One of the largest domain conferences in China will proceed with its second act this July in Xiamen, China.
UPDATE: The conference website seems to be only in Chinese at the moment. However according to English documentation that I have obtained, the conference will be held at the Swiss Grand Hotel. It will feature multi-platform real-time auctions. They are stating “Ten platforms: 10,000+ bidders…” Auction items will include “user submitted quality domains and reserved quality domains from registries.” Besides new gTLD auctions, they are indicating domain names will be on auction for “Double Pinyin, NN, NNN, LL, LLL.”
Ticket prices range from an incredible $19 for a “Common Ticket,” which gets you in the door to the entire meeting and even the “closed-door” sessions, plus the chance to network and get invited to non-published events by sponsors and such. However if you’re looking to attend the lunches, welcome wine party, round-table dinner and want your 4 or 5 star room included in the deal, it will set you back anywhere from $199 for a “Silver Ticket” to $299 for a “Gold Ticket,” or $399 for a “Diamond Ticket.” That’s a steal by western standards.
Xiamen is a lovely metropolis with fabulous outdoor markets and attractions. It’s known as China’s “domain island” where several domain name registrars and domain investors are located.
It’s on the coast and about an hour and a half flight NE from Hong Kong, or about three from Beijing. Last I checked, it will take you 1 or 2 connections to get there from the USA or Europe. You lose a day when traveling there from overseas, so for USA folks that means you can still enjoy the 4th of July, leave on the 5th or 6th, and get there in time for the start, although you may have to deal with the jet lag.
I’ve been to Xiamen several times in the summer and it can be rather warm and sticky, even for someone like me that’s originally from Houston. But don’t worry, they have A/C.
I have to say that everything seemed well-organized last year for a conference with over 1,000 attendees, at least from an attendee point of view.
So last year, on behalf of ChopChop.domains, I put together a video summary of the first event held in Hangzhou that will give you a little taste on what a Chinese domain name conference is all about. I also had all of about 7 minutes to grab the person that ran the entire conference on behalf of the main organizer, BizCN.com, and do a quick video interview with her. It sheds some light on the increasing role of women in the China domain name industry.
The site for this year’s conference is at www.GDSday.com
PINKY BRAND 
I believe I have some great Chinese domain names that would be of interest to this audience. How does one submit domains for auction at this event? Who do I contact to inquire about becoming a domain seller within this platform? I have reviewed the website but did not see any domain submission area for consideration.
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I’ve requested additional information on the process and will post once obtained.
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Thank you Pinky for your help. In addition to new gTLDs, double pinyin, NN, NNN, LL and LLL, do you know if IDNs (such as TLD Registry’s .在线 and .中文网) will be included for sale within auctions as well?
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I am informed that the English language pages will be ready by the end of April. I’ll advise on the URL once it’s ready. I’m not aware of any specific plans by TLD Registry to auction premium IDNs, keeping in mind the event was just announced. If and when any names are going to be auctioned an announcement will be made.
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