In this video, Matt Herbert from ParkLogic and I share our very different perspectives on the recent NamesCon conference held in Austin, TX. While I've had the privilege of being in the domain industry for many years Matt is a newcomer. Together we tease out some interesting insights that will be of benefit to all domain investors.

There is one thing for certain and that is the NamesCon team should be congratulated for hosting an exceptional conference.

As many readers are aware, I’ve been traveling around the world these past couple of weeks. There’s nothing quite like being away for fourteen days and having only eleven nights accommodation to cause you to question your own sanity about the endeavor. Despite my lack of hotels I managed to jet into Austin and take in the conference that launches the industry each year…..NamesCon!

After checking into the conference hotel, I felt like I was welcoming a long-lost friend as I collapsed on the glorious, soft, wonderful bed. There’s one thing you discover when traveling fifty thousand kilometers in a flying tin can, the seats are hard and not that conducive for sleeping. The quilt felt like bliss incarnate as it wrapped around my exhausted body…..but then I remembered that I had a ParkLogic function that night.

It was with some reluctance that I clambered off the bed, got cleaned up and headed to the San Jac saloon for our small get together. It was a great time to meet a group of existing and potentially new clients as both Matt Herbert (also from ParkLogic) and I struggled with our jetlag. At the end of the night I resumed my horizontal position, closed my eyes and entered a deep sleep…..until 4am at least.

As per my normal routine I find myself in the Melbourne Qantas Club and about to embark on a two-week world whirlwind tour of the world. It sounds glamourous until you consider truly terrifying statistics such as being away for 14-days and only having 11 nights of accommodation booked.

On the bright side I was excited to hear that my flights will no longer be flying through either Iran or Iraq. This put a bit of a smile on my face as I thought of denying the republican guard a chance to play with their shiny new toys (ie. Surface to air missiles).

Being a bit of a geographic aficionado I then prayed that the flight would somehow miss the Ukraine as well. It wasn’t so long ago that a certain aircraft was downed by eager “freedom fighters” in their effort to defend what was “rightfully” theirs. So it will be with welcome relief when I enter European airspace.

This is one of the problems with a round earth. If you keep on heading west (like I’m going to be doing), you end up getting back to where you start. Now if the flat earth people were right then it may be possible to just bypass these crazy regimes…..in many respects, it’s a shame they aren’t right as it would make traveling from Australia much easier.

A few months ago, I had a stroke of genius. Rather than head from Melbourne across the Pacific to NamesCon I would prove all the "flat earthers" wrong and travel to Austin via the Atlantic Ocean. This would mean that I could then drop into Europe and the east coast of the USA prior to NamesCon and then exit out the west afterwards.

On paper this was all made perfectly logical sense but that was before I started putting the itinerary together. To give you an idea, the around the world journey will mean flying in seven different planes for fifty-six hours and this doesn’t include waiting times at airports etc. Oh, the joys of international travel….not!

Just of special note is the fact that I’m away for fifteen days but with only eleven days of accommodation booked. What does this mean? Pretty much that I’ll be the bleary-eyed guy in seat 74D that’s twisted into a pretzel as he tries and sleep in whatever airplane seat, he finds himself in.

So where am I headed?
Melbourne - > Frankfurt -> Cologne -> London -> Washington - > Austin -> San Francisco - > Melbourne

If you happen to be in any of those cities and would like to catch-up then don’t hesitate to reach out to me. You never know, we may be able to grab a drink together!

In this short series of articles I'm sharing some of the things that I consider prior and during NamesCon so that from a business perspective I can get the most out of the event. This is the second part in a two part series on "Getting the Most Out of NamesCon". The first part can be read by clicking here.

I would like to remind readers that if you haven't registered for NamesCon as yet then you can click on the above banner and receive a 20% discount. Full disclosure, I don't make anything from this and it was a generous offer from NamesCon to help the users of WhizzbangsBlog.

11. Organise meetings before NamesCon
Don’t wait until NamesCon starts to organise a meeting with someone. More than likely the person you are wanting to catch-up with will have a full agenda and you won’t get any time with them. To avoid disappointment, reach out to them before the event and be sure you clearly state your objectives for the meeting.

12. Keep some time clear
Don’t completely block out your entire schedule with meetings. Keep some time open for that interesting opportunity that comes along that warrant’s further discussion. In many respects these types of meetings are the icing on the NamesCon cake.

13. Smile
There’s nothing quite like seeing someone at a conference that looks like their having a good time. A simple smile transforms the face and your demeanour. It also tells all those people around you that you’re open for business! It doesn’t cost a thing to smile…..so give it a go.

14. Take meeting notes
Let me assure you that by meeting ten you won’t be able to remember what happened in meeting one. Take LOTS of notes WITH action items. If I’m in a meeting with someone that doesn’t take notes then sadly, it’s likely the meeting won’t result in any business.