The organisers of DOMAINfest Global 2011 have announced more surprises and fun with the announcement of a new fantasy domaining contest where the winner can win a free trip to DOMAINfest Global.
In addition, PITCHfest will have an innovative twist. No longer limited to business models designed to improve revenue on parked domains, ten contestants will now present their ideas in rapid-fire 5 minute presentations. Judges will pick a winner based on creativity, viability, originality and revenue potential.
Full details are in the news release below:
DOMAINfest Global 2011 Launches New Fantasy Domaining Contest and Announces Important Changes to Second Annual PITCHfest Contest –Fantasy Domaining Contest Winner to Receive Free Trip to DOMAINfest Global 2011–
DomainSponsor®, the domain monetization division of Oversee.net® and organizer of the DOMAINfest Global® 2011 conference, has announced a new Fantasy Domaining Contest taking place prior to this yearâs event along with some key changes to its on-site PITCHfest Contest. The fifth annual DOMAINfest Global® (DFG) event is scheduled for February 1-3, 2011 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, California.
PITCHfest Contest
DFGâs second annual PITCHfest Contest is designed to provide attendees with rare exposure to new, innovative, online business, service or technology ideas.
âPITCHfest was a big hit last year and revealed some very smart ideas,â said Peter Celeste, Senior Vice President and General Manager of DomainSponsor. âThis year weâre extending the boundaries of the contest to allow any new, innovative online business, service or technology ideas to be presented. Attendees at DOMAINfest are Internet entrepreneurs who are always on the lookout for new people to partner with or invest in, so it makes sense to expand on what can be âpitched.ââ
Some important changes have been made to this yearâs contest. First, presentations are not limited to business models designed to improve revenue on parked domains. Second, instead of allowing judges to ask contestants a range of questions after each five-minute presentation, the judges will remain silent and the next contestant will be immediately ushered onto the stage. This will ensure that the quality and clarity of the five minutes on stage is maximized, exposing the audience to as many innovative ideas as possible.
The judges will rate each presentation in four dimensions: Creativity, Viability, Originality and Revenue Potential. Their combined score will determine the winner. The winner will receive a DOMAINfest Global 2010 PITCHfest Innovator Trophy and be featured in a press release. The audience will also be allowed to vote for the People’s Choice winner, using a real-time text message voting system. The Peopleâs Choice winner will receive a Peopleâs Choice trophy and be featured in a press release. The preliminary list of judges (which is subject to change) includes:
- Scott Jarus is a Director on the Oversee Board of Directors and CEO of Cognition Technologies. Prior to Cognition, he was Chief Executive of j2 Global Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: JCOM), a provider of outsourced messaging and communications services.
- John M. Morris is Chairman Emeritus of the Tech Coast Angels and an experienced venture capitalist and angel investor, helping entrepreneurs build successful businesses. He serves as Vistage Chair for Vistage International. Previously, Morris was a partner in an expansion stage venture capital firm that worked with emerging technology companies.
- Ron Sheridan, Oversee.netâs first employee, ran the companyâs business development efforts until early 2009. In 2002, Ron launched and expanded DomainSponsor.com. In 2006, he created DOMAINfest. Ron is presently engaged in developing an RSS-related business around the name, RSS.com.
Individuals interested in entering the PITCHfest competition can find contest rules and an online submission form at domainfest.com/PITCHfest. The deadline for entry is January 14th. On January 21st, up to ten finalists will be selected and notified to start preparing their five-minute presentations. The competition is open only to residents of the United States.
Fantasy Domaining Contest
The Fantasy Domaining Contest roughly resembles Fantasy Football in terms of its format and rules. Contestants âdraftâ their initial roster from a master list of 1,000 domains, put some in-play, substitute domains in-play, and trade domains with other contestants. The contest is designed to be fun and provides a way for beginners and experts alike to test their skills and intuition in projecting the PPC revenue of domain names.
Signing up for the contest is free. Only one entry per person is allowed. The winner will receive a trip to DFG 2011 that includes a travel stipend of $1,000, four nights at the hotel plus free admission to DFG. The winner will also receive a “Fantasy Domaining Champion” trophy on stage at DOMAINfest Global 2011, and all bragging rights that go with it.
Second place receives a free DFG 2011 conference ticket and third place receives 50% off a DOMAINfest Global 2011 ticket. Winners will be notified on January 17, 2011. For details and a full explanation of how to play, including Official Contest Rules, and to sign-up, visit domainfest.com/fantasy. The contest is open only to residents of the United States.
The contest began on December 1,, 2010 and will end on January 15, 2011. Each contestant will draft a portfolio of 35 domains from a master list of 1,000 owned by Oversee.net. The goal is to draft or trade for domains that are believed to have produced the most PPC revenue last year between December 1, 2009 and January15, 2010. A contestantâs final ranking is based on the cumulative PPC revenue from 12/1/09 to 1/15/10 for each domain on their in-play roster on January 14, 2011.
DOMAINfest Registration
The discounted registration rate of $1,195 for DOMAINfest Global (Feb 1-3, 2011) is available until December 31, 2010. To register, visit domainfest.com/register.
About DOMAINfest
Founded and hosted by DomainSponsor, the domain monetization division of Oversee.net, DOMAINfest® brings domain industry and Internet marketing professionals together to learn, network, and do business. Guests include online advertising experts, domain publishers, domain monetization experts, SEO/SEM specialists, website developers, online marketers, ad or affiliate network suppliers, search advertising providers, venture capitalists, bankers and trademark/legal advisors. Visit domainfest.com to review the latest information regarding upcoming DOMAINfest events.
About Oversee.net
Oversee.net® is the leader in Internet real estate, specializing in monetizing, registering, selling and developing domain names. The company provides an array of managed services to domain investors, corporations, and individuals across more than ten million web sites. Oversee owns one of the largest portfolios of domain names in the worldâmore than 1 million names. The companyâs unique optimized technology connects consumers and advertisers with highly relevant advertisements. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Portland, Oregon, Pompano Beach, Florida and Frankfurt, Germany, the companyâs core brands include DomainSponsor®, SnapNames®, Moniker®, DOMAINfest® and LowFaresTM. To learn more, please visit oversee.net.