There were a lot of new (old) faces, and organizers can improve next year’s show with some tweaks.
NamesCon took place in Miami last week, and I’m glad I attended. Here are my thoughts on the show.
Miami was a good move
It’s good for conferences to move around the country, and Miami was a smart selection for this year. I saw lots of people at this event who live in the area that I haven’t seen in years. The location drew them out.
I think the other U.S. location that would attract a lot of locals is L.A. I know the organizers plan to return to Miami next year, but hopefully L.A. will be on the agenda in the future.
The dates were problematic
On the flip side, a lot of people I’d typically see at the show skipped out because of too much travel. This conference was the third week in a row of domain conferences (after Domain Days and ICANN), and attending all three was too much. With dates for these events already scheduled for next year, I hope NamesCon will be at least a few weeks apart. Perhaps mid-September would work, though it’s not a good time to hold an event in Miami.
The venue had drawbacks
I heard multiple complaints about the venue.
On the plus side, it had a nice outdoor space. The layout was also good; it reminded me of the Tropicana layout, with the exhibit floor in the middle and sessions immediately to the sides. This brings everyone together.
On the negative side, it was difficult to hear in the session room because of all the noise. It was also a long, narrow space, making it hard to get close to the stage. For some reason, it was also very dark.
The two biggest complaints I heard: portable restrooms and having to take the (albeit efficient) shuttle to get there. I’m fairly confident next year’s venue won’t require a shuttle.
Looking to next year
I’ve already submitted my feedback to the NamesCon team. Here are some specific recommendations for NamesCon 2026:
- The venue should be in a hotel, or at least right next to it.
- The conference hotel should have a good bar area where many people can gather.
- Separate the timing from other conferences.
- There were new faces on stage this year, and I’d like to see more of that (ideally not sponsorship-driven)
- Let’s admit it, the audience is aging, and throwing parties only in loud venues turns a lot of people off. I know several people who left the closing night party early because of this. The Wednesday evening event was nice; you could meet up and chat with people without losing your voice.
The wifi was mostly unusable which meant I had terrible issues keeping in touch with people, which was very frustrating. Also the stupidly loud music at the main door was a pointless distraction
Agree with all of this except I’d say that even the Wednesday night party was too loud to maintain a regular conversation without losing my voice. The average domainer doesn’t want loud music; they want to be able to comfortably talk with others.
Great seeing you, Andrew, and I agree with your critique. It’s 100% spot-on. I hadn’t attended a domain conference since 2011 and came as Andrew Miller’s guest. I had a fantastic time seeing old friends and making new ones. It was exciting to see how much the industry has expanded, and how far it still has to go.
A fair and thorough recap of an overall very positive event. Colocation of the event in a hotel, reliable WiFi connectivity, and a brighter lecture room (I had to use my iPhone flashlight to read the auction list) are my 3 main suggestions. Overall I had a great time and look forward to the next – great to see you Andrew!