3 Tips for Attending Affiliate Summit West 2012
Affiliate Summit West 2012 is just around the corner and is the most anticipated affiliate marketing event of the year. This year’s Affiliate Summit will be located at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, between January 8-10. It is expected to sell out by the end of this month.
All the biggest players from all angles of the affiliate marketing world will be at this event. Last year, Affiliate Summit West saw a record breaking 4,800 attendees, with this year being even larger.
People interested in the affiliate marketing industry come from all over the world to attend these three days educational sessions, exhibitor discussions and networking opportunities. There are also a ton of sponsored parties and after hours networking events.
Super affiliates, top performing merchants, affiliate management companies, and affiliate advocates will all be at this event. It this THE place to learn and mingle with the best of the best.
This will be my fourth Affiliate Summit West. I attended my first one in January 2005 when I first started in the industry as an in-house affiliate manager. Over the years I have learned a few things about attending Affiliate Summit that I’d like to share:
1. Set Goals
Before you leave, set a few (or even one) solid goals you’d like to achieve from your time there. Maybe your goals are centered around affiliate recruitment. Make sure you decide if you’re going for quality or quantity before you get there so you can adjust your affiliate networking strategy accordingly.
Maybe your purpose is to find the right affiliate network to launch your program in, or to find a vendor to help you solve a problem you continue to face with your already existing program. Maybe you want to attend all the educational sessions or listen to a particular speaker.
Whatever it is, make your goals clear before you get there so you make the most of your time and come back having achieved what you went there for in the first place.
2. Spend Time on Affiliate Forums
It’s a good idea to spend some time on the affiliate forums, such as ABestWeb.com or Forum.AffiliateSummit.com, a few weeks (or days in the very least) before you go. You’ll be able to see what conversations are taking place before you leave and it will help you find people you might want to meet up with while you’re there.
Be sure to introduce yourself on the forums before hand and make your presence known, however be sure that whatever you’re contributing is genuine and of value to others so you’re not just seen as spamming the boards.
This is also a good place to see what parties and after hour networking events are being held, so you can decide which to attend. The after hour networking events are a great place to meet some great people in the industry, whether it be vendors, new affiliates or old industry friends.
3. Pre-book your Meetings
Affiliate summit is so huge with so many people to meet it’s hard to know where to focus your attention once you get there. If you’re anything like me, being there is like a kid in a candy store. Everything is exciting and you want to get a taste of it all.
But the reality of it is there is just not enough time to see and do everything, so you have to be smart about how you spend your time. By pre-booking meetings with important partners, you’ll be sure to make the most out of your trip to summit without missing anyone essential. Usually people arrange to meet at the hotel bars or somewhere during the conference.
Just keep in mind, there are going to be a lot of people and it’s easy to get lost, so make sure you have everyone’s cell phone numbers so you can call or text each other just in case.
Affiliate Summit West is by far the most essential affiliate marketing industry event of the year. There is so much to look forward to and learn that those who attend come back with new found energy, strategy and ability to succeed with their affiliate marketing programs.
If you don’t have your tickets yet, you can register now on the Affiliate Summit website before tickets are gone for good.