There’s less than a week until the 2017 iGaming Super Showkicks-off in Amsterdam. The conference consists of eight events, including the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference (AAC). All of them will be held at the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre from the 11th-14th July.
With over 1,800 affiliates, operators and brokers expected to attend the Super Show over the course of next week, there’s a lot to consider during the planning phase. In this blog, our Supervisor of Affiliate Services, Alexandra Bogdanova, and Media Buy Strategist, Christopher Nash, give their top preparation tips.With less than a week until the beginning of AAC 2017 and the iGaming Super Show, can you explain how you’re preparing for the events?
Alexandra Bogdanova (AB): To effectively prepare my agenda, I reach out to affiliates and clients at least one month in advance. I set up meetings with relevant people, and also invite my colleagues from other departments to make each get-together as productive and engaging as possible.
Christopher Nash (CN): Pre-conference is always a great time to reconnect with affiliates and publishers. I make sure to reach out to key partners so I can arrange meetings and ensure time is allocated to discuss past, present and future deals.There are numerous lines of questioning that prospective partners may wish to discuss.
How do you prepare for those topics and equip yourself with the insights that affiliates and operators will be looking for?
CN: I always follow top industry publications all year round, but pay special attention to moves and changes in the run-up to the conference.Pulling from your own experience and frequent dialogue with industry stakeholders, what topics are you expecting to be top-of-mind at this year’s conference?AB: There will certainly be a lot of discussions about emerging markets, the importance of SEO, and new data protection regulations. Talks about additional opportunities in emerging markets, especially the Asian market (where we see a lot of interest from many operators), will likely be similar to LAC.
I believe we’ll also touch base on real-time tracking with affiliates, as well as the importance and relevance of content on their sites.
CN: The main topics of industry regulation, emerging markets and how mobile is growing in the industry would have to be my three main topic focuses.What, in your opinion, are the benefits of speaking to your contacts in person rather than over email, phone or Skype? AB: Face-to-face meetings bring energy and make it much easier to work productively with everybody we met in person. Rather than discussing the same thing back-and-forth via email or Skype, we can clarify everything with our partners during the meeting or business dinner.
CN: Meeting in person is a great way of building a trusting business relationship. Putting a face to name for key partners you work with on a regular basis can really strengthen a partnership – I find 30 minutes face-to-face a really efficient way to discuss all of your opportunities. Email and Skype, while convenient, aren’t the same as real life.Finally, in terms of how it’s organised and on a personal level, what do you think is the key to having a strong affiliate conference?AB: In terms of event organisation, a large number of attending affiliates and operators are the most important factor in the conference’s success. Amsterdam offers great industry speakers and B2B networking opportunities, as well as enjoyable networking events and parties.
CN: On a personal level, a successful affiliate conference would be meeting key partners, as well as new and potential partners, and being surrounded by likeminded industry professionals. Walking away having given exposure to our managed brands and with a long list of follow-ups to make is a strong conference for me.
In Amsterdam next week and want to schedule a meeting? Please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you wish to read more about iGaming in the Netherlands and Belgium, check out our recent Q&A with MyCasinoShare.
