Ryan McKegney, CEO of DomainAgents, shares his thoughts on NamesCon Global 2020
This year saw the biggest change to NamesCon since the show first launched in 2013 with the move from the neon lights of Las Vegas to the scooter-filled streets of Austin, Texas. It’s perhaps fitting that we’ve left the blackjack tables and slot machines behind as the industry has continued to become more professional. I know that some, myself included, were worried the change of scenery might keep people away and although there did seem to be fewer international attendees (there may have been other reasons for that), the crowd was strong. The city was a great host and everyone raved about the BBQ and music.
Incredible local BBQ from Terry Black’s — yes, it tasted as good as it looks.
On the first day of the show, I had the privilege of speaking to a large crowd of new and seasoned domain investors about the value of domains in a session entitled, “What is my domain worth?” My presentation was well received and I hope that all those who attended found it helpful. You can find much of the information from the presentation here.
Nearly everyone I spoke to said that 2019 had been a good year for their domain investments. The other topics that seemed to be on everyone’s lips were the appearance of GoDaddy’s new CEO, Aman Bhutani and the sale of the .org registry. I had the chance to speak to Mr. Bhutani at a GoDaddy meet and greet and he struck me as down to earth and genuinely interested in the investor ecosystem. I believe this was the first time that the CEO of GoDaddy has spoken at a NamesCon and I think that was symbolically very important. The sale of the .org registry was predictably contentious and news broke during the show that the California Attorney General has requested the sale be delayed.
DomainAgents was proud to be recognized by Escrow.com as one of the Masters of Domains once again. The award is given to the highest grossing domain brokers in the industry each year. This is the fourth year in a row that we have received the award. Since we don’t divulge sales data, being recognized publicly like this is particularly special for us.
Overall, the transition to Austin was successful and if they decide to host next year’s show in Austin, DomainAgents will certainly attend.
-Ryan McKegney
CEO, DomainAgents
Texas Capitol and Texas weather in all it’s (sunny, blue-skied) glory.
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