Drum Roll Please……Announcing……The most provocative
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Ever!!
Or
With a year to plan this single event and do it the way
Howard and I do things, get ready for some of the hottest topics we have ever
discussed, the best venue we have ever had and the timeliest show ever. Sponsored
by Skenzo and add the best food and networking events in the Industry and we
have TRAFFIC SOBE 2010!! Usually I do not put the schedule together until just
a few weeks out. This year, I already have the topics set and it won’t be for
the faint of heart. Ruffling feathers is our specialty and South Beach
will be for the heavyweights, lightweights and middle weights, but won’t be for
fly weights. You’ll have fun at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. but come because of the
opportunity and the unique way we push the envelope every single time. One year
of rest and this will be the one T.R.A.F.F.I.C. that will be as memorable as
the opener in Delray in 2004. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is all grown up and ready to
tackle South Beach like only Domainers can. Fast cars, fast women, fast money
and all the rest. There is only one South Beach and the money making party
starts soon. October 17-20 to be exact.
Because of all the great advice we have gotten from
our long time supporters, we are not changing the recipe of T.R.A.F.F.I.C.. We
do it FIRST CLASS or we won’t do it at all. The right way or no way. Rise
to the occasion. Raise your game. Don’t be a spectator. Jump in and be a
player. Jump in and see why T.R.A.F.F.I.C. has changed so many lives and how it
is impossible to talk about the domain industry without mentioning
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. over and over and over again.
Act early and save big. Take the first step and we
will do the rest. We will put you right in the center of the domain
universe. We have some big announcements coming and with each one you will know just how spectacular a show this is going to be. Our Keynote has already been selected and we have surprises and more surprises in store for you. We are working on more things than ever and it is happening all at one time. You will witness a be part of something that few can put into words.
The history of
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is synonymous with
the history of the industry. We met at T.R.A.F.F.I.C., grew our
companies and assets at TRAFFIC and together we have
harnessed the power of an entire industry at precisely the right time.
You can't rewrite history. Many major deals were made and negotiated at
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Companies were born. Companies have soared. Records have
been broken. Records are still held. The most coveted awards in the
industry presented in front of your peers that YOU decide. So come
and join the fun. We go where no other show dares to go. We have nothing
to
sell but progress. Progress that YOU make happen. Plus all the dividends
that play out well after the show is over.
All prices are guaranteed lowest that will be
available. If we have any special along the way, we will DOUBLE your refund on
the difference. So with a deal like that, relax, know you are getting the best
rate and sign up right now, right here. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. has had more than
20 shows in 7 countries in just 6 years. Life changing relationships began and
have been forged at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.. That’s PRICELESS. Be honest, put a price, a
value on the relationships you have made with us over the years and you know
that there is no better place on the planet to be than at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. in
South Beach with your friends and business associates and fellow domainers. The refueling that you will walk away with, is worth the price of admission.
We are looking for pre-show event sponsors. A great
way to get personal for a limited budget. Plus we have deals for exhibiting and
sponsoring like never before. We can tailor a sponsorship that meets your
budget and gives you bang for the buck.
That’s the spiel folks. With all our energy focused
on this show, it will be another landmark in the domain industry and when we
walk away on October 20th……everyone in the industry and
beyond will know it. We may be in the “Domain Business” but more importantly,
we are in business of succeeding, investing, growing our portfolios networking
with like minded folks and 12 other things. We try to give you tools that
transcend the industry we all focus on. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. will make us all more
productive and better people. Life is short. Make the most of it.
Lastly, let me address the meals and why they are
the backbone of the entire show. When we talk networking there is no greater
networking on earth than breaking bread with friend or foe. For thousands of
years this has been the accepted practice of peace and progress and
understanding. Breaking bread allows folks to dial it back a few notches. It
allows them to engage in a different way and manner. Let's be honest. We are an
industry of conflicting businesses. An industry of competitiveness by auctions
and the like. An industry of 'Type A' personalities. However, the one
thing that we all have in common is that the vast majority of Domainers are
decent people with big hearts who want to do great things for both themselves
and their families and then leave something better for society in the process.
Basic things that we all have in common that supersedes so many of our
obstacles.
