As I told you Saturday Diana and I spent the weekend with industry friends visiting the 5th Annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance antique and exotic car show hosted by Jay Leno at Florida's Boca Raton Resort. The three day event that raised an estimated $1 million for local Boys and Girls Clubs kicked off with a DuPont Registry Hangar Party at Boca Aviation Friday night. It concluded Sunday (Feb. 27) with a spectacular car and motorcycle show held on the Resort's golf course in ideal 80-degree weather. 

Above: Fabulous cars from every era from pre-World War I to the current day drew a big crowd 
to the Boca Raton Resort Sunday for the city's 5th Annual Concours d'Elegance.  

Below (left to right): Diana Jackson, Howard Neu and Barbara Neu 
check out a row of new Lamborghinis. 

Tonight Show host Jay Leno - one of America's biggest car buffs - headlined the event (including a gala dinner Saturday night) and personally judged many of the entries. Jay mingled with the crowd throughout the day and I never saw him turn down a photo request from any of the hundreds of fans who asked for one.

Above: Jay Leno films an interview Sunday at the Boca Raton Resort
(Photo courtesy of Barbara Neu).

Below: Domain King Rick Schwartz (at right), who lives in Boca Raton, was among 
those I caught on camera with the King of Late Night TV.

Whatever you wanted to see - classic Corvettes or Thunderbirds, rare Ferraris, Lamborghinis or Aston Martins, American muscle cars, Duesenbergs, Chryslers and Cadillacs from the 20's and 30's or anything in between, it was on display at this amazing show. 

Above: This lovely lady let Barbara Neu take a shot of me with her and her classic 
Cadillac convertible (both the car and the lady were as beautiful and classy as they come).

Below: Howard Neu (who just re-launched his domain industry blog with 
an appropriate new name - Neu's News - at NeusNews.com naturally - 
drools over his dream car - a classic red Jaguar XKE.

Over the course of the weekend we enjoyed spending time with domain industry friends Howard and Barbara Neu, Ray Neu, Rick Schwartz, Chad Folkening and Bianka Krausch. Mike and Judi Berkens, who live nearby, had also planned to come out but regrettably had to cancel at the last minute and we certainly missed seeing them. 

While we were in town, I asked Howard and Barbara if they could give us a tour Saturday of the Ritz Carlton on Fort Lauderdale Beach where Howard and his partner Rick Schwartz will be staging their next T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference Oct. 16-19, 2011. Having been to almost all of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows, I can tell you that I think this is going to be the best venue ever for the event. 

The Ft. Lauderdale Beach Ritz Carlton will host the next T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in October.

The hotel has a remarkably unique cantilevered design modeled after a cruise ship. This allows the Atlantic Ocean to dominate the incredible view from every level of the hotel. See the shot of the pool I took below. Though it is several stories above the street, you see nothing but ocean and palm trees in one of the most stunning vistas I have seen anywhere. The Ritz is also right in the middle of all of the action downtown - making it an ultra convenient location for conference goers. I also visited the hotel's rooms, cabanas and conference facilities (all of which overlook the beach and ocean) and will put together a more detailed view of the venue and surrounding area for you at a later date.

The pool at the Ft. Lauderdale Beach Ritz Carlton

Speaking of conferences, the first Rocky Mountain Domain Conference was held in Denver Saturday (Feb. 26) and I am hearing good things about the inaugural event staged by Mike Law. Brian Diener had a nice recap, provided by Rick Waters, on his blog today.

Tomorrow evening (March 1), one of the industry's longest running shows, Domain Roundtable, gets underway at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The conference, staged by Thought Convergence,  runs through Thursday night and you can always count on TC to give their guests an unforgettable experience. 

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Diana and I are spending the weekend with some domain industry friends at the 5th Annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance on Florida's East Coast. This is one of America's biggest car shows (Jay Leno is serving as this year's host) and is a huge fund raiser for local Boys and Girls Clubs. In addition to the spectacular collection of exotic and classic cars - motorcycles, boats, helicopters and private jets are also on display. 

A scene from Friday night's opening event at the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance - 
a Dupont Registry Hangar Party at Boca Aviation (Feb. 25, 2011)

At Friday night's opening event, a DuPont Registry Hangar Party at Boca Aviation, guests could go inside the private jets and get an up close and personal look at some of the world's rarest and most valuable cars while also enjoying an open bar and food samples served by local restaurants.

Above: A super rare Lamborghini (one of only 20 made) 
inspired by fighter jet aircraft, drew a steady stream of admirers.

Below: A collection Indy 500 race cars was also on display 
as part of a 100th Anniversary tribute to the great race. 

Above: Diana Jackson was among those admiring the Tesla electric roadsters on display.

Below: Inside the hangar, a wall to wall crowd enjoyed delectable food samples 
served by dozens of area restaurants. Tickets for the 3-hour event were just $50, 
making it one of the year's great entertainment bargains. 

