According to a press release out this morning Oversee.net has changed the name of its conference from DOMAINfest To Webfest Global and opened registration for the conference that will be held February 5-7, 2013 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, California.
As last year the agenda shows the conference will not just be all about domain names.
The three-day Webfest Global 2013 conference will cover a variety of topics related to domain name investing, acquiring and converting online customers, and mobile monetization.
“This marks our seventh annual global conference,” said Oversee.net CEO Debra Domeyer. “Over the last few years, we have received very positive feedback from attendees about how our DOMAINfest agenda has evolved. So we’re very excited about continuing our tradition of providing content and speakers that align with the ever-broadening interests of our conference audience. Of course, we’re also excited to be providing an atmosphere and experience that facilitates networking and deal-making.”
Online Registration Now Open
The early bird discounted registration rate of $1,095 includes full conference admission on February 5-7, 2013 to all sessions, exhibit hall, daily breakfasts, daily lunches and all official dinner networking parties. It also includes a farewell breakfast on February 8th.
Moniker|SnapNames Live Domain Name Auction
Moniker|SnapNames will be hosting a live, premium domain name auction at Webfest Global 2013 on Wednesday, February 6th from 4:00 – 5:30pm PST. An extended online domain auction will start on Tuesday, February 5th and end at 3:15pm EST on Thursday, March 8th. For details on how to submit domains for possible inclusion in these auctions, visit http://webfestglobal.com/auctions. The submission deadline is December 14, 2012.
Conference Hotel
The entire Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica has been reserved exclusively for the conference in order to provide attendees with an intimate, distraction-free environment that maximizes networking opportunities. Discounted hotel room rates are available via a special online reservation portal. For details, please visithttp://webfestglobal.com/hotel.
Here is the tentative agenda for the conference:
| Tuesday Feb 5 | |
| 7:00am – 7:00pm | Conference Registration Desk Open (Hotel Lobby) |
| 7:30am – 9:00am | Breakfast (Wilshire Room) |
| 8:00am – 7:00pm | Exhibit Hall Open (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 9:00am – 9:45am | Speed Networking Activity (Starlight Ballroom) |
| 9:45am – 10:15am | Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall |
| 10:30am – 11:15am | Welcome Remarks (Starlight Ballroom) Debra Domeyer CEO, Oversee.net |
| 11:15am – 12:00pm | Presentation: Domain-related Topic TBD (Starlight Ballroom) Presenter: TBD Our opening presentation is traditionally designed to provide attendees with insights about important internet trends. This presentation will be no different, except that it will focus on the latest trends and topics related to domain names. Q&A to follow. |
| 12:00pm – 1:30pm | Lunch Under the Fig Tree |
| 2:00pm – 3:00pm | Panel: New gTLDs – How to Predict Winners and Losers (Starlight Ballroom) Expert Panelists: TBD New gTLDs represent either a big risk or a big opportunity for domain investors and brand marketers. Our expert panelists will discuss various strategies that new gTLD registries will deploy to try winning over consumers and businesses. They will also discuss what factors you should be monitoring to determine which gTLDs will be winners versus losers. Q&A to follow the panel discussion. |
| 3:00pm – 3:30pm | Coffee & Snack Break in Exhibit Hall (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 3:30pm – 4:30pm | Panel: Domain Monetization Options Beyond Parking (Starlight Ballroom) Expert Panelists: TBD If the trendline for your parking revenues is below expectations, perhaps you should investigate alternative forms of monetization for certain domains. This panel will discuss recent alternative monetization strategies that have shown promise for publishers willing to take the risk by investing some time and money. Q&A to follow. |
| 4:30pm – 5:00pm | Coffee & Snack Break in Exhibit Hall (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 5:00pm – 6:00pm | Workshop: How to Negotiate a Fair Price for a Domain (Starlight Ballroom) Expert Panelists: TBD Whether you are a buyer or a seller, it’s not easy calculating a fair price for a domain. Our panelists will discuss objective and subjective approaches for assessing the value of a domain name. They will also discuss how new gTLDs will impact the value of traditional TLD domains, and how to assess the value of new gTLDs that make an early appearance in the domain aftermarket in 2013. The moderator will ensure that the audience is allowed time for lots of questions. |
| 7:00pm – 9:30pm | Opening Night Dinner Networking Reception – Sponsored by TBD Attendees will greet old friends and make new contacts at our Opening Night Reception within walking distance at a local Santa Monica venue. |
Wednesday Feb 6 |
|
| 7:00am – 6:00pm | Conference Registration Desk Open (Hotel Lobby) |
| 7:30am – 9:00am | Breakfast (Wilshire Room) |
| 8:00am – 6:30pm | Exhibit Hall Open (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 09:30am – 10:30am | Workshop: Conversion Best Practices (Starlight Ballroom) Presenter: TBD Examples of actual landing pages will be presented by our panelists in order to illustrate good and bad design, layout and content practices. Audience members will be asked to submit their landing page URLs during the session for quick analysis and feedback by our experts. |