TRAFFIC means business and that means we focus on
Eagles and those that want to become eagles. While we are always reaching down
to help others up, those that try and drag us down will be met with full resistance.
So the choice is yours, raise your game because there is no way we will lower
ours. Our formula is tried and We do it First Class and that is not going to
change. We force nobody to come. Everyone that comes has some skin in the game
and THAT is the spark that ignites deals and opportunities. A formula that
nobody has been able to duplicate.
Our proudest moments at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. have been
when a domainer brings family members to the conference; be it their wives,
husbands, significant others, kids, parents, friends, uncles etc. That is why
we make it so reasonable for them to attend and make it as family friendly as
any trade show can be. We lose $$$ when you bring them, but our families
decided it was worth it to meet your families. To have them involved in
what you do, why you do it and see how many others do it. Quality folks from
all backgrounds, all walks of life, all countries of the world. Working hard
every day regardless of how it may look. Investing days and nights making the
best for you and them. A keen understanding of what you do because they may
someday be responsible for that business. That is why T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is
much more than a show about domains or a show about business. It is a show
about life and we will never apologize for the path we have taken and continue
on. Come early, spend the weekend with us and add some extra value to this very
special show at theLoews in South Beach. BTW....the Loews Hotel is the nicest,
newest and most beautiful on the beach. Top drawer, sparkling clean and is the
ONLY hotel in South Florida that can not only rival the Diplomat but with the
location will become your new favorite. When you leave you will say,
'T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Magic is back' Book the roomRIGHT NOW as this is the #1 most occupied hotel in Florida.
So without further delay, here is theprice
schedule for T.R.A.F.F.I.C. South Beach 2010. We believe that you will believe
that you got a bargain when you walk away. We want you to seize opportunity
early so we have perks at every level to give you a reason to sign up right
now. When you sign up early that allows us to plan more efficiently with less
guessing. That results in a better show, better networking, better parties,
better seminars, better auctions, better everything. Like they say, 'When things get tough, the tough get going.' So don't pull back on the throttle now. This is the time to put the pedal to the metal and make events happen as opposed to being a victim of those events.
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Early Bird Registration June 17th through
June 30th = $995 depending on availability (Limited to the first 100
registrations) Plus a SURPRISE Gift from Rick and Howard as a special thanks
for always signing up early to come to T.R.A.F.F.I.C. and help plan things.
(The first 50 signups get an additional $100 room credit at the hotel)
This page will self destruct and be offline by 5PM tomorrow or before, so don't delay.
Spouse and family rate just $199 starting June 21
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Prime Registration Until July 31st
= $1295
Spouse and family rate just $299
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Pre Registration Until September 30th =$1495
T..R.A.F.F.I.C. Standard Registration After September
30th = $1795
Group Rates - 5 Ticket Package $4750 Early
Bird
Group Rates - 10 Ticket Package $9250 Early
Bird
Group Rates - 5 Ticket Package $5995 Until
July 31
Group Rates - 10 Ticket Package $11,500 Until July
31
Group Rates - 5 Ticket Package $6495 Until
September 30th
Group Rates - 10 Ticket Package $12,500
September 30th
Registration Opens Noon Sunday October 17th
Luc Biggs
Inspirational post Rick. I may attend (my first TRAFFIC ever).
On another note, it could be the right time to sell my SouthBeachCondos.net….
Your Names Suck
You might get $10 for SouthBeachCondos.net. That’s about it. You obviously don’t”get it”.
You post reminds me of all of the horrible names that people people think are worth something, and they respond in forum threads with something like:
Gee, Cars.com sold for 6 million. I wonder if my UsedCars4U.info is now worth a little more? Followed by a smiley face.
Give it up, please.
Traffic
This traffic show is not going to happen. Guaranteed!
When you find out that only a few people are going to attend your bull crap show, you will be forced to cancel the show.
Mark this post!
