Domainer Mardi Gras is coming soon, and, here behind the scenes, it's shaping up nicely. Accountants, legal professionals, and industry representatives will cover the serious business of risk management. Local experts on New Orleans Mardi Gras culture will show you how to have the most fun during Carnival, so conference-goers won't be at risk of anything less than a first-rate experience.

In short, the first Domainer Mardi Gras will be unique for both business and for pleasure.

The conference's serious side will focus on managing the risks in domaining. Domainers are no longer in a wild west industry. Advertising networks scramble to enact policies which they hope will make sense for everyone. Governments struggle to effectively manage new media markets from a mixed perspective of old and new ideas. Many different kinds of organizations have a stake in what happens with the domaining industry. Some of those organizations still see no difference between honest domaining, and the less-defensible practices they lobby against.

In this environment of increased visibility, every domainer must begin seeing his or her activities as a complete business operation, and Domainer Mardi Gras is intended to cover the most important weaknesses and threats seen now and on the horizon. We'll also present strengths and opportunities to sharpen your game and stay ahead.

In that vein, the conference's keynote speaker will be Tim Burns, author, accountant, lawyer, and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Burns has written books about entrepreneurship that are translated around the globe. At Domainer Mardi Gras, Burns will present his perspectives on the changes in political and economic landscapes affecting domainers in 2009.

We'll also have Ron Jackson of DNJournal and Andrew Alleman of Domain Name Wire with an update on the state of the industry and relevant trends. Experts in domain law, tax law, and parking trends will separate the matters from the myths, about everything from upcoming actions by the American administration, to running your businesses offshore.

Day one generally covers the nuts and bolts of domaining on-the-books in the current environment. In the final session we discuss offshore services and incorporation. Then it's ties off and collars unbuttoned until late-late in the French Quarter... but we'll get to that mayhem later.

On day two, the session on diversification will help you decide if, when, and how to choose a ccTLD for investment. That same session will help you evaluate the allocation of your domaining income streams. That session features still other practical diversification tips, in an hour-long knowledge glut served by Rick Latona, Patrick Carleton, and Antony Van Couvering.

Never losing sight of the basics, we will next return to general domaining topics with an updated industry outlook session. Representatives for DirectNIC, SEDO, WhyPark.com, Parked.com, NeuStar and ICANN will chair a panel to discuss the near future of domaining. A panel so potent, with parking and marketplace providers, web hosting providers, and a rising star in next-generation services, will have high-level insight about how the most relevant industry leaders will position themselves in the domaining game this new year. NeuStar has helped build four of the best-branded and best-selling alternative TLDs on the Internet, and combined with ICANN, will share with the panel their outlook for the top-tier organizations and the impact of big changes ahead.

Of course, a domaining event would be incomplete without an auction, so Thought Convergence's Aftermarket.com has seized the afternoon of the second day for a simultaneous live/online auction focusing on names related to risk management and Mardi Gras. The submission period is still open at Aftermarket.com for this auction. High-quality domains and lots featuring names outside of the conference theme are perfectly welcome.

After the auction, business winds down with a Carnival-inspired awards ceremony, and then it's time to party. First, attendees can hit the Krewe of Endymion parade, featuring Kid Rock and the extravagant floats and festivities of New Orleans' biggest superkrewe. That parade tends to outperform all others in scale and excitement, so if you only attend one, then Endymion should be it. Next up you'll have exclusive access to a balcony over Bourbon Street. If you have never seen Bourbon Street live during a Carnival weekend, it will be unforgettable as you watch, for the first time, streets flowing with many thousands of people, carousing shoulder to shoulder late into the night.

If you've got time to be in New Orleans before and after the conference, you'll want to pick up the upcoming edition of Modern Domainer magazine. It's packed with the knowledge of locals and former residents of New Orleans and surrounds covering everything from where to eat, to where to catch the parades, to how to understand the local dialect. Food is a big deal in New Orleans, and you won't want to miss the wide range of top-notch establishments we've compiled for the next issue. It's rich not only with pointers for a variety of appetites, but also on the history and culture of several world-famous, and some very old, Crescent City eateries.

We've also compiled an atlas of the ccTLD world landscape which we think will become essential as more domain investors seek opportunities outside of .COM, and prepared reports on ccTLDs and gTLDs, plus interviews with registry operators and perspectives from niche insiders.

That's our report on big things here at Modern Domainer magazine. We hope you're having a great New Year, and we'll see you in New Orleans!