Above: Domain industry faces in the crowd (left to right): Bianka Krausch, 
Ray Neu, Diana Jackson, Ron Jackson and Chad Folkening.

Below left: Howard Neu and Barbara Neu with son Ray. 
Below right: Ray standing by former Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga's helicopter.

I have one other photo to share with you this weekend. David Castello sent us the shot below from a luncheon held at the 3rd International Internet Marketing & Domaining conference that ended Friday (Feb. 25) in Punta del Este, Uruguay.  David and his brother Michael (seated 2nd and 3rd in the second row) of Castello Cities Internet Network were the keynote speakers for the event - South America's biggest domain conference. David and Michael were interviewed by Uruguayan TV at the event, part of their continuing mission to spread the domain gospel worldwide.

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After conquering Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro last year in a  fundraising climb for The Water School, a team of domain industry pros is getting set to do it again March 23 through April 2. 

This Climb for Clean Water is a fundraising effort that was pioneered by domain industry leaders including Gregg McNair and Richard Lau. The first climb raised almost $200,000 for The Water School program that provides simple, safe, strategic and sustainable clean water solutions to the developing world. Every year, according to Save the Children, approximately 3.5 million people die from inadequate access to safe drinking water and poor hygiene – 1.5 million of these deaths are children. These alarming facts are what inspired the creation of Water School. 

The success of the 2010 climb led the 

Mount Kilimanjaro
Tanzania, Africa

organization to adopt the Climb for Clean Water as its single major annual fundraising event. You can support the effort in one of two ways - the most adventurous being to join the climb team yourself! The cost of the trip is $2,950 per climber. This includes: all airport transfers, 2 night stay at a 4-star hotel in Nairobi,  a Water School project visit (transportation and lunch), one-way airfare from Nairobi to Moshi Kilimanjaro National Park, fees, professional guides, porters and cooks, tents, all meals while on the mountain, 2 night stay at the Sal Salinero Hotel in Moshi (before and after climb) and more. 

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There won't be as many domain conferences in 2011 as there have been in years past, but you wouldn't know it from the number of shows packed into the five weeks between February 1 and the first week of March. DOMAINfest Global got it started with their big show February 1-3, then the first .nxt conference, devoted to new gTLDs was held in San Francisco Feb. 8-10. The action then shifted across the Atlantic to Vienna, Austria where the 8th Domain Pulse conference was staged by Nic.at Feb. 17-18. 

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After spending most of the past two weeks focused on the outbreak of illnesses that followed this month's DOMAINfest Global conference, we have some catching up to do on other recent industry developments. The illness story isn't over yet as public health officials are continuing to conduct lab tests to determine exactly what caused close to 200 conference attendees to fall ill. I understand they are using blood and urine specimens taken from patients to grow cultures that will help them identify the source of the illnesses (this is a slow process which is why we haven't gotten any definitive answers yet). While the medical professionals continue their work we will turn our attention back to business until they have some new information that we can pass along to you.

For starters we want to join in welcoming a key new members to the executive team at NameMedia. Mark Haseltine has joined the company as its Chief Technical Officer. Haseltine is an engineering innovator, with more than 20 years experience working on search, content, CRM and e-commerce solutions for Internet pioneers like Alta Vista to tech giants like Oracle. Most recently he served as Vice President of Engineering at Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG), a professional services firm that he helped to grow from start-up to an organization with operations in more than 20 countries. 

NameMedia CEO Kelly Conlin said, "Mark’s background—developing innovative e-commerce, content and search solutions that drive revenue—is ideally suited to NameMedia’s mission of building the world’s best trading platform for domains, allowing domain owners the opportunity to realize the full value of their ‘digital real estate’ by listing their name on the equivalent of the ‘MLS’ for domain names—NameMedia’s Domain Listing Service."

Mark Haseltine
Chief Technical Officer, NameMedia 

Haseltine said, “With more than 200 million registered domain names to date—and the prospect of many more domain name extensions—this is an ideal time to be building the industry’s pre-eminent trading platform. Just as the market for real estate or financial instruments have depended on trusted exchanges for their growth, the market for this essential asset of the Internet—domain names—will benefit from a global, networked platform.”

Haseltine will be responsible for technology leadership at NameMedia’s domain marketplace, Afternic.com, its SMB-focused sales site, BuyDomains.com, its domain name development platform, SmartName.com, and its network of niche websites. These sites service customers in more than 100 countries around the globe, supported by a partner network that includes the world’s top domain name resellers.

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The doctor wrote: "For residents of California who do not live in L.A. County and do not have a primary care provider who can do the testing or do not have insurance, the contact is Charlotte Wheeler at California Department of Public Health. Email: [email protected], or phone 510-620-3428."

"For people who live out of state or outside the U.S. and do not have a primary care provider who can do the testing or do not have insurance, contact Laurel Garrison at CDC Atlanta. Her email is: [email protected] or you can call her at 404-639-3434.

