My thoughts on NamesCon 2025

There were a lot of fresh (old) faces, and organizers can improve next year’s show with some tweaks.

NamesCon took place in Miami the prior week, and I’m glad I attended. Here are my thoughts on the show.

Miami was a good move

It’s good for conferences to move around the country, and Miami was a smart selection for this year. I saw lots of people at this event who live in the area that I haven’t seen in years. The location drew them out.

I think the other U.S. location that would attract a lot of locals is L.A. I know the organizers plan to return to Miami next year, but hopefully L.A. will be on the agenda in the future.

The dates were problematic

On the flip side, a lot of people I’d typically see at the show skipped out since of too much travel. This conference was the third week in a row of domain conferences (following Domain Days and ICANN), and attending all three was too much. With dates for these events by now scheduled for next year, I hope NamesCon will be at least a few weeks apart. Perhaps mid-September would work, though it’s not a good time to hold an event in Miami.

The venue had drawbacks

I heard multiple complaints regarding the venue.

On the plus side, it had a nice outdoor space. The layout was also good; it reminded me of the Tropicana layout, with the exhibit floor in the middle and sessions immediately to the sides. This brings everyone together.

On the negative side, it was difficult to hear in the session room since of all the noise. It was also a long, narrow space, making it hard to get close to the stage. For some reason, it was also very dark.

The two biggest complaints I heard: portable restrooms and having to take the (albeit efficient) shuttle to get there. I’m fairly confident next year’s venue won’t require a shuttle.

Looking to next year

I’ve by now submitted my feedback to the NamesCon team. Here are some specific recommendations for NamesCon 2026:

• The venue ought to be in a hotel, or at least right next to it.
• The conference hotel ought to have a good bar area where many people can gather.
• Separate the timing from other conferences.
• There were fresh faces on stage this year, and I’d like to see more of that (ideally not sponsorship-driven)
• Let’s admit it, the audience is aging, and throwing parties only in loud venues turns a lot of people off. I know a number of people who left the closing night party early since of this. The Wednesday evening event was nice; you could meet up and chat with people without losing your voice.