While some people like to sleep in after a long, enjoyable evening, Day 2 at Domain Days Dubai 2024 (Wednesday, November 6) gave those who couldn't wait to get going an opportunity to start early by setting up coffee, snacks and a chance to network beginning at 8am (almost two hour before the business day officially began).

At 9:50am, back in the main conference hall, it was time for everyone to Rise and Shine when MC James Williams (below) welcomed them to another busy day in Dubai. That would include nine more business sessions with the Middle East's first major domain auction sandwiched between them.

It all got started at 10am with an introduction to the UAE: The Strategic Gateway to Africa’s Emerging Markets. Four experts from the region were on hand to do that, Michael Osterloh (CEO, HOSTAFRICA), Molehe Wesi (CEO, .ZA Domain Name Authority), Andrew Mwanyota (CEO & .KE Chief Evangelist - Kenya Network Information Centre) and Leonid Todorov (General Manager, APTLD). Leonid is also seen below.

Above: It may have been a late night for many, but the conference hall was still full when things resumed Wednesday morning for the closing day 2.

Next up at 10:35am, Unstoppable Domains COO Sandy Carter, below, posed the question Can you stop the Unstoppable? Sandy believes domains are poised to become the ultimate online asset, bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3. She detailed how Unstoppable's one-stop shop for both traditional and blockchain-based domains is aiming to revolutionize online identity and ownership. 

An interesting Fireside Chat about Local Cloud & Internet Connectivity followed at 10:55am. That session, below, featured Patrick Swoboda (CEO, Bamboozle Web Services), Andrew Mason (Sales Director, Virtuozzo) and Bernd Spiess (Peering Manager, DE-CIX).

Above: Brandon Spiess fills in some details during the Local Cloud & Internet session while an audience member (below) records it for later review.

Above & below: Security moved to the forefront in the next session at 11:25 when Hassan Al Lawati (CTO, PowerDMARC), above, discussed Domain Name Authentication: The Blind Spot in Cybersecurity. Hassan covered evolving changes in the landscape of DMARC, SPF, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT and recent attack trends. 

A lot of people came to Dubai from other parts of the world to learn about opportunities in the UAE. That made the final morning session at 11:50, To Setup or Not To Setup in the UAE? That is the Question, one of special interest. The answers to that question were provided by Wahid Aziz (CEO, Tasjeel.ae) and 
Arjun Sarkar (Senior Director Digital Solutions, Dubai CommerCity), below.

Arjun, at left above, and Wahid provided a deep dive into the unique advantages and potential challenges of setting up in the UAE. From the evolving regulatory landscape to the benefits of free zones and the ambitious Dubai Economic Agenda 2033, their advice equipped the audience with the insights needed to make informed decisions. 

Above: The afternoon arrived with one of the biggest additions to the Domain Days Dubai agenda for their second year - a major online domain auction (the first of its kind in the Middle East) - presented by RightOfTheDot.com in partnership with DDD. ROTD President Monte Cahn (above) and CMO Scott Pruitt (below) were on hand to conduct the sale.

The auction, which was underway in the photo above from November 6, is actually still going on as I write this. That was by design as ROTD wanted to put domains that did not sell during the show back up for the global audience, along with many new listings. The auction will continue through Friday, November 15. You can check out the listings and bid online until then. 

AEServer.com (founded by DDD Founder Munir Badr) hosted a 1:15 luncheon that followed the auction, giving guests another 90-minute opportunity to break bread and chat with friends old and new (and many of the latter variety were made in Dubai).

At 2:45 DDD entered the home stretch with a final string of four informative business sessions. In the first of those Andrew Mwanyota (CEO & .KE Chief Evangelist - Kenya Network Information Centre), below,  provided tips on Building Trust and Securing Online Identity in the African ccTLD Landscape.

SecretBrokerage.com Founder Arif Sengoren listening intently during the Building Trust session.

Above: Fredrik Bjoerklund (CEO, EyeonGroup) followed at 3:10 with advice on Protecting Your Digital Identity: Safeguarding Online and Beyond.

We've often commented on how well Radix Registry promotes their new gTLDs by engaging natural communities for their extensions in a variety of innovative ways. DDD attendees learned more about that very topic when Radix's Associate Director, Channel Partnerships, Varun Punjabi, below, took the stage at 3:35 to talk about Not Sitting on the Sidelines | Radix's Approach to End Customer Marketing Campaigns.

Above: Radix's Varun Punjabli warns the audience not to sit 
on the sidelines - the action is on the field!

Below: Industry veteran Yancy Naughton asks a question from his perch near the stage.

The honor of closing  business day 2 and completing DDD's impressive lineup of sessions went to Michael Osterloh (CEO, HOSTAFRICA) and Braden Pollock (Founder/Owner, Legal Brand Domains, LLC) who sat down at 4pm to talk about M&A in MEA: Navigating Investments and Strategic Exits (below).

Above: The industry veterans dissected the complexities of investing in MEA's burgeoning markets and executing successful strategic exits.

Below: Domain Summit Founder Helmust Meskonis took advantage of the Q & A conclusion to get more information on this valuable topic.

Above: With the final business session of Domain Days Dubai 2024 now done, Munir Badr and James Williams returned to the stage for some closing comments, to thank attendees and to let them know about some treats that were still in store for them. 

The decks were now cleared for over 6 hours of social activity, beginning with a  Farewell Networking, Coffee and Snacks open house that ran from 4:40 to 6pm. That left just enough time for those who were going on to the grand finale - a VIP Yacht Cruise, to freshen up and catch the bus to the Pier for a Red Carpet Walk and Photographs.

Above: The red carpet led guests to a photo backdrop where their photos were taken before getting on board. 

Below: The cruise was co-sponsored by it.com Domains and the .Link registry. At the end of the red carpet here, we see Sergey Gorbunov (it.com Domains Director of Registry Services) and it.com Domains Founder Andrey Insarov.

Once everyone was on board the 144-foot Desert Rose yacht, the vessel left the dock at 7 pm on a  leisurely four-hour dinner voyage that played out in the harbor with the magnificent Dubai skyline as a backdrop. Here are some photos from that unforgettable night November 6.

Above: On deck as the Desert Rose departs. Below: View of Dubai Harbor from the bow.

Above: The magnificent Desert Rose dining room would be filling up soon.

Below: In the meantime, guests enjoyed a beautiful evening topside.

Above: Among the many familiar, friendly faces in the crowd, 
(left to right) Hakan Ali, Michael Riedl and Robbie Birkner.

Above: (left to right), Nikul Sanghvi, Robert Kalfayan (K-Ventures) 
and James Booth (the DomainBooth.com Founder who lives in Dubai).

Below: Fresh drinks were always close at hand.

Above: Here we have Christopher Niemi (MarkMonitor), 
Dave Evanson (Sedo) and Gregg McNair (PTL Group Chairman)

Below: Revisiting the dining room, but now the tables are full!

...and four hours later, the Desert Rose and its guests from around the world were headed home.
It went by quickly but Domain Days Dubai 2024 certainly made it a trip they will never forget!