This wrapup will concentrate more on Affiliate Summit itself rather then other eventssuch as parties.
Day 1
Affiliate Summit West 2009 took place at the Conference Center at The Rio in Las Vegas January 8-14. The RIO is an excellent place for this event. It’s a bit less busy then the strip hotels, the rooms are awesome and the conference center is top notch. The first thing I did was go to register. The line was crazy long which showed the huge amount of people that were attending this event. This is no small get-together, Affiliate Summit is a serious conference attended by the best in the business.
The most memorable session I went to that day was Nickycakes panel hosted by Andrew Wee. A lot of good information was given and the seminar was packed.
The other main draw of day 1 was the Meet Market. The Meet Market is basically a stripped down version of the exhibition hall. A lot of companies that either didn’t have the budgets to be in the exhibition hall or wanted to be in both places were at the meet market. Companies from all verticles attended. There were Affiliate Networks, tools for affiliates, advertising platforms and much more. Meet market was also a great place to meet up with people you have only met online but not in person yet.
Day 2
Day 2’s main draws were more Seminars and the opening of the Exhibition Hall. The exhibition hall was huge. Just about every major affiliate network was in attendance with really nice displays and giveaways. I spent a lot of time wandering the hall, talking to people and doing some business. Thinking back, I spent most of my day 2 in the exhibit hall. There were tons of good seminars going on as well.
Day 3
By day 3 I was burnt. I did some more exhibit hall and attended Ian Fenando’s seminar on Keyword Blasting.
Why YOU need to go to Affiliate Summit
I have never been to a conference with even close to the vibe of Summit. People want to help each other and see each other succeed. Summit has so much going on all hours of the day that you can’t even catch it all. The price of the pass is an investment that you will reap benefits on for years to come. If you have never been to a Summit you have no idea what you are missing. This business may be an online one but you need connections to make it work. Get tickets NOW for Affiliate Summit East in NYC. You won’t regret it.
Please Note: I do receive a Press Pass to Affiliate Summit which get’s me in for free however, all statements and thoughts are my own opinions.
Summit was so much fun. It was a pleasure meeting you there.
I haven’t been to an Affiliate Summit yet but I think you just sold me.
Umm, maybe I stayed in a lower class room or something at the Rio but my room was TERRIBLE. There were no comforters on the beds, the pillows were stiff, there were WHITE STAINS on the ottoman at the foot of the bed.
@Josh – weird. Yea your right about the no comforters but our room was REALLY nice and clean. Last time I stayed at the Mirage and this was a lot nicer. I guess with thousands of rooms there are variables.