Munir Badr, founder of Domain Days & CEO of AEserver, is a respected leader revolutionizing the UAE’s Digital Landscape.
Name: Munir Badr
Company: Domain Days Dubai & AEserver
Favorite Domain: domaindays.com
Favorite Industry Conference: Doman Days Dubai
Favorite Industry Blog(s): DNJournal
Tell us a little bit about your background and your personal story:
My parents moved to Dubai in the 90’s and I am proud to call this city my home. I have seen it grow from a desert to a futuristic city that is making news all over the world with its recent development. Dubai is on another level!
How did you get involved in the domain industry?
I started my domain name registrar & hosting business, AEserver out of my bedroom when I was in the last year of school before attending the university. I then progressed and became one of the first privately accredited domain name registrars in the UAE for .ae domains. Today we are proudly one of the largest registrars not just for the UAE, but for the whole region.
What is your current role?
Founder & CEO
Why did you choose to support the ICA?
I have many friends and business partners who are ICA members and I have been following the work of the ICA for many years and I believe that as an organization serving different sides of the domain name industry with a focus on domain owners it is something unique.
Can you share a prediction about the future of the domain industry?
The co-existence of standard and web3 domains in every form, including the ability to access both of them with from the same browser without any special tools.
What do you like most about the domain industry?
We are the foundation of the internet, it all starts with a great name and making the right decision from the start is what matters!
If you could change one thing about the domain industry what would it be?
A set of standardized registration policies that vary in some way when it comes to ccTLDs. There should not be 100’s of different methods and requirements, but a set of a few meaningful requirements that can then be used by the ccTLD operators to decide on how to offer the domain name. The problem today is that each ccTLD has its own, often a different version of another ccTLD policies that makes it longer and harder to integrate, sell and scale.
What do you think are some of the biggest challenges the domain industry is faced with?
Competition from social media. In some regions where we work, people do not see a need for a domain name other than for email purpose, the rest is done via the social media account!
What do you wish other people knew about the ICA?
That it’s a global organization with people all around the world, perhaps having more meetings to reach out to members everywhere could sort this out!
What would you tell someone who is thinking about joining the ICA?
Join ASAP if you care about the future of the industry!
What unexpected doors opened for you because of your involvement in the domain industry?
The flow of business that started from domains and lead us to being to offer everything from hosting to servers to colocation, etc.
What’s the best advice ever received (domain related or otherwise)?
It’s a mass market and margins are often near zero, you have to find creative ways to differentiate.
What are your main interests outside the domain industry?
Fitness and water sports.
Favorite place to get away?
Road trip in Europe.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Special thanks for Zak for being in the MENA region many times, else our paths would probably not cross!