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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]
THE Domain Conference [clear filter]
Saturday, September 15
 

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
avatar for Philippe Collin

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)
  THE Domain Conference, Panel or Presentation

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

PART 2 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 Marlon Phillips

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.
avatar for Mike Robertson

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 →
avatar for James Tuplin

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)

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
 

12:15pm EDT

PART 3 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 Adam J. Epstein

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)

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
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 Ari  Goldberger

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 →
avatar for Gerald Levine

Gerald Levine

Partner, Levine Samuel, LLP
avatar for Steve Lieberman

Steve Lieberman

Attorney, Greenberg & Lieberman
Intellectual Property, Bicycling, Gadgets, Tech
avatar for Zak Muscovitch

Zak Muscovitch

Lawyer, Internet Commerce Association
Zak Muscovitch is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association.


Sunday September 16, 2018 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)
 
Monday, September 17
 

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)

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)

5:00pm EDT

LEGAL MATTERS: UDRP AND ACPA UPDATES
Moderators
avatar for Howard Neu

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 →

Speakers
avatar for Ava Doppelt

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 →
avatar for Ari  Goldberger

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 →
avatar for Gerald Levine

Gerald Levine

Partner, Levine Samuel, LLP
avatar for Zak Muscovitch

Zak Muscovitch

Lawyer, Internet Commerce Association
Zak Muscovitch is General Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association.


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

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
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 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 →



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

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

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)

5:00pm EDT

CEOs Discuss the Future of the Industry
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.
avatar for Colin Campbell

Colin Campbell

CEO, DotClub
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 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 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
avatar for Stefan Pretty

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 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
0: Escrow.com Keynote Hall Salon 6-8, Hilton LBV @ Disney Springs (Orlando, FL)
  THE Domain Conference, Panel
 

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