If you attended all of them, you will have got very tired!

I was not able to attend the ClickBank Exchange to other commitments. However, I heard from people who attended that it was a motivating and intimate convention.

As always, the Affiliate Summit Convention managed to gather most of the biggest players in this industry in one place for a few days. From vendors, affiliate networks and affiliates, they all attended.

I must admit that because I was so busy, going from one meeting to another that I didn’t have the chance to go to any of the sessions, not even the keynote address. This is why I purchased the Gold Pass (and I highly recommend that you do as well). This pass gives you free access to the videos of all the Affiliate Summit sessions and keynotes.

The ShareASale party took place the first night and in the last few years has become the unofficial main Affiliate Summit party. This year, the party was “Barn Dance” themed and was held at the Trianon Complex in the Hilton. Good food, an open bar, live music and a photo booth made for an excellent evening and the line dancing and the mechanical bull topped it off! The mechanical bull looked very easy to handle from the stable floor but once I was on it, I was kicked off after only 4 seconds!

The next evening, I was invited to a cocktail party held on a huge boat with 3 levels. During the party, the boat cruised around the island of Manhattan. The event was organized by MediaWhiz, which is one of the finest affiliate networks you can find. The cruise lasted almost 4 hours and during the evening, there was very good canapés and free drinks available as well as a disco on the top level. From the top level, you could enjoy the beautiful view of Manhattan. The boat left the dock before nightfall and returned after dark so we were able to enjoy the view both at sunset and afterwards. Both views were spectacular!

The exhibition floors seemed to be emptier than ever this year. It seems that more and more affiliates are finding less interest in walking around the exhibition hall and instead prefer to mingle at the hotel bars and at restaurants nearby. I assume that the dropping number of new affiliates can also explain this development. I walked the exhibition for less than an hour. I had seen most of the presenters the previous years and there were very few new ones.

Assuming that the Affiliate Summit continues to attract the major players in this industry then there will always be a reason for a guy like me to attend. However, I hear from more and more people that they will not be coming to the next event due to a lack of networking opportunities. Frankly, I have heard this kind of comments many times before and, more often than not, I see those people there next year! However, I do agree with their feelings and have a good understanding of where they are coming from.

As time goes on, I find that there are more internet marketing events being held each year. These new events try to bring something fresh to the Affiliate Summit. LeadsCon is a good example of this new event. As the name suggests, LeadsCon tries to focus on the lead generation industry. You will find fewer newbies at LeadsCon. Instead, LeadsCon is a good place to meet the network managers at the top of the industry and some of the guys that can blow the internet with the amount of traffic they are managing.

The LeadsCon cocktail party was a very crowded and popular event. It took place at the Stone Rose Lounge and most of the people there were dressed pretty smartly. There were fewer jeans and T-shirts on display and more suits and high heels! I wasn’t able to attend LeadsCon sessions but I heard from those who did that it was pretty good.

The main thing is that these last few days in NY have gone very well. You can’t get your business to grow by hiding behind your computer. Instead, you have to get out every couple of months to attend these kinds of events. You have to show yourself in person and meet the right guys that will help you get your business onto the next level. Now, all that’s left to do is to follow up the leads and convert meetings and ideas into actions!

Still, after all the busyness of the past week, it is good to be back home!

Before you go:

1. Decide what level of pass you want. It will be possible to watch videos of the other sessions afterwards but these are not the same as being there in person. This is especially true if it is your first time going to the Affiliate Summit Event. If you decide to purchase the Platinum pass, do it during the early bird period as then is when rates are cheapest.

2. Try to find out who is going and contact them before your arrival. Become familiar with their faces and try to find out a bit about them. Maybe even think of a few original questions you could ask. Then, when you talk to them, you will make a good impression and will also have something to talk about. This will make you memorable for all the right reasons and so get you one step ahead of your competitors. The Affiliate Summit private social network is a fantastic place to start looking for new connections if you’re unsure where to start.

3. Make sure you pack a small notebook or something you can use to jot down information if you need to. You will hear loads of ideas during the event and even if you’re sure that you won’t forget that one amazing idea at the time, you will probable forget the vast majority of what you hear. Also make sure that notes you make are legible and well written – it is useless making notes that you can’t get anything out of later.

4. Plan which sessions and presentations you definitely want to see. It is easy to think that you’ll be able to decide when you get there but planning is essential if you intend to make the most out of the event.

