Affiliate Summit East Thoughts & Review
I just received a survey to fill out from my recent experience with the Affiliate Summit Conference, and I think blogging about it will help me express my ideas better.
First…I was given a free Platinum Press Pass by the conference, and I am really thankful for that. I spent some time live tweeting the sessions, and will be posting it on my next blog post.
Let’s go to Question 1 of the Survey
I picked HIGHLY likely. I haven’t registered yet because I’ll probably be submitting a speaking pitch for SEO site reviews or something SEO specific.
2. Here’s your chance to share your opinion, positive or negative, about Affiliate Summit East 2010. What did you like or dislike? Favorite or least favorite things about the conference? This applies to anything… sessions, staff, venue, etc.
Here’s what I disliked – Some speakers didn’t offer any valuable information. There was this one session about PPC that was supposed to be advanced, but it was more like a basic course. The speaker just went over what’s the difference between Search Engine PPC and 2nd tier PPC networks. The session was supposed to cover strategies….I don’t remember him uncovering anything of the sort. People left early…
Here’s what I liked – Wil Reynolds….very good speaker and very good content. It isn’t quite often where you have both combination. He had over 30mins to speak about SEO Linkbuilding, and from START to FINISH it was awesome. He speaks at Affiliate Summit every year, and his session isn’t one you would want to miss.
Strategies for Marketing to Women by Kim Salvino, Tricia Meyer, Kristin Kinsey, and Laura Connors. AWESOME! It’s not often where every speaker on the panel delivers really good information. I learned a lot about how/why women shop, and tips in how to capture their attention. I rate this 2nd best session of the conference. This was the last session of the conference. MAKE SURE you stay to the end of a conference otherwise you’ll be missing out on good info!
3. What topics would you like to see covered in the future?
Facebook is great, but there are other platforms like POF that need to be addressed or have someone cover it. Would also like to see topics on self serve ad networks
Media Buys - large/small …what to look for, and what to avoid. Dropping 10k w/out any help or insight can have your spouse kill you for losing all that money in just a few minutes!
4. What was the primary reason you attended Affiliate Summit East 2010?
Networking!! Meeting and seeing people again was awesome! I met Wil Reynolds, ShoeMoney, Michael Gray GrayWolf, Carolyn Shelby, Michael Martin, and even Shawn Collins (who took a whole bunch of us to eat steaks at Spark’s restaurant….and we went in a limo.) I also hung out with Jon Henshaw (Raven Tools), Rae Hoffman SugarRae, and Emilio and Lauren (Blogvertise)
I saw Markus, Ben, and Sheena from POF. They spent some time talking about their ad network, and how I could tweak my campaigns. I had about 20 questions, and every question was answered to my satisfaction. Great network…great people
Here are some suggestions - There were a lot of networking events going on and I didn’t see it on Twitter. (Maybe I missed it due to a lot of ppl tweeting with the #ASE10 at the same time). Most people come to the conference to network. This was my first time back in NY in 18yrs, and I didn’t remember anything except for Ray’s Pizza. I follow Shawn Collins (founder of Affiliate Summit) on Foursquare, and saw that he went to Connolly’s so that was my first pick to go eat lunch. Most new ppl to the conference or to the area need to know where they can eat lunch/dinner outside of the hotel or conference. I spent about 20 mins wondering where I was going to eat….. Suggestion – post favorite spots for lunch/dinner or have users do it. Also, post nearest Starbucks or coffee place.
Not sure why this wasn’t done but I recommend putting the speakers name next to the topic on the Conference agenda sheet. I missed out on session (Search Marketing Campaign Review) that I was planning to see (before I left Charlotte), and I totally forgot about it. I really wanted to hear the speakers Kate Morris and Scott Polk and forgot about the topic.
Overall – If you’re getting into affiliate marketing, you NEED to come to this conference. There are a lot of super affiliates, and you’ll meet a lot of great people. Some of the networks told me stuff they would never mention over the phone or via email <<there words exactly. Signup early so you don’t have to pay hefty increases……….and make sure to go Platinum so you have access to all the sessions.
