WaterNight 2016
Before I dive in to this last recap of NamesCon 2016 the ROTD/NamesCon extended auction ends today, lots of great names that are close to reserve or have already hit the reserve.
It’s tough to digest everything that goes on at a conference like NamesCon. Looking back at the agenda there are at least 10 sessions, speakers and panels I missed that I would have liked to see, and there were also hundreds of people that I didn’t get a chance to meet. However, I am so grateful for all the folks I did meet and talk to this year!
Probably my favorite session of the whole show came on day 3 when the ‘Sherpas’ led by Michael Cyger did a live session in front of a packed room. Shane Cultra, Frank Schilling and Andrew Rosener talking about domain names is super entertaining and informative. If you haven’t already be sure to watch/listen to that live session HERE.
Brian Cute, CEO of PIR
The one keynote that I did make a point to see on day 3 was from Brian Cute, CEO of PIR speak about .ORG, .ONG and .NGO. Big things happening with PIR, and their purpose and work is really amazing. Each registration of a .ngo or .ong domain comes with a membership to OnGood an online community that helps NGO’s raise money.
One huge part of this conference that I was glad to see was the focus on getting domain investors and those that service the industry involved with groups like ICA and DNA. It is vital that our industry takes steps to protect itself and we are so lucky to have industry leaders that are paving the way. It’s people like Phil Corwin, Nat Cohen and Adam Kinderis (to name a few) that are fighting for our rights as domain investors and developers everyday and there were several sessions focused on these types of topics and policies. They need help and even if you are not in the position to donate cash, there are other ways to be involved. Check out the ICA’s join us page to see how you can become a member.
WaterNight. During his acceptance speech into the domain industry hall of fame at WaterNight 2016, Richard Lau revealed the whole reason he organized NamesCon was to be able to have a successful Water Night fundraiser for WaterSchool. Over the last three years he has raised well over $300k during WaterNight events that has been donated to Water School, a charity that strives to help provide clean water for developing nations. WaterNight 2016 at NamesCon was a great party! The head shaving continued as many industry folks got rid of their hair to help raise money for a great cause. See tons of great pics and stories from WaterNight here at DNJournal. One thing that bothered me was the lack of attention paid to Richard as he was addressing the WaterNight attendees. I wish someone would have grabbed the mic and told everyone to shut the heck up for a few minutes so we could hear the founder of NamesCon speak!
Overall NamesCon was a huge success, I could write for days about all the great experiences. I guess you just have to be there to see it all for yourself! I will be there next year and every year to follow as long as the show continues.
