Affiliate Summit 2006 – An Record Setting Affiliate Marketing Event

Arlene and I have just returned from the exciting Affiliate Summit 2006 held in Las Vegas, at the glitzy, glamorous Bally’s, which boasted more than 1,250 attendees and nearly 60 impressive exhibitors.

We met many of our past and present students (Mark, Felix, Sue, one of my favorite students from another part of the planet and many others), enjoyed time with colleagues and made lots of new friends, all while learning more about the growing affiliate arena and the unlimited possibilities it holds both now and in coming years.

As I have said before, I firmly believe there is no better time to be in this business and the 2006 Summit just echoed my strong sentiment here.

In fact, when Arlene and I first attended the Affiliate Summit just two years ago, when we sailed from New York to Halifax on a Carnival Cruise Ship, there were around 220 people in attendance.

Then, the following year, in 2005, we attended the Affiliate Summit at the legendary Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (a town Arlene and I just love visiting). This time, there were 500-600 people, more than doubling attendance from the previous 2004 Summit.

With this year’s Summit, the attendance is six times the number of attendees in 2004 and double that of the number of attendees in 2005. Now, that’s growth you don’t see in many industries (if any) in this day and age.

It’s true. We’ve tapped into something here folks – something that is as fun and as fulfilling as it is lucrative!

What’s more, with each Summit we have seen the presenters grow stronger; the exhibitors become more professional – truly mirroring what is currently going within the affiliate marketing arena worldwide.

And speaking of quality and growth, I have to mention Linda Woods and Mike Bump from PartnerCentric. These two, from PartnerCentric (which manages affiliate programs for companies), are certainly synonymous with quality and the growth they continue to experience is obvious – with every Summit they attend, they bring more staff and more cutting-edge ideas and solutions. Hats off to them for a job well done – again!

While I am tipping my hat, I must say that one of the best presentations I have ever seen was presented at Summit 2006 by Declan Dunn and detailed the future of podcasting (http://buildingbuzz2006.com).

Just in case you’re unfamiliar with podcasting, it’s simply a means for distributing audio content. This content, which is a Web feed of audio or video files that have been placed on the Internet for anyone to listen to or subscribe to, is listened to on mobile devices such as the iPod, other MP3 players, cell phones, and laptop computers.

Podcasters' websites also may offer direct download of their files, but the subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming. Perhaps most interesting here: any file with a URL, including still images and text, can be delivered as an enclosure, opening up countless opportunities for web-based marketers.

Now, we were all intrigued with Declan’s fantastic presentation and were in total awe when we found out that the presentation was recorded and simultaneously screened live as a podcast. WOW!

Paul Colligan also provided some much needed insight to us all on podcasting (as Paul says, podcasting is his passion and it pays his bills) and has great information posted on his site about podcasting and how anyone can use this revolutionary tool to generate more residual income.

I strongly recommend that you check out Paul’s site and subscribe to both Paul’s and Declan’s podcasts, for no affiliate marketer can afford to overlook the strength and possibilities of podcasting and no one can explain this better than Declan and Paul. It’s that simple (and so is podcasting – you’ll see!).

While Declan’s presentation was one of the highlights (Arlene says she really liked his presentation style and now has a full understanding of podcasting), we also enjoyed our time spent in the Bally’s Casino. It is a beautiful casino and, as with all our trips to Las Vegas (Arlene and I have enjoyed a dozen or so trips there over the last few years), we thoroughly enjoyed the festive atmosphere, both in the casino and beyond.

Nowhere was the “party” spirit more evident that in the exhibition area. Sure, we were all business while there, but the excitement level amongst the exhibitors was evident in their booths and could be felt by all in attendance, making this year’s Affiliate Summit an unparalleled success!

Joshua and Alexander from 1&1Hosting.com had an impressive display and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to them about future hosting and marketing trends and possibilities.

And, it was great to chat with Ros Phillips, from LinkConnector.com, an affiliate marketing network who pioneered the Naked Link Technology™, which allows a merchant to run an affiliate program transparently by allowing their affiliates to link directly to the merchant’s site without an affiliate ID.