Old domainers do not want to come to this same boring show and the new domainers dont have the $1000 bucks to spend on this crap. Why did the big boys like Frank, Kevin, Rick, etc…stop coming to these bull crap events. Same old bull crap…sponsors trying to sign you up to their bull crap..and you can bid on auctions from home. Anyways, i wish you the best of luck with this disaster!
pigeon
yawn
trying to steal the pigeons hard earned corn eh?
let me guess? ron jackson and the castello brothers as guest speakers? lol
ammmar kabul or whatever his name is getting in every photo? lol
the aution room with 10 people in max, and the silent auction to sell fuck all?
sound about right?
yawn biatch
Stephen Douglas
Oh hell no
Show some respect here, people. Some of these comments are pure trash and I’m surprised but impressed that Rick allowed them to be posted. (Don’t self-destruct this page, Rick).
I fight with Rick all the time, I admit he makes it easy, but I try to make my argument logical and keep the personal out – I know it’s hard and I fail at times – Rick has a way of stirring things up, but I like that. It makes me think. What’s sunshine without rain?
However, let me address (so Rick doesn’t have to) some of the above comments from people too”pigeonshit” to reveal their real names:
1)ADVICE: Don’t ever mention Ron Jackson and the Castello Bros. in any demeaning manner. Their reputations are what every pro domainer admires. You instantly look like a loser to every domainer reading this because you don’t realize this yet.
2) If you don’t know Ammar’s name or who he is, you need to do your research before posting. Ammar is one of the best humanitarians in this business, and NEVER says a bad thing about anyone. He will extend a hand to you if you ask for help. He’s the wrong person to make fun of. I’d apologize publicly even if you said it anonymously.
3) Producing any domain conference is expensive, time-consuming and stressful. Attending one ALWAYS gives you more than your investment to be there. TRAFFIC is established as a consistent winner in this area, and Rick’s selling points (and maybe his oversell) still need to be respected. If you have a complaint, contact them and give constructive criticism or blog about it. Don’t be sophomoric by verbally”vandalizing” an honored event. There are things that Rick says that can make you shudder, like”flyweights” not being allowed in (I’d like to know the definition of a flyweight domain investor). But that doesn’t diminish the strength of his shows.
Nothing bugs me more than reading comments that are rude without purpose, uneducated by laziness, and written with so much envious vitriol that the point is lost, and the writer is buried in pigeon shit.
If you want to say something to make a point, do it with some logic and a clear understanding of the issue, without the vitriol — well… a little is okay if you make your point.
Some of these comments just prove Rick to be right about”the morons” out there trying to get into domaining.
I’ll be the first to say here that I’m looking forward to seeing what the South Beach TRAFFIC has to offer, and I have no doubt it will be a good time and worth every penny for everyone.
If you can’t afford to go, that’s okay, but don’t attack the show or some of the best domainers in the business because they’re attending. If Ammar, RJ and the Castellos weren’t there, you’d lose out on meeting class.
Okay Rick. I did what I think was right, trying to model my attitude for fairness (I think I watch the Daily Show too much). Don’t worry, I’m not going soft… ;-)
Dave Carpenter
Rick, why do you allow these pigeons to post their pigeon shit? You got one idiot who devotes his blogs to you. What a clown. Way too many clowns in this business and they have a mean streak a mile wide. They are all just jealous as you forge ahead and they just well they are just pigeons that are full o sh*t.
Dave Carpenter
Also Rick most of this garbage is posted in the middle of the night which lead me to believe some have bad drinking problems and they go off. What kind a person would waste hours and hours of their time and do it day after day and month after month busting your balls? Think about that. It is pretty lame and I think all see it. Why do you even allow their posts to stand? SICKOS!
Alan
I have to agree with Stephen here.
Personally I find Rick’s flamboyance and melodrama irritating at best – especially when the industry is looking for more professionalism yet one of the most outspoken people continues to use curse words, shoot off the cuff in just ridiculous tangents and over hype practically everything but people still listen to him I suppose – even if he writes like a 12 year old boy (no offense, you know you do – the CAPS button is on the left of the keyboard fyi)
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter to me one way or another what Rick writes however I don’t think such severe personal attacks are warranted especially about some of the nicest people in the business. Its easy to attack Rick and the TRAFFIC auction since we all know TRAFFIC has faded far from its heydays however people like Rick still try to make it happen with the same intent as years ago – bringing people together to do business.
