DomainSponsor, announced today it will hold two, a one day “Domainfest” events, the first on May 13, 2010 at the W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and the second on August 18, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt in midtown Manhattan.
“”Each meeting will continue DOMAINfest’s tradition of providing a rich setting for discussions around how to increase the value of Internet real estate with subject-matter experts invited to facilitate free-flowing power networking sessions that will kick off each event from 1:30 pm to 3:30pm EDT”
“Moniker will conduct a live premium domain auction names from 4:00 to 7:00 PM EDT, followed by a private dinner party hosted by DomainSponsor.”
Each Live auction will be followed by a week long Extended Online Auction on Snapnames.com
Registration for both events will open on Monday April 12, 2010 at www.domainfest.com.
The registration fee will be $175 per event.
Oversee announced earlier this month that it will be holding a 2 day Domainfest in Prague in October.
Certainly after spitting from TRAFFIC, a lot of people in the industry wondered what Moniker would do to get itself back into the live auction game, now we know.
Guess we know the answer to that one as well.
Yes.
It’s not just that Oversee has announced several tradeshows this year when they used to hold just one.
Its the timing of the shows.
The South Florida show now scheduled for May 13 is just a few weeks before the TRAFFIC Vancouver show which is scheduled for June 8th.
The NewYork show is scheduled for August 18, just a week before the TRAFFIC Dublin show which is starts on August 24th.
DomainFest Prague is scheduled just 11 days before TRAFFIC South Beach starts.
Yup looks like a tradeshow war to me.
Andrew says
I don’t know that the dates were picked to disrupt TRAFFIC. After all, just about any date you pick for a conference in 2010 is going to fall within a few weeks before or after a TRAFFIC shows.
MHB says
Andrew
I have to note that all of the dates picked by Oversee are dates just BEFORE a previously announced TRAFFIC show. They certainly could have picked dates after some of the shows, especially in October since there are no domain shows scheduled for November or December.
Andrew says
Maybe…I guess if you’re a few weeks before a TRAFFIC show this year then you’re probably 5 weeks after one 🙂
TRAFFIC started it by scheduling that Vegas show right before DOMAINfest.
MHB says
Yup
Like I said its a war.
Domainer says
Too many shows. Domainfest is prolonging the ultimate death of Traffic. Now some will attend Traffic because they are already there for Domainfest.
domain meeting attendee says
I think it is a smart strategy.
One of the major complaints* about domain meetings are the time comsumption out of a week.
* Mike, even from you.
One competitor always try to neutralize it competitors actions.
Find the weakness and solve the problem.
Hertz – Avis
Coke – Pepsi
Verizon – Comcast
Sprint – ATT
Toyota – Ford
Democrats – Republicans
Google – Yahoo/Bing
Microsoft – Google
Sedo – BuyDomains
Snapnames – Namejet
domain meeting attendee says
It is not a war.
It is competitiveness.
If it was a war, they would have scheduled it the same week.
Or, the week before at a 1/3 of the attendence cost.
domain meeting attendee says
How is it any different then when we are bidding for a domain in an auction?
Topher says
When Howard and Rick do this it’s business. When someone else does this it “sounds like some kind of childish payback.” The fact of the matter is TRAFFIC has been on the decline with respect to attendance and substance for some time. When you combine a lack of substance with a 2k ticket price it is only a matter of time before someone else comes into the space, charges less, and provides actual value to the domainer community. I can’t name one person that has been pleased with a TRAFFIC show since 2008. TRAFFIC has turned into nothing more than a forum for Howard and Rick to pat each other on the back for being so “great.” Sorry Howard, sometimes the truth hurts.
Domo says
Natural selection will do it’s thing…
Unless of course “pride” gets in the way.
I am voting for wherever Latona is, he brings a lot of energy to the shows .
Domo.
M. Menius says
As a side note, I noticed that Rick Latona (TRAFFIC Milan) allowed domain name submitters to choose either the LIVE or extended auction at time of domain submission. This is excellent to provide domainers the choice, and something that many people asked for for a long time.
This should become the new standard for all conference auctions because many domainers do not want to submit for both LIVE and extended. Each format requires different safeguards and submission criteria.
domain meeting attendee says
Quote from DNJournal
“The agenda for each of the new regional shows will kick off at 1:30pm with a free-flowing two-hour power networking session. The Moniker auction will follow from 4-7pm with with a private dinner party hosted by DomainSponsor closing the event.”
I withdrawl my complimentary comments about being a smart strategy.
After reading the agenda, it is just another profit center for DS.
An early bird special price of $ 175. to have a 2 hr. network meeting, watch an DomainSponsor auction and then a dinner.
If it was a full day then it would have my interest.
Concept great. Execution terrible.
MHB says
Domain Meeting
“””If it was a war, they would have scheduled it the same week.
Or, the week before at a 1/3 of the attendence cost.””
They did schedule a week before (NY); (10 days before Prague) at more than 1/3 of the cost.