I flew over 20 hours to attend Domain Days Dubai—an event about domain names—and it was absolutely worth it. Day one kicked off with opening remarks and a really impressive presentation from Dr. Marwan (CEO of AI for Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism) about the future of digital assets in Dubai. They want to double GDP by 2033, and honestly, based on how fast Dubai has grown, I believe it. We also heard from the CEO of Freename about Deora, a new platform for buying fractional shares of domain names, then it was the usual (and very Dubai) rhythm: coffee break networking, more sessions, lunch, and a ton of meetings. The hospitality at this event is unreal—if you go hungry, that’s on you. We ended day one with Right of the Dot’s online auction, with names like doha.com and dubai.net up for grabs, and some people got insane deals (bestjob.com sold for $650). Day two was all about content for me since I was a media partner, interviewing people across the MENA region. The recurring theme I heard was trust—customers expect you to take care of them when something comes up—and in Dubai, the bar is high because hospitality is world-class. I also moderated a panel on influencer marketing, Gen Z, and domains, and we wrapped with a VIP yacht party around the Palm Jumeirah. After my second year, I can honestly say it’s my favorite industry event—keep an eye on the tentative dates: October 14–15, 2026.