You may not respect his opinions (as in my case) but you do have to respect his drive and his love of this industry (maybe not his methods). It takes a lot of energy to consume yourself in this industry as Rick has so fault him as you may but as Stephen eluded its not fair or professional to get sooo personal with such attacks.
As for the Castello’s and Ammar – super super people. Not a bad thing can be said about either of them and whoever made the comment of having to listen to them again (while understandable in the simple context of comparing many of the conference panels which have the same people time after time) its simply ignorant to fault these great people personally. The fact that they still even donate their time to speak so often tells you how much they want to see this industry move forward.
I know how much conferences cost and believe me they are expensive – While mostly funded by sponsors for industries such as pharmaceuticals etc.. I’m pretty sure the domain industry does not support the full cost of these and a certain risk is put on the promoters.
I’m not a cheerleader for Rick – never have been but I do think a certain level of respect for any fellow human being is required by us all… and yes, Rick has moments of genius within all this hype believe it or not.
Kudos to the post Stephen.
Dave Carpenter
What a riot. Are you 2 jekyll and hyde or heckle and jeckle. What idiots.
Altaf
@Stephen & @ Dave
Rick agreed finally after once fierce argument that he will allow any post that will show the personality of the poster what moron he/she may be,would expose by themselves in public. so why to bother about. Smith (alias Traffic)thought that he would not be identified though. Let him learn & do put some effort to organize such an event like Rick S/Howard Neu or Rick L where every one got the equal opportunity to learn or express.Again you obviously will get such vind.personality on your daily journey. Let him go to hell! Let us mind our business as usual. Long Live T.R.A.F.F.I.C !!
Regards to all.
Have a great Day!!
Louise
@ Rick, You’re an inspiration. Hope to get to meet you some day!
George
I don’t understand why people bother to condemn. I have never personally met Rick and quite frankly, does that even matter? I glean invaluable information from his posts day after day and why? By using my brain to think about the topics he mentions. As in anything, you have to analyze the information you are given and come to your own conclusions. I find that more often than not Rick has something to say that will help educate me.
Either way, shut up and listen or get out and stop spraying your graffiti posts all over the wall. No one cares about your lame attacks.
Danny Pryor
Wow. What a glamorous list of respondents! I have to say, I personally believe without Rick the domain industry would not have become a cohesive industry, able to apply a nameplate to itself. But that may be giving too much credit to one man; after all, it was the people who came to TRAFFIC, the people who attended and made the really big deals, who also helped mould the Domain Industry.
What has happened is the incipience of the industry has created a wealth of chieftains, and few are yet ready to follow the most successful.
I would love to have the success of Rick, RJ or the Castello Bros.; are you kidding? I was a developer for years, telling clients to”buy a name people will type in …”. Amazingly, I still don’t think I get it; but I want to hang around the people I know who do, who defined the industry. That is the caliber of individual everyone should strive to be, if they demand success within the Domain Industry or as an adjacent, related enterprise.
I certainly have my opinions of those poorly conceived posts made on this blog, but as I would rather speak with my head than another body part today (I don’t always do this), I’ll just let those comments go.
;-)
And there’s your smiley.
Dean
I can be heavy handed at times but I have learned to dial it back a few notches, hopefully not because I am”getting soft” but because I think just venting without focus or purpose just seems counterproductive.
An air of controversy surrounds Rick and I think he thrives off the discord. While I don’t agree with his methods, I admire his ferocity and his tenacity to say what is on his mind. Good or bad at least he has the balls to put his shit on the line which is more than I can say for a lot of
other”Domain Bloggers” just regurgitating some tired second hand news or banter.
Rick, you crazy old fuck, long may you run..
UFO
Yes, I agree with Stephen Douglas.. there’s far too many haters around. What’s their problem?
Only thing I can think of is that they’ve been intellectually spanked and they can’t handle it.
I think Rick should just delete those posts, they just p*ss off a lot of readers and make this page less entertaining to read.
Without the likes of Rick and Rick and Ron… this industry would far worse. Just some chat boards and so forth….
Steven
I do not think this thread should be about Rick in any capacity. This is about a domain show and if you should attend or not.
