MERGE! Orlando 2018

Arrivals and early networking are a fantastic way to get a great start to your conference. Sometimes leaving the arrival dinner open to serendipity works out well. For those who would like some assistance in connecting with others to meet for dinner, use the form link "ENGAGE" to be connected with others who are arriving Friday for dining groups at venue or Disney Springs Restaurants.

We have the 'engage' tool for setting up plans in advance, but if you prefer to leave plans up to serendipity, you might find great Dinner company either at Jon T's Lounge (located in the corner of the lobby) or over at the foyer just outside Salon 4/5 as Sponsors are setting up their booths.

Friday September 14, 2018 5:30pm - 8:30pm EDT
Various - Disney Springs

MERGE

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, CMS Summit, Digital Search Summit, Conference, Blockchain, Security, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference, Identity
Group Preshow
Session Access Limited, MERGE Conference
Pass Type Special RSVP

8:00pm EDT

No-Host Networking @ Jon T's Lounge

Looking to connect with other MERGE conference attendees before it all begins?

Jon T's Lounge, located in the corner of the Lobby near the MERGE conference space, will be a very likely place to find fellow conference-goers - Enjoy after-hours no-host networking with VIPs, Speakers, Moderators, and other attendees and boost your pre-conference benefits.

Friday September 14, 2018 8:00pm - Saturday September 15, 2018 12:00am EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, CMS Summit
Group Preshow
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

10:00pm EDT

VIPs Hospitality Suite hosted by .ICU

VIP Ticket Holder Event - network and schmooze with the VIPs and Speakers

Friday September 14, 2018 10:00pm - Saturday September 15, 2018 12:00am EDT
THE Hospitality Suite Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, CMS Summit
Group Preshow
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

7:00am EDT

Expo Hall Setup (Sponsors Only)

EXPO Hall setup for booths, banners, and other sponsoring participants. NOT OPEN TO PUBLIC

Saturday September 15, 2018 7:00am - 11:45am EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

Conference, Setup

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Group CMS Summit, Preshow
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:00am EDT

Registration Desk Open

Saturday September 15, 2018 9:00am - 5:00pm EDT
THE REGISTRATION DESK Salon Foyer, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs

Conference, Registration Desk

MERGE Subevent(s) Conference, CMS Summit, MERGE, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:30am EDT

Opening Keynote : Mike Demo

Speakers

Mike Demopoulos

Evangelist, BoldGrid

Mike “Demo” Demopoulos is the Treasurer for Open Source Matters and the co-oraganizer for JoomlaDay Minnesota. He is also a member of the Joomla Finance and World Conference teams. Currently Mike travels the world as an evangelist for Joomla, inMotion Hosting and BoldGrid.Twitter... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

CMS Summit, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Group CMS Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

10:15am EDT

Future of Web Design

The future of web design is at hand and as technology advances, web design is set for some big changes. In this session, Jason Nickerson will take a look into technologic advancements and design concepts that will drive the web into the future.

Speakers

Jason Nickerson

Founder, CMS Summit

Open Source Evangelist

Saturday September 15, 2018 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

11:15am EDT

Access for Everyone: Building Accessible Interfaces

The web was always intended to allow everyone to share and consume information. Building websites and interfaces that can be understood by anyone regardless of their ability to see, hear, or move should be a top priority for anyone designing for the web today. In this talk we'll break down areas of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), talk about the concepts you'll want to keep in mind, and look at how you can best write front-end code to interact with assistive technologies. You'll walk away from this talk feeling more comfortable and confident with your new accessible-drive front-end super powers ready to take on the world.

Speakers

Tim Knight

Director of User Experience, GravityFree Studios

Tim Knight is an award-winning product designer and software developer who has been working on the web since 1996. Since 2002, Tim has been working in the agency world to help clients develop their web projects both in service and product design. He is currently the Director of User... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:00pm EDT

Welcome Ceremony

Join us as we welcome the attendees to the second annual MERGE and CMS Summit, fifth THE Domain Conference, and launch the TLDFest and SubMerge/Subbox conferences with the MERGE Blockchain and MERGE Security brands.

Speakers

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Jothan Frakes, has worked as a volunteer maintainer of the Public Suffix List since 2008, and works tirelessly to engage, educate and evangelize the use and value of domain names as critical Internet infrastructure.He has held senior management roles in numerous Regisrtty and Registrar... Read More →

Ray Neu

Co-Founder, MERGE! Show

Jason Nickerson

Founder, CMS Summit

Open Source Evangelist

Saturday September 15, 2018 12:00pm - 12:15pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, CMS Summit, Digital Search Summit, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:15pm EDT

Facilitated Networking Exercise

Meet peers, connect with new and important contacts, and elevate your game - with facilitated networking exercises. Heads-up: BRING BUSINESS CARDS

Speakers

Howard Neu

President/CEO, THE DOMAIN CONFERENCE

Among the most-recognized faces of the domain industry, Howard Neu is the President of THE Domain Conference. Of course, anyone in the industry will remember Howard as one of the co-founders of the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. show, and his indefatigable work as the mild-mannered moderator of... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 12:15pm - 12:45pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:45pm EDT

EXPOSITIONS AND EXHIBITS

Saturday September 15, 2018 12:45pm - 5:00pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:45pm EDT

Speaker Green Room and Conference Organizer Space

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Saturday September 15, 2018 12:45pm - 5:00pm EDT
3: DNA Lounge / VIP Meeting Room Salon 3, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference

1:00pm EDT

Lunch Break - (here are some locations to try)

Break for lunch - Attendees have a variety of options to select from to buy their lunches at. Try Rum Largo out by the pool for appetizers, salads and sandwiches. Alternatively, Covington Mills has an Ala Carte menu from 7am-3pm

Click here for a list of Hotel Restaurants

Saturday September 15, 2018 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Blockchain, CryptoCurrency Group

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:00pm EDT

Extending CMS's - PANEL

Content Management System's at the core offer users a way to handle their content, but what about adding features? WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Craft, and others all provide extendable solutions with plugins and extensions. In this panel, speakers will discuss the needed features and solutions for extending your CMS.

Moderators

Duke Speer

Chief Coffee Distributor, The Elevating Project

Speakers

Chris Edwards

Co-Owner, Data Driven Labs

Chris is co-owner of Data Driven Labs, a WordPress Maintenance and Marketing agency. He is a 17-year Internet marketing veteran with experience in web design & development, search engine optimization, online marketing, social media marketing and mobile development. He specializes in WordPress custom development utilizing... Read More →

Mike Herschel

Senior Front End Developer, Lullabot

This session will have two speakers (both named Mike):----------------Mike Herchel is a Senior Front-end Developer at Lullabot and has worked on prominent projects such as the Syfy network, SpaceX, Principal Financial, and more. He’s been passionate about web development since creating... Read More →

Tim Knight

Director of User Experience, GravityFree Studios

Jason Nickerson

Founder, CMS Summit

Open Source Evangelist

Saturday September 15, 2018 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

CMS Summit, Panel

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:00pm EDT

DISCUSSION Ethereum Deep Dive: ERC20 / ERC721

There are a variety of implementations to Ethereum, and the two prevailing approaches have some very different benefits and behaviors. Learn more in this session.

