NamesCon – Lower Your Ticket Prices Please

[Vito]

“Are you going to NamesCon?”

That is the question now. Who is going? Yesterday, today and tomorrow. Is this the place to be? Well to tell you the truth, It is not a "for sure" anymore.

The question of who is going to NamesCon is really a big deal. With ticket prices being so high now, many people are unsure if they will attend. Do a lot of people want to pay the higher prices for tickets to attend NamesCon this year? No. Many are still on the fence and most likely will not attend. I believe the prices are being raised based on the past years successes at NamesCon.

Read more here...
http://domainnamesmatter.com/2019/01/namescon-lower-your-ticket-prices-please/

 

[bmugford]

I don't personally see the value of spending thousands on a ticket and travel expenses.
I would rather invest in high quality domains instead.

Brad

 

[D Haynes]

I have to admit I think the tickets are over-priced even at $200 - $300.

Part of the purpose of a convention is to advertise the industry and attract new participants. The price tag is going to do the exact opposite.

Another purpose is to teach and inform people who are already in the industry but unless you're already successful you're probably not going to be able to afford to go.

It gives the impression of an old gentlemans club where only the select few that can afford it can go.

 

[Page Howe]

i think im getting more out of meetups and camps....with Namescon i just feel i dont know it anymore, or have a personal connection.

its Godaddy's but they cant really advertise that out of fear, so then theres really no "soul" of namescon

i do like sundays when you get to see everyone. have found it less easy to stay 3 days lately.. wish they would innovate at some level, less content hasnt helped me

Page Howe

 

[equity78]

This we know. There were fewer than 1000 attendees during the last several conferences. There are over 1 million NamePros members. The gap between those two numbers should be narrowing, not growing.

For that reason all suggestions, as the OP did, should be heavily contemplated.

There are nowhere close to 1million Namepros members that are real and in the domain business, a lot of duped accounts, banned accounts and a whole lot more. Many Namepros members make nowhere near enough money in domaining and the travel alone from certain parts of the world would be way too expensive.

 

[maksimfa]

WRONG it's not 50% your fault, it's 100% your fault. NO conference lowers their prices the last 3 weeks prior just to accommodate the cheap on-the-fencers who can't make up their minds. They have expenses to cover. You state you've been to NC before, so you know this is the way it has 'always' been. So again, it's your fault for waiting so long and 'hoping' they will accommodate you and your laziness, and NOT on Namescon!!

As a conference organizer... (not for namecom)... I see this nothing more than a money grab.

Your goal as an organizer is to get the advertisers and exhibitors to cover ALL of the costs. The ticket sales are just profit.

High ticket prices is just a bad job by organizers to get enough sponsors.
As a sponsor... a low turnout means you are going to think twice about attending the following year.

It's a catch 22.... and this is why as an organizer you want to give away as many tickets and get as many people to show up... because otherwise the advertisers won't show up if it is just 100 people.

 

[Silentptnr]

Namescon needs to add more real value.

Maybe offer free portfolio reviews (first come first serve), or possibly create an online catalog of attendee submitted domains for sale, so as to be more inclusive to those they reject, but still want to attend.

The education aspect is good, but Namescon might consider helping people sell names. Help people understand GD auctions, Sedo, Afternic, Namejet and so on. Imagine if you could bring your list and have the people at Sedo get you up and running. Real world domain investor stuff.

Namepros provides an unparalleled resource for everything domains...and it's free.

I have enjoyed the event in the past, and I don't mind paying...if the value is there.

 

[Soofi]

NamesCon tiks started as low as $199 last Feb. and were as low as $249 with BlackFriday/CyberMonday discount this past Nov. If you or anyone else waited til 3 weeks prior to get a tik and are complaining on last minute pricing, you had ample opportunity to do so, you’re better off not going. You have no one to blame but your cheap undeciding self. Geez what a whiner!!

You are being just too harsh on someone whose sharing their opinion about an event.

As an event organizer myself, I'll welcome negative/positive feedback and see what best can be done to accommodate each and every customer.

