is certainly the best strategy for making shows relevant.
The biggest draw of all has yet to occur. And that is hosting shows that cater to a specific industry and that will be built around that industry’s domain and internet business needs, ex. hotel, real estate, insurance.
Hosting such a show catering to these industries would brings waves of domainers from around the world myself included. A new plateau would be reached and it could possibly change the domain industry … expanding it way beyond the current reach.
ppcGOD says
Does anyone really think that ppc income on a 10,000 domain portfolio only varies by 5%-10% per day? Of course not. People accept the fact that DS is playing with stats. DS stats are a total sham.
I predict that Above.com will be running the biggest and best industry show in a few years. DS will continue to be marginalized as their legal problems mount and their investments in Moniker and SnapNames sour.
domaineer says
Above.com ? you mean the middle men of middlemen?
Stephen Douglas says
DomainFest, although I didn’t attend in 2010, was already the best conference I attended in 2009.
I think TRAFFIC still has a chance to succeed with TWO shows annually, one on the east coast and one in Vegas.
Domainfest gets so many people, they only need to hold one event.
Now, what happened to Domain Roundtable? Heard nothing about this event, which I think belongs in the top three.
Louise says
Hi, As a layperson, I defer to the opinions expressed here, except it makes sense with the burgeoning of ccTLD to hold a couple conferences in Europe and get the European input of their perspective. TRAFFIC doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel – it would make sense to repeat some seminars they held in Las Vegas . . . Did you check out MissDomains and see what some of those stinkers are going for?