Speakers

James Drake

CEO, Embermine

Christa Taylor

CEO / Director of Marketing, dotTBA Inc.

Christa Taylor is passionate about new gTLDs and their impact on the internet, she has launched new gTLDs, supported over 50 new gTLDs applicants, ranging from small companies to some of the largest brands in the world, developed business strategies, marketing and promotional strategies... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain
Group Blockchain
Session Access MERGE Conference

2:45pm EDT

Breaking up with design

To expand my skill set in the tech industry, I spent the past year or so transitioning from the title of graphic designer to front-end developer and confronting the age-old debate of "should designers learn to code?" Sure, the two roles are closely related, but how do you make that pivot in a short amount of time? Do you completely abandon your past life as a designer and fully embrace your newfound love of development or embrace their coexistence? In this session, I will discuss my journey, how I made the pivot between the two careers, and the positives and negatives of having a background in design as a developer.

Speakers

Taylor Cox

Interactive Designer, Raymond James

Taylor is a digital designer turned front-end developer. She currently serves as an interactive designer at Raymond James with past experience as a designer and WordPress developer at agencies and startups alike. Her expertise ranges from CSS animations and interactive user interfaces... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 2:45pm - 3:15pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:45pm EDT

Frogans Addresses - A Visual, Focused and Intuitive Online Experience

The mobile revolution has demonstrated that user engagement increased with visual communication, focused content and intuitive interactions. For humans, it's just more natural that larges pages full of text and complex user interfaces.

In this session, you will learn how Frogans technology brings this natural engagement to all connected devices, and how you can benefit from the Frogans namespace.

Introduced through ICANN, Frogans is an open standard of the Internet that is also universal, secure, respectful of privacy, fun to use and free of charge for users.
Frogans is in 2018 what the Web was in 1993: an online medium with huge business potential about to open to the general public.

Only publishers have to pay to register Frogans names (they're not domain names) and registration of names is done on a first-come first-served basis.

Speakers

Philippe Collin

CEO, Frogans Addresses For All

Philippe Collin is the CEO of Frogans Addresses For All, a leading Frogans registrar in Paris and New York City. In the spirit of the mobile revolution, Frogans offers publishers a natural way to connect with their audience thanks to visual, focused and intuitive online experiences... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 2:45pm - 3:15pm EDT
2: EMOJI Breakout Room Salon 2, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:45pm EDT

PART 1 of 3: DIRECT ADVERTISERS OR PARKING - WHAT IS BETTER FOR MY DOMAINS

How do you extract the full value from your domain traffic? What kind of domains should be parked? How do you send traffic to multiple advertising networks? Can you get more value by controlling the page layout?

Moderators

Christa Taylor

CEO / Director of Marketing, dotTBA Inc.

Speakers

Matthias Kaiser

Chief Operating Officer, Traffic.Club SARL

Matthias has extensive experience developing and executing business strategies in domain-monetisation, registration, brokerage and management on a global scale since 2006.Before joining Namedrive in 2006, he was intimately involved with the creative planning and organizing of large... Read More →

Sam Tseng

Team Internet

David Warmuz

CEO, Trellian / Above.com

David started investing in domain names in 1997. Today, he is one of the largest portfolio owners in the world.With the launch of Above.com in 2008, David and his late brother Ren revolutionized the way that domain traffic was monetized. From the beginning, Above's technology... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 2:45pm - 3:15pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit
Group DNA, DNS, Domains, ICA, CMS Summit, Venture Capital, Investment
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

3:30pm EDT

Earn 6 Figures Building Your Client's Dreams

Go beyond just listing products on your next E-Commerce project. Discover how to build your next client their dream site that will keep them coming back for more.

Speakers

Adam Melcher

New Line Web Design

Certified Joomla Administrator and E-Commerce specialist, Adam Melcher has been building and developing E-Commerce websites for the past decade and has worked with some of the top companies in the world. He specializes in taking real world solutions and integrating them into his client's... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

3:30pm EDT

Lead Generation: What’s the Point of a Persona Without a Plan?

Speakers

Naomi Lantzman

Signify Studio

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Naomi Lantzman is a digital marketing consultant now residing in sunny Tampa, Florida with her husband and two young children. She helps businesses and organizations leverage the power of digital marketing to increase their visibility, engage with... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
2: EMOJI Breakout Room Salon 2, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Group Domains, Developer, UX, CMS Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference

3:30pm EDT

PART 2 of 3: DIRECT ADVERTISERS OR PARKING - WHAT IS BETTER FOR MY DOMAINS

Moderators

Christa Taylor

CEO / Director of Marketing, dotTBA Inc.

Speakers

Marlon Phillips

VP Sales, Protected Parking

I have been working on and in internet based businesses since 1995. I bought my first domain in 1996 and have been actively monetizing domain traffic since 2000. I know domain monetization and if you need help is this area I would be happy to discuss.

Mike Robertson

Director of Business Development, Fabulous

Domain name professional with over 15 years experience specializing in buying, selling, managing and monetizing domain names. Total domain sales in excess of 8-figures, including BTC.com (sale price $1M), CBA.com (sold to Commonwealth Bank of Australia) eSignature.com (sold to Adobe... Read More →

James Tuplin

Director Of Business Development, Bodis

Saturday September 15, 2018 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Group Investment
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

4:15pm EDT

Using Drupal for your next project

Drupal currently runs approximately 3% of websites on the internet, with a significantly larger percentage in high-traffic, and more complex enterprise sites. Sites that run Drupal include Nasa.gov, Economist.com, Harvard.edu, Georgia.gov, Tesla.com, NBC.com, and millions more. Why are larger websites choosing Drupal? What advantages and disadvantages does Drupal have over other CMS’s? What use-cases are good for Drupal and what are not? Join two longtime Drupal devs for a candid (and entertaining) conversation about Drupal, where it has been, and where it’s going, and when (and when not) you should choose it for your preferred CMS platform.

Speakers

Michael Anello

DrupalEasy, DrupalEasy

Co-founder and vice president of DrupalEasy, a Drupal training and consulting firm based in Central Florida. Specializing in Drupal training and development, he developed one of the first long-form Drupal career training programs and has been developing Drupal sites for over 9 years... Read More →

Mike Herschel

Senior Front End Developer, Lullabot

Saturday September 15, 2018 4:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

4:15pm EDT

EMOJI Domains and you

Saturday September 15, 2018 4:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
2: EMOJI Breakout Room Salon 2, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Group Domains, DNS
Session Access MERGE Conference

4:15pm EDT

Secrets of Domain Leasing

Moderators

Alvin Brown

Publisher, Kickstart Commerce

Alvin Brown is Founder and Publisher of KickstartCommerce.com and DNAdverts.com — resources dedicated to sharing domain name strategies and best practices to grow business. He is also a Domain Investor and Digital Strategist with nearly 20 years of experience pertaining to search marketing, software engineering, marketing automation, and integrated digital... Read More →

Speakers

Steve Lieberman

Attorney, Greenberg & Lieberman

Intellectual Property, Bicycling, Gadgets, Tech

Victor Pitts

mmx.co

Jeff Sass

DotClub

Saturday September 15, 2018 4:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) THE Domain Conference, MERGE
Group Domains, DNS
Session Access MERGE Conference

5:00pm EDT

Rock the Cash Bar : Cocktails in the Expo Hall

Schmooze and network with other conference attendees, sponsors, speakers and guests amidst the lovely glow of our amazing and vibrant sponsor booths.