I think the negative poster (traffic) was simply suggesting that the average domain show or”traffic” show is played out or does not deliver value.
The same things keep getting hyped up as reasons to go.
Networking- Small community, most people already know each other and its nice to sit and chat about domains but do you”really” need to go a show at this point? AS Rick has said, how many eagles want to play with pigeons?
Speakers- The domain professionals are top notch like Ron Jackson and The Castello Bros. Nothing bad about them can be said
However, people are looking for value, something fresh, inspiring and motivating to get their juices going. Something that they can take and make money with.
The speakers that come to the last 3 or 4 traffic shows do not do that. Domainfest came with it by bringing the CEO of Zappos and other successful people in our playground.
Some domainers have done good development with names. But come on…the people most of these shows have as speakers on development is outrageous. What do they have 20000 people a month and making $1000 bucks
They are developmental pigions. Get speakers that built real traffic, real revenue and know how to run a business.
look at the blog sullysblog.com….those are interesting people who should appeal to domainers. It’s not just about having a good domain name.
I think it goes back to value and people are speaking with thier wallets.
You just had a show priced at $395 in one of the best cities and only attracted 175 people.
Auctions- That used to be a big reason to go. The simplicity of online bidding has made being there lose value as well.
I think the model is broken and needs to be fixed for this business model to continue and to be profitable
Organizers need to find a way to get the birds (pigeons and eagles) to play with the other animals so everyone can make more money.
All in all, everyone should be grateful for Traffic and Rick enhancing the domain industry.
Dave Carpenter
If you are a winner you will always do fine at TRAFFIC or any other domain show. If you are a loser, you will be a loser no matter where you are or what show you go to. The focus on one person shows who the losers are quite clearly.
Michael Hallisey
You know that pigeon looks like a nice gentle bird. Why is he the bad one? LOL
Is TRAFFIC coming to Los Angeles CA any time?
Stefan
I don’t understand in general why there is so many negative content in comment section of this blog. Rick is in situation where he can lie on the beach all day and drink cocktails,instead he is taking his time to give some valuable lessons to anyone who is interested in domain investing.
I simply don’t know why some people are mad at him, am I missing something?
Dave Carpenter
I agree, Rick does not have to do this. Never did but sure devoted a lot of time and energy to the industry over the years. I think that is why Rick believes they are morons and wants nothing to do with those types. I also think they put on a better show without sophomoric distractions. Filtering out idiots is a good thing. So they are forced to go to the other shows. Seems funny at that point. Which show do all the negative posters go to?? HA!
Stephen Douglas
@Dave Carpenter
Wow, hold on to your tighty whiteys dude. Not sure what kind of deal you want with Rick, but you got some brown-nosing copy smeared all over this comment section. Why don’t you write something objective here?
I’ve been fighting/agreeing with Rick for over four years, and I think it has made me much smarter and aware of many different issues. Only Rick knows how my comments have affected him. It’s clear to Rick that I won’t support”lame” attacks on Rick or his business by people who don’t know the business.
This includes you attacking me, although not by name. You don’t know me, and probably don’t realize you use systems in your own domain investing that I helped design. You don’t know what domains I own, or what my mind has to offer. You can’t just attack people blindly because they don’t agree with Rick at any level.
Will I go easy on Rick, someone who has established himself in the Domainer’s Hall of Fame? Of course not. There’s always that Pete Rose Surprise, bro.
My comments about Rick are always open to his responses, either here on on my blog. I will print anything Rick says, as he has promised to do the same (a positive change by him compared to where he was back in 2003-2007). I have publicly come to Rick’s corner to defend him when someone accused him of censoring.
You don’t need to get personal in defending Rick, because any POSITIVE things you say about him are already acknowledged by most domainers. Since he continues to involve himself publicly in this biz and blares out his rather caustic opinions (more power to him, he reminds me of Chef Ramsey), he opens himself up to”other opinions”. This is what makes him and everyone involved a lot more passionate and much smarter.
