events Domain Summit Europe 2026 - Kempten, Germany | 17-18 August 2026

[Helmuts]

Domain Summit Europe 2026 will take place on 17-18 August 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

This year, I am organizing the Domain Summit Europe to be a smaller and more focused edition. Instead of a large London-style conference - this Summit will be a limited-size, business-first networking gathering for the domain name industry, with around 60 attendees maximum.

The ticket price is set to keep outsiders away (due to space limitations) - please drop me a message to get an invitation

The goal is simple: fewer people, better and longer conversations and more real business opportunities between domain investors, registrars, registries, brokers, marketplaces, hosting companies, domain service providers, and other industry professionals.

Important: the premises (Bitcoin Metropole is a bitcoin meetup place run by my friend cryptoartist MX12) are simpler this year compared with previous larger Summits. The focus will be on the quality of the people in the room, meetings in nearby restaurants and the business value of group tours.

Planned schedule:

Sunday, 16 August 2026
Optional pre-event social group activity. A group trip is being planned, currently expected to include a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle or another regional cultural/networking activity. In China they call it: Swan Castle. .. for Americans - this is the castle that Disney is using on their opening blue screen

Monday, 17 August 2026
First official conference and networking day in Kempten. The day will focus on introductions, industry discussions, networking, and business meetings.

Tuesday, 18 August 2026
Second official conference and networking day. More sessions, conversations, meetings, and informal networking between attendees.

Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Optional post-event social group activity. A curated networking activity is being planned to a brewery (a group experience). I am on the final stages of being ready to confirm the brewery for this group tour

Talking about the domain investors - the 3 investors on the domain investing panel have 1mil+ domains among them

.. this is 1 off experience - next year the Domain Summit Europe will be in a new location (I do not plan to repeat locations for our Summits).

And, yes - you are most welcome to travel with your +1 to the Summit. The group tours will be ready for this And, also, this is good for business.

Helmuts
.. I am shaping Domain Summits - one Summit at a time.

 

[Helmuts]

Good morning everyone, I will keep this thread updated on various attendee and speaker profiles for the upcoming Domain Summit Europe (mostly, invitation only - please contact me for your complimentary ticket).

==

Today’s Featured Attendee & Speaker for Domain Summit Europe 2026 is Igor Motsnyi of Motsnyi IP, Serbia

Igor is an international IP and trademark specialist with deep experience in domain names, brand protection, UDRP, URS and Internet governance.

A few cool facts: Igor has lived and worked in several countries, speaks multiple languages, and is one of the people who can comfortably connect the worlds of domain investors, registrars, trademark owners and legal experts.

He is also a long-time friend of Domain Summit and has helped us form a super strong legal panel for the upcoming Kempten edition (and, previously in Hong-Kong).

This is exactly the type of person we want in the room: experienced, practical, international, and highly relevant to the real business of domain names.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Igor!

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany

 

[Helmuts]

Next Featured Attendee & Speaker | Domain Summit Europe 2026

Some people understand domain names as assets.
Some understand them as brands.
Some understand them as disputes waiting to happen.

Jim Davies understands all three.

We are delighted to feature Jim Davies, Solicitor and Director at 360 Law Services, and Company Secretary at OpenUK, as a Featured Attendee and Speaker at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

Jim is one of the UK’s most respected domain name law specialists. His career combines intellectual property, internet law, trademarks, commercial advice, governance, and real-world domain name disputes across both the UK and Australia.

An interesting fact about Jim: before becoming known for domain name law, he was part of the legal team that successfully helped protect the word “Champagne” in a leading Court of Appeal case for the French wine industry.

He is also a former Non-Executive Director of Nominet UK, the .uk registry, and today serves as Company Secretary of OpenUK.

For Domain Summit, Jim is more than a speaker.

He is a friend, a supporter, and one of those quiet, high-credibility people who helps good things grow. Over the years, including during the London Domain Summit editions, Jim has supported the event, spoken on domain name law, and made a number of high-profile introductions that have helped strengthen the Domain Summit network.

This is exactly the calibre of person we want in Kempten:
professional, trusted, discreet, deeply experienced, and generous with his knowledge.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Jim.