Please note this is a no-host activity.

Saturday September 15, 2018 5:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest, Security, Conference, Subbox.club, Identity, Blockchain
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

5:30pm EDT

Interactive Keynote : Justin Davis

A fast-paced critique of audience members' websites, focusing on user experience and design. By the end of it, you'll have a battery of ideas for your own site, and an entirely new perspective on how to design better experiences online.

There won't be any schedule - all websites will be volunteered up live from the audience and critiqued on the spot in real time. This is your chance to get 10 minutes with a world-class user experience design expert, giving you personalized advice. Are you ready to put your design in front of the crowd and surrender yourself to the barrage of constructive critique? No rules. All critique. Bring it.

CAUTION: Rated TV/MA
Blue Language

Speakers

Justin Davis

Founder, CrowdSync

Justin Davis is a user experience designer and founder of Madera Labs and CrowdSync. A veteran technologist with nearly 20 years experience in designing and building digital products, Justin has worked with companies like Google, Coke Zero and Bic to help design compelling product... Read More →

Saturday September 15, 2018 5:30pm - 7:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

CMS Summit, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

8:00pm EDT

Hospitality Suite Networking- Sponsored by Fabulous.com

VIP Ticket Required

Enjoy after-hours networking with VIPs, Speakers, Moderators, and more!

Sponsors

Fabulous

Saturday September 15, 2018 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, CMS Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:00am EDT

Registration Desk Open

Sunday September 16, 2018 9:00am - 5:30pm EDT
THE REGISTRATION DESK Salon Foyer, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs

Conference, Registration Desk

MERGE Subevent(s) Conference, CMS Summit, MERGE, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:30am EDT

CMS Summit Keynote: Robert Jacobi

Embracing Open Source Tools and Software for solutions

Speakers

Robert Jacobi

Executive Vice President, Perfect Dashboard

Robert Jacobi is Executive Vice President, Sales for Perfect Dashboard, the leading WordPress security and update solution. Robert has been in the content management and hosting support space for over 20 years professionally, as well as contributor and President of the open source... Read More →

Sunday September 16, 2018 9:30am - 10:00am EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

CMS Summit, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Security, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest, Digital Search Summit, Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

10:00am EDT

EXPOSITIONS AND EXHIBITS

Sunday September 16, 2018 10:00am - 12:45pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

10:00am EDT

Speaker Green Room and Conference Organizer Space

Need some quiet space for a meeting, catching up on email, or important discussions? This is the place

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Sunday September 16, 2018 10:00am - 12:45pm EDT
3: DNA Lounge / VIP Meeting Room Salon 3, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

Conference

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, Identity, Security, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest, MERGE, Subbox.club
Group Angels, Blockchain, BRG, CMS Summit, Content, Developer, DNS, Domains, eCommerce, Fun, Hedge Fund, DNA, ICA, IP, Journalism, Investment, Legal, Media, Market, Security, Startup Investment, UX, Venture Capital, CryptoCurrency
Session Access Limited
Pass Type VIP

10:15am EDT

Bringing your site to life - functional SVG animation

It's no longer "Animation on the web" ... the trend is "Animation of the Web." Whether expanding page elements to show more detail, using layers to make a complex topic simple, viewing real-time metrics and BI graphics, or navigation elements that keep users oriented to a site's Information Architecture and flow, vector graphics are not just for fancy icons and responsive logos. This talk explores bringing movement into your CMS template in a way that supports your brand, enhances user comfort and improves their experience, while reducing site footprint and enhancing performance. Guidelines will be shared for selecting the optimum tools for a particular task. Demos will range from simple native CSS transforms and using the emerging Web Animation API, to illustrating complex ideas using BI tools (D3 and Chartist) and GreenSock . Following the survey of technologies, we will have a deep dive into example implementations to contrast the animation techniques and highlight the few cross-browser and cross-platform implementation issues you need to avoid in your projects. We will end with exploring GreenSock 's MorphSVG and DrawSVG plugins. There is a reason GSAP has quickly become the go-to tool for fast, browser-stable production solutions.

DUKE: Facebook Twitter

Speakers

Duke Speer

Chief Coffee Distributor, The Elevating Project

Sunday September 16, 2018 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

10:15am EDT

Digital Strategy Management and SEO

Alex brings his SEO tips and search techniques in supporting Westgate and other high traffic websites.

Speakers

Alex Alexakis

PixelChefs.com

Alex gives brands the survival skills they need to survive in the wild wild web. His approach to digitalmarketing involves hard core optimizations, candid recommendations, and none of the “salesy sleaze”you’ll find online. He is a black belt in web design, UI design, and a certifiable... Read More →

Sunday September 16, 2018 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit
Group Search
Session Access MERGE Conference

10:45am EDT

Private Venture Capitalists MEETUP

During, but not part of MERGE, this is a private group meeting. Because of random 'elevator pitch fatigue', these investors are having this meeting and including participants by invitation only.

Investors and start-ups are welcome to request invitations. The team at MERGE are not involved in the selection criteria used for participation by the organizers and have no influence or sway on participation.

The location will be disclosed by the organizers along with the invitations, but it will be at the Hilton.

Click Engage to be put in contact with organizers - they will review and respond where they feel it applicable.

Sunday September 16, 2018 10:45am - 12:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Private Group Meeting
Group Investment, CryptoCurrency, Domains, Blockchain, Venture Capital, Angels, Hedge Fund, Startup Investment
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP

11:15am EDT

Using Wordpress Effectively with Multiple Domains

Speakers

Kellie Peterson

Automattic

Sunday September 16, 2018 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, CMS Summit, Digital Search Summit, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:15pm EDT

PART 3 of 3: DIRECT ADVERTISERS OR PARKING - WHAT IS BETTER FOR MY DOMAINS

Moderators

Christa Taylor

CEO / Director of Marketing, dotTBA Inc.

Speakers

Adam J. Epstein

President and COO, AdMarketplace

Sunday September 16, 2018 12:15pm - 12:45pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Group Investment
Session Access MERGE Conference

12:15pm EDT

Embracing SaaS - PANEL

Software as a service is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS has become a common delivery model for many business applications, including office software, messaging software, payroll processing software, DBMS software, management software, CAD software, development software, gamification, virtualization, accounting, collaboration, customer relationship management (CRM), Management Information Systems (MIS), enterprise resource planning (ERP), invoicing, human resource management (HRM), talent acquisition, learning management systems, content management (CM), and service desk management.SaaS has been incorporated into the strategy of nearly all leading enterprise software companies.

