Morning folks!!
I got home yesterday afternoon after an historical T.R.A.F.F.I.C. event. You will hear it dozens of times. 'This was the best TRAFFIC since 2004'. Don't take my word for it. Listen to the attendees who I hope will comment here about their experiences and the VALUE of TRAFFIC.
So that is it, I am just asking to post your conclusions after the event and after the 'Expense'. Was it an expense at all??
I believe we have provided lifetime memories and a level of opportunity few have ever seen. I think the .CO party at the Versace Mansion was probably the best ever! The sessions were pointed and well attended and an era of TRAFFIC Domain auctions has ended.
In 2011 Howard and I are going to change how the auction process is done. Change it from the ground up. More about that in a future post. But we are going to FIX the things you are complaining about and rightfully so!
With nearly a year to plan I think we can agree that the 'Monster in Miami' was as advertised. Lots of news will be coming out over the next days. Myths will be met with fact. Like Don King being mobbed on the stage for 2 HOURS after he spoke. And yes, some did not have a clue what he was talking about. Yet others got the message loud and clear. Riddles are never obvious. Reading between the lines is mandatory. This chapter is not done.
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
JeanPierre Khoueiri
Dear Rick & Howard,
Let me start by saying, THANK YOU.
Thank you for putting on the most useful and entertaining conference I have EVER been to. Hands down, I’ haven’t been to a better one. In terms of contacts, food, location, and most importantly, knowledge gained, you guys take the cake.
Let me apologize for being late to the panel I was speaking on, no excuses, but I had to meet and get a photo with Don King and the line was ridiculous. I live and play in Miami and don’t easily get star struck, but Don is just too cool.
That being said, any feedback you gentlemen could offer me on how I did on the panel would be appreciated. I am working hard to get more speaking engagements and I really enjoy being in front of an audience. I hope I was able to offer information of value to the audience.
You guys are A-OK in my book. So from now, when you are putting on a conference you will get 2 months of free banner space (for each show) on my site SEOconsultants.com I get more traffic than SeoBook.com and SeoMoz.org COMBINED. 11,000-12,000 uniques per day. If you notice there are zero banners on the site, so you gents would be the first :)
Tim Davids
Thats why companies like facebook will have companies like yahoo for lunch. What’s yahoos marketcap these days?
Googles too big to care about domains…better find new income streams for your domains…last one out please turn out the lights.
Sahar Sarid
Rick, Howard,
By far the best since 2004, and like most shows I attend, I haven’t been to one session (besides Don King’s talk, which was absolutely terrific!). For me it was all about chatting with sponsors and other attendees, catching up with old friends and making new friends. Seeking business opportunities. The greatest about this particular show is that attendees, domainers, service providers, and sponsors, were actively wanting to do things, wanting to share information, wanting to partner, wanting to take risks. This is unusual in good times as many are passive and waiting for business to seek them. This was very different, and refreshing. I met a number of contacts that again I’m sure will translate to years of friendship and collaboration. Matter of fact, two of them are my houseguests for the weekend, and I met them for the first time at the show.
Rob Sequin
Rick,
1. Keep up the pressure on Google and Yahoo. Since they are screwing us on the revenue share we are learning to live without them anyway.
2. LOVED the conference from start to finish. Hours and hours and hours of networking, business and information.
Really. Add up all the hours that attendees can talk with colleagues about domains and then divide the admission price by the number of actual hours one could spending networking, doing business and learning and the admission price is CHEAP!!!
Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, all day Monday and Monday night, all day Tuesday and Tuesday night and half the day Wednesday.
3. A suggestion… it would be nice to know who is in attendance. Of course many may not want their email or phone published but no reason not to post a”Who’s Here” list of names only (and maybe company affiliation) so we can all see who is at the conference.
This way if I know X is there, I will make sure to meet up with X. I may not even know that X is in the same room with me at the conference.
Would make for even better networking.
4. Another suggestion… have a big table where attendees can put out their business cards and/or brochures so others can pick them up.
Low cost way to get everyone’s business card or brochure. Again, great for business.
Keep up the great work.
Rob Monster - Epik
Congrats Rick, Howard, Barbara and Ray. You guys ROCKED IT. Best TRAFFIC I have attended.
The industry is being transformed by forces and cross-currents. The domain community still holds many cards. I am 100% convinced that the future is bright for those who are adaptable.
One feedback point: for next year, have Loews put in some decent WiFi and cell coverage.
Congrats again.
Tommy
Google and Yahoo’s”largest customers” were in attendance?
What portion of Google’s $27.55″Billion” in trailing twelve month revenue came from TRAFFIC attendees?
