Affiliate Summit West 2012 Recap

This time last week, the Share Results team worked through the Exhibit Hall at the Affiliate Summit West 2012 in vibrant Las Vegas. The Summit was held at Caesar’s Palace this year, and took over most of the spacious and comfortable conference halls and rooms. It was the biggest Affiliate Summit West show to date, we could feel the expansiveness and crowds.

Both the Meet Market and the Exhibit Hall featured several recognizable players, as well as newer ones that gave the show a slightly different and fresh feel from past affiliate marketing conferences. They were packed with affiliate networks, fast traffic dealers, software providers, ecommerce suppliers, and several service providers alike. In terms of setup, a notable addition this year were the meeting tables distributed around the room that made impromptu catch-ups with clients and partners much more convenient.

Our focus at the show was to reconnect with several partners and to create new relationships. With great new growth objectives this year, we also wanted to highlight our significant expansion into network management services. A recent and successful example of this is with our managed program with The Bay, a large Canadian department store, which we recently launched on the Commission Junction network. This program is timely, since it fits within the emerging movement of Canadian retailers integrating the affiliate marketing industry, which was quite abuzz during the conference as well. Other much talked about trends were tied to mobile applications, mobile tracking, re-targeting and complete solutions (network, software, quality traffic and ROI considerations). Beyond the Exhibit Hall, several of the breakout sessions scattered throughout the Summit were fast paced and topical in regards to several of these trends.

At nighttime, a little entertainment and letting loose in Vegas is a must. We’d like to thank our fellow industry members for the great and unique events they held throughout the Summit which allowed us to meet and connect with both organizers and attendees. Namely, the ShareASale Under the Stars Party, at the Paris Hotel. The ambiance here was magical, with its terrace set under the Eiffel Tower, Renaissance style desert tables with live Marie-Antoinette centerpieces, and an accessory packed photo booth; there was the UFC Click Booth night at Randy Couture’s private gym; the Affiliate Ball with Nelly in concert at the Rio; and finally, the industry night OPM Pros party at the XS Club at the Encore Las Vegas.

Overall, it was great to reconnect with partners, publishers and colleagues across all events at the Summit. Thanks to all attendees for a great Summit. See you at the next one!