DOMAINfest Global 2008 Delivers Dazzling Conference Encore in Hollywood, California

By Ron Jackson

The organizers of the DOMAINfest Global Conference 2008 in Hollywood, California, Oversee.net, did just about everything right during their three-day run at the Renaissance Hotel January 21-23. Well, everything except keeping away the highly unusual (for Southern California) cold rainy weather that prevailed throughout the week. The area was in dire need of the moisture though and inside the Renaissance, the DOMAINfest crew kept attendees in a sunny mood with a well-thought out agenda, comfortable quarters, good food and drink and great people everywhere you turned.

Let's start with the people - there were a lot of them and that was the first of many surprises that would be served up during the week. Last year approximately 400 people gathered in the debut DOMAINfest Global show at the same venue. With the general economy struggling now I expected them to come in around the same number this time out and was shocked to find over 600 hands on deck opening day - many of whom were attending their first domain conference. By the end of confab, Oversee said the number had risen above 700 with several attendees who couldn't spend all three days in Los Angeles popping in for a day or two. It was the first sign that despite what is happening in other industries, the domain business remains a paragon of good health.