Review: Why You Should Go to Affiliate Summit West/East

For those of you that don’t know, Affiliate Summit is an affiliate marketing convention. And, affiliate marketing is a type of online performance-based marketing.

Before I ever attended Affiliate Summit, bloggers basically just gave the following reason for attending:

  • “networking” is everything,
  • Affiliate Summit is just “the place to be,”
  • and sign up for affsum through my affiliate link (at least they’re honest).

Well, there were a lot of posts like this for ASW09, that were essentially just fluff.  None of these “reasons” had any weight on me deciding to go.  I guarantee, that in a few weeks these same posts will be reiterated for ASE09.

These are not the primary reasons to go to Affiliate Summit.

Why I Went to the Last Affiliate Summit

Last time I went, I was still attending college (I majored in Marketing, by the way). I talked to one of my college advisers, and he agreed in giving me credit for attending — as long as I attended the sessions. Also, I thought it would be a way to determine if I should do performance marketing full-time.  It’s also an easy tax write-off.

Fast-forward to the conference. I bought a Platinum Pass (cost: $1,000+) and attended most of the sessions.  First of all, the information I learned from one session made that $1,000 price-tag worth it.  I’ll be attending the sessions again.

Meeting people.  Yeah, I guess this is considered “networking.”  Meeting other affiliates at the parties and convention will likely be the most beneficial aspect of Affiliate Summit.  Also, make sure you bring in enough business cards with you (having your phone number on your business cards is not recommended).

When you do meet other affiliates, most of them aren’t going to just give you “free” tips — if that’s what you’re looking for.  Sharing ideas and strategies that you find to work with each other is the only way to go.  On a funny side note: a fellow affiliate told me of someone writing down notes when they were listening into someone else’s conversation (not recommended, obviously).  Also, don’t ask others how much money they make or brag about how much you make; it’s annoying.

Exhibit Hall & Vendors. A lot of affiliate networks are going to want you to join their network. And, they’ll come up to you almost unexpectedly. It’s hard to figure out what’s unique about most of them.  But, there are a few niche-networks that may become your new “bread winner” so make sure you are still respectful — even if they don’t appear to be.

There may also be a few traffic sources that you’ll meet there too, but there aren’t as many vendors as there is in Ad:Tech. I, personally, thought there would be a lot more vendors before I went last time to ASW09.

About Affiliate Summit East 09

Okay, it’s going to be in NYC.

Where: Hilton New York
When: August 9-11, 2009
Current Pricing: Platinum Pass ($879), Gold Pass ($279), Silver Pass ($79)

The Silver Pass lets you in the door to talk to the vendors (and virtually nothing else), but that is really all you need. However, I’ll still be going to the sessions.  Also, prices will go up soon.

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4 responses to “Review: Why You Should Go to Affiliate Summit West/East”

  1. MLDina Avatar

    The sessions at Affiliate Summit are always informative, but I find the networking most beneficial. While it’s usually centered around fun activities, that really is the best way to interact with potential business partners. You can relax a bit and have business conversation without the sales pressure. Hope to see you there!

  2. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    @MlDina: Yeah, I agree – networking is definitely beneficial.

  3. Marc Avatar

    This might be a silly question, but could you expand on why having your phone number on your business cards is not recommended for Affiliate Summits?

  4. Shock Marketer Avatar
    Shock Marketer

    @Marc (sorry, for this late reply) You may get a lot of phone calls from sales people (i.e., affiliate managers, etc.). Some people actually have different cards (some with phone numbers and some without). Typically, too many offers are difficult to handle and focus on.

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