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany
Limited to 60 people

 

[Helmuts]

And, the next up: Martin Steinkamp, Founder of DomainProfi and NicSell

A few cool facts about Martin:

• He has been active in domain registration services since 1997, founded DomainProfi in Osnabrück in 2008, and later built NicSell into one of the best-known names in expired domains and dropcatching.
• One particularly nice detail: according to DomainProfi, Osnabrück has even been described by DENIC as Germany’s “domain capital”, thanks to DomainProfi’s impact on the local domain ecosystem.
• Has 300k domains in his personal portfolio
• Operates an established .com.de subdomain business - 50k+ registrations

This is exactly the kind of person we want in the room in Kempten: experienced, practical, quietly influential, and deeply connected to the real business of domain names.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Martin.

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany

 

[Helmuts]

Today's Featured Attendee & Speaker | Domain Summit Europe 2026

Some people build companies.
Some build networks.
Some quietly help others make better decisions.

Frederick “Freddy” Schiwek does all three.

We are proud to feature Freddy Schiwek from Luxembourg , Business Development at Namespace Group, as a Featured Attendee and Speaker at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

Freddy is one of those rare people in the domain and hosting industry who combines entrepreneurial experience, commercial instinct, and genuine relationship capital. His career has moved across premium domains, hosting, telecoms, business development, acquisitions, and international growth.

An interesting fact about Freddy: he co-founded Domain Invest in 2008, later built and scaled hosting businesses including Hosting(dot)co(dot)uk, Luxhosting and MonsterHost, and his hosting portfolio was acquired by World Host Group in December 2023.

Today, Freddy is part of Namespace Group, a global internet services group with a strong domain-name-centred portfolio. The image here shows only a few of the companies owned by the group. There are more, including brands across domain registration, brand protection, hosting, cloud services, and business infrastructure.

For Domain Summit, Freddy is more than a speaker.

He is a friend, a supporter, and personally a real source of inspiration to me, Helmuts. When I am stuck with business decisions, Freddy is one of the people I occasionally turn to for advice. And, he always finds time to listen and give advice. Thank you, Freddy!!

Over the years, he has always supported Domain Summit events, made many high-value introductions, and helped open important doors for the growth of Domain Summit, including introductions connected with World Host Group, now hosting.com.

This is exactly the kind of person we want in the room in Kempten:
experienced, connected, practical, generous, and quietly influential.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Freddy

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany
Limited to 60 people

 

[Helmuts]

Today's Featured Attendee | Domain Summit Europe 2026

Some founders build companies.
Some founders build markets.
Some founders quietly build infrastructure that other businesses depend on.

Hiren Shah does all three.

We are delighted to feature Hiren Shah from India , Co-Founder and CEO of Vertoz, as a Featured Attendee at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

Vertoz, listed on the NSE under the symbol VERTOZ, is an AI-powered MadTech and CloudTech company working across digital advertising, marketing, media, monetization, digital identity, domain names, cloud hosting and infrastructure.

That breadth matters.

Because Hiren does not come to the domain industry only as an attendee. He comes as a builder, operator and public-market entrepreneur with real experience scaling technology businesses across markets.

One especially interesting part of the Vertoz ecosystem for our industry is ConnectReseller. ConnectReseller is the domain-reseller and registrar-side platform connected to the Vertoz group, operating as the reseller arm for OwnRegistrar Inc., an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar. For domain investors, registrars, hosting companies and web professionals, this makes Hiren’s perspective especially relevant.

An interesting fact about Vertoz: the company has publicly described itself as the first Indian AdTech company listed on NSE Emerge in 2017, later migrating to the NSE Main Board in 2020. Vertoz has also reported millions of domains processed and hundreds of thousands of active domains managed through ConnectReseller.

This is the kind of person we want in Kempten:
experienced,
international,
commercially proven,
technology-driven,
and deeply connected to the real infrastructure of the internet.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Hiren

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany
Limited to 60 people

 

[nicenic]

If any resellers, hosting providers, or portfolio operators are attending, I’d be especially interested to hear what they think makes registrar integrations easier in 2026. That part of the industry still has a lot of room to improve.

 

[Helmuts]

If any resellers, hosting providers, or portfolio operators are attending, I’d be especially interested to hear what they think makes registrar integrations easier in 2026. That part of the industry still has a lot of room to improve.