 

[maksimfa]

Btw... this late into the game, and only Namecon would know the registration stats... the right strategy is to give away as many tickets as you can to fill the doors. The incremental cost is $0 (unless they provide food which I doubt).

You want thousands of people there because it will be a great win for Sponsors and the following year they would be just as happy to participate and buy a booth, even if it means more money.

Look at some other big shows in Vegas... CES is $100 to $300 for tickets.
Shot Show is generally $40 for dealers to get in, media gets in for free.
AVN/Porn Awards - $80 or so per day.

And generally, those 3 have more to do and offer. lol.
Comicon is also cheap.

 

[Page Howe]

i think on the pros side is seeing everyone.. but then like facebook, if your the product... its a gift to the organizer

the new team seems a bit elitist for me, a little above everyone else, they know the sponsors will pay... so they sell the attendees to the sponsors, and the content, or lack thereof to the attendees, an auction isnt content, a fundraiser isnt content,
and booths usually have a exhibit hall pass of about $0....

and with the geographical move, its definately running on borrowed time with the old crowd, hope the new crowd pays, u guess it does.

somewhere along the way they misjudged a shrinking business..

but hey i could be wrong.

Page

 

[maksimfa]

You offer the cheaper price early which gets the numbers/traffic up which then makes the job easier to get the sponsors/exhibitors on board at a higher price as you have not only got the numbers from past events but also a projection for the upcoming one....which is what they paying are the money for.

You can't always rely on repeat business and you can not just keep dropping the entry fee otherwise the year after - guess what, every prat is going to wait until the last minute and eat into your profit margin

EDIT: not calling the OP a prat here by the way!

They would get A LOT more people if they had a constant or regular/normal ticket price...

$50 advanced, $100 at the door.

Go ahead and ask any vendor... do they want more people there or less? Do vendors even care how much ticket prices are? Nope...

It is in the best interest of vendors and auctions.... to stuff the doors... and that means cheap ticket prices.

Put it this way, I will be in Vegas during this time for the Shot Show and AVN.... would have stayed for Namecon and even bid on the auctions, but I refuse to pay $1,000 for a ticket... it's a joke. It is more expensive than just about 99% of high finance and economic summits I have attended.

And advanced ticket sales don't guarantee people get in... past experience does (for vendors that is deciding whether they are going to attend.)

Keep in mind, most vendors I have dealt with, they make their commitments a year ahead, more at times.

Do you think exhibitors at the major conference think twice or care about advanced sales? NOPE... because they know the event is going to be packed from past history.

 

[Vito]

Sure tickets go up before any event - Just a little bit.
Going from $200 to $700 for a standard ticket or VIP from $250 - $900 is insane.

I worked at the largest Conference in all of North America this past year - IMTS
Tickets were $35 and went up to $45 for last minute deciders.
That $10 last minute extra fee did not change anyone's plans at all.

 

[Page Howe]

here the Bio for the Ceo of Namescon

 

[domainscot]

I dont go to lot domain shows as most them based in USA. been to a few. now in UK there is culture that you dont pay to goto a tradeshow the exhibitors pay the event holders and event holders normally drive visitor numbers to event.

Now I was Namescon think about 3 years ago picked up the earlybird tickets year in advance as planned to make to this event. No way million years will pay the full asking price so make sure you plan it for future. Did i learn anything at the show yes you always see things from diffrent angle that gets your brain working. The speakers are always top class. It does become a bore sometimes with same old structure.

What I really enjoyed most was the people as domainer beeen in the game for now say 20years plus it was great to meet people really onlytalk to now and then in forums or facebook. From that point view its worth the bucks. Now have I had any business from domain events nope. Im not there to sell im there to listen engage with fellow proffessionals in the business.

