Schedule of Events

7 - 9:00 p.m.

The 2010 Local.com Welcome Reception

In the Roosevelt Hotel's legendary Blue Room, sponsor Local.com will pull out all the stops to welcome attendees to the 2010 GeoDomain Expo. Entertainment features a fantastic jazz trio while feasting on New Orleans culinary delights. The Blue Room has hosted some of the greatest musical acts of the mid-20th century including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Marlene Dietrich, and Sonny and Cher.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

8 - 9:15 a.m.

Power Breakfast

The 2010 GeoDomain Expo Networking gets underway as the owners and operators of the Internet’s leading local and destination properties enjoy a superb New Orleans breakfast!

8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Exhibition opening

Technology and content exhibitors display the latest tools, services and techniques for acquiring, developing and monetizing premium geo addresses on the net.

9:15 - 9:30 a.m.

Welcome Address from New Orleans City Council

Arnie Fielkow, President of the New Orleans City Council will welcome you to the Crescent City. Councilman Fielkow has been a leader of both governmental reform and economic re-development during the very difficult post-Katrina period dealing with very challenging issues.

9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Local Media vs. the Nationals

Established traditional media used to be the competition.  Now, all the Net's big guys are setting their sites on the Local space.  How to differentiate yourself from Yelp!, TripAdvisor, Kayak and Google with better customer service, market knowledge, promotions and community involvement. Speakers include Tony Wills of AllMenus.com (formerly of Newsday), Sean Smyth of Groupon (formerly of Tribune and Gannett), and Dan Pulcrano of Boulevards New Media and Metro Newspapers.

10:45 - 11:45 p.m.

Maximizing Geo Brand Traffic Revenue

Show Me the money! Fresh from speaking at the Borrell Media Conference in NYC, the Castello Brothers will share their breakthrough strategy for maximizing Geo brand traffic revenue with local advertisers, CVBs, Chambers of Commerce, advertising agencies and traditional media.

Noon - 1:15 p.m.

State of the Geodomain Industry lunch with Ron Jackson of DNJournal.

1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Creative Local Branding and Marketing

From taxicab tops and print media trades to sponsorships, contests and branded goods like coasters, coffee cup bands, matchbooks and 'As Seen On' stickers - these simple but effective local branding strategies can make a real difference in a GeoDomain's local impact and success. Panelist include Fred Mercaldo of Scottsdale.com and Cathy Maddox of NewOrleans.com.

2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Hotel Marketing

Direct, affiliate or blended? Conversion tracking and yield management to optimize returns. What about other affiliate programs? Apartments, jobs, vacation rentals? Panelists include Chad Montgomery of Expedia, Bill Marbach of Getaroom.com, and Rob Kazmierski of Advanced Reservation Systems.

4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Social Media and Geodomains

Social Media and Geodomains are a perfect pair. Learn how to leverage Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media to build community, expand market reach and extend your Geodomain brand. Panelist include Marion Mariathason of Sobiz10, Chef Patrick Ruddell of Oversee.net, Courtney LeClair of ZCO Corporation, and Josh Metnick of Chicago.com.

5:15 - 6:15 p.m.

Mobilize Your Site

Mobile websites, iPhone and Blackberry apps are changing the way that people use the Internet. How do we take advantage of this paradigm shift? Panelists include David Asplund of ZCO Corporation and Don Jones of NewOrleans.com.

7:00 - ????

Hot Night in the Big Easy

Our GeoDomain Expo New Orleans streetcar will take us to an exclusive French Quarter party featuring premier entertainment and gourmet New Orleans food! Sponsored by Universal Business Listings and MerchEngines!

Friday, April 30, 2010

8 - 9:15 a.m.

Breakfast and Networking

8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Finding the Exit Door - Cashing Out Now or Later

This session will review 1) Value drivers and metrics for M&A, 2) Structuring joint ventures, content partnerships and development deals. 3) Formulating an exit strategy. Panelists include Kim Mac Leod of Regional Media Advisors and Ari Bayme of Modern Capital, LLC.

10:45 - 11:45

Developing Any City

Not all cities are created equally.  What core strategies can be used to monetize any city's potential, regardless of size or tourism numbers (or lack thereof). Panelists include Fred Mercaldo of Scottsdale.com, Bruce Marler of Localtek, and Vik Chhabra of Chitika.

Noon - 1:15 p.m.

Policy Domain Lunch with Phil Corwin - Domain Issues in Washington and at ICANN

Philip S. Corwin, Counsel to the Internet Commerce Association, will describe pending and potential public policy issues in Washington and at ICANN that will affect the opportunities and risks for all domain investors.

1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Keynote

David Litman is a serial entrepreneur. He has spent the last 25 years founding, building and growing 5 successful companies with his partner, Bob Diener. Together they grew their best-known venture, HRN (later Hotels.com), from scratch to become the world’s largest hotel website. From a $1200 investment they guided the company to be one of the Internet’s primary sources of discount accommodations and an industry innovator and leader. They sold the company in 2003 at a business valuation of more than $5.5 billion. They have recently launched Getaroom.com, an innovative hotel booking site focused on handpicked hotel values in major cities.

2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Creating a Unique GeoDomain Image

Every city, town, and destination has its own flair and style that needs to be accentuated to maximize your GeoDomain's profits. Our panelists will discuss how to utilize the intuitive flavor of your locale to build your GeoDomain user base while attracting advertisers and growing revenues. Panelists include Sara Mannix of Mannix Marketing and Jessica Bookstaff of eDestinations.

4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Building your Local Business Directory

How to turn local business listings into your own branded Yellow Pages. Building and marketing a profitable local directory is essential to the success of any GeoDomain. Panelist include Doyal Bryant of Universal Business Listings, James Chubb of eDirectory and Dawn Paduganan of Local.com. Moderated by Bill Hammack of NewOrleans.com.

7:00 p.m.

Local Flavor: Mix-and-Match Dinners

Enjoy small group dinner with fellow GeoDomainers at one of ten top New Orleans restaurants. Sign up for quality face time with your GeoDomain colleagues!

Note: Sessions subject to change as we'll continue adding great programs and speakers!