Moderators

Duke Speer

Chief Coffee Distributor, The Elevating Project

Speakers

Gev Balyan

Founder, Ucraft

Gev Balyan is the founder of Ucraft. He has extensive experience in CMSs and in the democratization of web development. Gev also has special interest in user experience and search engine optimization. He has limitless energy that passes to all the members of his awesome team.

Justin Davis

Founder, CrowdSync

Robert Jacobi

Executive Vice President, Perfect Dashboard

Nikolay Nedev

Business Development, Ranking Coach

Nikolay Nedev has a played key role in Business Development at rankingCoach for the past 2 years. Having over 12 years of experience in IaaS and PaaS, Nikolay previously managed a hosting partner program that covers almost 90 Countries worldwide.Being an expert in Business Development... Read More →

Erik Suhonen

ECWID

Sunday September 16, 2018 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, Subbox.club, Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:15pm EDT

Who Moved My Editor? Addressing Gutenberg Facts and Fears.

Change is hard. For a developer, change to our workflow is harder. In his book, “Who moved my cheese?” Dr. Spencer Johnson uses an allegory to teach healthy coping mechanisms for change.

When it comes to choosing a CMS, developers rely upon the tool we’re most familiar with. Traditionally, WordPress doesn’t make breaking changes. But with the upcoming release of the Gutenberg editor in WordPress 5.0, how can we realistically adjust both our attitudes and our workflows?

What if WordPress forks? What if it forks several times? How do page builders fit into a Gutenberg world? How will my favorite plugins adapt? Will my clients’ sites break? It’s okay to ask questions. Learning to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to change leads us to a healthy place of positive acceptance. In this talk, we will spend some time discussing the actual risk-benefit assessment of WordPress 5.0. You will leave with a better outlook -- guaranteed.

Speakers

Mike Demopoulos

Evangelist, BoldGrid

Sunday September 16, 2018 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT
2: EMOJI Breakout Room Salon 2, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Subbox.club
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:45pm EDT

Lunch Break - (here are some locations to try)

Sunday September 16, 2018 12:45pm - 2:00pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

1:45pm EDT

EXPOSITIONS AND EXHIBITS

Sunday September 16, 2018 1:45pm - 6:00pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

1:45pm EDT

Speaker Green Room and Conference Organizer Space

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Sunday September 16, 2018 1:45pm - 6:00pm EDT
3: DNA Lounge / VIP Meeting Room Salon 3, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Group DNA
Session Access MERGE Conference

2:00pm EDT

Takedown vs. Staydown for Internet Identifiers: The DNS RPZ Firewall Approach

Abstract: Dr. Paul Vixie will discuss using a DNS approach called RPZ as a means to reduce accessibility of potentially problematic systems outside your network, which can work in harmony with other firewall systems to improve the security, resilience, and stability of Internet users.

The Internet spans borders, demographics, cultures, attitudes and opinions. It is diverse, massive, and constantly growing. Much has been argued about accountability of Internet users - freedom fighters, entrepreneurs, free speech or innovators from their own and friends' perspectives are sometimes considered national security risks, nuisances, lawbreakers or intellectual property thieves from another perspective. The trend for Internet governance has been away from accountability -- anybody can get a domain name or IP address, often need not reveal their identity when doing so, and in many cases can keep those resources - even if their activities generate a lot of complaints or problems.

For a network operator, the friction between the perspectives creates grief that often requires reactive attention with no available time or patience for take down using the ineffective remedies available outside the organization. For fast relief, administrative blocks can quickly address problems so that the painfully optimized administrator can go about their business. These administrators share what they blacklist, and this trend leads inexorably toward controlled balkanization, where operators of like mind can make common cause in detecting, cataloging, and shunning Internet identifiers that cause grief to operators. There are decades of proof that "blacklist" initiatives like RBL and RHSBL that such common cause initiatives are effective in protecting e-mail against abuse.

Now it's time to consider RPZ, which extends this approach beyond just email to all Internet services, by working at the DNS level, because DNS is used by everything and it skips past the need to impliment in individual client or server applications.

Moderators

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Speakers

Dr. Paul Vixie

CEO / Chairman, Farsight Security

Dr. Paul Vixie is an internet pioneer. Currently, he is the Chairman, CEO and cofounder of award-winning Farsight Security, Inc. Dr. Vixie was inducted into the internet Hall of Fame in 2014 for work related to DNS and anti-spam technologies. He is the author of open source internet... Read More →

Sponsors

Farsight Security

Sunday September 16, 2018 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

Security, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) Security, CMS Summit, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

3:15pm EDT

Crucial E-commerce Trends That Impact Your Business

E-commerce is changing the business landscape. Learn about global trends that are impacting businesses globally, including the Amazon effect. Take away actionable insights to leverage e-commerce in your company.

Speakers

Erik Suhonen

ECWID

Sunday September 16, 2018 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference, Conference, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

3:15pm EDT

TOSI VS. GDPR VS. WHOIS PRIVACY - HOW IS THE DOMAIN INVESTOR AFFECTED?

WHOIS, WHAT WAS, and WHAT THE. Have you noticed that the recent GDPR deadline of May 25th made it harder to figure out who owns a domain name?

Balancing the national laws that impact the discussions, Registries and Registrars are subject to contracts with ICANN, and the whole thing is a sweet, hot mess, where issues that were not possible to solve in decades are being forced to resolution in a very short term.

Have you heard of the "Transparent, Open and Secure Internet Act of 2018"? The US Congress is being led by whois mining companies to enact law that makes it illegal to comply with the GDPR, in order to reset WHOIS information to WHAT WAS before May 25, 2018.

Moderators

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Speakers

Ari Goldberger

Counsel, ESQwire.com PC

Ari Goldberger is an entrepreneur and lawyer who created the Internet law firmESQwire.com and is the founder and CEO of the best name in healthcare, MD.com. After graduating with honors from Rutgers Law School, in 1992 Ari began practicing as a litigator with Pepper Hamilton, LLC... Read More →

Gerald Levine

Partner, Levine Samuel, LLP

Steve Lieberman

Attorney, Greenberg & Lieberman

Intellectual Property, Bicycling, Gadgets, Tech

Zak Muscovitch

Lawyer, Internet Commerce Association

Zak Muscovitch is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association.

Jason Schaeffer

Sunday September 16, 2018 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Group Legal, IP
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General
Tags Legal, Policy, Domain, IP, TM, Law, DNS

4:30pm EDT

Jeff Sass: Branding Lessons - From Monster Movies to Domain Names

Jeff SassAn established and successful chief marketing officer and entrepreneur, once upon a time Jeff Sass spent seven years making low-budget action/horror films for legendary independent movie studio Troma, home of THE TOXIC AVENGER. It turns out there are a lot of similarities between film making and starting companies, and the lessons Jeff learned making B-movies have served him well in the C-Suite.
"Everything I Know about Business and Marketing, I Learned from The Toxic Avenger (One Man’s Journey to Hell’s Kitchen and Back)" is full of practical business and marketing insight and inspiration drawn from the often comical trials and tribulations of creating cult-classic independent films. Sass shares lessons learned from his experiences ranging from RABID GRANNIES to READING RAINBOW (yes, at one time Troma actually represented licensing rights to the Emmy Award–Winning PBS TV series!), and he cleverly turns his tales of movie making mayhem into useful nuggets of business and marketing wisdom applicable to any industry, including yours.