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Here is the complete letter we received at 4:02am (U.S. Eastern time) Wednesday, Feb. 16:

Dear DOMAINfest Global Attendee:

We are encouraged to hear further reports that more people who have been sick with the mysterious illness are feeling better. For those of you still feeling ill, we sincerely wish you a speedy recovery. 
This communication will update you on the situation, and will ask you to assist health authorities if you haven’t already done so. 

Identification of the Illness  

Since the first reports of the illness, our attention has been focused on helping the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health identify the illness itself as well as its source.  While there has been a great deal of speculation, authorities have not yet determined the cause.  In fact, they released a statement earlier today saying that "not everyone with reported symptoms is likely to have the same illness because a number of respiratory infections with similar symptoms are circulating".  They are making few assumptions and need further assistance from some of you in order to complete their work.  

Health Department Survey  

If you have not yet taken the Public Health Department’s confidential survey (distributed by them on February 11 and again on February 12), please do so immediately.  Only about half of the 715 DOMAINfest attendees have completed the survey.  While this is helpful, more responses are needed to collect enough data.  The models and Mansion staff attending the Mansion fundraiser are also filling in their own separate survey.  

Please complete the following attendee survey EVEN IF YOU DID NOT BECOME ILL:  

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HGN3T7N  

Free lab test for attendees in the Los Angeles area  

If you became ill and live in the Los Angeles area, the Public Health Department is offering free laboratory services to help diagnose the condition.  For details, please contact Dr. Rachel Civen at [email protected].  Alternatively, your personal physician can collect samples and arrange with Dr. Civen for courier delivery to the appropriate lab.  Details on the free lab test are included in this letter from the Public Health Department.  

For individuals living outside the Los Angeles area, or overseas, you can contact the following person at the CDC in Atlanta for details on how to obtain the proper lab tests.  

Laurel Garrison
1-404-639-3424
[email protected]  

If your doctor has already performed lab tests, please have them forwarded to the following Department of Public Health official.  All submissions are kept strictly confidential.  

Dr. Rachel Civen 
[email protected]
Via fax 1-213-482-4856  

Please help with accurate information  

We extend our thanks to industry colleagues who have been keeping people informed and for encouraging sick attendees to seek medical attention.  
As the LA County Public Health Department investigation continues, we ask for everyone’s patience and to avoid the temptation to speculate or spread rumors, since unfounded information can needlessly slow down the inflow of accurate information necessary to correctly identify the cause of this illness.  

We hope that everyone will do their part in promptly providing detailed information and lab reports so that health authorities can help us uncover all the facts.    

Thanks again for your help.  

Sincerely,  

The DOMAINfest Team
www.domainfest.com
[email protected]

The observation in the letter that " "not everyone with reported symptoms is likely to have the same illness because a number of respiratory infections with similar symptoms are circulating" is consistent with what we have seen in reports from people who fell ill. A few said that family members caught the illness from them. Bacterial infections, which we know many had or may still have, are not contagious, but flu viruses are and they are widespread at this time of year.

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Attached is a letter with recommended tests for your provider to consider.

If you are not a Los Angeles County resident we still encourage you to see a medical provider and obtain testing.  We would appreciate if you could share your results with us.  Results can be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to 213-482-4856.

The attachment with the letter includes a list of recommended lab tests for health care providers to consider doing with patients who they have/or had two or more of the following sympoms: fever/chills, cough, shortness of breath and/or muscle aches since the conference ended. A .pdf file containing the complete attached letter is here. 

A new Los Angeles Times story released tonight says the L.A. County Public Health Department has identified 170 people who fell ill at the event. 

Government health officials continue to digest information they have collected in a survey of conference attendees (show organizer Oversee.net provided officials with the contact lists they needed to do this). No other official findings have been released thus far. 

One point of special interest has been whether or not any of the models who were recruited to serve as hostesses at the conference's closing event (the party at the Playboy Mansion) had fallen ill. This is of interest because the mansion party was the only event of conference week that most of the models attended. I have been contacted by one of those models who said she did fall ill however that alone does not prove she contracted her infection at the party (the new official letter specifically citing the mansion event of course makes this a strong possibility).  I forwarded her information to a CDC/LA County Health Department doctor that I have stayed in touch with since they started investigating the outbreak Friday.

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I was hoping this story would be over by now and that everyone who fell ill shortly after returning from last week's DOMAINest Global conference would have recovered and gotten back to work. The good news is, a lot of people have gotten much better today (including my wife Diana) after getting antibiotics from their doctors. The bad news is that others are still having a very rough time. The sickest victim we are currently aware of - and the only one diagnosed with full blown pneumonia - Markus Schnermann - left a note on Nico Zeifang's

Post-Conference Sick List at Facebook today saying, "I still struggle with my pneumonia, waves of fever and very painful coughing. Besides I lost 15 pounds this week. I learned about Legionellosis today and told my doc - I will see a result of tests on Monday but she changed my medication already to cover this bacteria as well."