During the event:

5. Don’t go crazy as soon as you arrive. There will be lots of free alcohol and it is easy to get caught up in all the fun but you will end up not sleeping. The Affiliate Summit Event is very intensive and if you intend to make the most out of it, you must be well rested and clear headed. Most of the newbies forget the time and party all night but then wake up at noon the next day, having missed sessions they had planned to go to.

6. As charming as the people you meet may be, they will not tell you exactly what they are doing and how they are making their money. You don’t get anything for free and people certainly won’t be handing out treasure maps to the new kid in town. However, do pay close attention to how they phrase their sentences and any throwaway comments they make. Even if they don’t intend to, people often reveal very useful information during these events. Also make sure that you don’t reveal too much yourself – you should protect your interests too!

7. Don’t become fixated on swapping business cards. Most of them time, people will forget you very quickly. (This is also why it is so essential that you follow tip number 2). It is better to make a few very useful contacts rather than hundreds of useless ones. When you do swap business cards, make sure you write a few notes on the other person’s business card about your conversation and what you would like to get from them.

8. Don’t miss the keynotes session or other sessions you thought you wanted to see, even if you think they will be boring. I highly recommend that newbies watch as many sessions as they can live – they are amazing opportunities to meet some of the great faces of the Internet marketing industry.

9. Have fun! However, only do this in moderation or on the last day, when you have time to recover. That way you will have no regrets about how you spent your time at the event.

After the event:

10. As soon as it is possible, write up and expand on all the notes that you made during the event. The event will be fresh in your mind and so you can easily add to your notes that you made.

11. Get in contact with your new connections. Even if it’s just a few words saying how much you enjoyed meeting them, a polite note will add to the good impression and make sure that they remember you.

12. Watch the videos of the sessions you missed. Don’t think that you’ll do it in a few weeks because you never will. Also, they could well be connected to other sessions that you have already seen and so you’ll be able to get more out of them

If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to find the perfect balance of work and play and ensure that you make the most out of the Affiliate Summit Event.

When I choose which network I want to join, my priority is to make sure that I will get on with the people I will work with. Although I do not expect to get special treatment from them from day one, I always make sure that I am on the same page as them. I definitely recommend that you do this too.

I’m really interested in technology and I care about the technology I will work with with the affiliate network. The big networks often have their own unique systems that allow you to set your own settings to use in your day-to-day work. I like to automate some of my work. Therefore, having a decent level of technology on the affiliate network is essential. This helps me to get better results on my end more easily. In turn, I work more effectively for the network. Everybody wins.

You should also make sure that the payment schedule works with your current situation. Cash flow is something that you will become familiar with very fast, especially if you are working with a pay-per-click system. Some affiliate networks pay once a month, others every fortnight and some on a weekly basis. The type of payment system could have a great impact on your ability to grow your business.

My final consideration when picking an affiliate network is one that is very important to me. Some affiliate networks are fully aware that certain products they are working with have a bad reputation and that lots are complete scams. I never work with scam products, so I stay away from networks that do. I don’t believe in making money by effectively stealing someone’s hard-earned cash.

I always look to meet my readers and always look for new business opportunities.

Cya in Vegas

So I found myself in London, at the Excel exhibition center at the suburb of London, about 30 minutes by the tube from the center of London.
The Excel exhibition center is a nice place but is located in an area that you don’t want to get stuck at night, at least not me. There is nothing around but docks and few hotels. The transportation to the center of London is so easy, so the decision to book a hotel at the heart of London definitely proved itself as the right one.

The show itself was well organized. It’s not in the scale of the affiliate summit. I would say that close to 1,000 people attend for this show.

In the exhibition hall most of the exhibitors were local companies. This is good because that was the main reason for my visit. There were some local affiliate networks along with some local merchants. I found some new business opportunities. It’s early to talk about the chance to succeed with them, but it’s a good start.

Although I didn’t have much spare time, but between one meeting to another, I took the opportunity to enter to some of the sessions. The sessions at the A4U, at least the one that I entered, were a bit different from what I’ve got used to so far: More information less people who try to sell their product or their name. However, most of the information deals with SEO rather with PPC and social networking. The sessions were less innovations but with deep saying.
I didn’t meet any “super affiliate” that managing huge amounts with PPC. However, I did meet some guys who own amazing websites with lots of organic traffic.

For me London is always a good place to visit at. I was lucky to meet a great weather: sunny but not hot!
You can’t (cont ) expect more from an affiliate week.

The A4U is relatively new event comparing to the Affiliate Summit. I believe that it will get better. See you next year at the A4U in London.