This week, the fastest growing tradeshow that many have not heard of took place in Las Vegas. As was the case last year, and the year before that and perhaps at every show they’ve organized, this year’s show sold out. Several of the sponsors and perhaps twenty percent of the exhibitors will do the same at either Ad:Tech and/or Search Engine Strategies. The topics covered, though, which include "Developing the Right Merchant Mindset" and "Panel: How to Recruit Super Affiliates" along with "Maturing a Large Corporation’s Affiliate Program" are unique to this conference. As one that has seen a fair number of tradeshows both big and small, what makes Affiliate Summit so intriguing, is that by many accounts, it wouldn’t or shouldn’t sell out.
Hotel:
Calling the Bally’s a luxury hotel, especially in a city that boasts over-the-top institutions like the Bellagio, Hard Rock, and the Wynn would be like calling diarrhea a friend. It might sound harsh to describe Bally’s as the next best candidate for demolition, but one look at the shower curtains makes you think Motel 6 not $200 per night in Vegas. You won’t find any night life at the Bally’s unless you consider the slice of Middle America attached to the slot machines entertainment. Walking outside and looking across the street at the Barbary, you expect to see the same ten foot sign for the T-Bone steak special adorning the side of Bally’s. In fact, I bet were the JoeBucks.com guys to buy space in the Bally’s and sell their goods their retail, they could make a killing. It’s their, and quite a few other affiliate offers’, perfect audience.
The hotel, though, doesn’t really bill itself as a destination hotel. In all fairness, it’s not as though the Hilton, home to Ad:Tech New York, qualifies as a stellar hotel. As far as mega hotels capable of holding a conference the size of the now 10,000 person Ad:Tech go, the Hilton ranks at least in the top quartile. The Bally’s simply has a mediocrity that stands out in comparison to hotels near by and those at other conferences where they might not achieve greatness but at least think they come close. More than anything, the grandiosity that most shows try to achieve has us accustomed to expecting more from the venue than we get with Affiliate Summit. It’s a combination of the high hopes from shows and the expectation that a show will take place in a venue where we might actually want to stay, as opposed to one where we would avoid.
Weather:
Judging by the attendance at the Digital Revenue party at the Wynn Hotel’s Tryst Monday night and the number of random encounters at hotels on and around the strip, those attending the show didn’t confine themselves to Bally’s. With temperatures in the 30’sat night and a wind chill bordering freezing, that first step outside makes the Bally’s a little more palatable. If you visit Vegas during the summer and think of it as a more tropical destination (hard not to with the sand, water, and alcohol), you will find winter Vegas a shock to the system.
Conference Area:
The conference area reflects Bally’s overall commitment to underwhelming its guests. The registration takes place in a lobby like area in front of the main salons. Check-in for non-exhibitors and sponsors operates out of a room meant for coat checking. Sponsors and exhibitors check-in at the more conference standard kiosk, but instead of a whole room full of these overgrown lemonade stands, there sat just two. If you step into the rectangular staging area after having come from an Ad:Tech or SES, you might think you had the wrong location. Quite a few smaller conference have more impressive and obvious registration / badge pick-up areas. The whole experience makes you think that a) only 100 of the 2000 tickets were really sold, b) the union was on strike, and/or c) this was the first show Affiliate Summit had organized. None of those are actually true, of course.
Sessions take place in "Classrooms," although through no fault of Affiliate Summit’s, several of the classrooms could have housed a football field. Each had minimal signage and looked barren by other industry tradeshows. Most speakers ended up doing their own A/V as presentations weren’t pre-loaded. The exhibit hall stood next to the classrooms, the whole multi-thousand person area emptying into the same area which made it feel more compact and very accessible. On a positive note, the exhibit hall size and layout made for a welcome change of other shows. It had three rows with booths on each side of the row. You could walk it in a reasonable time. The flow of traffic was good, energized, not too rushed, but operating with purpose. And, if you needed a place to chat, they had more than enough tables plus wifi.
People:
If you judged Affiliate Summit based off of the venue or the weather, you might wonder how it survives as a show. You might wonder who would want to attend. Yet, year after year people do. They tell others and the demand continues to grow. It’s in this respect where Affiliate Summit shines and puts itself ahead of so many other venues. You don’t go because you feel you have to. You go because you want to. You go without many expectations but a belief that something will come of it. And, you find yourself proven right. You have those making a few thousand a month in the same space as those making millions, and only here do you find those whose salaries exceed seven figures manning their own booths. It’s hard to nail exactly, but at this show people seem more open, more approachable. You feel like you are among friends, that they won’t judge you but welcome you. It might be the nature of the industry or something unique to Missy and Shawn, the organizers, but whatever it is, you almost hate to leave.
Summary:
Affiliate Summit is the -1 + -1 = 3 show. For so many reasons it shouldn’t work, but each time it feels like one of the most successful shows. It’s a no frills experience that might just work because it mimics the work environment of the attendees. It’s all about the mission, and that’s what the crowd attending can identify with. Anyone feels like they can belong; anyone feels like they might just have a chance. It’s not cliquey like Webmasterworld, not such a production and zoo like Ad:Tech, or sterile like SES and The DMA. Each of those shows I like, enjoy, and learn from, but none match the blue-collar accessibility, a two-thousand person version of Cheers, that is Affiliate Summit.
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