How much exactly do Aff Programs pay to go to Conference?

[mojo]

With all the cutbacks and term changes, quotas etc there are Questions!

What is the bottom line that you pay to buy a 'booth' - I heard a booth is 5k minimum - then beers and dinner, hotel, flight, taxi, entrance, pre-registration, registration, don't forget the beer and taxes? How many from your office? Times 2 or 3? Minimum? Does it cut into your earnings as an AM and therefore cut into affiliate earnings? Do you budget for this? Does it give you a return? (ROI)

Now we are talking about tens of thousands.

How do you set up your booth? Do you go all out or are you reserved? What exactly are you looking for and do you find it?

Does the value exceed the expense?

Would you give up conferences to save the bottom line?

Enquiring affiliate minds want to know!


I love this subject.

[mojo]

I hope Ixian didn't see all my edits.

[GCG]

business first, affiliates second............

[slotplayer]

With all the cutbacks and term changes, quotas etc there are Questions!

maybe that's why they can still afford to attend.

from someone that worked in high tech for 24 years for a bunch of companies, I can say that when times are tough, good times like big xmas parties, quarterly events, etc.. are the first to go. of course OT goes out as well and then raise freezes. all bad signs. Generally layoffs follow.

Unless the return is worthwhile I can't imagine programs not cutting this expense in difficult times, but nothing adds up in this industry.

[Ruairí]

@Mojo

We did BAC this year in conjunction with the re-launch of our programme, and we were pretty happy with the results. It was the first affiliate conference we really had a presence at, overall spend was probably between £5-£10k including flights, accomodation, dinners, stand sponsorship, etc, and I think that would be the low end of the scale. Some of the bigger affiliate programmes would easily spend twice that.

I think if you are a new programme, it's beneficial to take a small stand, review how the exhibition goes as in quality of affiliates, # of affiliates, # of promising leads, brand awareness, etc and then decide if you want to increase budget for the next expo.

Just from a brand awareness point of view we think the exhibitions are worthwhile, so hopefully we can do something slightly bigger & better for LAC. I think in the short term the expense probably exceeds value, however, in the long terms I think the value will certainly over take it.

That would be the plan anyway

[grem]

I don't know what they pay but I do know affiliates go for free which is great

[grem]

Many conferences charge everyone money to attend so when someone sponsors the gambling events think of it as them paying for the affiliate to go free

[xecutable]

Does the value exceed the expense?

I believe that the value vastly exceeds the expense which for affiliates is pretty much tickets, a hotel and lunch money. It's a great way to meet new, people, get to know your AMs and make new friends if you are a social person. Can't speak for everyone, but I met a lot of people in Barcelona and I am glad I attended.

Does it cut into your earnings as an AM and therefore cut into affiliate earnings?

Good luck getting an answer to this one! Even if it did, I doubt anyone in their right mind will post it here.

I think Alex can most likely answer your questions in terms of how much it would cost, depending on how big or fancy you want your booth to be.

[alexpratt]

From an affiliate's point of view check out xecutable's article from our recent iGBA mag - http://www.igbaffiliate.com/blog/conference-call

By the way if you want me to add your site as a link in the bio let me know

In terms of costs it varies hugely, personally I am tight so I could do it cheap but there are others that spend a lot of money and measure this in a number of ways - Here are just a few from the top of my head

• Meeting new affiliates
• Brand awareness and fighting for share of mind in a crowded market
• meeting current affiliates (it would cost a fortune in time and money to fly around the world and meet all your affiliates)
• Buying market share for the long term

In terms of ROI I don't think it can be exactly measured on a stand alone event with the # of affiliates met because in my opinion it isn't simply about meeting new affiliates each time as per my four reasons above. Plus if you are a new operator it takes time to build trust and a brand......You also have to work your stand hard to get results, its not like you are buying a shop, you are buying a market stall and you need to fight for the business

I do though strongly disagree stands etc are paid for by fleecing affiliates - All sectors have conferences, mags, websites etc which are used to market for new customers and in none of those sectors would people fleece a customer to pay for the marketing expense - It just makes no sense and sounds like more a conspiracy theory than fact.... especially when you look at the numbers the bulk of our exhibitors/sponsors report to the market, they aren't exactly suffering at the moment!

When you look beyond at our event to the b2b iGaming events the stands and spend is at least 4x , for example our biggest stand is 60 sqm and Playtech's stand at ICE is a double decker stand that measures 715sqm!!!!

Also - just a final point we have never increased our prices in 6 years (since launch) and have always made everything free of charge for affiliates whether this be entrance, lunch, conference, poker tourney or the magazine.

[AE-Martyn]

I think you (a general you) need to visit a conference to understand the value and positivity that can come from them before you can understand if there is 1. Reason to attend and 2. Does the amount spent justify the expense.

Simply going to a conference isnt going to make you rich, it's what you do when you get there that is going to make the difference. Forging relationships with affiliates and affiliate managers, cutting deals, working out more exposure, meeting bosses and other reps that attend is the big thing.