Good morning, Andriy of NiceNic is joining us in Kempten .. and, we will have a discussion panel "Registrars nd the new gTLD round - What Next?" Sounds exactly the topic you are talking about it. It would be great to have Helen (your CEO) to be on this discussion panel as well

Best! H

 

[Helmuts]

Today’s Featured Attendee & Speaker for Domain Summit Europe 2026 is Bonaventure Armaah from Ghana

Bonaventure is a Digital Forensic Investigator specialising in fraud investigations, cybercrime awareness, evidence handling, cybersecurity training and practical digital investigation work.

Cyber Secured Africa describes its mission clearly: safeguarding Africa from cyber crimes. Based in Accra, Ghana, the organisation focuses on cybersecurity training, digital forensics and investigations, cyber awareness, institutional consulting, and support for public safety and law enforcement.

That makes Bonaventure’s perspective especially valuable for the domain name industry.

An interesting fact about Cyber Secured Africa: the organisation runs cybercrime investigation training for law enforcement officials, including real-world cybercrime case studies, digital forensics, evidence handling, incident response, cyber law essentials and investigation tools. It also announced an OPSWAT Academy scholarship partnership to support cybersecurity education and talent development across Africa.

Wish to join us? DM me and apply for a complimentary ticket for this event. Helmuts

 

[Helmuts]

We are delighted to feature Andriy Khvetkevych, based in the USA with Ukrainian roots , Co-Founder of NicNames and NIC.UA, as a Featured Attendee and Speaker at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

Andriy brings together a rare combination of domain industry experience, intellectual property law, technology entrepreneurship and Web3 thinking. He is also a Patent Attorney and has spent more than two decades building in the domain name space.

NIC.UA is one of Ukraine’s most important domain registrars and has also been described as the largest domain name registrar in Ukraine. Founded in 2007, the company helped automate domain registration in Ukraine and became a major part of the country’s domain infrastructure.

With NicNames, Andriy is now building from the United States, connecting the traditional domain world with new layers of digital identity, AI, blockchain and Web3 infrastructure.

And then there is the truly remarkable part.

Andriy is also a world-class freediver. AIDA lists his competition bests including 95 metres in Free Immersion, 80 metres in Constant Weight Bi-Fins and 71 metres in Constant Weight No-Fins.

In business terms: this is someone who understands calm, pressure, discipline and depth better than most.

That makes Andriy a particularly fitting voice for Domain Summit Europe 2026.

Because the future of domains is not only about registrations.
It is about identity, ownership, law, trust, technology and the bridge between Web2 and Web3.

This is exactly the calibre of person we want in Kempten:
experienced,
international,
technically curious,
legally sharp,
and quietly ambitious.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Andriy

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany
Limited to 60 people

 

[Helmuts]

We are delighted to announce Charlotte Riedl from the UK as a Moderator at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

Lotte is already known to the Domain Summit community. At London Domain Summit 2024, she stepped onto the stage at just 15 years old and delivered a thoughtful presentation on how Gen Z and Gen Alpha view domain names, digital identity, trust, and new TLDs.

In 2025, she returned to Domain Summit Europe in London as a moderator, helping guide conversations on the Growth Stage with confidence, curiosity and natural presence.

One especially interesting point: Lotte has spoken about why Gen Z is not only on social media, and why owning a domain still matters for personal identity, credibility and independence online.

Welcome as Moderator of Domain Summit Europe 2026, Lotte

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany
Limited to 60 people

 

[nicenic]

Helmuts, thank you my friend! I truly appreciate the invitation and your kind words.

It was great meeting you in Hong Kong last year, and I respect the way you keep bringing the domain community together across different regions.

This panel is a timely one before the next gTLD round. I hope more registrars, resellers, hosting providers, investors, and portfolio owners will share their views here.

And one question I think is worth discussing is:
What would make registrar and reseller cooperation easier in 2026, clearer APIs, better bulk tools, faster support, more transparent pricing, or something else?

Looking forward to seeing more real community input in this thread.

Helen
NiceNIC

 

[Helmuts]

Helmuts, thank you my friend! I truly appreciate the invitation and your kind words.

It was great meeting you in Hong Kong last year, and I respect the way you keep bringing the domain community together across different regions.

This panel is a timely one before the next gTLD round. I hope more registrars, resellers, hosting providers, investors, and portfolio owners will share their views here.

And one question I think is worth discussing is:
What would make registrar and reseller cooperation easier in 2026, clearer APIs, better bulk tools, faster support, more transparent pricing, or something else?

