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Stupid wrote:And the professor’s reasons did not seem to me as a good return to $5K+ investment…I could spend that money on buying links
that seems a bit high since usually you don’t pay for meals and entertainment…
But even if it were that high, I have never regretted a penny I spent on conventions.
I’d take them over bought links anyday (hehe, that’s an empty statement though since I don’t much believe in their benefit)
Well i’ve been to a number of CACs and have skipped a few too.
I was not happy with the situation in Vegas last year, but to Marc’s credit, he still shows up to all of our events, he still comes up to me(and others) to say hello. CAC, especially in Amsterdam, is the place to meet european affiliates..
If you’ve never been to CAC or a CAP event, you’ll probably find some value in the conference sessions. The sessions do seem less valuable as you become more connected/integrated into the industry.
The Professor’s list of benefits is THE LIST. It’s about meeting friends, customers and competitors. A lot of it is about sitting in bars and chatting about business, sports and politics. Is it a big party?—-YES! Can a big party help you improve your business
YES!I’ve learned more from my friends and competitors than anywhere else and it’s at the industry events where we all connect.
So, should you spend $3k that you need to re-roof the house to get to CAC? probably not. Should you spend $3k that was going to pay for a new computer and some new templates and domains instead of going to CAC? NO!
COME TO CAC – even if you don’t make it to the actual conference, the social events are worth the trip.
From my point of view (affiliate manager) I attend these to meet current affiliates and introduce ourself to new ones. Personally I do not like stalking out all the red dots (given to identify affiliates) so I tend to keep a little low key, just leave the red bull cans on my head so you can spot me easily.
I tend to do my networking in the evening when the beers are flowing and people are less hasseled by the dozens of affiliate managers on the big recruitment drive.
I see these conferences as invaluable as I would have never got to meet some of the people I have met. I have also used them to learn more about the industry and what is happening that I may not have heard about.
Even if the Amsterdam CAC is your first event and you dont feel you get much out of it straight away, you will make some new friends and you never know when these people will help you out.
By the way, if you see me and Sam in Amsterdam, please feel free to come over and say hello. :wavey: We’ll get you a beer in*
* beers provided on a first come, first served basis and is limited to 1!
We reserver the right at any time to buy you a beer.
The decision of the beer buyer is final. :rollover:Martyn
(Speaking as a provider of services to affs and operators specialising in Europe, which might make me a bit biased!)
I am surprised to see that (previously) US facing affs who, lets face it, need to replace that Business, are reluctant to travel to Europe to meet with aff mans and service providers who can help them replace US business.
I attend most shows (CAC, GIGSE, EIG, IGCE, ICE etc) NOT because there is always a direct proveable ROI, but because it helps me understand the industry better (especially in the changing climate we are living in right now!) and also allows me to see LOTS of people in one small place.
Rather than saying its “$2000”, compare this to arranging 10 meetings with potential business partners at $200 each !
I have booked a NICE 4* hotel across from the Krasnapolsky (which i personally think is overpriced) for £130 per night (About $250).
I concur that CAC and CAP etc are invaluable. It’s not only the partying, which is awesome btw :shots: , but also the chance to get a better feel for the industry which you can quickly loose sight of sat behind a computer day in day out.
I recommend everyone to at least check out one of these conferences, although I can sympathise with people having to travel a long distance, but I’m sure they can combine it with a holiday or something, there’s certainly enough to see in Europe.Agreed, they can be very costly but you must try and attend one that is afforable for you.
As heimdall said, the parties are awesome and a great way to break the ice between affiliates and merchants, sometimes it can be dificult in the day but I hit em at night when they are most venerable! :drunk2:
:roflmao:
I hope you are not talking about Hotel Amsterdam – I have never seen smaller rooms for the price…
Your expenses are paid by your company, and I can see how it is a great event for the aff programs and such.
Also – we dont need to replace nothing – we still have Canada, USA and UK, despite what the PlayTech casinos may tell you. France and Germany are in turmoil over online gambling and we may need to “replace” THEM pretty soon
.
The rest of the non-english speaking countries will generate any type of profits for 1-2 websites and that’s it. If you dont speak the language – any marketing efforts besides SE placement will be proven worthless.As far as deal making – there are plenty of aff programs which now offer 70% REV for foreign players, without meeting anyone – there is no better deal than this – any higher – and they will work on minus. I am sure if you bring enough traffic they themselves will offer you 50% after the promotional period…
And you will surely not become a “Player” by going to the CAC, as the affiliate side of the business does not have players. Players are those who can “make or break” and there is no such thing as far as affiliates go.
Stupid wrote:I hope you are not talking about Hotel Amsterdam – I have never seen smaller rooms for the price…Nope….The Golden tulip (amsterdam centre),
Stupid wrote:Your expenses are paid by your company, and I can see how it is a great event for the aff programs and such.Yes they are, but they still have to be justified ! Bearing in mind we provide OFFLINE marketing to ops and affs, it is a “target rich environment”, but we dont go there to sell stuff.
