Buying Domains at Domain Conferences: In-Person Deal Making

Domain industry conferences combine networking, education, and deal-making into multi-day events that consistently produce transactions. The live auction at NamesCon alone generates $2+ million in sales annually, and the hallway deals — informal negotiations between attendees — account for far more. Here is what to expect at the major conferences and how to prepare for productive deal-making.

The Major Conferences

NamesCon Global (Las Vegas, January): The largest domain industry event, attracting 1,200+ attendees. Organized by GoDaddy (which acquired the event from Richard Lau), NamesCon features keynote speakers, panel discussions, networking events, a live domain auction managed by RightOfTheDot, and a “Domain Shark Tank” where investors pitch domain portfolios to potential buyers.

The live auction is the headline attraction. RightOfTheDot curates 50-100 premium domains for the event, and bidding happens both in-person and online. The 2024 auction generated approximately $2 million in total sales. The live format creates competitive energy that regularly pushes prices 20-40% above what the same domains would fetch in online-only auctions.

DomainX (rotating locations): Organized by Radix (operator of .online, .store, .tech, and other new gTLDs), DomainX is a more intimate event focusing on the Asian and emerging market domain communities. Events have been held in Mumbai, Dubai, and other cities. DomainX provides strong networking opportunities with investors focused on international markets.

Merge! (various locations): Founded by Michael Berkens (of TheDomains.com), Merge! is a smaller, more focused conference that emphasizes high-level networking among established domain investors. Attendance is typically 200-400 people, and the atmosphere is more deal-oriented than educational.

ICANN meetings (rotating global locations): Not strictly domain investor events, ICANN meetings attract registry operators, registrars, and policy professionals. Attending an ICANN meeting provides insight into upcoming TLD launches, policy changes affecting domain rights, and networking with registrar executives who can provide preferential terms for large portfolios.

Preparing for Deal-Making

Research attendees in advance. Most conferences publish attendee lists or encourage LinkedIn connections before the event. Identify domain owners you want to approach and prepare talking points specific to their portfolio.

Know your budget. Set a firm spending limit before arriving. The excitement of a conference environment — live auctions, handshake deals, peer pressure — makes it easy to overspend. Write your maximum budget on a card and carry it in your pocket.

Bring business cards. Despite the digital age, business cards remain standard currency at domain conferences. Include your name, email, phone, and primary domain/company name.

Prepare a one-line pitch. Whether buying or selling, you need a concise statement of what you are looking for: “I am building a portfolio of AI-related .com domains under $10,000” or “I have a portfolio of 50 premium two-word .coms in the health space.”

Live Auction Strategy

If you plan to bid at the live auction:

Review the lot list beforehand. RightOfTheDot publishes the auction catalog days or weeks before the event. Research every domain you might bid on using NameBio for comparable sales.

Set your maximum bid per lot before entering the room. Do not decide in the moment. Write your maximums on the printed catalog next to each lot.

Understand the buyer premium. RightOfTheDot auctions typically include a 15-20% buyer premium on top of the hammer price. A $10,000 winning bid means you owe $11,500-$12,000.

Bid confidently or do not bid. Hesitant bidding in a live auction signals weakness and invites competition. When you bid, raise your paddle immediately and decisively. If you reach your maximum, put your paddle down and do not look back.

Hallway Deals

The most productive conference transactions happen outside the formal sessions. The bar, the lobby, the shuttle bus — these are where domain investors discuss portfolios, make offers, and close deals with a handshake (followed up with Escrow.com formalities later).

Hallway deal tips:

• Approach conversations with genuine curiosity about the other person portfolio and strategy. Transactional openers (“want to buy my domains?”) are off-putting. Relationship-building openers (“what category do you focus on?”) lead to productive discussions.
• When a deal emerges naturally from conversation, do not try to close it on the spot. Exchange contact information and follow up within 48 hours with a formal offer. The goodwill from the in-person meeting significantly improves your negotiation position.
• Take notes after every meaningful conversation. You will meet dozens of people, and details blur together by day three.

Post-Conference Follow-Up

The week after a conference is when most deals actually close. The in-person meeting established rapport; the follow-up email formalizes the transaction.

Send follow-up emails within 48 hours of the conference ending. Reference something specific from your conversation to jog memory (“Great talking with you about .ai domains at the NamesCon reception”). Include your specific offer or request.

Conference contacts who do not respond to your first follow-up may respond later — add them to your contact list for future outreach. Domain deals often take months to develop, and the conference introduction is just the beginning of a relationship.

Is Conference Attendance Worth the Cost?

NamesCon registration runs $500-$1,000. Add flights, hotel (3-4 nights in Las Vegas at $150-$300/night), and meals, and total attendance cost is $2,000-$4,000. For a professional domain investor, one deal at the conference can cover the entire cost. For networking and market intelligence, the exposure to the industry community is invaluable.

For investors new to the industry, attending one major conference (NamesCon is the obvious choice) provides more learning and connection opportunities than months of online forum participation.

For the broader industry landscape, see domain industry conferences guide and domain industry community forums. For auction strategy specifically, read domain auction strategies.