| 10:30am – 11:00am | Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 11:00am – 12:15pm | Panel: Keywords, Content and Links (Starlight Ballroom) Experts: TBD Are you utilizing the latest and greatest SEO best practices? Attend this session for a fast, deep dive into the strategies you’ll need to avoid being bitten by the Panda and the Penguin. And if you’ve already been bitten, you’ll learn how to heal the wounds. |
| 12:15pm – 1:30pm | Lunch Under The Fig Tree |
| 2:00pm – 3:00pm | Panel or Presentation: PPC, Retargeting, Affiliate, Social(Starlight Ballroom) Experts: TBD This session will provide you with the pros and cons of acquiring traffic via each of these channels. You will also learn about the latest tips, techniques and tools for getting the best performance out of your investment in each channel. Q&A to follow. |
| 3:00pm – 4:00pm | Coffee & Snack Break in Exhibit Hall (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 4:00pm – 5:30pm | Moniker Live Premium Domain Name Auction (Starlight Ballroom) Domain names in the live and extended auction catalogs will be hand-selected based on their ability to offer individuals, start-ups and corporations significant online traffic and branding opportunities. Strong domain names are strategic assets that build value and enhance market presence. Click to view domain auction details and for the link to submit domains for possible inclusion in these auctions. Cocktails and appetizers served. |
| 5:30pm – 6:30pm | Coffee & Soft Drinks in Exhibit Hall (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 8:00pm – 11:00pm | Dinner Networking Party – Sponsored by TBD As always, our middle night party will give attendees a chance to get a unique taste of L.A. culture. It has proven to be a great way to encourage people to talk with one another and share some fun. Venue to be announced soon. |
Thursday Feb 7 |
|
| 7:00am – 6:00pm | Conference Registration Desk Open (Hotel Lobby) |
| 7:30am – 9:00am | Breakfast (Wilshire Room) |
| 8:00am – 6:00pm | Exhibit Hall Open (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 09:30am – 10:30am | Workshop: Engaging and Converting Mobile Users (Starlight Ballroom) Experts: TBD Consumer usage of mobile devices continues to grow rapidly. Businesses must adapt and cater to the intent, needs and expectations of mobile users. Our panelists will present real-life examples that demonstrate design and conversion best practices for native apps, web apps and responsive sites. Bring lots of questions. |
| 10:30am – 11:00am | Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall |
| 11:00am – 12:15pm | Keynote Fireside Chat (Starlight Ballroom) Keynoter: TBD Moderator: Debra Domeyer CEO, Oversee.net In the past we have had inspiring, funny and interesting keynoters like Biz Stone (Twitter), Bob Parsons (Go Daddy), Tony Hsieh (Zappos) and Steve Wozniak (Apple). So rest assured that this year we will bring you yet another great keynoter. Stay tuned for the announcement. Audience Q&A to follow the fireside chat. |
| 12:15pm – 1:30pm | Lunch Under The Fig Tree |
| 2:00pm – 3:00pm | Presentation: Mobile User Trends (Starlight Ballroom) Speaker: TBD Experts agree that mobile will continue growing as the medium of choice for consumers to search for products, services and content. This presentation will start off by providing insights on mobile user demographics and psychographics. Attendees will also learn about where, how, when and why consumers use their mobile device. Q&A to follow the presentation. |
| 3:00pm – 3:30pm | Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 3:30pm – 4:30pm | Panel: Mobile Search Strategies (Starlight Ballroom) Experts: TBD Mobile users are increasingly likely to use specialized apps for finding products and services. Is your content designed to be found by these specialized apps? When is buying mobile traffic an easier or better alternative than developing content for specialized apps? How does mobile advertising differ from web advertising? Our panelists will cut to the chase and provide you with critical tips and techniques for getting free and paid mobile users to your site. |
| 4:30pm – 5:00pm | Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall (Wedgewood Ballroom) |
| 5:00pm – 6:00pm | PITCHfest Contest (Starlight Ballroom) Judges: TBD Up to 10 entrepreneurs will be given 3 minutes each to present their innovative idea to our audience of over 600 internet professionals. This will be a rapid fire contest that will test each presenter’s ability to communicate their idea in a quick, clear and compelling manner. Be sure to take good notes because the audience will vote via text messaging for the People’s Choice Winner while we add up the scores from our panel of Angel Investor judges. Will the audience select the same winner as the judges? Don’t miss this chance to hear some truly innovative ideas. You might discover an excellent investment or partnership opportunity. Click here for official rules and to submit your idea for PITCHfest. |
| 6:30pm – 8:00pm | “Women In Domaining” Reception (Pool Terrace) This is a cocktail and appetizer reception for the women attending Webfest Global. A great way to network before boarding the last bus to the Farewell Dinner Party. For more information click here. |
| 8:00pm – 12:00am | Farewell Dinner Party brought to you by DomainSponsor We’re working hard to find a venue that offers the perfect balance of fun, food, music and entertainment. Our goal is to make this final networking event a great way to bid farewell to old colleagues and new friends. |
Friday Feb 8 |
