Morning folks!!
Just off the red-eye
flight from Vegas and today we start working on the Orlando show in May. Before
I collapse I just wanted to thank all those that came and supported T.R.A.F.F.I.C. We
had one hell of a week!
In the coming days you
will read reviews from folks that were there. The seminars focused on
Transparency and with the help of some of the top monetizers in our space, we
are on the verge of publishing our standards that will help define things and
make it easier to compare different programs.
The highlight of the
show was the speech by Jim McCann of 1800flowers.com. What few in the room knew
when he came to give his talk was that Jim was the singles longest domain
holder in the room. A 'Domainer' since 1992. The flowers.com have
multiple websites and web businesses and they are aggressively expanding.
The surprise of the show
for many was Dr. Kevin Ham. (Ieft in picture next to Frank Schilling and myself. Picture courtesy of DNJournal.com) Kevin spoke at the very first TRAFFIC in 2004 and
has remained very quiet until a few weeks ago when he asked me for some time to
speak at TRAFFIC which I was happy to agree to. He told me 'There was
something he needed to say.' That was all I needed to know because as many
were about to find out, Kevin was much deeper than just the 2.0 story.
Kevin got up early on
Wednesday morning and without notes, gave a MOVING 50 minute talk about things
more important in life than the almighty dollar but at the same time just how
passionate he was about reaching new goals, bigger dreams and feels like he is
barely scratching the surface. I was watching, some were close to tears.
Including Kevin. Including me. Including many. The most moving part was when he
talked about 'Value' and put things in perspective when comparing
things of value next to each other talking about the value of his children
and asked what number do you put on their value. Not even billions would come
close to their value. Money may make us comfortable, but life is short and one
has to keep things in the right order. He talked about Ben Stein and how much
his speech at the first TRAFFIC in 2004 was an inspiration as Ben talked about
spending time with your mother and father while there is still time.
Dr. Ham ended his talk
to a standing ovation. A really warm standing ovation. That only
happened three times before at TRAFFIC. The first standing
'O' was in 2004 and that too was for Kevin.
So when folks talk about
the VALUE of going to TRAFFIC, listening to Kevin was priceless. I am sure
everyone there would agree that his words were worth the price of admission 10x
over. Sometimes the biggest value is found in an unexpected place and
time.
I will let others review
the success and accomplishments of TRAFFIC X, but Howard and I walk away
knowing we gave it everything we had and hope we added value to everyone's
business and the industry in general. Like I have said since day
one.....'When you bring GREAT people together, GREAT things will
happen.'
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
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