NamesCon is finally back, and we are super excited to be a part of the biggest domain event in the world.
We chatted with Christian Jaeger, the CEO of NamesCon, to get some insights about the event.
Here’s everything he had to share.
Q.1 For the past two years, Namescon has happened virtually. Now that the world has finally opened up and the event is happening face-to-face, what are your feelings?
It is a great feeling – a mixture of excitement and even a bit of nervosity. It has been almost 1,000 days since this great and very special community was able to meet in person. We have learned a lot during the pandemic, having organized several online events, especially the importance of good speakers and sessions. I am confident to say it may be the best agenda we have had at NamesCon so far, so I am expecting full rooms!
When our sister event CloudFest returned as an in-person edition in March this year, you could feel a positive vibe all over, and we only saw smiling faces I am expecting the exact same thing over the next weeks in Austin! As your TLDs say it – I SEE YOU.
Q.2 What are your expectations from Namescon this year? What are you most looking forward to?
There are a few things I am looking forward to. The Omni hotel went through a great renovation, resulting in an even nicer exhibition area, newer session, and breakout rooms. Also, Austin as a whole is really going through the roof these days. If you haven’t been there to the last in-person NamesCon – you will hardly recognize it 😉.
On the content side, I am really looking forward to the so-called ‘Domain King Rick Schwartz’ session. Of course, sometimes, his statements are polarizing. However, he definitely is one of the most successful domainers in history, and if there is one guy who can teach you a lesson on how to become a great domainer, it’s probably him. He also contributed several domains to the premium domain auction, and looking at the current prospectus, the auction is going to be phenomenal!
Lastly, I am excited about the networking. We have so many great side events, from the big opening reception on day 1 to Fun Day BBQ on Saturday. We haven’t seen each other for too long, there is lots to talk about!
Q.3 What’s new at Namescon this year?
One of the biggest changes we have introduced in 2022 is the ‘Open Day’ in the afternoon of Day 3, September 2. We will literally open the doors to the Web3, blockchain, and startup community to exchange views on where this industry is heading to, why blockchain domains may or may not be a game changer in the future to come and also explain to thriving entrepreneurs how important domain names are for their business success. So far, the NamesCon community has been quite enclosed. At NamesCon 2022 we’re going to change that and grow our family of domaining enthusiasts!
Q.4: What is the biggest reason why the domain community loves NamesCon?
When people ask me why our team is so dedicated and loves what we do, my answer is simple: We do not have a product or simply ‘a conference’. We deal with emotions. Personal interactions. It is not a simple offering or service, but it is a great time that people experience together. In general, people like people. And the pandemic has shown us sadly what it means if we cannot pursue personal relationships.
As soon as people will be seeing friends that they couldn’t see for over 2.5 years or will be making new connections that are fruitful for their business, you will feel why our event is so special, why this community is so unique and why attendees love to return to our events in the future.
Q.5 What are your future plans to up the ante for NamesCon in the coming years?
It’s important to understand the future topics, and we need to be early adopters to talk about them. Domaining will always be the center of what we do at NamesCon, but we need to at least shine some light on what is happening around us and what other digital asset classes might exist. What do NFTs or NFT/blockchain domains mean for our industry? Which trends result in new domain registrations (think about the many metaverse domains that were registered and sold recently)?
But also: What else is there besides .com domains? Where do gTLD’s make an impact in the future, and how can successful domain investors and registrars become early adopters of these trends? If we stay on top of all these (and more) topics, NamesCon will remain the main go-to event for our industry.
The ShortDot team is super excited to be at NamesCon this year! Do come and visit us at Booth 14 for fun games and a chance to win a premium domain name. Cyou at NamesCon!