Mike Goran
Rick, Howard and the TRAFFIC team:
This was my first TRAFFIC event, and I must say, I was thoroughly impressed overall. The venue, the attention to detail, having access to the best industry talent, all contributed to making my first TRAFFIC event memorable, useful and very enjoyable. I’d highly recommend to anyone! Of course, things to tweak for next time:
-The hotel WiFi was somewhere between substandard and atrocious. I was kicked off the network more than once, necessitating a support call. The problem (not really yours, but this should be communicated to the hotel) must be addressed.
-I’d also like to be GIVEN the wifi access key as part of my conference package next time, so I don’t have to ask for it. My inability to immediately access my social media sites prevented me from Tweeting and posting things as they were occurring, and I think that was a missed opportunity to build profile for TRAFFIC and our industry.
-Given how gorgeous the venue was (and the weather!) I’d vote for much more ‘outdoor’ activity and less time spent in the hotel, if at all possible. It was a shame to be inside when outside was so very inviting. Possible? Or am I just dreaming?!
Congrats again for a great experience and I’m looking forward to the next one!
owen frager
Agree 100% with Shep and for the first time ever there was a Twitter stenographer who captured the spirt and energy of the attendees best
https://twitter.com/GCPworks
Tom Chapman
The people who worked hard to bring us a GREAT conference are to be commended! I thought this TRAFFIC was the best I have been to! I really like the way Rick and Howard and the team have mixed things up by taking so many different approaches and activities at the conference. As just one example, I really enjoyed the opportunity to give an impromptu 2 minute pitch to a great captured audience about an opportunity to participate in developing my VirtualDoctorVisits.com idea. A great new contact found me after doing that!! I loved the event this time, and I’ll definitely be there next year too!
Rick Schwartz
Hey Rob,
Thanks!
We have that on our facebook page. Not everyone wants to be public, but these are the folks that did and hope others will now come forward.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124519310931075&ref=nf
Chris Hartnett
Thanks Rick, Howard, Barbara, Alina and Ray and all that made this TRAFFIC such a huge and wonderful success.
So much effort and thought go into each step of TRAFFIC, from the diverse speakers, the outrageous parties, the last minute guests, the never ending promotion, the world class venue, the great abundant food, the entertainment, not to mention the color and the flavor that only Rick and Howard can spontaneously bring to the table.
On the surface to some, it may look easy to pull off such an event but the reality is this extravaganza was a world class promotion and a point in time that will be remembered for a multitude of reasons ranging from great business opportunities and new relationships, regulatory positioning of the industry for the future, to cutting edge technologies that will serve and protect us all moving forward.
People are concerned about the economy and the future but no doubt there where more business opportunities, creative ideas and practical knowledge floating around TRAFFIC to start, build, maintain or expand an empire.
“Critics Build Nothing” as my father used to say. A productive and supportive business environment like this just doesn’t happen and it doesn’t happen because people throw money at a ticket. It happens because of the great efforts of master promotors who are seasoned leaders with practical business experience backed up with successful and proven track records. These individuals are really concerned about the future of the domain industry, their friends, their business partners and US, those who are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy, utilize and benefit from such a wonderful event such as this year’s South Beach TRAFFIC. Sure, it is their business to serve up such an event but these folks take it beyond just the business level and put their hearts, souls and pride into creating such a masterpiece.
It is easy to pay your money, show up and leave the scene with whatever your personal take away happens to be but there is no doubt, this event and all these TRAFFIC Shows over the years are a legacy that have been the foundation and building blocks for our industry to be a real bona fide industry that still has a great and tremendous unbounded future.
To take the time out to thank our hosts and dear friends for their extra extraordinary efforts on behalf of the entire domain industry, is not only appropriate here, it is an honor, joy and privilege.
So, on behalf of the entire world wide GLOBAL Domain Business Family, Heartfelt thanks to Team Schwartz/Neu, you all just raised the bar once again.
Brett Lewis
Rick & Howard,
This was the best domain conference that I have been to ever in terms of everything. There was a tremendous sense of community and rallying to the challenges facing the industry on the whole. It was just a fantastic group of core domainers who by and large get it and are actively effecting change before change happens to them. The setting was spectacular. The speakers were terrific. Mad props to you and Howard for such a successful event.
On a separate note, the rumors about Mariah talking a bouncer into letting us put our feet into the pool at the Plunge, us taking pictures of a .co flying pig in the server room of a not-to-be named hotel, and barefoot dancing on broken glass at 4:30 in the morning are absolutely false.
Brett Lewis
Just wanted to clarify that Ari was definitely not responsible for any of it.