Finally, your analogy about people posting”late at night and having a drinking problem” is pretty stupid on your part. How do you know what time zone they’re in, or what type of scotch they’re drinking… errrr.. I mean… okay, forget that…
Anyway, Dave ol’ buddy, I can write you under the table, drunk, stoned, shrooming or not. (put smiley face with a wink here). I invite you to come to my blog and have at me!
(Thx Rick for keeping your comments open)
Dave Carpenter
@Steven D
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. wow you are full of your –
self serving – two faced – self. Mr. morality? Joker. Obvious to everyone just reading your stuff. Note to Steven, getalife
Altaf
Daer Stephen :
We respect you as we do Rick.
We are here to learn from experts like Rick , you or others. This blog is a level playing field Rick created for us to learn, share and learn and get win win situation. So please for God sake! offer some valuable insights that will help the folks encouraged investing in domains. Everybody wants to learn from you guys and earn some income they are lacking. So please be positive & contribute without wasting your time & that of others.
Have a Good Day!!
Stephen Douglas
@Altaf — You remind me of this great guy who constantly won in an online RLS game I played regularly for several years. It actually taught me about business. Strategically brilliant, This guy was supremely confident and took attacks on him with a laugh. He’d always answer flames by just saying”Be Zen”. Few players followed his suggestion, but enough of us got the message after losing to him constantly. So, Altef, I have to say nice comment and truly something for people to consider, including myself. (except for below)
@ Dave Carpenter
Looks like you have some anger issues about me. I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, so I’m not sure what is fueling your animosity.
I’m sure if I knew who you were in this industry, I would surely know you were a”winner” and someone who has”added a lot” to domaining. So what was your site again? What’s your domain company? What domains do you own? Huh? Who are you? I’m really curious.
As far as me being full of myself — oh good god — my friends would never say I was a shrinking violet, so please say something that will really pin my ears back. What you’re saying about me is so weak and tired… I’m bored. Prove that I’m a”loser”, but at least compare it to your own success and loss.
I can tell by your writing style that this won’t be happening. You’re out of your league. If you can show me a faulty logic argument I make, then I’m interested. If you can only say I’m”two-faced”, then you don’t understand the duality of competition.
Anyway, who is this”Steven” guy you refer to twice in your last post?
Dave Carpenter
Steven or Stephen does anyone care but you…sigh……..nasty guy and you pee over most of the folks here. what is your point dude? who made you the messiah??
LS Morgan
I’ll crawl across fire-engulfed broken glass to get to a decent web marketing conference or SEO event, however, I have about as much enthusiasm to go to an entire conference dedicated to domain names as I do my next dental visit.
With that said, I think it’s dumb to condemn the people who are ‘doing’ ; the ones who are swinging the hammers, laying the bricks, paving the paths. We can go ’round and ’round all day on whether domain conferences (or even domainers themselves) are relevant in the year 2010, but no one appreciates venomous invective for it’s own sake, thrown up anonymously in blog posts.
Even though I don’t attend ‘domainer’ things, I hope Ricks conference is a busting success and it’s attendees learn new and important things. Once the ‘domainers’ learn a bit more about the web dynamics that exist outside the Domainersphere, I’m sure I’ll be partying with them at the SEO and web marketing conferences I do attend.
Stephen Douglas
@ Dave Carpenter,
Why don’t you just settle it by answering my last post to you? Are you listening to what I’m asking from you? Or are you so filled with bile and envy that you attack me based on NOTHING you know?
1) You got nothing to show us here about why anyone should consider your comments valuable or not. There’s a reason for that. Just suck it up and take your place at the back of the line, my friend.
2) You got nothing to logically argue about constructively (note that last adverb).
3) You got nothing that places your comments into any category other than”brown-nosing” Rick.
Rick wants competition and challenges. You trying to tell us here that he needs your mindless irresponsive comments to”protect him”? You’re insulting The King.
Give us something with substance dude. Really.
Rick Schwartz
Anunt,
I thought you stopped posting here? Folks, the ASSHOLE known as”traffic” in this thread and MULTIPLE anon names in other threads is none other than Anunt. Yup, ANUNT is the piece of crap dogging me anonymously on multiple threads. See, now the whole industry knows what a spineless person you are. I will be posting and IDENTIFYING you in EVERY thread so all know.
Good job ASSHOLE!