One things that was not happy with and one reasons will not attend another show. is when you start selling tickets at one price for the event. then sell VIP tickets that offer a little bit more. excuse me if im flying halfway round the world. spending money on hotels, restaurants, and flights, i expect to be treated like a VIP. That reason only would not attend event that sells one ticket for the plebs and one ticked for selebs. Two tier structure is totally wrong. eveyone pays the same amout. everyone gets same care.

Scrap your VIP tickets make it a one ticket deal for all. or might just have to start a domaining networking event in UK and Europe.

 

[Internet.Domains]

This we know. There were fewer than 1000 attendees during the last several conferences. There are over 1 million NamePros members. The gap between those two numbers should be narrowing, not growing.

For that reason all suggestions, as the OP did, should be heavily contemplated.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Namescon needs to add more real value.

Maybe offer free portfolio reviews (first come first serve), or possibly create an online catalog of attendee submitted domains for sale, so as to be more inclusive to those they reject, but still want to attend.

The education aspect is good, but Namescon might consider helping people sell names. Help people understand GD auctions, Sedo, Afternic, Namejet and so on. Imagine if you could bring your list and have the people at Sedo get you up and running. Real world domain investor stuff.

Namepros provides an unparalleled resource for everything domains...and it's free.

I have enjoyed the event in the past, and I don't mind paying...if the value is there.

Superb ideas in this post from @Silentptnr!

I have not yet attended my first NC but agree that, along with other things, a focus on selling would be good.

I was surprised there were not parallel sessions broken down by theme. General plenary and roundtables are good, but also nice to meet in smaller groups for things like practical advice in using platforms and tools, brandables, legal aspects, etc. and people could choose what they want to attend.

I really like the idea of an online catalog of attendee submitted domains for sale as something that would add payback value.

Re pricing, I know it is always challenging to make sure conferences do not lose money, but agree that the more reasonable the cost the better. Inducement for early registration should be in place, buy beyond that maybe more stability in pricing. Some conferences offer reduced fees for first time attendees as a way to grow the business, but I suspect some would regard that as unfair.

Bob

 

[jberryhill]

theres always been some promotional component in a speakers presentation, but its the "soul" of the conference as to how that balance is struck...

That session on "Secrets to triple your TM typo earnings" was a complete trainwreck. Obviously, the guy paid to have a stage for a half hour, but simply gave about a five minute pitch for a re-packaged 'protected parking' scheme with the usual smoke and mirrors about.

The thing is, this snake oil seller is a nobody from nowhere which he demonstrated to anyone who knew what was going on when he decided to take questions.

One of the people with questions was attorney Marc Trachtenberg who, among other things, is a former chair of the ICANN Intellectual Property Constituency, and he is a partner at Greenberg Traurig:
https://www.gtlaw.com/en/professionals/t/trachtenberg-marc-h . Anyone with any serious background in online brand protection would know who Marc is.

This guy, not so much. There was audible laughter in the room when Marc asked a question and this bumpkin started his answer with "You have to understand this from the brand owner's perspective..." and Marc chuckled "I think I understand that perspective."

Anyway, Page, as far as there being a "promotional component", that seems to be all there is. Have a gander at the front page for Namescon Europe:

https://namescon.com/europe/

Get ready for expert-led panel discussions, fireside chats with industry drivers, keynote talks with renowned thought leaders.

Well, hey, "keynote talks with renowned thought leaders" would be cool, but scroll down the page just a bit more and it becomes obvious under the "Platinum Sponsorship" package:

Speaking opportunity: 30 min Keynote

So, it's more like "keynote talks with anyone who drops 8000 euro".

The other amusing thing is that they have priced their "Gold" and "Silver" packages both at 5000 euro. I guess the "Silver" package is for people who insist on getting less value for the same price.

 

[offthehandle]

Look at some other big shows in Vegas... CES is $100 to $300 for tickets.
Shot Show is generally $40 for dealers to get in, media gets in for free.
AVN/Porn Awards - $80 or so per day.

When I’ve gone, they all used to be free, AVN was in one small room at Sahara way before it turned into a lookie loo zoo with general public collecting autographs. CES why not write to get a vendors pass?