Speakers

Jeff Sass

DotClub

Sunday September 16, 2018 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

5:30pm EDT

Larry Fischer's "Registered or Not Registered"

Larry Fisher invented a game show - where the audience competes for prizes while guessing which of the domain names listed are 'Registered or Not Registered'. Sounds crazy, but it is CRAZY FUN!

This fun, lively activity is very popular at conferences and a perfect bookend to the day's activities before enjoying cocktails and evening networking, and Larry's careful curation and fun presentation style makes these a truly special part of the whole MERGE experience.

Speakers

Larry Fischer

Sunday September 16, 2018 5:30pm - 6:15pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Group Domains, Investment, Fun
Session Access MERGE Conference

6:15pm EDT

THE Domain Conference Famous Welcome Cocktail sponsored by SitePlug

Schmooze and network with other conference attendees, sponsors, speakers and guests amidst the lovely glow of our amazing and vibrant sponsor booths.

Enjoy a beverage and some canapes and hors d'oeuvres with some great company at this classic institution of networking.

Sponsored by SitePlug

Sponsors

SitePlug

Sunday September 16, 2018 6:15pm - 8:15pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest, Security
Group Domains, CMS Summit, DNS, Investment, Legal, Preshow, ICA, DNA, Blockchain, CryptoCurrency, eCommerce, Fun, IP
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:00pm EDT

Hospitality Suite Networking: Sponsored by Fabulous.com

Enjoy after-hours networking with VIPs, Speakers, Moderators, and more!

Sponsors

Fabulous

Sunday September 16, 2018 9:00pm - 11:00pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Blockchain, Panel or Presentation

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:00am EDT

Domain Name Solutions for Blockchain Challenges

CryptoCurrency Wallet Addresses, Smart Contract Addresses and other resources within the blockchain world use long and complex addresses as reference. Just like IP addresses are more complicated than a human should have to remember, domain names create the important shortcut reference to 'speed dial' those systems that you need to access.

The market for domain names with keywords related to Crytpocurrency and related Blockchain technologies is very robust, and the naming strategies of many of the top Blockchain innovation companies seem to favor a variety of TLD extentions.

This session will discuss:

The marketplace for Crypto and Blockchain domain names
The potential solutions that come from the existing namespace - and how it will and can evolve for use with Blockchain, IoT, and other technologies
The naming strategies of top Blockchain companies

Speakers

Alvin Brown

Publisher, Kickstart Commerce

Jebidiah Burnett

Sr. Domain Consultant, Donuts

Dave Evanson

Sedo

Dave Evanson has over 35 years of experience in high level consumer and business to business marketing, strategic planning and corporate sales. He has successfully brokered tens of millions of dollars in premium domain names. Dave focuses on acquiring and selling ultra-high value... Read More →

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Toby Hall

CEO, mmx.co

Toby Hall is a highly experienced marketeer who has supported a series of fast growth public and private businesses in the Internet and natural resources sector over the last twenty years. In this capacity, he has been a strategic adviser to Minds + Machines Group Limited (MMX) since... Read More →

Jodee Rich

Co-Founder, NFT.NYC

Jodee Rich is Co-Founder of NFT.NYC and NFT.LONDON.CEO at PeopleBrowsr - An integrated Social Collaboration, Engagement, Crypto, and Blockchain mBaaS (pre ICO). I am on a mission to drive human Collaboration. The PeopleBrowsr mBaaS unlocks Your Community on Your own Domain. It stores... Read More →

Sponsors

Sedo

Sedo has a Crypto Domains Auction under way from September 13-20, 2018, under way during MERGE:Here is the description from their website: [https://sedo.com/us/about-us/news-press/newsroom/crypto-domains-auction-september-13-20/]Crypto domains have been trending all year long and... Read More →

Monday September 17, 2018 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, THE Domain Conference, MERGE, Identity
Group Investment, CryptoCurrency, Blockchain, DNS, Domains
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:00am EDT

EXPOSITIONS AND EXHIBITS

Monday September 17, 2018 9:00am - 1:00pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:00am EDT

Speaker Green Room and Conference Organizer Space

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Monday September 17, 2018 9:00am - 1:00pm EDT
3: DNA Lounge / VIP Meeting Room Salon 3, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Group DNA
Session Access MERGE Conference

10:00am EDT

Keynote: Rob Fazio

Speakers

Dr. Rob Fazio

OnPoint Advising

Keynote Speech: Motivational Currency®: The Psychology of Success Everyone is coin operated, it’s just a matter of knowing what coins motivate you and the peoplethat you want to influence. In the Merge Show’s featured Keynote Address, Dr. Fazio, fromOnPoint Advising, will engage... Read More →

Monday September 17, 2018 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, THE Domain Conference, Subbox.club
Session Access MERGE Conference

10:30am EDT

ICA Members' Meeting

What IS it worth? These folks might have the answer.

Domains as digital assets can be the most valuable and crucial choices that a company makes. Given the maturity of the domain name system after 30+ years, many of the most premium names are registered. Just like with real estate, location talks - and the secondary market often becomes the primary market. But unlike the real estate market, where comparables can often provide insight into similar sales, much of the domain market is opaque, private sales between parties, or comparables are a challenge due to the distinctiveness of names - and all are unique.

Speakers

Zak Muscovitch

Lawyer, Internet Commerce Association

Zak Muscovitch is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association.

Kamila Sekiewicz

Executive Director, Internet Commerce Association

Kamila leads the Internet Commerce Association (ICA), a non-profit trade organization dedicated to advocating for the interests of domain name investors, website developers, and related companies.As ICA's Executive Director, Kamila employs member direction and works closely with the... Read More →

Sponsors

Internet Commerce Association

Monday September 17, 2018 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE, Panel or Presentation

MERGE Subevent(s) THE Domain Conference, MERGE
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

11:00am EDT

Private VC/Angel Network Group Meeting

Private Group Meeting

Monday September 17, 2018 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Blockchain, CryptoCurrency Group

MERGE Subevent(s) Private Group Meeting
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP

11:00am EDT

Plenary Panel - Cryptocurrency/Blockchain - Practical Benefits and Where To Use It, Where Not To

Crypto and Blockchain offer a number of benefits and advantages.

Blockchain has many benefits. Also, it has many costs and implications. It is certainly more than a buzzword when the time comes to actually do the work, and there are areas where the advantages of Blockchain may or may not be an ideal fit.

Learn from these experts about the interesting ways these are working and how to decide what aspects of projects and systems are a good fit for leveraging some of the benefits of Blockchain - and those which are not ready for the power consumption, processing costs and other considerations.

Moderators

Ken Hansen

Farsight Security, Inc.