Our post Thursday about lab tests at a Swedish hospital confirming that a conference attendee had contracted 

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

legionellosis caught the attention of the New York Post who began looking into the story today. This evening I also had a long talk with a Center for Disease Control doctor based in Los Angeles who has also started an investigation in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. They want to identify  the attendees, determine how many fell ill and make sure they have received necessary treatment and are recovering. If you were a DOMAINfest, expect to receive a survey questionnaire from the CDC soon - fill it out and return it to them as quickly as possible so they can get a handle on the current situation.

As of today I have compiled a list of 93 individuals who reported falling ill with respiratory problems, high fever and other acute flu-like symptoms soon after the show. Those people notified me directly or left their names on the sick list Nico started on his Facebook page, or in the comments section of a Sunday post at DomainShane.com (where Shane Cultra, one of those who fell ill,  published the first public post I saw about the problem).

Some said they initially had a hard time getting their doctors to take the possibility of Legionellosis seriously. With government health officials now involved, I'm hopeful that will no longer be an issue for patients - if you talk to your doctor, let them know the circumstances.

Here is an update just in. Oversee.net unit DomainSponsor, who staged the DOMAINfest Global conference, has released an official statement from Mason Cole, the company's VP of Communications about this outbreak. That statement is printed in its entirety below:

In closing today, I  want to thank everyone who has shared their experiences in this situation. The quick spread of information has helped a lot of others get treatment they might not otherwise have sought out. It certainly has proven how useful social media can be in a case like this. Less that 3-4 years ago many of those who fell ill might not have realized the true nature of their illness or that many others had fallen ill at the same time. We again wish a speedy and complete recovery to everyone who has been ill his week.

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After dozens of domainers fell ill with acute flu-like symptoms at the same time soon after returning home from last week's DOMAINfest Global conference in Los Angeles, the circumstances led us to believe that the outbreak was a waterborne bacterial infection rather than influenza (see out first posts about this Tuesday and Wednesday.). In a major development today we learned that the first known hospital lab tests done on one of those who fell ill confirmed a Legionellosis bacterial infection.

Now this part is especially important - there are two distinct forms of Legionellosis. One is indeed the infamous Legionnaires' disease - the more severe form of the infection that produces pneumonia and in a small percentage of cases can be fatal, particularly in older people. The other is Pontiac Fever which is caused by the same bacterium but produces a milder respiratory illness without pneumonia that resembles acute influenza. The latter appears to be what has kept many show attendees bedridden through much of this week. 

Johannes said his friend had used the term "Legionnaires Disease" as well as legionellosis when telling him about the bacterial infection diagnosis in a phone call, but since the doctors allowed him to go home, I think it is safe to assume that his legionellosis was the milder Pontiac Fever strain - otherwise he would still be in the hospital.

I had hoped to hear a lot of reports by this evening that people are getting better and I have gotten a few (glad to hear it Kellie Peterson!) but others say they are still battling it. If that is the case, don't keep trying to battle it on your own. See your doctor tomorrow before they disappear for the weekend!

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Yesterday we told you about dozens of domainers being bedridden after falling ill upon return from last week's DOMAINfest Global conference in California. When I wrote that 24 hours ago I personally knew of about 50 attendees who were all suffering from the same symptoms after all become sick with flu-like symptoms at roughly the same time (starting last Sunday). Today the sick list grew by another 50%. At this point, more of my friends have fallen ill than have remained healthy.

Since one likely bacterial candidate - legionella pneumophila - produces the same symptoms as the flu it is impossible to tell what people have without running lab tests and in just about every case, doctors are not going to order those expensive tests unless the patient is seriously ill, with pneumonia for example (so far only one victim has reported having pneumonia).  Instead they will do what they are doing now - prescribe antibiotics if they suspect a bacterial infection is at work, as many doctors have concluded after hearing that so many fell ill in the same place at the same time.

For those who asked if anyone has contacted the CDC about this incident, yes - they have been contacted through their website which advised that, due to a high volume of reports being filed, it takes them several days to follow up on each one. 

In addition to the issue of a bacterial infection, remember that it is also quite possible that some of those reporting in sick have a bad case of garden variety influenza that happened to hit them at he same time as others fell ill from something else - we are in the middle of flu season after all. I received a couple of reports today from people saying their spouse's had caught the illness from them. If you have normal flu that certainly could have happened, but if you have a bacterial infection, that is NOT contagious so no one else is going to get it from you. It is normally contracted by inhaling infected airborne water vapor or mist (which is why many suspect the fog machine in operation at the Playboy Mansion party last Thursday night, though it should be noted, there is no proof of that). 

Whatever the cause, the most important thing right now is for everyone to take the best possible care of themselves (including seeing the doctor if your condition is not improving). I'm hopeful that by this time tomorrow night, reports are flooding in from people who feel like they have turned the corner and are well on their way back to being completely healthy again. 