Ceases to amaze me some of you are not more creative in finding customers. Why waste your time talking to domain competitors and wholesale business when you could find real end users?

NAB imo is a much better investment for anybody into selling to real corporations and making money online, media is all over and would be better off attending that show than a domain conference, at least a ton of end users are there. Ton’s of video production, 100’s of media buyers, etc.

Its like what Comdex was in size in the early days. And you can stay out in Henderson to save $$$.

https://www.nabshow.com/

 

[maksimfa]

Namescon needs to add more real value.

Maybe offer free portfolio reviews (first come first serve), or possibly create an online catalog of attendee submitted domains for sale, so as to be more inclusive to those they reject, but still want to attend.

The education aspect is good, but Namescon might consider helping people sell names. Help people understand GD auctions, Sedo, Afternic, Namejet and so on. Imagine if you could bring your list and have the people at Sedo get you up and running. Real world domain investor stuff.

Namepros provides an unparalleled resource for everything domains...and it's free.

I have enjoyed the event in the past, and I don't mind paying...if the value is there.

Precisely. Beyond the connections I did not see anything on the namescon agenda worth paying for... and those speakers are generally free as they are promoting themselves. The only speakers you pay are generally keynotes not related to industry.

Namecon can be an insanely great event... if it was not trying to cater to the top 1%

 

[Page Howe]

i guess part of the Namescon luster is off because you get the idea that the only way to make money in this business is to use the sponsors products and services.... where i think you have to have a plan, some skills, luck, so id like to see more equipping seminars...again the second room looks better for this purpose.

plus some innovation, somewhere.. and i dont count the new tlds as innovation.

id be interested to hear what others think...

 

[maksimfa]

i guess part of the Namescon luster is off because you get the idea that the only way to make money in this business is to use the sponsors products and services.... where i think you have to have a plan, some skills, luck, so id like to see more equipping seminars...again the second room looks better for this purpose.

plus some innovation, somewhere.. and i dont count the new tlds as innovation.

id be interested to hear what others think...

Personally I am wondering what is going to be taught there... that cannot be picked up for free from the generosity and learning experiences openly shared on this community?

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Not sure if this is still an option, but NamesCon used to offer volunteers free tickets. Sorta like festivals do, so people who don't have much money can still attend in exchange for helping out. This not only helps the festival, but it adds more passionate and diverse attendee's to the mix.

https://namescon.com/news/namescon-now-accepting-volunteer-applications/

I did this in 2016.

My friend and I were the only "volunteers" who did this for a free ticket. It did cost us airfare and hotel. But Vegas is nice for cheap travel so this wasn't too expensive.

I believe most of the other staff were non domainers hired on by local staffing agencies or gig work. I definitely think it would be a better experience for all if more domainers were involved.

It'll cost me $70 round trip airfare to make it this year. I (not being a person of means) don't think its worth it to pay $199 or w/e it was/is to attend the event. But depending on your travel costs, being in Vegas this time of the year, might be worth the trip for the domainer meetups. It's nice to put a face to the name behind a NP profile. And hard to put a price behind meeting / making a new friend.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Personally I am wondering what is going to be taught there... that cannot be picked up for free from the generosity and learning experiences openly shared on this community?

I think it's more about the physicality of the event, than the content.

I can message somebody about domains for hours on namePros. But the connection made in that experience is generally miniscule compared if this were done face to face. Then factor in just hanging out with other like minded folk, doing Vegas things. E.g. making memories, meeting new faces, making connections, possibly closing deals, but mainly expanding your mind beyond the reach of the interwebs. Though, the real fun is messaging your NP friends who are in Vegas the same time as you for a meet up.

Yes, this can all be done online. But it's missing the human connection.

 

[platey]

Should NamePros have their own convention?

https://www.namepros.com/threads/should-namepros-have-a-convention.1117314/

Yes

 

[imadoer]

Well I know it's kinda off topic but we can do a east coast meetup in NYC or Philadelphia Free no tickets needed PM me if interested