NamesCon the #1 Domain Conference in the World!

On the 29th of January it’s finally time for NamesCon 2020, taking place in Austin, USA. A domain conference Dotkeeper just won’t miss out on. Like earlier years Marcus Glaad will be on site in Austin to represent Dotkeeper during the #1 domain conference in the world. To get a feel for what to expect before the event kicks off, we’ve asked Marcus a few questions about new trends on the market and other exciting ’domain chat’.

Hi Marcus! This year is the 5th year in a row you’re attending NamesCon. What insight have you brought with you from earlier years and what are you hoping to see this year.

Email, videoconferences and phone calls are important, sure, but to build a network that’s both wide and strong, the in-person interactions that NamesCon offers are essential.

It’s fantastic to be able to spend almost an entire week in a forum full of industry expertise, building personal relationships that make a difference for our clients throughout the remainder of the year.
I look forward to bringing back the latest market updates, together with relevant trend observations and new contacts from the second-hand domain market. I’m also hoping to contribute one or two blog posts following the conference as per usual.

What are you looking forward to during your time in Austin?
A combination of developing competencies further and the on-going networking. Of course, it’s always fun to attend and experience the action at the yearly live auction as well.

What’s your schedule going to look like?

A typical day during NamesCon starts by getting up at the break of dawn to sit down at my laptop and work though the emails I’ve received from clients and colleagues back home in Sweden. After breakfast there is always an interesting keynote, followed by experienced industry speakers, panels and discussion groups throughout the morning and afternoon.
The evening is spent networking at one of the events, parties or other ’happenings’ that have been arranged.

Are there any potential trends or insights on the domain market or the aftermarket during 2020 that you can share with us already?

I believe we’ll continue to see more and more domains being acquired, mostly by businesses around the world. We’ve seen a major shift over the last few years. Where previously there was a lot of trading between different domain investors, now its businesses acquiring the domains and they’re being taken off the aftermarket at larger scale. I also think we’re going to see more private equity backed start-ups and SME’s spending more money acquiring the ’right’ domain name.

Networking is a large appeal for NamesCon, is there anyone specific in the industry you’re looking to meet – and why?

Every year, we represent many Scandinavian businesses, supporting acquisitions made between them and established traders on the aftermarket in the US and Europe. It is, of course, essential for us to maintain and further develop the relationship with these traders to ensure the best deal on behalf of our clients. But NamesCon allows us to network with everything from new private investors to more established and well-known players.  I’m really looking forward to meeting them all.

What are your expectations for this year’s edition of NamesCon?

High. The agenda for this year is looking really interesting. The schedule, packed with activities and networking opportunities, has been optimised in order to derive as much value as possible from the conference.
Also, I’m really looking forward to visiting Austin. After 5 years in Las Vegas, it’s exciting that the conference is being hosted in a new city.

And the final question, where can we follow your Austin adventures?

As per usual, I’ll be blogging from NamesCon. You’ll find regular posts on both our website, dotkeeper.com, and on LinkedIn.