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With approximately 700 people on hand last week's DOMAINfest Global conference in Santa Monica, California drew what is believed to be the show circuit's biggest crowd ever. While it was another great event for the DOMAINfest series, having that many people from around the world in such close proximity to one another over several days has one downside - the possibility that a viral infection could sweep through the crowd. Unfortunately that appears to be what happened with more people being affected than I've ever seen before. 

Image: 
Jeroen van Oostrom / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The show ended Friday (Feb. 4) and the first reports of people falling ill started popping up on blogs and Facebook posts by Sunday morning. By today close to three dozen people had added their names to a DOMAINfest attendee's sick list posted on Facebook by Nico Zeifang, one of those who contracted the bug that has sidelined so many this week. I know of at least a dozen more who fell ill, some of whom have been very sick for three days now and these are just reports from within the domain community. DOMAINfest also draws sizeable groups from other areas including venture capitalists, affiliate networks, the SEO world, etc. If we heard from them too odds are the virus's victims list would be in triple digits. 

While my wife Diana was one of those who fell ill (along with many of our closest friends), I was one of the lucky ones who was not affected. I did have some coughing and chest symptoms Sunday but nothing reached my head (Diana says nothing ever does!) and my minor issues all quickly went away. Diana is gradually getting better after a very rough day Sunday.

However, some others, including some tough guys that are extremely difficult to bring down, including David Castello and Markus Schnermann, are still looking for the light at the end of the  tunnel. Markus posted on Facebook today that his flu has developed into pneumonia and David told me this is the sickest he has ever been. David suggested that if any of you who have fallen ill have weakened immune systems, you should see a doctor right away. Shortness of breath or lung congestion would also be red flags as they could point to pneumonia. 

No one can say say for sure what the source of the infection was but a lot of interesting theories are being bandied about. One prominent domainer who developed pneumonia after last year's DOMAINfest Global party at the Playboy Mansion, and who is sick again after attending last week's event there, has one possible culprit in mind. He thinks a fog machine that was blowing moist air into the huge party tent all night could have been distributing viral hitchhikers as well. The fog was so thick that most of the photos I shot inside were obscured by a cloudy haze, but whether or not that cloud cover had anything to do with the outbreak is anybody's guess. It is true, however, that a nasty bacterial infection that creates flu like symptoms - legionella pneumophila - is often spread by water vapor/mist.

A fog shroud hangs over the dance floor at the Playboy Mansion 
Thursday night (Feb. 3) in the grand finale of the DOMAINfest Global conference.

In most cases I have heard about involving couples, both individuals fell ill. I can only think of one reason why Diana may have caught it while I did not. I rarely get sick so over the years it became apparent to me that when I fell ill it was almost always immediately after coming home from a trip. In planes, hotels and in meet and greet sessions, you touch so many surfaces and people that the odds against you go up astronomically. Knowing that - and that we are in the middle of flu season - I made a special effort on this trip to frequently wash my hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer. I also tried to avoid touching my hands to my face, but that is a tough one as we all do it frequently without thinking about it. If you make those things a habit though, it at least gives you a better chance to stay healthy.

I am no germaphobe though and nothing is going to stop me from shaking everyone's hand that I meet, hugging my friends or going to conferences like DOMAINfest. Those are the kind of things that make life worth living. As bad as it feels to be sick, I haven't heard anyone say they wouldn't do DOMAINfest again next week. None of us wants to live in a bubble - we get enough of solitude in all of the endless solo hours we spend in front of our computers! So, all we can do is take some simple precautions and hope those tilt the odds in our favor when so many of us get together in one place. After what happened this year, I will probably be getting a flu shot next winter too!  For those who are currently under the weather we wish you all a very speedy recovery.

Update: I received two more notes since posting the info above that underscore how important it is for your to see a doctor if you are not getting better. Both notes point to the possibility that this could be a bacterial infection rather than viral as many assume - and that opens up a different set of issues. 

First, a well-known domainer who fell ill wrote, " I was as sick as ever till yesterday so my meet and greet immunity failed despite having a flu shot! Further my condition responded to strong antibiotics suggesting to me, the layman doctor, that it is bacterial in nature.

Second, my daughter, who is a 2nd year medical school student, wrote, "If there is a suspected water source as the culprit - like you mentioned the fog machine - and people are getting pneumonia you have to worry about getting a bacterial infection. If people aren't getting better they definitely need to see their doctors. So many people getting sick in one place, sounds like a case for the CDC." 

So, if you are ill, do not take this lightly. We want to see everyone back at 100% as soon as possible.

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We're back from another great DOMAINfest Global conference. I posted daily photos and highlights from the show in this column and will have more about it in a major article that will be published within the next 7 days. A number of people who were at DOMAINfest in Los Angeles proceeded directly to San Francisco where the first .NXT Conference will be held tomorrow through Thursday (Feb. 8-10) at the downtown Hyatt Regency. 

