Amsterdam Affiliate Conference Thread

[alexpratt]

Rather than start lots of thread - What I am going to do is use this thread to update you on the event and answer any questions you have.

Cheers

[alexpratt]

March 13th Update


New Name!
As you probably read in the forums CAP Euro Amsterdam has been re-named and relaunched as The Amsterdam Affiliate Conference (AAC) which isn't simply a name change it comes with some really positive updates for the event. The main two changes are that ALL affiliates go free now whether you are a member of a forum or not and all exhibitors and sponsors now pay the same to exhibit and attend.
There is already a new website up and we are working on getting a new email template but feel free to read about further details on the name change here

Keynote Speaker Confirmed
I am really excited to announce that we have managed to get Dave Irvine to speak at the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference (AAC) which is incredible news as this guy has one hell of a story to talk about.
If you don't know who Dave Irvine is, he was most famously a member of the MIT Blackjack Team, a group of undergraduates who won $10 million in the story that inspired the New York Times Bestseller Bringing Down the House and the hit film 21. He is also co-founder of the Blackjack Institute, a graduate of Purdue University's Krannert School of Management, and owner of a successful engineering consulting company.
Read more about this here

Make a Week of it in the Dam
As you may have seen the a4uexpo Europe is running on the Tuesday and Wednesday preceding our event in addition to sharing a joint networking party on the Thursday with us. Having attended both previous a4u events I would highly recommend you fly in a couple of days early and attend their event, not only will you get a discounted ticket but the content they have is incredible.
To get more information on a4uexpo Europe click here or to get the discounted ticket register to attend AAC and you will be given a discount code.

What is Queens Day?
Queens Day happens the day before the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference and is not simply the Queens birthday it is one of the biggest festivals in Europe and a must attend event. On Queens Day over 1,000,000 people descend on Amsterdam often in fancy dress and always in orange and party all day and night to live music, performing arts and many more traditional festivities. This really is the biggest party in Holland and in the same league as Oktoberfest.
We will be holding a joint networking party with a4uexpo Europe during the afternoon of Queens Day (30th April) to warm you up for the party so keep an eye out for the details. To read more about Queens Day, check out our article here

Meet the Speaker
In our London feedback over 25% of respondents requested we get Dave Naylor to speak so worry no more, we hunted him down to a pub in North London and convinced him AAC is the event to attend and as such I am really happy to confirm Dave Naylor will be sitting on two of our SEO panels.
If you don't know who Dave is, check his blog out or follow him on Twitter, he is possibly one of the best SEO guys out there.

Book Your Hotels
Not only is it Queens Day weekend it is also one of our events and as you know rooms go fast even on a normal event so I strongly advice you book your rooms now. The prices we negotiated are a lot lower than other room costs on the net and the rooms are going very fast particularly the Okura which is almost full already so book your hotel now before its too late and you end up in a random Amsterdam hotel by yourself or paying huge amounts of a room. For details on booking hotel rooms please see click here or for information on each hotel click here.

Dates for your diary
We have almost locked in all our venues and locations for 2009 now so time to get get these dates in your diary:

Madrid – Early July 09 – This will be purely for the Spanish speaking market and will be focused on content and networking as opposed to a huge expo although there will be limited space for tabletop stands. Sessions will be in English and Spanish and will include live translations. If you are in looking to enter it this market this event is essential for you to attend.

Budapest - 10th - 13th Sept 09 – This is the new destination for our Barcelona event and is expected to be huge, 1,500+ attendees and over 70 exhibitors so definitely an event every serious operator or affiliate should be at. Get ready for our biggest event todate.

Sydney – Early Dec 09 – Following the success we had with our event in Sydney last year we are returning down under and will once again be hosting an event for all those affiliates and operators on the other side of the world. In 08 we had 200 people in attendance and will be looking to double that in 09 so make sure you get it in your diary now and start planning the trip of a lifetime.
Thanks and speak soon
Alex

[alexpratt]

19th March update

Public transport…I don’t think so!
Following the success of the ‘Paddy Wagons’ as last year’s CAP Barcelona event, I am delighted to announce that they’ll be back! There will be four shuttles in total going from the hotels to the city centre between 19:00-20:00 on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd May. An excellent opportunity to get into town for pre-dinner drinks at the Euro Pub on Dam Square, which we have renamed the ‘Hub Pub’, before the evening parties get into full swing.
Please beware that places will be on a first come, first served basis so make sure you’re at the Hotel reception on time to catch your free ride!
Please click here to view the timetable.

NEW! Sponsors and exhibitors announced
We are excited to announce EGamingOnline (EGO) as our new Silver Sponsor at this year’s Amsterdam Affiliate Conference. EGO offers a variety of brands encompassing Poker, Casino and Backgammon. They have been a regular exhibitor at our previous events and also sponsored the Best Poker Affiliate at our Awards Ceremony in London.

In addition to EGO’s Silver Sponsorship, we also welcome new exhibitors Betboo and Stryyke, who join more than 50 other exhibitors already lined up for AAC. To see the full list of please click here.

How do you use videos to engage players?

More and more gaming websites are implementing videos to engage first time visitors and educate players. So, we’ve managed to get Tal Reisenfeld from EyeView, one of the leading companies in creating effective online video and rich-media experiences, to impart his knowledge on how to do this effectively. He will explain:

• How different gaming videos affect players
• What first time visitors view
• How long you can keep their attention
• What makes a video a good video

Tal will be presenting ‘What online videos engage igaming players?’ between 10:30 – 11:00 on Friday 1st May. A presentation not to be missed!