Dermot OBrien
Although I only attended one day of this event I thought it was excellent. Howard and Rick were the perfect hosts. I am always so grateful to be able to introduce myself to the leaders in this industry who always attend this event – powerful domainers who are literally paving the way forward for themselves and for the domian community in general. It is always so interesting to meet the other attendees who like me are so fascinated by the domain name game. The one big realization I got from this event was that I need to take more control of the destiny of my domain collection and stop passively proactively need to move forward and test new initiatives to see if better revenue generating/search engine indexing solutions are out there OR if it is time to take the plunge aand start leaving their future in the hands of parking 1.0 solution providers and that I developing my collection on a stand alone basis again.
Dermot OBrien
I should have written above:
The one big realization I got from this event was that I need to take more control of the destiny of my domain collection and stop passively leaving their future in the hands of parking 1.0 solution providers and that instead I proactively need to move forward and test new initiatives to see if better revenue generating/search engine indexing solutions are out there OR if it is time to take the plunge and start developing my collection on a stand alone basis again.
howard
@ Chris
That was the nicest tribute that we have ever received. Thank you so much for everything that you do. You are truly a class act.
Steve Cheatham
Best TRAFFIC ever. I accomplished my goals and more. TRAFFIC has never let me down as far as working with others in our industry on a personal level.
Do it again next year!!!
Thanks Rick, Howard, Barbara, Alina and Ray.
Best regards,
Steve Cheatham
Elisabeth Gonner
Dear Rick and Howard,
It was apparent throughout the entire conference that you and your entire team… worked very hard to make this conference a true success!
From your selection of extremely knowledgeable panelists and important topics, to the dynamic keynote speakers, the beautiful venue, and everything in between, this conference was worthwhile in a number of ways.
You both share an excitement for this industry and it is contagious. The domain industry is fortunate to have the two of you on its side.
Thank you for a great time!
Kevin
Excellent conference! Fantastic job to Rick, Howard, Alina, Barbara, Latona, all the great speakers on the panels, the guest speakers, the hotel staff and the entire TRAFFIC team! TRAFFIC is definitely one of the very best ways to network with industry players.
Ron Jackson
A personal view of what the BIGGEST dividend from my six years of covering T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conferences has REALLY been:
http://x.co/JLl9
Danny Pryor
The hundreds of millions of uniques controlled by the domain owners … but perhaps you don’t fit into that category.
Danny Pryor
From my standpoint, as a developer / domainer, who is on a long-term mission in the world of online, I feel privileged – heavy emphasis on privileged – to be a part of this event. While I worked to bring much of the technical end to bear, with my partner-in-crime, Chris Leggatt, I found myself learning more, hearing more, associating more, gathering more, and essentially taking away more from this conference than any other T.R.A.F.F.I.C. I’ve had the honor to attend.
With gratitude, I offer my deepest thanks to Rick and Howard for permitting me to be a part of this show, if even in the smallest way. Your hearts, and your business minds, are as open as anyone I’ve ever known, and I pray to continue to be a part of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. for years to come!
Andrew
Congrats on pulling in one of the biggest crowds at TRAFFIC in years.
Since you asked for feedback, I hope these are helpful:
-I understand why you only had one main meal a day given the audience likes to wake up late. Yet by late afternoon I was very hungry. Maybe amp up the afternoon snack service a bit.
-I think panels can be more fluid and engaging if you limit the number of participants to 3 or 4.
Rick Schwartz
@Andrew
We did provide more food at 4PM during Test Track the first day and the auction on the second day. But I agree we need to have a sandwich station setup during the mid afternoon. Originally we had a break scheduled and then when we got Don King, that went bye bye as we had to re-arrange things.
On the speaker issue. We do have seminars with less panelists. But we pick folks by what and how much they can contribute to each session. We added 3 new speakers DURING the show. They had something extra they could bring to the audience.
A few asked me why I did not have Franky on a panel? I decided #1 I did not want to impose on his time, but more importantly, having him accessible to all who wanted to spend time with him had 1000x the value. I am sure everyone who wanted a few minutes with him got them. We chatted on multiple occasions. Some pretty deep chats. It was relaxed and great! I know dozens of others that had the same experience. And it as great to see him have such a good time.
I think Howard’s new format made things much more lively than before.
It’s always a work in progress. Thanks for your feedback.
Brian Wick
Trina & I had a great time – next year for this show we decided to come a few “more” days earlier and bring our 3 & 4 years olds.
Rick & Alina, Howard & Barbara and Ray – you made this class act for the industry look simple – which we all know it was not – Thank you.
The .CO party at the Versace Mansion will be remembered for years – a classy first class statement made by .CO – thanks.
Tina Chiodo
Many thanks, Owen.
The live tweets can be found by searching for hashtag #TRFC10.
Tina Chiodo
Dear Rick and Howard,
This was the third TRAFFIC conference that I attended and it was the best one all around. To borrow the term that Don King used to describe the importance of website content, TRAFFIC South Beach had the”comeback sauce.”
Best,
Tina