The show will be all about the new gTLDs that ICANN plans to eventually roll out (the expected launch date has been pushed back time after time, so I won't hazard a guess as to when they might appear). Even so, those who are interested in operating or investing in new gTLDs have been mapping out their plans since 2008, so the conference is expected to be well attended.  

The San Francisco Internet Society called on Kieren McCarthy, a former Public Participation manager from ICANN, to serve as Conference Manager for the event. 

Kieren is being assisted by Jothan Frakes, a well-known industry veteran who is about 1 degree of separation from most anyone in any role in the domain business. Jothan was also a driving force in the founding of both the Domain Roundtable and DOMAINfest conferences.

Several Sedo customers, including me, shared their experiences with the company in comments posted on a special anniversary page at Sedo. We wish them as much success in the next decade as they have enjoyed over their past ten years as an industry leader. 

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Another great DOMAINfest Global conference closed last night with a gala party/charity fundraiser at the world famous Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. When I was writing my last post from the show yesterday, the final business event - Moniker's Premium Live Domain Auction - was just getting underway. The sale wound up producing a nice six-figure sale - Won.com at $115,000 -  and dozens on others in the three to five figure range including LoanQuotes.com at $75,000, Love.me at $32,000, BridgeLoan.com at $27,500 and Damages.com at $26,000.

Above: Scene from Moniker's Premium Live Domain Auction Thursday afternoon 
(Feb. 3, 2011) at the DOMAINfest Global conference in Santa Monica, California.

Below: Auctioneer Wayne Wheat, the best domain auctioneer in the business, directs the sale.

Shortly after the auction ended, DOMAINfest Global guests boarded a fleet of buses that took them to the world famous Playboy Mansion for the show's grand finale - a gala party that doubled as a fund-raising event for Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue Autism Foundation. 

Hundreds of donated silent auction items were scattered across the 
Playboy Mansion's spacious grounds. Above you see a few of them in the 
foreground with guests in the pool and grotto area in the background.

No visit to the Playboy Mansion would be complete without Bunnies and they were 
there in abundance. Above guests Mary Danna & Kevin Daste (2nd and 3rd from left) 
are welcomed by two lovely rabbit-eared ladies representing the iconic brand.

It was a chilly night at the Holmby Hills mansion, but a giant party tent on the estate's
east lawn served as a warm central gathering area of the hundreds of guests on hand.

Faces in the crowd included one of the world's top domain attorneys, 
Dr. John Berryhill, seen above with fellow guest Diana Jackson.

Oversee.net's DOMAINfest Global team, led by President and CEO Jeff Kupietzky, did another fabulous job with the 2011 event. If you missed our daily coverage from eariler in the week, you can find those posts here:

Day 1 Photos and Highlights

Day 2 Photos & Highlights

Day 3 Photos & Highlights

We will also be producing a more detailed show review article in the next week or so after returning to our home base in Florida. Ths year's review will have a special twist that I think will be of special interest to everyone in the industry.

(Posted Feb. 4, 2011) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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The curtain will come down on the 2011 DOMAINfest Global conference in Santa Monica, California tonight.  Yesterday I posted just before heading out for Day 2's closing event - a Golden Age of Hollywood party that was held last night at the Mondrian Hotel's Skybar in West Hollywood. The popular rooftop nightspot features a swimming pool that was put to good use by the Aqualillies. The troupe of professional synchronized swimmers delighted guests with a performance that brought back memories of the 40's and 50's era moves that starred swimmer Esther Williams.  

The Aqualillies performing at last night's DOMAINfest Global 
Golden Age of Hollywood Party at the Mondrian Hotel's Skybar in West Hollywood.

Perhaps the surprise of the night was that only one domainer got pushed into the pool! The party was still going strong when my wife Diana and I left at 11:30pm (2:30am back home in Florida - which is way past our normal bedtime). We had a great time hanging out with friends and meeting new ones who had traveled from countries around the world for DOMAINfest. 

Dr. Chris Hartnett and his wife Dr. Linda Hartnett at the Golden Age of Hollywood Party. 
Chris is a conference veteran but this was Linda's first trip to a domain event.

The final day of DOMAINfest Global got underway at 9:30 this morning (Thursday, Feb. 3) with an excellent session offering Tips and Strategies for Buying and Selling Domain Names. 

Moderator Lisa Box, Senior Director of Sales at Oversee.net, (at far left in the picture below) had an all-star panel to call on. The featured experts were (left to right after Lisa) Michael Berkens (MostWantedDomains.com), Larry Fischer (DirectNavigation.com), Tessa Holcomb (PPX.com), Jason Miner (Name Media) and Kathy Nielsen (Sedo). 

Conference organizer Oversee.net followed with another major coup - a Fireside Chat with Ben Mezrich, the author or the book that the smash movie The Social Network was based on (The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal).

