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MERGE is a group of DIGITAL ASSET EVENTS with a focus on current trends in a holistic manner, and different technologies, segments, and sectors.  MERGE attendees, speakers, and sponsors can audit different but adjacent technology disciplines and build meaningful ROLODEX DIVERSITY while exploring new regions of opportunity.

MERGE will take place within the entirety of the Grand Ballroom space at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista, located in Orlando, Florida.

Registered attendees will be treated to a variety of content that comes from the different shows and events and group meetings that are occurring during MERGE, as well as keynotes, panels and networking activities.

Interested in sponsoring? There are some last-minute options available.

Meanwhile, check out MERGE.SHOW for more information, and stay tuned!

[Please note, Schedule may be subject to small changes]
Domains [clear filter]
Saturday, September 15
 

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
avatar for Christa Taylor

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Matthias Kaiser

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 →
avatar for Sam Tseng

Sam Tseng

Team Internet
avatar for David Warmuz

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)

3:30pm EDT

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

Speakers
avatar for Naomi Lantzman

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)

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)

4:15pm EDT

Secrets of Domain Leasing
Moderators
avatar for Alvin Brown

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
avatar for Steve Lieberman

Steve Lieberman

Attorney, Greenberg & Lieberman
Intellectual Property, Bicycling, Gadgets, Tech
avatar for Jeff Sass

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)
 
Sunday, September 16
 

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


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

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)

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

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

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

Sunday September 16, 2018 6:15pm - 8:15pm EDT
THE EXPO HALLS Foyers and Salon 4-5, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)
 
Monday, September 17
 

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
avatar for Alvin Brown

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 →
avatar for Jebidiah Burnett

Jebidiah Burnett

Sr. Domain Consultant, Donuts
avatar for Dave Evanson

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 →
avatar for Jothan Frakes

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 →
avatar for Toby Hall

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 →
avatar for Jodee Rich

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
avatar for Sedo

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)

1:00pm EDT

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

Moderators
avatar for Lance Wolak

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
avatar for Dave Evanson

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 →
avatar for Ron Jackson

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 →
avatar for Kathy Nielsen

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 →
avatar for Joe Styler

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)

2:00pm EDT

Featured Speakers: Norman Farrar and Wilfried Ligthart
Speakers
avatar for Norman Farrar

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 →
avatar for Wilfried Ligthart

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)
  Subbox.club, Keynote

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
avatar for Chad Bennett

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)

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
avatar for Zak Muscovitch

Zak Muscovitch

Lawyer, Internet Commerce Association
Zak Muscovitch is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association.
avatar for Kamila Sekiewicz

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

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

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
avatar for Ron Jackson

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 →


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

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
avatar for Jothan Frakes

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Gore

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

6:00pm EDT

Domain Name Association Board / Member Mixer
Private Group Meeting

Speakers
avatar for Jothan Frakes

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 →

Sponsors

Monday September 17, 2018 6:00pm - 7:30pm EDT
│Conference │ Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)
  Private Group Meeting, Private Group
 
Tuesday, September 18
 

10:00am EDT

What Makes a Startup Successful
Speakers
avatar for Colin Campbell

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)

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
avatar for Jothan Frakes

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Peter Maxymych

Peter Maxymych

Founder, Emall.ca
Founder of Emall.ca Inc. one of the first Registrants of cctlds in Canada. Dot ca. Several thousand registrations.
avatar for Roelof Meijer

Roelof Meijer

CEO, SIDN
avatar for Ray Neu

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)
  THE Domain Conference, Panel or Presentation

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)

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
avatar for Jothan Frakes

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Jochen Kieler

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 →
avatar for Martin Kuechenthal

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 →
avatar for Cole Quinn

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 →
avatar for Mike Rodenbaugh

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

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)

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
avatar for Jebidiah Burnett

Jebidiah Burnett

Sr. Domain Consultant, Donuts
avatar for Jothan Frakes

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 →
avatar for Kevin Kopas

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 →
avatar for Dr. Gregg McNair

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)

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)
 

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