Looking forward to seeing more real community input in this thread.

Helen
NiceNIC

Thank you Helen (apologies - I'm unable to put a 'like' on your post = my account here, for understandable reasons is limited). And it was also awesome meeting you in Hong Kong!

Yes, "What Next" will be a great question. I personally think that as the new G listing prices will be high at the most registrars - there will be a number of new and previously unheard registrars that will use this opportunity to fight for their place under the sun

 

[Helmuts]

We are delighted to feature Angus Ewen from the UK , of EW3N Ltd, as a Featured Attendee at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

EW3N is a family-led digital asset business run by three brothers: Alex, Ryan and Angus Ewen.

Their world is not only about buying and selling domains. It is about distressed digital assets, portfolios, websites, marketplaces, liquidity, loans, recovery, repositioning and timing.

That makes Angus an especially interesting person to have in the room.

EW3N has been involved with a number of domain and digital asset projects, including Digital Junkyard, Digital Scrapyard, Flip.uk, DNWE.com, Brandable.uk and the former Digital Candy dot UK / Domain Manage chapter.

Some of these brands have closed, some have changed direction, and some are being rebuilt. That is the nature of this part of the industry: it moves fast, and it rewards people who can make decisions when others hesitate.

 

[Helmuts]

Good morning everyone, and, Happy Monday

Today’s Featured Attendee and Venue Host for Domain Summit Europe 2026 is MX12, a Bitcoin artist based in Germany and originally from Latvia

MX12’s art has been an important creative part of the previous Domain Summits in London, helping give our events our own visual identity and atmosphere.

Many of our past attendees have already met MX12 through Domain Summit, and a few collaboration ideas have started from those conversations too.

Now MX12, together with Nauris of BitFit, is also behind Die Bitcoin Metropole in Kempten, the venue for Domain Summit Europe 2026. And yes, these two seem to always travel together

Art, domains, Bitcoin, community and real conversations.

btw, MX12 is also the artist behind an NFT series, a fun social and technology experiment I recently started together with him Wish to start yours? Meet with MX12 and start conversations..

 

[Helmuts]

Good morning everyone,

Today’s Featured Attendee for Domain Summit Europe 2026 is Benjamin “Ben” Reuss from the UK

Benjamin Reuss is International Sales Manager at Open-Xchange, one of the most important companies behind open, secure email, collaboration and DNS infrastructure.

A few cool facts: Open-Xchange describes itself as the world’s leading independent email provider. Its world includes OX App Suite, Dovecot Pro and PowerDNS, covering email, IMAP server software and DNS infrastructure.

On a personal note, Ben is also a friend of mine and many people in our industry. He is one of those people who is always thinking about useful introductions and the business interests of his friends and contacts. For example, he introduced Alessandro to it.com Domains

For me personally, Ben has probably made the most business introductions than almost anyone else.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Ben

 

[Helmuts]

Today's Featured Attendee | Domain Summit Europe 2026

Some people follow traffic.
Jonathan Dsouza understands typo monetization.

We are delighted to feature Jonathan Dsouza from India , Director, Publisher Alliances at SitePlug, as a Featured Attendee at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

Jonathan sits in one of the most interesting corners of the domain economy: the space where domain traffic, user intent, typo correction, performance marketing and publisher monetisation meet.

SitePlug is part of the Affinity ecosystem, a privacy-friendly ad-tech group operating across ad networks and SaaS products, with a focus on measurable outcomes, publisher monetisation and alternatives beyond the GOOG-FB duopoly.

At SitePlug, Jonathan works with publishers, domainers and partners around solutions that help high-intent users reach the right destination. For domain investors, the most relevant part is Site Direct: a solution built around monetising branded typo domains by redirecting users to the correct brand’s website, with brand-approved redirection and a domain-owner-friendly setup.

This is not theoretical infrastructure.

SitePlug’s materials describe Site Direct as trusted by top parking companies and domainers, supporting monetisation across 50+ countries, with 2,000+ active brands and 100,000+ branded typo domains being redirected to brand websites.

That makes Jonathan’s perspective especially valuable.

Because domains are not only names.
They are also traffic, mistakes, intent, recovery, trust and sometimes the difference between a lost user and a completed transaction.

