What to Expect at Affiliate World Conferences in 2024: Your Go-To Guide
What are Affiliate World Conferences?
A few years ago, a small community of performance marketers had an idea to organize a gathering to network, share tips and experiences, and just be themselves and have a good time.
The first event was in 2015. Almost a decade later, this idea has transformed into not just one but three huge annual events held in several locations worldwide, from Dubai to Europe and Asia. Today, Affiliate World Conferences bring together 16,000+ performance and e-commerce marketers every year.
Over 5000 marketing professionals attend each of the three annual Affiliate World events, taking advantage of the myriad learning, networking, and business opportunities to improve performance and increase their profit potential.
Many industry influencers consider Affiliate World Conferences (AWC) “must-attend” events, and I agree. The connections made during the AWC events – professional and personal – can be life-changing. Every element of the AWC is designed to facilitate those bonds, from the official AW app that allows you to connect and chat with all attendees before, during, and after the conference, to non-stop parties and side events. The community that grows out of AWC is a unique phenomenon, creating a network of marketing professionals who want to help each other succeed. The energy at AWC is always positive and inspiring.
There are many ways to get involved in Affiliate World at a deeper level. There are plenty of sponsorship opportunities. Presenting as a speaker is also an option, but note that competition is strong – to catch a coveted spot, you must be recognized as a knowledgeable or influential person in the performance marketing sphere.
For most marketers, the best way to take part in the AW experience is to simply be there! Sign up and join the industry for two days of speakers, sessions, meetups, and parties, in some of the most exciting locations in the world, like Dubai, Budapest, and Bangkok.
Whether you are just starting in performance marketing or an established professional, any AW conference is the place to be, and to be seen.
Outbrain at AWC
Early on, Outbrain’s Performance team recognized the Affiiate World Conferences as not to be missed, and we have been sponsoring their efforts for years. Our booth is always orange and full of enthusiastic advertising professionals. Our experts in affiliate and direct response marketing in every vertical and geo are there to answer any questions that booth visitors may have. They always look forward to helping AWC attendees better understand how Outbrain’s advertising platform works, and how to leverage it to deliver high-value leads and business outcomes at scale.
We also love to be on the main stage of the AW conference and share our expertise in performance marketing. We have done it many times, and it is always such a pleasure and privilege to join main-stage panels and conversations, or present best practices for native advertising.
Affiliate World Dubai 2024: The Highlights
In 2024, the first AW conference was held in Dubai and performance marketers attended en masse. The event was one of the biggest yet, with over 6000 attendees – the global affiliate industry truly came together in one place. The event was packed with deals from exhibitors, networking opportunities at the marketplace, and eye-opening sessions jam-packed with insights. There was an award ceremony and legendary parties, and of course, Outbrain was there, too!
The Outbrain Performance team was excited to host clients and partners, and welcome everyone who stopped by our orange stand-out booth.
I was very excited to be on the main stage of day one, together with the impressive Giuseppe Buscema and Berk Cakar from Maverick Media and Andrey Kravchenko from Xevio and Native Hub, talking about native ads and how to adapt to market shifts in 2024. I had the pleasure of moderating this panel of three true media buying titans, all six-digit daily performance advertisers specializing in native. It was so much fun! Here is a quick summary of what we covered:
- Recommendations for successful native campaigns.
- The main verticals for advertisers just starting out with the native advertising channel.
- How native ads can be game-changing for media buyers aiming to hit high ROI goals.
- Tips on how to properly set up native campaigns on platforms such as Outbrain.
- How native stacks up against Google (YouTube) and Meta (Facebook).
- Overview of the marketing funnel and recommended processes around creatives for native ads.
We also tried to be fortune tellers and predict the future of native and the advertising landscape in general, beyond 2024. The audience was phenomenal and we continued chatting with many of them at the Outbrain booth after the panel.
Affiliate World Parties: Rock On, Performance Marketers!
Anyone who has ever attended an AW event will agree on the value of networking and business insights for performance marketers. And they will also say that Affiliate World folks know how to party.
At AWC, expect to do business by day, and party at night! Affiliate World is home to some of the best dinners and dance parties ever. Check out a few of the moments below, but don’t take my word for it – join us at the next Affiliate World Conference on 5-6 September, 2024, in gorgeous Budapest, Hungary. Want to meet up? Click the link to book a meeting and see you at the orange Outbrain booth at the next AWC in September!