I see a lot of snide remarks about conferences on forums and they generally come from people that dont attend them. These are free for you to attend as the programs pay to make it so. I recommend you try at least one to give you an understanding of what they are and what goes on there.

A lot of people post social pictures of what went on at night. However, what you dont see (as much) are the pictures of people sitting down, talking about business and finding new ways to make money. They would be boring pictures right? So noone is going to post them.

Yes there is a very good social scene in this industry and if a program or iGB want to sponsor a bar or an event then let them do it. It's purely a branding exercise.

business first, affiliates second............

Surely this is the same thing no?????

[AE-Martyn]

I should say that I've been doing conferences for some time now and each year I meet new affiliates and strengthen relationships with current affiliates.

Value added I'd say.

[grem]

It is a luxury to have a conference where affiliates do not have to pay.

Look for SES conferences or A4uexpo and find out how much the prices are.

The next show come for the seo panel
http://www.igbaffiliate.com/events/i...schedule/day-3

[mojo]

I see a lot of snide remarks about conferences on forums and they generally come from people that dont attend them. These are free for you to attend as the programs pay to make it so. I recommend you try at least one to give you an understanding of what they are and what goes on there.

A lot of people post social pictures of what went on at night. However, what you dont see (as much) are the pictures of people sitting down, talking about business and finding new ways to make money. They would be boring pictures right? So noone is going to post them.

I think it's safe to say we've all been to a conference whether in this biz or another. I'm not sure what you mean by snide. Angry yes lol.

I personally don't want to see what goes on at night. It's great that everyone wants to go out and party. Nothing wrong with that but no need to show the world. It makes me think of the embarrassment of the one at the office christmas party who will never live it down lol. It'd rather just put the name to the face or see everyone playing poker or basketball or anything lol.

How many events do you go to a year Martyn?

I do though strongly disagree stands etc are paid for by fleecing affiliates - All sectors have conferences, mags, websites etc which are used to market for new customers and in none of those sectors would people fleece a customer to pay for the marketing expense - It just makes no sense and sounds like more a conspiracy theory than fact.... especially when you look at the numbers the bulk of our exhibitors/sponsors report to the market, they aren't exactly suffering at the moment!

I'm honestly trying to understand this Alex. I think we all see things differently. Not sure if you read around the number of affiliates who are having their terms changed and programs claim they have to do this to stay in business. They have to cut back on aff earnings to stay alive. Affilates don't get paid and things like bwin happen. I think we are in two different worlds lol.

from someone that worked in high tech for 24 years for a bunch of companies, I can say that when times are tough, good times like big xmas parties, quarterly events, etc.. are the first to go. of course OT goes out as well and then raise freezes. all bad signs. Generally layoffs follow.

Unless the return is worthwile I can't imagine programs not cutting this expense in difficult times, but nothing adds up in this industry.

Ditto here in any business I've worked in. Raise freezes etc. So adding unfriendly affiliate terms while simultaneously spending this kind of money sometimes several times a year doesnt make sense.

I do think there is value for someone like Betdaq when launching and introducing themselves. Then maybe once or twice a year and assure everyone is paid and thier is no need to keep changing terms first.

[alexpratt]

I personally don't want to see what goes on at night. I think it makes us all look bad. It makes me think of the embarrassment of the one at the office christmas party who will never live it down lol. It'd rather just put the name to the face or see everyone playing poker or basketball or anything lol.

Here you go =
BAC Exhibition and conference https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1828514&type=1
Or if you are after intelligent stuff we have over 40 videos of sessions here in our resource area http://www.igbaffiliate.com/resources/videos

I'm honestly trying to understand this Alex. I think we all see things differently. Not sure if you read around the number of affiliates who are having their terms changed and programs claim they have to do this to stay in business. They have to cut back on aff earnings to stay alive. Affilates don't get paid and things like bwin happen. I think we are in two different worlds lol.

Of course I see this and do understand why you make the connection but I really don't think there is a connection - Things are changing and have been for a very long time, as markets regulate operators have a wide variety of options in terms of how they acquire a player of which one is affiliates and that means they are looking to reverse the power in the relationship which can sometimes result in things that some affiliates don't agree with....This is part of a market evolving nothing to do with the price of stand which in relative terms is actually generating them money....Look at bwin.party's results recently http://www.bwinparty.com/Investors/F...20Results.aspx they don't exactly look like they are going to need to rip affiliates off to pay for a stand with tens of millions they make.

I understand you could then lead on and say what about the small programs but these guys depend on affiliates and I just don't think they will do this or at least don't do it to pay a few k for a stand.....I met a really interesting guy in Vegas who used to own a group of Microgaming casinos and is now an affiliate and he said the most frustrating thing when he was an operator was that affiliates constantly accused them of shaving, stealing, fudging figures etc. but they never did but he had no way of proving a player just simply stopped playing, he said he is now on the affiliate side and gets the same suspicions so he now understands but because of his history he knows 99% of that is just rubbish.