Come to think of it, maybe it’s just as well that all of this can’t be described adequately in words, for those of you who are looking to learn all there is to know in this arena, to have a good time and to network, network and more network, you’ll just have to sign up for the upcoming Affiliate Summit, slated for July 2006 and to be held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

And if all this isn’t enough to pique your interest, get a hold of this: Marketing Sherpa which provides news and case studies on Internet marketing, advertising and PR, predicts that product commissions paid out should TOP 6.5 Billion this year alone.

It’s like I said before, we’ve tapped into the real thing here, folks! And, thankfully, the Affiliate Summits provide us with the opportunity we all need to meet and explore the endless possibilities together, and to forge partnerships and friendships that are mutually beneficial.

As for me, one of the highlights of the Summit 2006 was running into an old student who stopped just short of hugging me, after explaining that the information provided in my own Affiliate Marketers Handbook “had changed their life”.

Of course, Arlene and I always enjoy the parties. Not only is this a time to hang-out with old friends, we enjoy making new ones and kicking back in a more relaxed atmosphere where everyone can, you guessed it, network, network, network, while also enjoying some much-deserved fun!

Brian Littleton, President and CEO of ShareASale.com an affiliate network that now represents a whopping 2,000 merchants, sponsored a party that was held in MTV’s popular reality series “Real World” suite. Talk about a rockin’ good time!

This pace-setting party was matched only by the “Pure Imagination Party” at the fabulous Hotel Wynn (which I am partial to because of the hotel’s Ferrari dealership, which boasts Cobras much like the one I own – sponsored by PartnerCentric and OneNetwork. This was a chocolate lover’s dream, with a stunning chocolate fountain in the center of the room. Arlene and I thoroughly enjoyed dipping in there. The backdrop for this spectacular chocoholic dream of a party was the stunning Wynn Golf Course.

Still, nothing beats the opportunity to meet and mingle with merchants, affiliates and students and to be able to do it in a setting such as this…again, words can’t describe it!

It was also great to meet up Brad Waller. Now, get ready for this. He picked Arlene and I up on our last morning in Vegas and took us for a memorable cruise on the strip in his canary yellow 1967 Chevelle SS.

It’s always nice being able to enjoy our success together and to travel as a couple. And, Arlene really enjoys meeting new people and developing relationships that we enjoy for years.

I must admit, this is a real plus for me too, but, if you know anything about me at all, you know I am a die-hard car buff and the ride with Brad in his ’67 Chevy just iced my cake (chocolate from the party, of course).

Add to this the fact that I got to play Texas Hold ‘Em with Shlomo again and this Affiliate Summit goes down as one of my best experiences ever!

Now, if you ask Arlene about her favorite highlights from the Affiliate Summit events, she will readily point to the people, the great lunches we attend every day and the fabulous parties every night, the shopping (she buys Christmas ornaments from every trip and this trip she bought a great little ornament that looks like a miniature loaf of French bread from the Paris Hotel, where we stayed for our last night and enjoyed a spectacular suite) and the fact that our kids are responsible and trustworthy enough to allow us to travel and have fun without any worries.

Traveling as a couple and enjoying these times together is something we both look forward to and appreciate. We have worked hard to grow our business together and to enjoy the successes it has reaped together just makes it all the better!

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James Martell is a self taught Internet entrepreneur who discovered the lucrative world of affiliate marketing from his desktop computer in the fall of 1999. He resides in a seaside community south of Vancouver, B.C. with his wife Arlene and four children, Adam, Justin, Shelby and Victoria. In the spring of 2002, James published a thorough compilation of his basic strategies in a downloadable training entitled, James Martell’s Affiliate Marketers Handbook – 2002. This acclaimed training, which was updated in January, 2005 is widely considered the most complete treatment of the subject available today.

Affiliate Summit 2006 – Bally's Recap

Six Times The Number Of Attendees In 2004 And Double That Of The Number Of Attendees In 2005. Now, That’s Growth You Don’t See In Many Industries.