Which ICANN sessions domainers ought to attend
A quick look at relevant sessions at this stretch’s ICANN conference.
ICANN 51 formally kicks off today in Los Angeles. There are a lot of domain name investors in attendance, so I created a quick guide to sessions that might be interesting to them. Even if you aren’t in L.A., ICANN has excellent online participation tools that make it almost easier to attend virtually than in person.
Here are my picks.
Monday October 13
Welcome Ceremony (8:30 to 10:00, all times PDT) – this is worth going to if you’re attending the conference in person. It sets the stage for the rest of the conference.
IANA Department – Who, What, Why (10:30-noon) – It’s a bit on the policy wonk side, but this will be very educational for those interested in the U.S. giving up “control of the internet”, which is seldom understood.
Update on Next Round of Fresh gTLDs (3:15 to 4:30) – ICANN will provide the next steps and a timeframe for a second round of fresh TLDs. I don’t expect much fresh news in the way of dates, nor do I expect any dates to actually be met. Still, this will be interesting for those that are considering applying for a fresh TLD next time around.
Joint Registries, Registrars and TLD Applicants Meeting (3:00-5:00) – this is an “open ended session”, which might mean it turns into a gripefest between the parties. Regardless, as a domain investor, this might be a chance to meet some of the firms you pay thousands of dollars to each year.
Tuesday October 14
On Tuesday, the board meets with the various stakeholders groups. Two that ought to be interesting are:
ICANN Board meeting with Registries (1:00-2:00)
ICANN Board meeting with Registrars (2:15-3:15)
Also on Tuesday…
Intellectual Property Constituency Meeting (1:15-4:30) – This is the group that pitches all sorts of ideas to protect brand owners, often times making life harder for domain investors. Come hear how they think, and what they’re coming up with next.
Wednesday October 14
Name Collision (10:00-11:15) – Why ought to domain investors care regarding name collisions? Since understanding the path to the release of collision names will help you register them when they become available. (Assuming, of course, the registries don’t make them all premiums!)
Universal Acceptance (4:30-5:45) – If you’ve invested in fresh TLDs, come hear regarding what ICANN is doing to make sure they are universally accepted in email, web and software.
Thursday
Public Form (1:30-5:00) – If you stick around until Thursday afternoon, the public forum is great free entertainment.