Finally I think you have to also realise that not all programs of affiliates are having a bad time - I personally am on for my biggest month ever by a long long way and many other affiliates are doing just as well, so just because you may have a bad month doesn't necessarily mean the operator has had a bad month too

[casinobonusguy]

I just got back from the Las Vegas Event and the igaming section was very small ,casino city ,Alex and I think one more display.We went as it gave us a chance to catch up with our friends we have made from attending previous events. We had a nice lunch with Simmo ,AmCan and Brean and it was nice to have a couple hours where we gave feedback on various things and to develop true friendships.
We do not attend any events where it is impossible to have a conversation which is why Michael's event is so nice .Great food , great view and lots of opportunities to network and get to know the people we work with online.There are folks that go to party and are drunk the entire event but there are more of us serious business people at these events ,we probably do not take as good of a photo though
I am willing to bet if any of the regular conference affiliates had a disaster that caused them unable to work on their sites for months on end the rest of us would pitch in for free and run their business for them .You cannot get that sort of friendship and loyalty from posting anonymously on a forum . Some things you cannot put a dollar value on , I am still waiting on Alex to plan a cruise event for us ,maybe have a normal conference with cruise optional after so we can justify the expense to Europe or go to Caribbean

[mojo]

don't think they will do this or at least don't do it to pay a few k for a stand.

I understand why you would say this but by the time you add everything up it's more than just a few k for a stand. Much more.

99% of that is just rubbish

I don't buy that either lol. We seen it, caught it red handed and watched programs close, disappear, impode, close the program and watch the casinos keep our players. There are reasons affys are like we are.

I am willing to bet if any of the regular conference affiliates had a disaster that caused them unable to work on their sites for months on end the rest of us would pitch in for free and run their business for them .You cannot get that sort of friendship and loyalty from posting anonymously on a forum .

I will have to respectfully disagree with that also. There are many here I would be happy to help that I have not met in person. I have in fact. Both financially and with work.

I have also been helped myself from some of the kind folks here. There is nothing we should not be able to do online. This is an online biz. Meeting in person is nice but not a requirement.

I did enjoy the GPWA vegas event too when I went and they do a nice job. Love Vegas.

As far as bwin, perhaps they got there because they screwed affiliates. http://www.belosers.com/

[AE-Martyn]

I think it's safe to say we've all been to a conference whether in this biz or another. I'm not sure what you mean by snide. Angry yes lol.

Me too, and safe to say conferences in other sectors are just not the same. I've worked in other sectors of affiliate marketing and been to some dull events so you cant compare those to the experiences at a conference you have never been to.

I personally don't want to see what goes on at night. It's great that everyone wants to go out and party. Nothing wrong with that but no need to show the world. It makes me think of the embarrassment of the one at the office christmas party who will never live it down lol. It'd rather just put the name to the face or see everyone playing poker or basketball or anything lol.

You don't have to go out on the evening, most conferences recently I go to I go out for dinner then head back to the hotel lobby where I catch up with people for a few quiet drinks. It's optional.

How many events do you go to a year Martyn?

3 or 4.

[mojo]

Me too, and safe to say conferences in other sectors are just not the same. I've worked in other sectors of affiliate marketing and been to some dull events so you cant compare those to the experiences at a conference you have never been to.

One AM told me awhile back it was extremely boring and he dreaded it. It's all what you make of it. I have a good time no matter where I go.

Are you saying I should not speak up on these because I don't go them? It's not rocket science these things lol.

[alexpratt]

Are you saying I should not speak up on these because I don't go them? It's not rocket science these things lol.

I think he is saying that you have started a number of threads over the last couple of years saying various things about the affiliate events such as being annoyed with the emails, that they help promote rogue programs, they are a waste of money/time for affiliates/programs, people just get drunk at them and now the fact they are affecting people's earnings and T&C's

AND if you came along to one of our events you may feel differently - Of course you can have your opinion and speculate and you really never have to come but if you did you would at least have some grounding or understanding of the events so you can make more informed accusations.....

Either way it doesn't matter a whole heap, personally I would love you to come one day so I could show you what we do and what teh events are really about plus so we can spend some time together as I believe we would actually get on really well and be best friends forever.....seriously

[mojo]

I missed Vegas this year but would like to meet you some day and be BFF's.

Over the years I have posted and will probably continue to do so.

Here are some of the reasons. Whether I attend one or not is irrelevant.

1. Spam
2. Unable to get ahold of reps during the numerous conference days
3. Programs changing terms and claiming poverty all the while spending 10's of thousands on these
4. More Spam
5. AM's taking off to conferences without paying affiliates
6. Conferences allowing booths to rogue programs like bwin
7. The pictures aren't my fault, I didn't post them.

Say what you will about me but these are all valid reasons and I have a right to say them. I don't make them up, they are fact.

When we do finally meet in person Alex, you will love me LOL. Believe it or not I'm a pretty happy person. Just add my Dad's Irish temper when fighting for what we believe.