To view the full conference schedule, please click here.

AAC Speaker nominated as UK’s top female social media guru
Congratulations go to Judith Lewis on her nomination at the Female Social Media Guru Awards 2009. The award serves to celebrate the wealth of female speakers and practitioners of social media and challenge the current under-representation of women on event panels by offering a high profile platform. To find out more please click here.

Judith will be speaking on the SEO Panel at the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference, 14:15 – 15:00 on Friday 1st May.

Only 20 rooms left at the official hotel
If you haven’t booked your hotel accommodation already and you wish to stay at the official AAC hotel, the Okura, then you need to book fast as there are only 20 rooms still remaining! Click here to book now or to view the other hotels available.

Keep your eyes glued to your inbox for more conference updates…new topics…new speakers to be announced shortly.


The AAC Events Team

[casinojack]

Alex

Any response to Why CAP Mexico has 20 people?

I'm sorry to sound like a jerk, but this is kind of bad business, your even going on NOW , you forgot about and jumping to the next one?

One of my affiliates is there now, and called me to apologize for trying to get me to go..He told me today, there is not one CAP person there !

[republican]

Originally Posted by casinojack

Alex

Any response to Why CAP Mexico has 20 people? One of my affiliates is there now, and called me to apologize for trying to get me to go..He told me today, there is not one CAP person there !

A lot of people on all the forums (PAL/GPWA/AGD) all have a lot of respect for you Alex and everything you does for shows and affiliates. Why was CAP Spring Break not canceled? Why do Warren and Dominique still act like it's not a big deal?

Alex, if the name change means anything then you have to not allow Warren, Lou or any other CAP staff at your events. This will be the only way they will have impact again! Please listen to the affiliates and the managers here!

Also very much looking forward to Budapest this year!

[alexpratt]

Hey Guys -

CasinoJack -
CAP Springbreak is different from any event you will ever see or experience and over the years it has cost CAP a fortune to host - No lie, its bloody hard to get sponsorship for parties etc becaue they are so expensive and hard to justify to the bosses by the AMs - The reason it kept going is that affiliates loved it and after last year many US affiliates asked for it to return so we tested Cancun and the reason we went with an all inclusive is to ensure that if there are no sponsors the drinks food etc is still free.

The idea this year was to take it back to how it used to be which I said in many forums, i.e. a relaxed holiday where you can hang out with colleagues, friends, family etc and unfortunately because of the way it is set up very few people register on the site so its extremely hard to judge how many people are going especially when I see people saying they are going but can't see them registered.

We didn't drop the ball - We wanted it to be chilled, relaxed, informal etc - Unfortunately it seems to have lost its way a little but I believe (reports from a couple of affiliates and operators there) that things are back on track and people are having fun.

Republican
As mentioned above we didn't cancel because we didn't know how many people were going and tbh this is what SpringBreak is about - Not 100's of people, its about meeting and hanging with people in a relaxed environment. Remember it started when a bunch of affiliates met up on holiday in Miami

Re CAP staffing the event - CAP SpringBreak is a CAP event - It was started by CAP members and has always been around (way before my time) hence why they are staffing it - Its not a commercial event and much more a way for affiliates to hang in a relaxed environment not, stands, tickets etc etc

[mojo]

Its not a commercial event and much more a way for affiliates to hang in a relaxed environment not, stands, tickets etc etc

Boy Alex. You have had a hard time of it. Sorry to see that. I really am.

It is however a commericial event with aff managers there and wristbands etc. Events were set up with no-shows, people spent thousands going there. No matter if it was one or a dozen, these people should not have shown up in Cancun with no one there to advise them. They are there as we speak winging it.

How could one excuse the fact that the few people there were not told this conference was abandoned. If even one person is out thousands it should be refunded. I see warren said London didn't send the email. What does that mean?

WarrenCAP
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Hi Everyone,

As I said in my other post, we did intend on having several fun activities and small gatherings sponsored at CAP Spring Break. Due to the recent challenges we've faced as well as the change in management, these events could not be organized. We intentionally didn't cancel CAP Spring Break at the request of several people that were already attending and figured it would be a good thing to go back to the old format where it was more of an informal meetup.

There was a miscommunication between our team and London on who would deliver this message and I do apologize if it was never sent out to the registered attendees.

Sam from CAP arrived yesterday and Yvette will arrive tomorrow. They will try to send an e-mail out to everyone and ensure people can make the best of it.

Please contact me with any questions.
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[elgoog]

Mojo, allow me making a small nuance:

Mojo

I see warren said London didn't send the email.

Warren said:

There was a miscommunication between our team and London on who would deliver this message

[mojo]

Thanks elgoog.

Nuance:

A subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation.
Expression or appreciation of subtle shades of meaning, feeling, or tone

I stand corrected. Warren didn't say that London didn't send the email. It was a 'miscommunication'.

Sorry.

Silly me.

So who is "london"?

[casinojack]

These guys tried to take me for 40k, Sorry to the affiliates who are there, and I know I come off as upset. I will not respond to these type threads anymore, and apologize to GPWA for stirring the nest...