Rick Latona Discusses TRAFFIC Milan

Rick Latona discusses next month’s T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in Milan.

The next Targeted TRAFFIC conference will be held in Milan April 27-29. I reached out to show organizer Rick Latona to find out what attendees can expect.

DNW: Your second conference of the year will focus on ccTLDs. You held a ccTLD conference last year. What will people who attended last year’s ccTLD show learn/experience new this year?

Latona: The ccTLD industry is constantly changing, much like the major gTLDs so regardless of your focus attending another show one year later is a good idea. One thing I’m excited about though is our panel about the Russian market. We’ve added a lot of new countries to the panel including those in Scandinavia and of course the Italian market.

The big answer to your question though is that things are always changing and you need to stay in tune with your market, there will be a great ccTLD auction, and networking with other like minded investors. It’s the same reason someone would go to a show every year in any other industry.

DNW: What special admission offers do you currently have available?

Latona: Right now we are reaching out to members of cctlds.com offering them special discounted rates. Most who know me know it is pretty easy to get a deal out of me. All you have to do is ask. If you want to come to the show but need help just email rick AT ricklatona.com.

DNW: Does holding an international show like this require extra preparation and planning? What extra logistics are required?

Latona: For one thing, we spend a lot more time on airplanes! Fortunately we have friends in high places. People like Michele Dinoia have helped us a lot with the Italian market. In Dublin we are getting help from Pinky Brand of .mobi. It would be a lot harder without their support.

DNW: You’re using Proxibid for the auction in Milan. What technically went wrong with Latonas.com in Vegas, and when do you hope to have those issues resolved?

Latona: The system is beautiful but it just isn’t fast enough to handle the load of a live auction and we won’t be using it again for that environment until we feel it is. Proxibid.com offers a great system and domainers at this point know how to use it because we’ve used it so many times. The issues on Latonas.com will be resolved whenever they are resolved. We aren’t going to rush it at this point because putting on a fast and stable auction is the priority. Getting the names sold is what counts.

How can people submit domains to the auction?

Latona: We try and make that part as easy as we can. TargetedTraffic.com, Latonas.com and RickLatona.com all have auction submission forms. You can use any one of them that you’d like and we’ll get it processed. Just don’t fill out forms on all of them!

DNW: What do you think went well in Las Vegas that you want to replicate in Milan? Conversely, what lessons did you learn in Vegas that you’ll apply to Milan?

Latona: We were really satisfied with our networking events and Test Track. While the Vegas show was small, we feel that it was a success and our customers got business done which is what counts.

While the European market and ccTLDs are fundamentally different they are also basically the same. We are all domainers in the end so most of the same tactics work. However, Milan will focus more on teaching about the individual ccTLD extensions. There are three full days of panels in Milan so the show will be very content rich.

DNW: No rest for the weary — you’ll be back at it 2 months later for the Vancouver show. Any updates or exciting news about the Vancouver show you can share with us now?

Latona: Vancouver is going to be a hit. The city sells itself and it’s a huge market. We are already selling tickets for the show and have sponsors lined up and joining. You’ll be hearing a lot more about it from us in the coming weeks.