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As I am preparing to leave for New York this weekend to attend Affiliate Summit, I am reading through all of the planning and packing and party posts. I’m going through my usual motions of getting a hair cut, picking out some new clothes, and figuring out where I left my Poken again. It all of a sudden occurred to me that I am not sure why I am going to Affiliate Summit this time. I don’t mean to suggest that I don’t know what the benefits are. It’s the one conference that I never miss. Rather, I need to figure out why I personally am attending this particular Affiliate Summit.
When I first started going back in 2006-2007, I was attending in large part to educate myself. I visited almost every single booth and attended sessions all day every day. I was also starting to network but was so overwhelmed with the basics that I didn’t do as much networking as I would have liked.
From 2008 to 2009, I stopped attending as many sessions and started focusing more on building and strengthening my network. The “parties” (mainly non-conference activities) became more important for me because I spent time caring more about the people involved in the business. I’ve found that even if someone isn’t a “business partner,” some type of business eventually comes out of most of the connections I have made at Affiliate Summit. Even if it doesn’t, my network of affiliate marketing friends is such a huge support to me in life in general that they are a priority to me now.
In the last year, I’ve spent more time on establishing my own place in affiliate marketing. Writing some articles for Feedfront, speaking at Affiliate Summit, and being a part of the mentor/newcomer program have allowed me to get my name out. In fact, I spent a good part of my time at the last few Summits just focusing on trying to be helpful to everyone else in the hopes that good karma would come back to me at some point.
Now it’s time for Affiliate Summit East 2010. I need to go into the conference with a purpose so that I can come out of it with a feeling of whether or not I achieved that purpose. My first instinct is that I need to do a little bit of everything that I have done in the past–attend some sessions to learn to be better at what I do, network with new people to expand my business, and strengthen my relationships with current friends and business partners. Maybe I have finally gotten to the point where I can take advantage of the full potential of Affiliate Summit?
What’s your purpose in attending Affiliate Summit? Is there anything that I am missing?
My purpose is to get off my a$$ and get in the game. I’ve been dipping my toe in different aspects of online marketing for what feels like ever – need to get off the bench and throw myself into the game. The best way, I figured, was to attend ASE.
I run through the same question every year also. I will go to a few of the sessions but usually don’t get a ton out of them. I will walk through the Meet Market and Exhibit Hall but usually don’t end up finding new merchants to work with or tools to use or anything like that there.
98% of why I go is to reconnect with friends. Every Affiliate Summit (and other events) is like a family reunion. Some of my best friends are affiliates and it is always nice to meet up with them and have dinner or hang out in the bar until 4 AM or just sit in the lobby and talk for a while. Without the people I wouldn’t go to Affiliate Summit.
.-= Joe Sousa´s last blog ..The Goal Has Been Reached! =-.
Awesome post, you have to have a purpose in attending! I agree with Shawns comment on keeping the ability to communicate with everyone there. Most times the best ideas do not come from where you expect.
My purpose in going to Affiliate Summit is to do as much networking as I can through my photos and also talking with everyone possible. I also need to learn more about the affiliate marketing business because I really feel I suck at it. I am also very much going to improve my public speaking by participating in a panel.
.-= BenSpark´s last blog ..Win LEVERAGE Season 1 & 2 DVDs =-.
Great post, and one I sympathize with as well. I always try to attend, always make/strengthen great connections, but is there something more I could or should be getting out of each Summit? At least this one we definitely have a very specific agenda.
Also… Go, Steelers!!!
I like to enter any conversation at Affiliate Summit with this quote from Emerson in mind, “Every man is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him.”
Sometimes I walk away with my best new idea from a complete newbie.
So, I try to talk to as many different, new people as I can.
.-= Shawn Collins´s last blog ..Get the Word Out About an Affiliate Program =-.
Shawn I couldn’t have said it better. We are going to network about our clients, introduce a new client to the people we know and get her started making *her* affiliate connections, and we always plan to meet new people and learn new things.
So many things on the agenda overlap that we have 2 plans, one the plan that we work in person and the second, the plan as to what sessions we will have to watch via video. The panels that are interactive are the ones we will try to attend in person!
In the past some summits were spent in too many meetings, I like it better when we can connect with people, get a starting point, then work with them more closely after the event.
We always, always learn something new, and hopefully along the way we drop a few nuggets of our own to help others.
.-= Deborah Carney aka Loxly´s last blog ..Were you at BlogHer We have a deals sheet for you! =-.
You wouldn’t believe it, but I was planning on tweeting exactly the same question out, and compiling a blog post based on what people reply. I guess, I’ll just have to tweet a link to this blog post of yours instead now… 🙂
.-= Geno Prussakov´s last blog ..Affiliate Commission Range Question =-.