Mezrich has written 11 books including another (Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas For Millions) that was also turned into a hit movie . That best seller (63 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list) was the basis for the film 21 starring Kevin Spacey. 

Oversee.net President Jeff Kupietzky conducting a fascinating Fireside Chat 
with author Ben Mezrich (right) this morning (Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011)

Ben is obviously already a star in the publishing world, but - this being the time of year for predictions - I predict he will become one of the few authors who will ascend to the kind of superstar status that makes them household names. In addition to being an excellent writer who finds amazing stories to tell, the 40-year-old Harvard graduate has a remarkably magnetic personality. He is funny, down to earth and gifted with that elusive special quality that makes audiences instantly like him. 

As I write this, the final business event of DOMAINfest Global 2011 - Moniker's Premium Live Domain Auction - is just getting underway. I'll have the auction results for you in my final post from Santa Monica tomorrow, along with photos and highlights from the big social event tonight that officially closes the show - a gala party at the Playboy Mansion that will benefit Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue Autism Foundation. 

(Posted Feb. 3, 2011) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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The DOMAINfest Global Conference continued with day 2 (Wednesday, Feb. 2) of the fifth annual event being held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, California. In my last post yesterday, the opening day was winding down with Moniker's Low and No Reserve Live Domain Auction still underway. The event wound up generating 37 sales led by Camera.net at $35,000.  Prices dropped off quickly after that with AJY.com the next highest sale at $4,000. The event was a warm-up for Moniker's Premium Live Auction coming up tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 3) at 4:30 pm Pacific time. 

Day one ended Tuesday night with a Polynesian Paradise theme party held in the gardens and pool area at the Fairmont Miramar.

Scene from Tuesday's night's Polynesian Paradise Party at DOMAINfest Global.

After the official conference party (sponsored by the .CO Registry) closed at 9pm, many attendees moved on to a pair of private parties nearby, one held at the Huntley Hotel by Demand Media and the other on the rooftop of an oceanfront condo a block away hosted by Washington VC founder Michael Mann who is spending the winter there. I stopped by both and very much enjoyed the company of the other guests and the gracious hospitality extended by the hosts.

Day 2 of DOMAINfest Global opened at 9:30am today with a terrific presentation from Jay Berkowitz (TenGoldenRules.com) who detailed his Ten Steps to Building a Winning Website. Jay, who also operates the InternetMarketingClub.com networking site, is a leading author and podcaster who really knows his stuff. He also has a special ability to present valuable information is a concise, easily digestible manner that has helped thousands of people jump start their online endeavours.

Jay Berokowitz (TenGoldenRules.com) giving attendees his Top Ten Steps to 
Building a Winning Website Wednesday morning at DOMAINfest Global.

The second morning session was a panel discussion about Acquiring and Monetizing Traffic Using Local, Mobile, Social and Video. Moderator Scott Morrow, Oversee.net's new Senior VP/GM, Vertical Markets Division, directed a very informative session featuring experts Andy Atkins-Kruger (WebCertain.com), David White (Technorati Media) and Branden Claisse (Mojiva Inc.) 

(L to R): Andy Atkins-Kruger (WebCertain.com), David White (Technorati Media), Branden 
Claisse (Mojiva Inc.) and moderator Scott Morrow (Oversee.net) provide advice on Aquiring and Monetization Traffic Using Local, Mobile, Social and Video Wednesday morning (Feb. 2).

After a courtyard luncheon, once again held outdoors on a glorious Southern California day, guests returned to the hotel's Starlight Ballroom for DOMAINfest Global's Pitchfest Contest. The event gave eight finalists a chance to pitch their new online business ideas to a distinguished panel of venture capital executives who served as judges (they were John Morris, Scott Jarus, Andries de Villiers and Jeff Cohn). The audience also got to pick a winner of their own and, as was the case last year, the judges and the audience had different opinions.

The judges named local deal site Smartvark.com as their winner, allowing the company's presenter, Stefan Wrobel, to take home the coveted prize and gain some attention that could lead to a sizeable investment in his company.  

The Judges picked Stefan Wrobel of Smartvark.com (L) as winner of the DOMAINfest Global Pitchfest Contest. He received the award from Oversee.net Sr. VP Peter Celeste.

In instant balloting conducted by cellphone text messaging, the audience came to another decision, naming ePayments.com their winner, earning presenter David Clements a return trip to the podium to pick up his crystal trophy from Peter Celeste.

The audience came to a different decision and voted David Clements (left)
of ePayments.com winner of the Pitchfest People's Choice Award. 

The day's final business session featured a panel discussion of Opportunities in ccTLDs, IDNs and gTLDs. 

Oversee.net VP Mason Cole (at far left in the photo below), served as moderator for this discussion. He had six experts on hand for this wide ranging discussion including (left to right after Mr. Cole), Ken Hansen (Neustar), Joerg Schweiger (DENIC), Daniel Eisnhut (InternetX), Andrew Snow (Globabel Holdings), Adrian Kinderis (AusRegistry International) and Daniel Dryzek (ddfund.eu).

