The Summit

This week marked more than just the second week of the new year. With it came a reason not to fully lament the new year, Affiliate Summit West. It is hard not attend the show, especially in years where the trifecta of events takes place. Not only does this year’s show, as it seems many in the past have, overlap with the major consumer electronics show, CES, which itself attracts an almost equally well known event, the adult video tradeshow. Affiliate Summit also takes place during the national championship game for college football. Not that most people need an excuse to come to Vegas. This year, though, they don’t have an excuse for not coming.

Most often, the focus of the event is on who, from a company perspective, came to the event. This year, we thought we’d look at who came from a people perspective. There might have been a record attendance, but we all have our roles to play. These are the roles that we saw the most.

• The Reluctant – Ask them if they are going to come, and they will give you every reason as to why you will not see them. Many of the reasons, you can’t argue with. They just had their first kid. They have a board meeting to attend. They don’t like to travel, have the time to travel, the money to travel, too much money to travel, etc. Yet, you’ll be at the most random of places, e.g., a gun range, and there will be the recluse. Or, you’ll be flying home and see them departing the same plane. When confronted, they’ll almost tell you they didn’t go to the show, but having caught them in the act, they’ll admit to attending. And what is that you detect, a sense that they actually enjoyed it?
• The Recluse – Perhaps not family but certainly in the same genus comes the recluse. Unlike the reluctant, they choose to attend. They just show up to an event where thousands of others have, but don’t make an appearance. Sometimes that is due to an overwhelmingly full meeting schedule. Other times, it’s just them being them. They have things to get done, people to see, just not a whole lot of people.
• The Socialite – For all of the reluctants and recluses that don’t make an appearance, their foil, the socialite, makes up for any of their shortcomings. If you don’t see the socialite at the show, you’re almost upset. You start to think that something isn’t right with the show. If you go out to an event and don’t see them, then you start to question whether you are at the right event. While only one person, the socialite somehow makes it seem as though they have us all fooled and have cloned themselves. They might seem to do nothing at the show, yet somehow they seem to have done it all.
• The Celebrity – Did you hear about that guy? Is that who I think it is over there? Is it true that so and so is here? Just like the real world, the performance marketing world also has its share of celebrities, and we’re not talking about the guy wearing the question mark suit. The industry celebrity knows more people want to meet them, pitch them, or just stop them, than the other way around. It’s hard to get their time. It’s in rare demand compared to all those who would like it. What makes the affiliate celebrity so interesting, though, is that unlike traditional Hollywood celebrities, part of what propels them is just how little is really known. We could say that in Hollywood, it’s a star’s actions – their movies, music, etc. – that makes them known to others. Here too, they are known by their actions, but there is generally such a lack of knowledge about their actions that it only adds to the mystique. Do they really spend $1mm/day? Do they really live inside a walled company so that they can’t get served subpoenas? No, and yes.
• The Industry Newbie – Conference owners could not live out with them. They are new to the show and willing to pay full price to attend. Unfortunately, calling them a newbie sounds a little unfair, as it sounds like a condition, like someone to stay away from. The newbies comes to the show not because of meetings, friends, or as an excuse to come to Vegas. They come to learn. They might have been just hired in a role dealing with performance / affiliate marketing, or like many others, they might have aspirations of cracking the code be, that as a publisher or as a product owner looking for the tricks to distribution.
• The OPP – Whereas the newbie forks over the money many times coming from their not significant reserves, the OPP does not have that concern. They could have purchased a ticket early. They could have purchased just an expo hall pass. But, they aren’t paying their way, and somehow the entity bankrolling them finds a full pass last minute cheap compared to that person’s last international flight. The OPP might not attend every show of the same brand, but they certainly can spice one up when they do.
• The Worker Bee – Did you see that exhibit hall? Exactly. It’s enormous. With more than 100 exhibitors, that takes lots and lots of people to man the booths. It’s almost a rite of passage to do so. Hardly any party harder yet are scheduled to get up as early. Theirs is a thankless job, and unlike some of the others, it’s one of the most accountable.
• The Gate Crasher – It’s the reverse of breakage. Instead of bringing a profit, they bring a potential cost. Not quite as guaranteed as death and taxes, the party crasher comes close. This is the person that comes out to the show with no intention of supporting it directly. They don’t buy a pass; their company generally does not sponsor, and more often than, in addition to simply booking a trip to overlap with the show, they will make sure to get into the show by borrowing someone else’s pass. They are the anti-OPP. The cost-center, but perhaps an indirect revenue center influencing others who hopefully would prefer to attend with some actual credentials.

We always wondered why Affiliate Summit didn’t follow the ad:tech model of offering a truly free expo hall. The soundness of that decision is evident in who is not on this list, the tzchotchke collector. We would say that we miss that person, but truth is we don’t.