So, as you can see from my diary entry, a lot was accomplished at Affiliate Summit 2009 in New York City. While it may look like all we did was drink, which is probably pretty true, there was a lot of business conducted at the same time. And not to mention a helluva lot of networking opportunities. I met with a number of people from Wicked Fire, and a bunch of other network owners, affiliates, other people in related industries and a whole tonne of affiliate managers. I think I came home with nearly 200 business cards, some of the best networking I’ve done in years. I only wish I would have brought more cards with me because I ran out on the third day.
Overall I would recommend Affiliate Summit for any affiliate marketer, whether you are just starting out, or are a veteran in the scene there’s nothing better than putting faces to names, and discussing business ideas, opportunities or whatever in person rather than via email or telephone. Sorry to say it kids, but sometimes looking someone in the eye is better than any contract or agreement you can set in place. It’s been done this way for thousands of years and I don’t see it changing very soon.
The summit itself was spectacular, the location was right in the center of town and easily accessible to anyone, plus the name badges they handed out were huge so it was very easy to see who else was attending the conference and go up to say hi to them without fear that you were introducing yourself to someone who wasn’t involved in the show in some form.
The exhibit floors were packed with all sorts of interesting companies and service offerings for people marketing products, services or pretty much anything else they can think of. The networking opportunities seen here are rivaled by pretty much nobody else in the industry. I didn’t attend many of the sessions as I was out mingling with other internet marketing nerds, but I hear most of them were pretty well done as well. Hopefully in Vegas I will have a chance to attend a couple of these and report back on them to you, my readers.
Now, to the parties. Yes, there were parties, drinking, and more partying done at Affiliate Summit and I wouldn’t turn anyone away from these parties. They are crucial to expand your personal network of friends, business partners and other cool things. Plus everyone is a little tipsy so it’s mega easy to get introduced to people regardless of how shy of a computer nerd you are. All done at some of the top clubs in New York, this was great and thanks again to all the networks for throwing these parties.
Overall, besides the heat in New York, this trip was amazing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. See you all in Vegas in January for more fun.