The 2008 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York conference got underway last night with a good crowd on hand at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. Attendance appeared to be about 50% higher than at 

A T.R.A.F.F.I.C. attendee samples a few of 
the many delicacies laid out for the opening 
night cocktail party in New York last night.

the last T.R.A.F.F.I.C. show in Orlando in May. The show got underway with the traditional welcoming cocktail party in the Marriott's grand ballroom. Conference organizers told me before the show that the food at this conference would be beyond belief and they more than met that promise in this opening event. Attendees feasted on mountains of crab legs, lobster, shrimp (approximately the size of turkey legs!), sushi and a variety of other entrees and desserts. Amid the lavish layout registrants enjoyed catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

Despite the near meltdown we are currently seeing in the general economy, the mood in the room seemed to be very upbeat and optimistic. The sentiment I kept hearing expressed by just about everyone I talked with was how fortunate we are to be in the business we are in when so many other sectors are struggling to stay afloat. Certainly everyone is concerned with what is going on in the financial world at large, but

the shift of so much business to the web leaves most feeling that there are few better ports in the storm than the one this industry is currently providing.

After the cocktail party, the first of four live auctions that will be held this week was staged by Moniker. com. This brief no or low reserve opening night sale serves as an appetizer for the larger sales that will follow. Moniker wound up generating $99,450 in sales, with more than 70% of their catalog (47 of the 65 names listed) changing hands. The top sale was Men.org at $12,500 followed by CashiersCheck.com and NetworkingJobs.com at $7,000 each.

Auctioneer Wayne Wheat conducting Moniker's opening night live auction.

Moniker's main live auction event will be held Thursday starting at 3pm U.S. Eastern time. Meanwhile there is a lot of anticipation surrounding the debut of two new live auction providers who will stage their first sales this afternoon. At 1:30PM RickLatona.com will stage a 90-minute auction and at 5pm Aftermarket.com will present their sale, also scheduled for an hour an a half. This evening a keynote speech from real estate giant Barbara Corcoran (familiar to many of you from here appearances on The Today Show) will highlight a dinner sponsored by TrafficZ.  TrafficZ's official show party will follow and run into the wee hours of the morning at a local nightspot.

After last night's Moniker auction, NameMedia invited several dozen attendees to a late night social event at the River Cafe directly across the East River from Manhattan. The restaurant, located at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, offered a spectacular view of the New York skyline from their terrace tables.

Barbara Neu shot this photo of Diana and I at NameMedia's 
gathering at the River Cafe in New York last night.

T.R.A.F.F.I.C New York continues through Friday morning. We will have a daily post in this column with some of the highlights from each day's activities. Late next week we will publish our comprehensive review of show week with a more detailed account of show events and dozens of photos that will put you in the middle of the action.
(Posted Sept. 24, 2008)