.nz is joining fellow domain industry leaders at GDD Industry Summit

I’m currently attending the ICANN organisation’s Global Domains Divison (GDD) Industry Summit being held in Vancouver, Canada. Arriving to warm weather, soaring mountains and water as the back drop, certainly made the 14hr flight worthwhile.

Myself and another conference attendee Jennifer arranged to meet prior to the session content starting. We agreed to hike up the Grouse Grind Trail. A very steep trail that starts at 300 metres elevation and climbs to 1,100 metres. I perhaps should have read the website beforehand, as it warned the hike is rated difficult. My current lack of fitness certainly meant my body was unprepared for what lay ahead. There are no flat sections – it is straight up. However upon reaching the top we were rewarded with amazing views from the top of Grouse Mountain overlooking Vancouver city. Reaching the top was certainly an accomplishment we were both proud of.

The GDD Industry Summit is now in full swing. It’s great to catch up with industry colleagues and customers from across the globe. The event provides attendees the opportunity to engage and address issues of mutual interest and importance.

A common theme of many of the sessions is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with the implementation date‎ of the ‎25 May 2018 approaching. There are also a couple of sessions discussing brand and marketing which I’m looking forward to attending. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn from fellow domain industry leaders and work together to continue to provide world class domain services.

The remainder of my time will be continuing meetings with .nz authorised Registrars and potential new Registrars. The atmosphere is certainly buzzing with acquaintances reconnecting and new connections being made.

If you are attending the summit and would like to schedule a meeting, please email tracy@internetnz.net.nz or at the very least congratulate me on surviving the Grouse Grind Trail!