One of the conference's majr social events is on tap this evening. At 7pm local time (10pm U.S. Eastern) we will be taken in a fleet of buses to a Golden Era of Hollywood party that will be held at the Mondrian Hotel's famous rooftop Skybar in West Hollywood. I'll have more on that for you in tomorrow's Lowdown post.

Thursday will be the final day of DOMAINfest Global with one major highlight being a Fireside Chat with Ben Mezrich, author of the best selling book that was turned into the hit movie The Social Network. The curtain will come down on the show tomorrow night with a party at the Playboy Mansion that will double as a fundraiser for Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue Autism Foundation. 

(Posted Feb. 2, 2011) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
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The 2011 DOMAINfest Global conference got underway today at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California. The show's organizers, Oversee.net, said a record number of registrants - close to 700 people from around the world - are on hand for the fifth annual event (along with more than three dozen sponsors - also a record).

Part of the opening day crowd at the 2011 DOMAINfest Global conference listening 
to welcoming comments from Senior VP & Domain Sponsor GM Peter Celeste

In welcoming comments to attendees Oversee Sr. VP Peter Celeste, who is also the General Manager of DomainSponsor, announced a new monetization initiative at DomainSponsor that will have the company selling traffic to some of its client's parked domains directly to advertisers. If they are successful in lining up enough advertisers that should produce a significant revenue boost as Google would not being taking out a cut of those earnings.

The day's first seminar covered Domain Monetization Basics From Parking to CPL to CPA and featured panelists Jeff Bartlett (ConsumerTrack, Inc.), Howard Hoffman (PPCIncome.com), Jamie MacMillan (LinkShare) and Joerg Schnermann (DomainSponsor Europe) in a session moderated by legendary domain investor Frank Schilling (NAMedia.com).

Frank Schilling moderating today's panel discusson of current Domain Monetization options.

The morning session closed with an interesting fact-filled presentation from comScore's Eli Goodman covering Internet Vital Signs. After a lovely outfoor luncheon served in beautiful weather under the stately fig tree that graces the Fairmont's courtyard, attendees returned to the ballroom to see Oversee President and CEO Jeff Kupietzky's excellent presentation featuring his view of The State of the Industry: 2011 and Beyond.

Oversee President and CEO Jeff Kupietzky delivering his 
State of the Industry: 2011 and Beyond address today at DOMAINfest Global

I will have an in depth report on Jeff's 2011 predictions in our comprehensive conference review article that will ge published by the end of next week. For now suffice it to say that he is very optimistic about how this year will play out for the domain industry and provided plenty of information and datapoints to back up his beliefs.

The day's main event - a keynote address from GoDaddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons titled Luck & Perspective was a huge hit. The ballroom was completely packed with a standing room only crowd eager to hear the colorful leader of the world's largest registrar.

GoDaddy CEO & Founder Bob Parsons speaking to a 
standing room only crowd at DOMAINfest Global this afternoon.

Parsons certainly did not disappoint as he ran through his entire life's story with often funny but always insightful and often inspiring anecdotes about how persistence - a refusal to ever give up - led to the phenomenal business successes the decorated ex-Marine has enjoyed. He expects GoDaddy to reach $1 billion in sales this year for the first time.  

Parsons, an acknowledged marketing genius, comes across as just a regular guy - a man's man that you would love hanging out with - and his self-deprecating down to earth demeanor quickly won the crowd over. He said his number one rule in life is to do something you love to do - that is the real key to happiness. He closed his talk with a favorite saying that he credited to his son - "There is always a reason to smile. Find it because we are not here for a long time, we are here for a good time!" Parsons was given a standing ovation when his talked ended. I'll have more details on his address in our upcoming conference review article.

As I write this the business day is closing with Moniker's Low & No Reserve Domain Auction. It will be followed by a poolside Polynesian Paradise Party this evening at the Fairmont. I'll have more on those events for you tomorrow when I'll also bring you some photos and highlights from Day 2 of the event that runs through Thursday.

One other major note today, for those who have been wondering what Moniker.com Founder Monte Cahn would be doing next (after leaving the company at the end of 2010), we now have the answer. Today Cahn and Michael Berkens announced they have formed a new consulting company called Right Of The Dot, LLC that will provide guidance to businesses and investors interested in the new gTLDs that ICANN plans to introduce in the near future. Cahn said, "“The domain industry is preparing for a new era of rapid change and a complete shift in how investors and businesses think about domains and online presence. Enormous opportunity lies ahead for registries, registrars, entrepreneurs, investors and corporations. But the question is, how will you navigate the ever-expanding opportunities? Knowing how to make the most of your time and assets is invaluable, and that's where RIGHT OF THE DOT comes in.”

Monte Cahn, RightOfTheDot.com

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