I was chatting at the Affiliate Summit networking event in NYC this past Monday with a woman who is about to launch her first affiliate site, and she asked what I did.
I said I was a Co-founder of the Affiliate Summit conference, and her response was… “that’s it”? This sort of surprised me, since it’s certainly a full-time job to put on a conference twice a year for thousands of people with a tiny staff.
Then again, Affiliate Summit is more than the premier conference in the industry.
The conference, started back in 2003, is owned and operated by my partner Missy Ward and myself (both affiliate marketers since the 90s).
In addition to providing a platform for education and business relationships since that time, it’s also enabled us to promote the industry externally and help affiliate marketers internally through a variety of cross-promoted projects and initiatives.
Some of the things we are doing…
- FeedFront Magazine – we’ll be publishing issue 11 of our free, quarterly magazine in August 2010. The magazine gives a voice to the people in the industry to share opinions, tips, and advice. Each issue goes to more than 25,000 subscribers by mail, as well as many thousands more of each issue distributed at conferences and events. Several thousand more people read the issues online.
- GeekCast.fm – podcast network dedicated to issues related to Internet marketing. The site is free for people in the industry to start up and host a podcast, and each of the couple dozen shows can be streamed on the site, downloaded, and subscribed on iTunes. Past Affiliate Summit sessions are posted to GeekCast.fm, too. One of the first podcasts on GeekCast.fm was Affiliate Thing, which has run weekly since 2006.
- AffStat – affiliate marketing statistical reports published for the past eight years, which are quoted regularly by magazines, blogs, and conference presenters. The current AffStat report is available free to read online or download. Over eleven-hundred and fifty affiliates were surveyed on their methods, preferences, and strategies for this edition of AffStat.
- Affiliate Tip Blog – I’ve been blogging affiliate marketing tips, news, and resources since February 2004, and haven’t missed a day in years. This obsession has enabled me to catch many vital stories to relay to the industry, including the quiet, early stages of the advertising tax back in 2007.
- MissyWard.com – Missy Ward’s blog on affiliate marketing, social media, events she attends, and her extensive charity work in the name of the affiliate marketing industry.
- Velocity NYC Press – book publishing imprint created to provide a venue to Internet marketers to get published and benefit from our promotional avenues via Affiliate Summit, FeedFront, GeekCast, etc. The first book, Internet Marketing from the Real Experts, was a bestseller on Amazon, and it featured 88 people in the industry writing on their various expertise. We’re speaking with many folks in the industry about book projects, and interested authors can submit their book ideas to us.
- Affiliate Marketing on YouTube – I am a YouTube Partner, and I’ve produced hundreds of videos on affiliate marketing, including instructional videos on how to do various things as an affiliate, and answering questions submitted anonymously via AskShawnCollins.com.
- Affiliate Marketers Give Back – Missy has organized teams for charity walks to fight breast cancer for several years, and each effort yields tens of thousand dollars to charity in name of affiliate marketing. Earlier this month, the Affiliate Marketers Give Back team raised their highest amount to date with a total of $73,058.81 for the 2010 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Chicago. The team was the 5th largest fundraising team and Missy was the 3rd largest fundraiser overall for the walk.
- Other Events – in addition to the conferences we produce twice a year, there are also a number of other events we put on for industry networking, learning, and awareness. We just brought a group of people together in NYC this week, and a fundraising cocktail party in San Francisco this past April. Last summer, we teamed up with buy.at for a meeting on the advertising tax and crab feast. Later this year, we will be running the first Affiliate Summit unConference in Orlando with Sea World. Event passes are just $10.00 per person and include access to sessions, networking, lunch and coffee breaks.
So, Affiliate Summit is a conference, magazine, book publishing imprint, podcast network, statistical report, charity fundraiser, as well as a text, audio and video news source for the industry.
I look forward to seeing the thousands of affiliate marketers that will be at Affiliate Summit East 2010, the fifteenth Affiliate Summit.