Stupid wrote:And you will surely not become a “Player” by going to the CAC,But I wouldnt by staying at home ? (nor would I get to meet potential clients”!)
Yes they are, but they still have to be justified
Finally you see my point…
How would your bosses like it If you came back from it saying “What did I do? Well, I met people and got drunk.”
They would ask for real result measured in figures to at least match the expense column.Stupid wrote:How would your bosses like it If you came back from it saying
“What did I do? Well, I met people and got drunk.”They would ask for real result measured in figures to at least match the expense column.
Thats where it gets interesting…..
I have never come back from ANY convention with a tangible ROI. However, i usually come back with 10-20 new contacts, and the knowledge that I have consolidated relationships with another 10-20 contacts with whom we already have a relationship. Unfortuneatly, the nature of the beast is such that, if I want at the party, my competitor would be. So we try to beat em to the bar !!! :shots:
Often, due to the long sales cycle of what we do, we do not see any actual ROI for 8-12 months from shows. So it is a little bit of a “finger in the air” kind of measurements.
But i take your point, it DOES have to be commercially viable. All I was trying to get at was it isnt always as simple as “did I cover the costs”
Personally, I don’t go to the parties much.
I go there for business, I meet with as many people as I can, I scan the exhibits for new opportunities (always there), I attend lectures that interest me (even if they present nothing much new tend to give me new spin-off ideas) and I go to small gatherings where you can still hear what the other folks say. (The parties are too loud and crowded for me).
I go and sit on the beer panel and steer the conversation to an issue hot in the mind of affiliates (and there have been programs most likely wishing they could shoot me).
Every time I come home with renewed vigor, new ideas, better deals and new business partners and friends.
ROI? Definitely, when I get home I can’t wait to put the new ideas to work. It usually takes 3 months or so to show the added profits, but they are definitely attributable to what I did at the conferences.
Whether you are an old hand and just want to firm up relationships and strike better deals, a party animal who learns from and exchanges ideas and experiences with other party animals as you go, or new to conferences and learn a ton from the lectures, or any mix thereof, you will benefit from an industry gathering.
One thing is for sure, I could never have done what I did with G&C without the various conferences and gatherings.
If the parties are half as good as CAC Vegas 2006 then CAC Amsterdam is gonna be great!
:guitar: :shots:
I remember Mark saying the people that came to the Vegas conference could bring that badge to Amsterdam for a free entry is this still true?
Dominique wrote:Personally, I don’t go to the parties much.I go there for business, …
Thanks for that Dom as that would certainly be more like our approach there with a Euro 12K investment on it …
The last thing I need is loud noise, crappy misheard conversation and an affiliate manager that can’t remember a thing that they discussed in the morning …
:drunk2:Mind you … that could come in useful …
:hehe:I’ll put it on the radar … although Arsenal lost 0-1 today in Eindhoven – so I need a big effort in the second leg to keep the chances alive …
:blush:I first started going to conferences in 2000 – when it cost me practically all the spare cash I had in order to make the trip. Back in those days, there were no aff conferences – only industry conferences – and the only aff I can remember going to these conferences besides me was Antoine, and islandmaan. Casinomeister joined me in 2001 when I dragged him out to ICE.
Marc was already around as well but he was more industry-related, he certainly wasn’t an aff. But he knew where the future opportunities lay – one day he invited me to go to see the Blue Man Group at Luxor, and we haven’t looked back since. I told him I thought it was time for an affiliate-focused conference, and next thing I knew he and his former partner had one set up in Vancouver.
Since then he hasn’t looked back. I don’t always show up at his conferences any more because I can’t always justify the trip – but people like him and Lou played a major role in the growth of the online gambling affiliate industry and, despite the occasional misstep, Marc is still somewhat of a pioneer in the industry and should be respected for that.
Now, for me, I no longer have to spend my remaining cash to attend conferences (though it’s been a tough road). I can tell you, however, that it is worth every penny just to meet other affiliates and compare experiences, as well as get to know operators and their representatives face-to-face. It may not necessarily increase your bottom line directly, or perhaps you just won’t notice it that easily – but you will, over time, realize the huge benefit in the long term if you learn anything at all from these trips and experiences.
Can you justify the budget in the short-term? Probably not that easy to account for. But if you haven’t attended at least one or two of these conferences, you may never know if you’ve missed the one thing which stands between you and a large, stable income.
By the way, I’m not a partier either. I missed the last three Fire and Ice parties in London – if anything, the one party I should not miss just to give my good friends a little face – but if I can’t talk without raising my voice I’d rather not bother. Thank goodness my friends understand me well… to the point of automatically ordering a Coke for me along with their beers…
