Affiliate marketing posts from seasoned affiliate marketing pro Missy Ward.

Affiliate Summit East 2009 Recap

by Missy Ward

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Just got back from a 7-mile training walk getting ready for the 40-mile Avon Walk in Los Angeles next month, to raise money for breast cancer through AffiliateMarketersGiveBack.com. As of today we're now over $20,000 and a nice chunk of that was raised during Affiliate Summit with help from volunteers who manned the AMGB table and The JAR Group.

I stayed some extra time in New York to take my oldest son and hubby around to see the sites. We had a blast. Unfortunately, I'm way behind in a bunch of work, so this video will serve as my personal recap of the show.

Affiliate Summit East 2009 is over and the first word that jumps into mind to describe it is “WOW”!

This was our largest summer show ever, clocking in at 3,076 attendees and a sold-out Exhibit Hall and Meet Market. This represents a 25% growth over last summer's show in Boston, which is incredible given the soft economy.

While I did not get to see any of the sessions other than the keynotes (I get to see all of them when our videos are ready!), I did spend a lot of time talking to lots of folks in the Exhibit Hall, Meet Market, in the crowded hallways and in the Blogger's Lounge (where I drank my fair share of Vemma and Verve).

I also got to belt out a few tunes during Affiliate Summit Karaoke (big kiss to Brett Petersel from #techkaraoke for hosting an awesome karaoke session), take in two Yankees games and have a blast at all the fantastic pah-tays!

Chris Brogan and Julien Smith were Monday's keynotes and they were great. They have a new book out called Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Improve Reputation and Earn Trust (you're darn tootin' it's an affiliate link), and I was lucky to score one at the show. I read it on the plane ride back from New York and I have to say, it's fantastic. I recommend it to any marketer as the information contained within can dramatically change the way you run your business…for the better. If you don't like affiliate links (although if you don't, I'm not sure why you're reading my blog…) here's a page from Chris's blog, to find out where you can get your copy of Trust Agents.

Peter Shankman was the keynote on Tuesday. His keynote was spot-on and he made me laugh with some of his 80's era interjections. At the beginning of his session, Peter asked if there were any attendees in the room with a hangover. I reluctantly raised my hand for fear that my 8-year old sitting next to me would look at me funny. That said, it did land me a new Poken which Peter tossed out to me for being honest. (Speaking of honesty, Poken desperately needs to open an affiliate program).

When I catch up, I'll be posting lots of pictures that I took during my time in NYC, but in the meantime, here are some fantastic photos from Shawn Collins and Steve Hall to get you started.

A super-giant smooch to everyone who helped make Affiliate Summit East 2009 a huge success and hope to see y'all in Vegas!

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Affiliate Triathlon – Got Game?

by Missy Ward

This past January at Affiliate Summit West 2009, we introduced the Affiliate Summit Triathlon as a fun way to end the conference, give away some great prizes and raise money for the National Breast Cancer foundation.

More Pictures from ASW09 2009 Affiliate Triathlon

Well, it was a huge success so we decided to add it back for Affiliate Summit East 2009 coming up this weekend in New York. Only this time, we've got even better challenges for the athletes amongst us.

The Affiliate Triathlon takes place on Tuesday, August 11th at 4:30pm in the Grand Ballroom of the New York Hilton and is open to all attendees.

The Challenges

Toilet Racers
Toilet race around our track at speeds up to 6 mph. (This should provide some “explosive” entertainment)

Skee Ball

(Easy, peasey. In fact, I heard that ShareASale.com is going to have one in their booth. Practice makes perfect!)

Whack-a-Mole

(Perfect aggression releaser)

The Prizes

The winner of the Affiliate Triathlon (highest cumulative score across the three competitions) will walk away with their choice of a 10′ x 10′ exhibit hall booth (value: $5,195) or Five (5) Platinum Passes (value: $4,995) for Affiliate Summit West 2010 in Las Vegas. (Yes, the prizes are transferable.)

How to Register to Participate

The entry fee for the Affiliate Triathlon is $100, which is donated directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. You can enroll at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/affiliate-triathalon-enrollment.

Looking forward to seeing you!

