Featured Attendee Profile: Richard Downs

Richard Downs 447

01Richard Downs
CEO — Gtld Systems
Twitter | LinkedIn


FAST FACTS

Location: Gibraltar
Number of years in the domain industry: 3 years
Favourite extension: .web
Domain name you wished you owned: my.web
Best city for conferences: Barcelona, Spain

Q&A

Describe your company and how long you have been there.

We are a registry management services provider specializing in the gTLD Industry.

Can you tell us about how your service or product helps deliver value to your customers?

We operate on a low cost, performance incentivized business model, allowing individual or small registries access to an experienced team with proven success, for a significantly lower cost than an in-house staffing. Having launched and managed 16 gTLDs, yet owning none, not only are we experienced we are unique in our impartiality. As well as day to day management, we provide a brokerage service. I personally have sold over $3.5M in premium domains, and built and priced the complete premium inventory including tiered automation stock in both Asian and Western markets.

What are your thoughts on the new TLDs?

They are an obvious and necessary expansion of the industry to service the ever increasing need for good, succinct domain names. There have been obvious concerns with the initial roll out but hopefully they will be addressed for round two.

What kinds of changes do you foresee within the industry in the next year? 5 years?

A large growth in the Indian market and a resurgence in China once the MIIT applications have been approved and actual usage permitted.

What are you most looking forward to at the upcoming NamesCon?

Seminars and networking.

What industry trends or topics do you think will be at the forefront of panel and keynote discussions this year?

China, premium domains and round 2 of the gTLD applications.

What was one of your biggest “Aha!” moments in life?

When i sold my first big premium domain two weeks after the launch of dot Bid.

Latest and greatest accomplishment in your career?

Brokering $820k in premium domains within the first 3 months of starting Gtld Systems.

Name 3 things you can’t travel without.

My phone, passport and laptop.

Where is your favourite place to escape?

The beach at the end of my street.

What was the best advice you were ever given?

If you don’t ask, you don’t get.


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