Speakers

Bianca Diosdado

CEO, Quire

Bianca Diosdado currently serves as the CEO of both Octagon Talent Solutions and Quire Blockchain Consulting Services. Within 6 years, she tore up the Agency ladder starting as a Technical Recruiter at Octagon Technology Staffing, moving to Director of IT Recruitment and eventually acquiring the company, becoming the CEO. Her passion for technology and education has... Read More →

James Drake

CEO, Embermine

Michael Palage

President, Pharos Global

Michael Palage is on the board of directors of the Blockchain Special Interest Group at the Internet Society (ISOC.ORG).Mr. Palage is an intellectual property attorney and an information technology consultant. He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering and JD in Law and is a founder... Read More →

Christa Taylor

CEO / Director of Marketing, dotTBA Inc.

Monday September 17, 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest, Blockchain
Group Blockchain
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

12:00pm EDT

Lunch Break - (here are some locations to try)

Monday September 17, 2018 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

1:00pm EDT

Digital Marketing in 2018 - what works and why

What are the trends in digital marketing in the last 12 months and how will they look for the next 12-48 months? Why is the past important, the present unclear and the future exciting!

Speakers

Nikolay Nedev

Business Development, Ranking Coach

Monday September 17, 2018 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
2: EMOJI Breakout Room Salon 2, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, MERGE, Digital Search Summit, Conference, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

1:00pm EDT

id4me - Digital Identity and Authentication within Domains

Learn first hand about the opportunities and benefits of id4me, a secure, open, privacy-friendly platform that uses domain names as identity and authentication. This initiative includes DENIC (.DE), Nominet (.UK + more), 1&1, Open-xchange, and other large providers and associations.

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Monday September 17, 2018 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE, Panel or Presentation

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Security, THE Domain Conference, Identity
Group IP
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

1:00pm EDT

APPRAISALS, COMPS, & AFTERMARKET - HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT OUR DOMAINS ARE WORTH?

Moderators

Lance Wolak

Founder, ExcelStrategy

Lance Wolak is the Founder of ExcelStrategy (excelstrategy.com), a strategic management and marketing services firm that launches and manages digital brands and develops growth markets. Currently working with TLD registries .BUZZ and .COOP, and with tech startups outside of the domain... Read More →

Speakers

Dave Evanson

Sedo

Ron Jackson

Editor, DNJournal.com

Ron Jackson is a professional journalist and former TV reporter who founded the domain industry's first and foremost trade publication, Domain Name Journal, at DNJournal.com on New Year's Day 2003. Under his guidance as Editor and Publisher in the more than 15 years since then, DNJournal... Read More →

Kathy Nielsen

Librarian

Kathy Nielsen is a reference librarian and an educator. She is currently a popular genealogy speaker on the Monterey Peninsula. She has been featured on Lisa Louise Cooke’s weekly YouTube program, Elevenses. She is a co-founder of the Monterey County Genealogy Society’s... Read More →

Joe Styler

Aftermarket Product Manager, GoDaddy

Joe Styler currently serves as Community Manager for the Aftermarket at GoDaddy. Joe is primarily responsible for the voice of the customer at GoDaddy’s Aftermarket.Previously Joe has served in other Director and supervisory roles at GoDaddy during his 13 year tenure with the company... Read More →

Monday September 17, 2018 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) THE Domain Conference, Digital Search Summit
Group Domains, Investment, DNA, Startup Investment, Hedge Fund, eCommerce
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:00pm EDT

Create Marketing Dashboards with Google Data Studio

Google Data Studio allows you to build beautiful custom dashboards for a variety of data and analytics. You can pull in data from Google Analytics, Google Adwords, Google Search Console and even from other products such as Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn, Twitter and more. In this talk, we will walk through how to create your first dashboard and connect it to multiple sources.

Speakers

Chris Edwards

Co-Owner, Data Driven Labs

Monday September 17, 2018 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
2: EMOJI Breakout Room Salon 2, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:00pm EDT

Featured Speakers: Norman Farrar and Wilfried Ligthart

Speakers

Norman Farrar

Norman Farrar a.k.a. The Amazon Growth Guy, paved his path to make the most of theAmazon marketplace, long before it became with world's favorite place to shop.Since the early 1990s, he has been involved with a multitude of businesses ranging fromcorporate identity, manufacturing... Read More →

Wilfried Ligthart

Digital Blacksmith and Co-owner of Netevents Wilfried Ligthart (49) is using marketing successful almost his whole life. After a Master in Finance and a Master in Communication, he worked for years as a CEO in a multi-million dollar Media Company. In 2016 he started his own company... Read More →

Monday September 17, 2018 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE
Group eCommerce, Domains
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

3:00pm EDT

Private Trademark Lawyers Group Meeting

Private Group Meeting

Monday September 17, 2018 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Private Group Meeting
Group Legal, IP
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP

3:00pm EDT

EXPOSITIONS AND EXHIBITS

Monday September 17, 2018 3:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

3:00pm EDT

Speaker Green Room and Conference Organizer Space

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Monday September 17, 2018 3:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
3: DNA Lounge / VIP Meeting Room Salon 3, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Group DNA
Session Access MERGE Conference

3:15pm EDT

Keynote: Chad Bennett - "Blockchain Based Cybersecurity. How cryptocurrency can enable the future of cyber protection."

"Blockchain Based Cybersecurity. How cryptocurrency can enable the future of cyber protection."

Speakers

Chad Bennett

CEO, Chief Architect, Heroic.com

Chad is a technology visionary with 15+ years of professional cybersecurity experience. As CEO of multiple technology companies, Chad and his teams have been recognized three-times as Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Company honorees.

Monday September 17, 2018 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Blockchain, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, THE Domain Conference, Subbox.club
Group Blockchain, Startup Investment, CryptoCurrency, Domains, eCommerce, Security
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

4:00pm EDT

Meet the ICA - The Internet Commerce Association

Meet the Internet Commerce Association - hear from the Executive Director of the ICA, Kamila Sekiewicz, about the important work that the ICA does.

Speakers

Zak Muscovitch

Lawyer, Internet Commerce Association

Zak Muscovitch is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association.

Kamila Sekiewicz

Executive Director, Internet Commerce Association

Sponsors

Internet Commerce Association

Monday September 17, 2018 4:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, THE Domain Conference
Group DNS, Domains, IP, ICA
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General
Tags Legal, Policy, Domain, IP, TM, Law, DNS

4:15pm EDT

Ron Jackson: The State of the Domain

Ron Jackson, the editor of DNJournal, will provide a brief update on the state of the domain name industry from the perspective as the editor of one of the most tenured and widely read industry media sources.

Speakers

Ron Jackson

Editor, DNJournal.com

Monday September 17, 2018 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

THE Domain Conference, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, THE Domain Conference
Group DNA, DNS, Domains, eCommerce, ICA, Investment, Market, Media
Session Access MERGE Conference
Tags Legal, Policy, Domain, IP, TM, Law, DNS

4:30pm EDT

A Fireside Chat with ICANN

Join us for a fireside chat to learn more about ICANN, what they do, what they don't do, and how they work to ensure that the Internet Names and Numbers work in a stable, reliable, and resilient manner.