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Of Special Interest at Affiliate Summit

by Missy Ward

Affiliate Summit East 2009 starts this Sunday, August 9th and for many folks attending for the first time (and for some repeat folks as well), it can be an overwhelming experience.

There is no shortage of great keynotes and sessions to check out and parties to attend. And, with a sold-out Meet Market and Exhibit Hall, the attendees are going to be very busy.

With that said, there are a few agenda items that I wanted to point out that are of special interest, as they provide additional opportunities to network, have fun and do some good for charity.

Before the show

Loren and Michelle Feldman of 1938Media are auctioning off some fantastic branding opportunities for folks attending Affiliate Summit to raise money to fight breast cancer on behalf of Affiliate Marketers Give Back. The auctions end on Thursday, August 6th, so don't delay in getting your bids in.

Sunday, August 9th

Affiliate Summit will be holding a silent auction to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City during the Affiliate Meet Market. There are some great items being auctioned off including gift cards, advertising opportunities, computers, gym equipment and more. So don't forget to swing by the auction tables to check out what's available and bid high… it's for a great cause.

Affiliate Marketers Give Back will be at table 17 in the Affiliate Meet Market raising money for their 40-mile walk to fight breast cancer. They will be offering limited-edition laptop stickers and Affiliate Summit Breast Cancer Awareness hats with all proceeds to go to the Avon Foundation.

Monday, August 10th

Affiliate Summit Platinum attendees are in for a special treat. Chris Brogan, the keynote speaker on Monday has a new book coming out on August 24th, entitled “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Improve Reputation and Earn Trust“. We've secured several hundred advance copies that will be given to our Platinum attendees on a first-come, first-served basis as they check-in for the conference. Chris has promised to do a book-signing after his keynote session, which will be taking place in Americas Hall 2 (which is the top floor of the exhibit hall). You don't want to miss this!

Who doesn’t love free business advice from an expert? Well, now is the time to get your critical marketing questions answered and help out a great cause at the same time. Swing by the Problem Solver booth in the Exhibit Hall to have your questions answered one-on-one by marketing experts. If you like what they have to say, pop a tip in their jar. Proceeds go to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York.

Affiliate/Merchant Networking Exclusive Opportunity
Location: General Session Room – Grand Ballroom Suite
Time: 3:30pm-4:30pm
You asked for it, you got it.. a special time for only affiliates and merchants to mingle during Business Card Bingo!

Tuesday, August 11th

Over-indulging on yummy libations and all the great food NYC has to offer? Then get your butt out of bed and exercise! Peter Shankman, founder of HARO is organizing the Affiliate Summit Run for folks that want to get a quick run in before the show. He promises that he'll get everyone back in time for his keynote.. (we hope!)

Get your Geek on at GeekCast.fm Live.
Location: Classroom C – Gramercy
Time: 3:15pm-4:15pm
A mixed bunch of podcasters from GeekCast.fm will have an open, candid discussion about the hot topics in affiliate marketing. Come armed with your questions and satisfy your inner-geek.

The Affiliate Triathlon
The Affiliate Triathlon is a three event contest of skill, determination and dexterity open to all attendees at Affiliate Summit West 2009.
The winning athlete (highest cumulative score across the three competitions) will be awarded a 10′ x 10′ exhibit hall booth (value: $5,195) for Affiliate Summit West 2010 in Las Vegas. (Yes, the booth is transferable, so the winner can sell it at whatever cost they wish.)
The entry fee for the Affiliate Triathlon is $100, which is donated directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City.
Enroll at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/affiliate-triathalon-enrollment/

And there you have it. Want more? Visit the Affiliate Summit Blog for up-to-the-minute goodies.. or follow @affiliatesummit @missyward or @affiliatetip on Twitter..

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Write an Article For FeedFront Magazine, Issue 8

by Missy Ward

The 7th issue of FeedFront Magazine is out and landing in mail boxes right now.

Next up… issue 8, coming out in October 2009.

Up for contributing an article?

If so, head on over to the FeedFront contact form to submit a 1-sentence summary on what you’d like to cover.

If your idea is accepted, your article must be turned in by September 1, 2009. Articles are a maximum of 500 words – no exceptions. Anything longer will not be considered.

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