Affiliate Marketing Conferences – 2018

We all know that conferences are where the innovators, experts and top tacticians meet to share their secrets… but with hundreds of marketing conferences across the globe each year, it’s challenging to know which is worth your time.

To help you create the most effective networking plan for 2018, we’ve gathered all the top affiliate marketing conferences – events that we know will resonate with affiliates and advertisers in our space.

Note that we’ve grouped these events by their primary focus first – then by date. To get a full overview of all the events, check out the timeline further below.

Affiliate Summit series

This series is one of the longest-running affiliate conference series in the world, with massive attendance numbers and a huge range of topics being discussed. From sweeps and Dating affiliates to Amazon to bloggers and beyond, everyone gathers here.

Affiliate World series

The latest big name in the industry, this series was born organically from one of the most important discussion forums in affiliate marketing, STM. Meetups quickly outgrew themselves, and the polished Affiliate World series was born. It’s the most relevant, “insider” event series on our list.

iGB series

iGaming affiliates and operators are duty-bound to attend these big iGaming summits throughout Europe. You’ll find flash and pizzazz meeting professionality, with all the focus on growing iGaming businesses.

European Summit series

These events dot the European map twice per year, with tight-knit groups defining the atmosphere. They’re great events to get in on the ground floor of affiliate marketing, where vague theory is checked at the door and plain, effective knowledge sharing takes center stage.

SiGMA series

SiGMA is one of the largest iGaming events, rivaled only by the three-part iGB series in Europe. They’ve launched an offshoot event, AGS, which sees 200 affiliates meet with a small group of operators and sponsors. This creates a safe setting for top-level discussions, but note that invitations are exclusive.

The best of the rest

These events aren’t part of a series, but they’re still highly valuable in their own right. We cherry-picked these events for their relevance to verticals and overall value for people in our network.

By the end of this article, you should be able to:

  • Understand the value of these events
  • Select which to attend
  • Start preparing in advance

Many offer early bird ticket discounts or close registration early. Some are far away – meaning that booking your flight and hotel today will save you hundreds. By planning your 2018 affiliate marketing events schedule in advance, you’ll gain an advantage over the most important competitor of all: the unprepared person you used to be.

Timeline of events

2018 events timeline

Affiliate Summit Series

Affiliate Summit West

When: 6-10 January
Where: Las Vegas, United States
Who: All aspects, but special focus on Health & Beauty and Dating (affiliates and advertisers)
Advidi members attending: Mark N., Bram, Matthieu, Rick, Pieter
Why: Although this event is already happening right now, not including it would be… a sin! ASW is one of the biggest events and always sets a strong tone for the rest of the year. Check out our guide to Las Vegas for more information about the event and to prepare for the 2019 editions.

Affiliate Summit Europe

When: 6-7 February
Where: London, United Kingdom
Who: All aspects, but special focus on Health & Beauty and Dating (affiliates and advertisers)
Advidi members attending: Mark N., Ivo, Paul, Patrick
Why: The re-launch of Affiliate Summit Europe sees a return to London for the first time in 11 years. This edition will feature all the major draws of an Affiliate Summit-caliber event: a full meet market, outstanding speakers and unparalleled networking opportunities. It’s combined with iGB’s LAC, making it a full package for both affiliates and advertisers.

Affiliate Summit East

When: 29-31 July
Where: New York, United States
Who: All aspects, but special focus on Health & Beauty and Dating (affiliates and advertisers)
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: Round three of the Affiliate Summit Conferences series takes place in the Big Apple, and it’s appropriately sized: more than 5,500 attendees will meet to discuss all aspects of affiliate marketing. It’s a great reason to check out New York if you’ve never been, and all the speakers and knowledge will certainly make your trip worthwhile.

Affiliate World series

Affiliate World Europe

When: 18-20 July
Where: Barcelona, Spain
Who: All verticals; special focus on Mainstream + Dating; mostly affiliates, some advertisers
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: The European counterpart to Affiliate World Asia, AWE is one of two STM-sponsored conferences. Many of the conferences on this list either cover a very broad area of focus or a unique niche that may not apply to everyone. We can confidently say that AWE, along with AWA later in the year, will once again stand out as one of the most specifically useful events for our partners in 2018. This year’s edition is headed to Barcelona, but you can still learn a lot about the series from last year’s Berlin guide!

Affiliate World Asia

When: TB
Where: The last few years have been in Bangkok, but don’t book your flight yet – change may be on the horizon…
Who: All verticals; lots of Mainstream + Dating affiliates
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: One of the only major affiliate marketing conferences in Asia, Affiliate World Asia is the place to be in December. Whether you’re coming to attend world-class speakers like Neil Patel or just want an excuse to check out all that Bangkok has to offer, this STM-run event offers endless value.

iGB series

iGB London Affiliate Conference

When: 7-10 February
Where: London, United Kingdom
Who: iGaming + Mainstream operators and affiliates
Advidi members attending: Maja & Sietse
Why: London Affiliate Conference is run by iGB Affiliate and will also feature the iGB Affiliate Awards. This year is special, as it coincides with Affiliate Summit Europe – LAC takes place at ExCel, while ASEuro is nearby at the O2. This is a great way to double down on your 2018 conference attendances. The focus of LAC will be exclusively on iGaming, while ASEuro is more broad.

iGB Amsterdam Affiliate Conference

When: 17-20 July
Where: Amsterdam
Who: iGaming + Mainstream
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: Our home town plays host to round two of iGB’s three annual conferences. The Amsterdam edition of iGB Affiliate conferences saw around 4,000 attendees last year, of which half were affiliates. With 100 speakers and 40 in-depth sessions, the event puts a high premium on discussion and learning, with plenty of B2B networking opportunities to back it all up. Don’t forget to visit our office if you come!