Moderators

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Speakers

Jennifer Gore

Director of Registrar Services and Engagement, ICANN

Jennifer Gore is one of the most historically involved females in the domain name industry. She is currently the Director of Registrar Engagement at ICANN. Formally, Jennifer was the Senior Director of Policy for Web.com. As a long-time member of the ICANN community, Ms. Gore has... Read More →

Monday September 17, 2018 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE, Fireside Chat

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, THE Domain Conference
Group DNA, DNS, Domains, IP
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General
Tags Legal, Policy, Domain, IP, TM, Law, DNS

5:00pm EDT

LEGAL MATTERS: UDRP AND ACPA UPDATES

Moderators

Howard Neu

President/CEO, THE DOMAIN CONFERENCE

Speakers

Ava Doppelt

Shareholder, Allen, Dyer, Doppelt + Gilchrist, PA

Ava Doppelt is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Intellectual Property Law. She manages trademark and copyright portfolios, and has substantial litigation experience in federal and state courts and administrative agencies, advising clients on trademark, publishing, entertainment... Read More →

Ari Goldberger

Counsel, ESQwire.com PC

Gerald Levine

Partner, Levine Samuel, LLP

Zak Muscovitch

Lawyer, Internet Commerce Association

Zak Muscovitch is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association.

Jason Schaeffer

Monday September 17, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Conference, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest
Group Legal, IP
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General
Tags Legal, Policy, Domain, IP, TM, Law, DNS

5:00pm EDT

Rock the Cashbar : Cocktails in the Expo Hall

Schmooze and network with other conference attendees, sponsors, speakers and guests amidst the lovely glow of our amazing and vibrant sponsor booths.

Monday September 17, 2018 5:00pm - 7:30pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, Security, TLDFest, Blockchain
Session Access MERGE Conference

6:00pm EDT

Domain Name Association Board / Member Mixer

Private Group Meeting

Speakers

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Monday September 17, 2018 6:00pm - 7:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Private Group Meeting
Group Domains, DNA, DNS
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP

7:30pm EDT

ICA / DNA / BRG Dinner @ Benihana LBV

The Internet Commerce Association, Brand Registry Group and the Domain Name Association are organizing a dinner during the MERGE conference for our members, prospective members, invited guests and interested parties.

Meet, greet, and eat with some amazing people from throughout the industry of domain names, digital investment and website development.

!!!! IMPORTANT: PLEASE USE THE "ENGAGE" BUTTON TO RSVP !!!!
(This helps us determine headcount for the activity - not mandatory, you can also just show up)

We have attached the menus for your convenience.
"LBV Benihana 2018- Group Menu Brochure - 11.2017.pdf" is the main one, the others offer details on each group menu.

Please note, this activity is a 'no host' event, guests will be responsible for their own bill. Please see the menus for the package pricing, and costs or charges associated.

Speakers

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Kamila Sekiewicz

Executive Director, Internet Commerce Association

Monday September 17, 2018 7:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

THE Domain Conference, Networking

MERGE Subevent(s) Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Identity, CMS Summit, TLDFest, THE Domain Conference, Blockchain, Conference, Subbox.club
Group ICA, DNA, BRG
Session Access MERGE Conference

9:30pm EDT

Hospitality Suite Networking- Sponsored by Fabulous.com

Enjoy after-hours networking with VIPs, Speakers, Moderators, and more!

Sponsors

Fabulous

Monday September 17, 2018 9:30pm - 11:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

9:00am EDT

[PRIVATELY HELD Group Meeting: "Project Hero"]

Private Group Meeting

Tuesday September 18, 2018 9:00am - 11:00am EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Private Group Meeting
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP

9:15am EDT

Keynote: Stefan Pretty, CEO Subbly.co: "Bootstrappers Do It Better"

"Bootstrappers Do It Better"

Speakers

Stefan Pretty

CEO, Subbly.co

Stefan Pretty is a Scottish entrepreneur, and current CEO & Founder of Subbly - the subscription ecommerce platform. Stefan is a bootstrapper and Subbly is his 6th rendition (we think!). Having worked so closely with big and small subscription box businesses whilst working on Subbly... Read More →

Tuesday September 18, 2018 9:15am - 10:00am EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Subbox.club, MERGE, Digital Search Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference

10:00am EDT

Embermine ($MBRS / $DOM) Token Holder Meeting and Company Update

Come hear about the Akyumen device prototypes, the Falcon Tablet and Hawk Phone, and hear about the exciting developments at Embermine, as well as other ecosystem updates.

Speakers

James Drake

CEO, Embermine

Tuesday September 18, 2018 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Blockchain, Private Group

MERGE Subevent(s) Private Group Meeting
Group Blockchain, CryptoCurrency
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP

10:00am EDT

What Makes a Startup Successful

Speakers

Colin Campbell

CEO, DotClub

Tuesday September 18, 2018 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

THE Domain Conference, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) CMS Summit, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest, MERGE, Digital Search Summit
Group CMS Summit, DNA, DNS, Domains, eCommerce, Fun, ICA, Investment, Legal, Angels, Blockchain, Venture Capital, Startup Investment
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

10:00am EDT

EXPOSITIONS AND EXHIBITS

Tuesday September 18, 2018 10:00am - 1:30pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

10:00am EDT

Speaker Green Room and Conference Organizer Space

Sponsors

The Domain Name Association

Tuesday September 18, 2018 10:00am - 1:30pm EDT
3: DNA Lounge / VIP Meeting Room Salon 3, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Group DNA
Session Access MERGE Conference

11:00am EDT

Coming up with Original Content The Data Driven Way

Building out content is important to any blog, but, coming up with original content can be difficult. In this talk, I will teach you 5 easy ways to come up with new and original content that your readers will want to read and engage in. We will use a variety of tools and take a data-driven approach to find content topics for your next viral blog article. This talk is built for both beginners and advanced users as well as writers and developers.

Speakers

Chris Edwards

Co-Owner, Data Driven Labs

Tuesday September 18, 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
2: EMOJI Breakout Room Salon 2, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Conference, Digital Search Summit
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

11:00am EDT

ccTLDs - Their utility, value and benefit

ccTLDs are widely used, some are generically available and are in high demand like .io, .co, .me, .fm, .tv or .cc, some are only available nationally like .com.au ; others are primarily used within their countries, such as .ca, .de, and .nl.

Meet ccTLD operators, investors, and service providers within the aftermarket space that make this ever evolving area of opportunity work.

Moderators

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Speakers

Peter Maxymych

Founder, Emall.ca

Founder of Emall.ca Inc. one of the first Registrants of cctlds in Canada. Dot ca. Several thousand registrations.

Roelof Meijer

CEO, SIDN

Ray Neu

Co-Founder, MERGE! Show

Tuesday September 18, 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
1: ICA Breakout Room Salon 1, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, Blockchain, TLDFest
Group Domains, DNA
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

11:00am EDT

[CLOSED SESSION, OFFSITE] Roundtable.org / TLDFest Group post-show TLD Application Session P1

This is a private and closed group meeting occurring during MERGE, and is not open to the public.