Jonathan is already known to many in the Domain Summit community. At Domain Summit Europe 2025 in London, he spoke about how SitePlug mastered the art of monetising misspelled domains.

For Domain Summit Europe 2026, Jonathan brings exactly the kind of practical knowledge we want in Kempten:

• commercial,
• technical,
• publisher-focused,
• domain-relevant,
• and close to the real monetisation layer of the internet.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Jonathan

 

[Helmuts]

Good morning everyone, and, Happy Saturday!

Today’s Featured Attendee & Speaker for Domain Summit Europe 2026 is Ganna Prokhorova from Ukraine

Ganna is a Partner at Mamunya IP, a WIPO UDRP and UA-DRP Panelist, and an experienced IP attorney working across domain names, trademarks, copyright, online enforcement and brand protection.

A few impressive facts: Ganna has more than 20 years of IP experience, regularly handles complex domain name disputes and cybersquatting matters, and has been recognised by leading international legal directories including Chambers, WTR 1000, IP Stars, IAM Patent and Who’s Who Legal / Lexology Index.

She was also elected Chair of the INTA Copyright Committee for 2024-2025, becoming the first Ukrainian professional to ever lead an INTA committee.

For Domain Summit Europe, this is exactly the kind of legal expertise we want in the room: practical, international, domain-relevant and deeply connected to digital trust.

 

[Helmuts]

DENIC joins Domain Summit Europe as ccTLD Partner

A little royal news from Kempten.

If King Ludwig II were building castles for the Internet age, we like to think he would approve of this one: a gathering of Europe’s domain industry, carefully placed near the Alps, close to Neuschwanstein, and built not from stone, but from trust, infrastructure, conversations, and long-term partnerships.

We are honoured to welcome DENIC, the registry behind Germany’s .de, as a ccTLD Partner of Domain Summit Europe.

DENIC will be represented at Domain Summit Europe 2026, taking place on 17–18 August 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

For this experimental Kempten edition, Domain Summit Europe is intentionally smaller, more focused, and more personal: fewer people, better conversations, and more time together with the people who help shape the European domain name industry.

With DENIC joining fellow European ccTLD partners NIC.lv and RNIDS, the European registry table in Kempten is becoming rather special.

No velvet throne required.
Just good people, serious infrastructure, and a room worth being in.

Welcome, DENIC.
Welcome, .de.
See you in Kempten.

 

[Helmuts]

Featured Attendee, Speaker & ccTLD Partner | Domain Summit Europe 2026

Some people manage domains.
Nenad Orlić helps steward a country’s digital identity.

We are delighted to feature Nenad Orlić from Serbia , Chair of the Board of Governors at RNIDS, as a Featured Attendee, Speaker and ccTLD Partner representative at Domain Summit Europe 2026 in Kempten, Germany.

RNIDS is the Serbian National Internet Domain Registry, responsible for Serbia’s national internet domains: .rs and the Cyrillic .срб.

That makes RNIDS especially meaningful for Domain Summit Europe.

Because Serbia’s digital identity does not exist only in Latin characters.

It also exists in Cyrillic.

And that matters.

It is infrastructure, language, culture, trust and national presence on the internet, all expressed through domain names.

Nenad’s own professional path fits this responsibility well. He has been involved with RNIDS across several important periods, including earlier board service from 2008 to 2011, again from 2022 to 2025, and now as Chair of the Board of Governors for the current three-year mandate.

His background combines information systems, e-business, management, entrepreneurship and e-commerce. He is also Director of TAU Commerce, a Serbian e-commerce platform company, and has co-authored professional papers on the use of modern technologies in contemporary business.

An especially interesting detail: Nenad has been active in electronic communications since 1994. Earlier in his career, he was connected with MadNet and helped develop many Serbian websites, including KliK, described as the first internet marketing service in Serbia.

That is the kind of long-memory internet experience we value.

Not only policy.
Not only governance.
Not only business.

But the lived experience of watching a national internet ecosystem grow from early connectivity to modern digital identity.

For Domain Summit Europe 2026, having Nenad and RNIDS with us is important.

It shows exactly what this edition is about:
serious people,
real registries,
European digital identity,
national domain infrastructure,
and conversations that last longer than a coffee break.

Welcome to Domain Summit Europe 2026, Nenad

17-18 August 2026
Kempten, Germany
Limited to 60 people