  • Tickets: Admission is free for everyone. Register in advance on the official website.

iGB Berlin Affiliate Conference

When: TBA
Where: Berlin
Who: iGaming affiliates and operators
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: This is the last iGB Affiliate Conference of the year, capping off a tour around Europe (first in London, then Amsterdam, and finally Berlin). This follows the iGaming theme of the others and pulled in 3,000+ attendees last year (of which more than half were affiliates). That number is expected to grow with this edition, so if you’re serious about iGaming, all three of the iGB conferences should be high on your list.

European Summit series

The European Summit – Lisbon

When: 2-5 March
Where: Lisbon, Portugal
Who: Mainstream + Dating
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: The European Summit is more tight-knit than other conferences on this list; with around 1200 attendees, you can imagine that the focus is relatively narrow here. That makes it a great place to meet new prospective partners and really go into detail with those connections. The three-day event includes a casual kick-off with fun activities followed by two days of B2B networking and product exposition.

  • Tickets: Get early bird pricing before 25 February 2018 on the official website. Affiliates attend free!

The European Summit – Prague

When: 14-17 September
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Who: Dating affiliates and advertisers
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: This is part 2 of the European Summit series, with the earlier edition taking place in Lisbon. Not only is Prague a wonderful city, the event promises its own array of benefits. Seeing as it’s a smaller event (around 1500 people), it’s a great place to get into deep conversations about specifics – something that often gets missed at other conferences, where brief high-level chit-chatting are the norm.

SiGMA series

Affiliate Grand Slam

When: TBA
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Who: iGaming affiliates and select operators
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: This affiliate-only event is unique in its setup – 6 operators and 6 non-operators will meet with 200 affiliates (no more) in an exclusive setting. Last year was Bucharest, this year is Prague. If you’re one of the lucky ones to get in, you can’t miss it.

  • Tickets: Affiliates attend free, but are limited to 200.

SiGMA

When: TBA
Where: Malta
Who: iGaming
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: The Mediterranean island of Malta boasts hundreds of iGaming operators, making it the obvious choice for a massive iGaming conference. The Summit of iGaming Malta (SiGMA) is free for affiliates and will host 40+ affiliate programs, 60+ speakers, 100+ exhibitors and 3,000+ attendees, making it one of the largest iGaming-focused events in the world.

The Best of the Rest

Mobile World Congress

When: 26 February – 1 March
Where: Barcelona, Spain
Who: Mainstream
Advidi members attending: Marijn & Matthijs
Why: The GSMA Mobile World Congress is one of the largest mobile conferences in the world. To give you an idea, it’s sponsored by Android, Adobe, Twitter, Huawei, Intel and Visa (just to name a few). The GSMA is a global advocate for the mobile industry, and this event brings together the best of the best. If you work in mobile and want to stay ahead of the curve, this one is a must.

Game Developers Conference

When: 19-23 March
Where: San Francisco
Who: Gaming
Advidi members attending: Sjors & Pieter
Why: GDC is the leading Gaming conferences worldwide, featuring 5 full days of immersive Gaming discussion. From fascinating “Video Game Postmortem” analyses to speeches and panels from some of the biggest players in the Gaming industry, the conference has no problems in satisfying its 26k+ attendees.

Casual Connect Europe

When: 29-31 May
Where: London
Who: iGaming, CPI, Gaming
Advidi members attending: Roy
Why: Casual Connect Europe is a large conference focused on Gaming and apps. Topics include game design, esports, social casino, funding, next-generation technology and best practices in the industry. With speakers coming from top companies like Facebook, Supercell, Google and Valve, it’s a valuable place to be if you want to remain on the pulse of the Gaming and iGaming industries.

 

Webmaster Access

When: 15-18 September
Where: Amsterdam
Who: Dating
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: Webmaster Access is the European counterpart to Las Vegas’ interNEXT earlier in the year, with a heavy focus on Dating products and services. If there’s an up and coming trend in the industry, chances are good that you’ll hear about it here first. Affiliates attend for free, which adds a nice incentive! And the location is fantastic, of course…

ad:tech London

When: TBA
Where: London
Who: Mainstream affiliates and advertisers
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: Tech and advertising are becoming more and more integrated – and the potential applications are boundless. At ad:tech, you’ll be presented with the vibrant core of innovation in this area, with focus on practical applications of emerging technologies. If you’re eager for the next wave of advertising, plug into ad:tech.

World Telemedia

When: 8-10 October
Where: Marbella, Spain
Who: Mainstream affiliates and advertisers
Advidi members attending: TBA
Why: This is an ideal conference for anyone in Mainstream – it’s focused entirely on direct carrier billing solutions and mobile content monetization. Advertisers will appreciate learning about how the field is growing in various directions, while affiliates will gain inside knowledge on how DCB offers are generated.

We’ll see you there!

Will you be powering up your knowledge and networking at any of these events? The Advidi team will be at all of the above shows, and we’d love to meet you there! Book your meeting in advance to guarantee a spot:

 

Book your meeting now!

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