Tuesday September 18, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

TLDFest, Private Group

MERGE Subevent(s) TLDFest, Private Group Meeting
Group Domains, Venture Capital, Startup Investment, Investment, IP, Legal
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP
Tags TLD, Registry, Brand, New TLD Applicant

12:00pm EDT

Digital Brands in 2018 - dotBrands and Corporate Domain Portfolios

Join Martin Kuechenthal, Cole Quinn, Jochen Kieler, Mike Rodenbaugh and other domain professionals for a discussion of the state of dotBrands and corporate domain portfolio management of large companies.

Moderators

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Speakers

Jochen Kieler

Partner & CSO, Brandit

Jochen Kieler is a highly respected domain industry veteran specializing in International Corporate Management with over 16 years of experience in the Domain and Internet Industry. As the Chief Strategy Officer for the Euopean-based BrandIT, Jochen oversees the international... Read More →

Martin Kuechenthal

CEO, Lemarit

Martin Kuechenthal is the co-founder and CEO of LEMARIT GmbH, an ICANN accredited registrar and specialist in digital brand protection since 2002. LEMARIT is based in northern Germany.Martin is deeply involved and well connected in the domain industry and he also holds a seat in the... Read More →

Cole Quinn

Senior Program Manager, Microsoft Corporate Domains and .BRAND TLD Portfolio, Microsoft

My team manages the corporate domain portfolio for Microsoft. I'm also working with colleagues across the company to align brand/marketing strategies with our domains program, as well as developing strategies and use cases for our eight .Brand TLDs. This last aspect is aided significantly... Read More →

Mike Rodenbaugh

Rodenbaugh Law

Rodenbaugh Law represents clients in all matters relating to domain names, trademarks, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property, and in e-commerce, licensing and marketing transactions, litigation and alternative dispute resolution efforts. Broadly speaking, Mike and his... Read More →

Tuesday September 18, 2018 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

THE Domain Conference, Keynote

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, TLDFest
Group DNA, DNS, Domains, IP, Legal
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

1:15pm EDT

Lunch Break - (here are some locations to try)

Tuesday September 18, 2018 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:00pm EDT

Soap.Club and eCommerce / Shopify / Amazon Stores

Speakers

Norman Farrar

Tuesday September 18, 2018 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Conference, Digital Search Summit, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference, Identity
Group IP, eCommerce
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

2:00pm EDT

[CLOSED SESSION, OFFSITE] Roundtable.org / TLDFest Group post-show TLD Application Session P2

This is a private and closed group meeting occurring during MERGE, and is not open to the public.

Interested parties can click Engage to request inclusion - before 9/12, and those selected will be contacted by the organizer with the location on the day of.

This activity is not being operated by MERGE and the MERGE organizers can suggest, but not guarantee participation of parties who have enrolled.

Tuesday September 18, 2018 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

TLDFest, Private Group

MERGE Subevent(s) TLDFest, Private Group Meeting
Group Domains, Startup Investment, Venture Capital, IP, Legal, Investment
Session Access Limited
Pass Type Special RSVP
Tags TLD, Registry, Brand, New TLD Applicant

3:00pm EDT

Content the Media Way - Content that Attracts and Keeps Viewers

In this session panelists will discuss how media outlets are changing due to social media and digital breakthroughs.

Panelists will talk about content that attracks and keeps viewers. Panelists will also share the types of content that draws their attention and some of their favorite social media/digital content.

Moderators

Karla Campos

Owner, Social Media Sass

Karla Campos is a popular Latina entrepreneur mom, influencer, and author. Karla has been featured on several media outlets including Entrepreneur.com, Inc.com, NBC6, La Maxima, and Telemundo for her knowledge and works with entrepreneurship, media, and marketing.Karla worked at Telemundo... Read More →

Speakers

Paul Brinkmann

Paul Brinkmann - a business journalist who has spent ten years covering the most exciting business news in Florida -- from SpaceX and new satellite factories, to breaking news about Universal's new theme park, to covering billion-dollar fraud schemes in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area... Read More →

Tuesday September 18, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE, Panel

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE
Group Media, Content, Journalism
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

3:00pm EDT

Rock the Cashbar : Cocktails in the Expo Hall

Schmooze and network with other conference attendees, sponsors, speakers and guests amidst the lovely glow of our amazing and vibrant sponsor booths.

Tuesday September 18, 2018 3:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference, Security, TLDFest, Blockchain
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

4:00pm EDT

Debate: .COM vs new GTLDs - How is it stacking up?

This is one of the most invigorating debates in the domain name industry - between the perspectives of those who believe that .COM represents the majority of solutions and value, and those who believe in expansion of the namespace with newGTLDs.

Bring a bowl of popcorn and a raincoat, and enjoy a robust and energetic discussion between the two schools of thought on this.

Speakers

Jebidiah Burnett

Sr. Domain Consultant, Donuts

Jothan Frakes

CEO, Private Label Internet (RrSG Excom)

Kevin Kopas

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, .icu Registry – ShortDot S.A.

Kevin Kopas is the Co-Founder and COO of ShortDot, the registry that owns the .icu domain extension. Previously he managed the Asian/Pacific region for Public Interest Registry (Your Public Interest Registry), the company that owns the .org domain extension. He focused on helping... Read More →

Dr. Gregg McNair

Group Chairman, Premium Traffic Limited

Tuesday September 18, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Group Angels, Domains, Investment, ICA, DNA, DNS
Session Access MERGE Conference

5:00pm EDT

CEOs Discuss the Future of the Industry

Speakers

Chad Bennett

CEO, Chief Architect, Heroic.com

Colin Campbell

CEO, DotClub

Norman Farrar

Jochen Kieler

Partner & CSO, Brandit

Kevin Kopas

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, .icu Registry – ShortDot S.A.

Dr. Gregg McNair

Group Chairman, Premium Traffic Limited

Stefan Pretty

CEO, Subbly.co

Tuesday September 18, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

6:00pm EDT

Exhibit Takedown / Packing

Tuesday September 18, 2018 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) Blockchain, CMS Summit, Conference, Digital Search Summit, MERGE, Security, Identity, Subbox.club, THE Domain Conference
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

8:00pm EDT

Hospitality Suite Networking

Enjoy after-hours networking with VIPs, Speakers, Moderators, and more!

Tuesday September 18, 2018 8:00pm - 11:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)

MERGE Subevent(s) MERGE, Digital Search Summit, THE Domain Conference
Group Blockchain, Angels, Content, CryptoCurrency, Developer, CMS Summit, DNA, Domains, DNS, eCommerce, BRG, Fun, Hedge Fund, ICA, Investment, Journalism, Legal, Media, Preshow, Security, Startup Investment, Search, Market, IP, UX, Venture Capital
Session Access MERGE Conference
Pass Type MERGE General

11:00am EDT

Post MERGE Breakfasts

What a week! With so many attendees travelling from so many countries, we take this last opportunity to enjoy meals offsite with some of the moderators, speakers, sponsors, and show team before heading back home to the doldrums of life behind the monitor.

Wednesday September 19, 2018 11:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Various - Disney Springs