Jeremy

This is a question that comes up quite often from both new and experienced poker affiliates.* Often times when looking at the costs of attending one of these events, it can be hard to justify.* After all, more than likely you are going to have to fly to another country, pay for airfare, lodging, food, and of course entertainment when you are not at a sponsored party.* For many affiliates it is hard to justify spending a few months of affiliate revenue for one weekend of "partying".

Anymore, there seems to be a convention every couple months, so it can also be overwhelming when deciding which to go to.* In this chapter, I hope to point out some of the benefits of attending industry conventions, as well as being active in the industry forums.

Although there are multiple conventions each year, the reality is that most affiliates can get a positive yearly ROI by attending just one or two shows annually.* In the recent years, the CAP shows have dominated the industry in terms of attendance and speaker sessions.* Much of the reason for this is that every show is FREE for affiliates to attend.* Which of these shows you attend however really doesn't matter as they are all very similar.* When choosing which show(s) to attend, I suggest simply looking at the venue's and deciding which destination is most appealing to you.

When you read the industry forums or look at pictures it may seem that these conventions are nothing more than 3 day parties, however they are much more than this.* In fact, the value of attending at least one convention per year cannot be overstated.* However I will warn you that you will get out of a show what you put into it.* If you plan on partying every night until 6:00 A.M. and sleeping all day, well you may not get as much ROI as some of the other affiliates in attendance.

Aside from meeting with your affiliate managers, which we will get into in a minute, there are always some great speaker sessions.* The organizers of these shows work throughout the year to recruit industry leaders and experts to present.* Whether you're looking to learn about SEO, global marketing, conversions, legal aspects, or the most recent events in the industry, you are sure to find a handful of session that you can genuinely walk away from with new knowledge.* After every speaker session you also have the opportunity to meet and ask questions to the speakers.

The key is picking and choosing which sessions relate to your individual*business, and which will give you new tools or ideas to bring home with you.* In an industry like the poker affiliate industry that is constantly evolving, it is imperative to keep up on trends and current events.

Equally important to the speaker sessions and learning symposiums is the opportunity to network with poker affiliate programs, affiliate managers, and fellow successful poker affiliates.* In Chapter 3 we discussed some of the common pitfalls amongst poker affiliates.* Number 6 was not surrounding yourself with other successful affiliates.* If there were ever a place you could network and surround yourself with super poker affiliates, these shows are it.* In fact you can often learn just as much if not more, from hanging out with other affiliates as you will attending the sessions.

At each of these shows you can expect every major program in the industry including to be in attendance with a booth and their entire affiliate team.* Working in such a global industry, these shows are often the only opportunity you have to meet face to face and negotiate deals in person with these affiliate managers.* As an affiliate, meeting face to face gives you the opportunity to develop rapport and a more personal relationship with the programs you have decided to partner with.* Like you, poker affiliate managers get hundreds of emails per day.* Until you have met, shook hands, and developed a personal relationship, it is nearly impossible to develop the necessary rapport that is needed to negotiate killer deals or promotions.* One of the benefits about shows is also that affiliate managers are there and fully expect to be negotiating rates.* Some of my best affiliate deals have been struck at industry conventions.

Of course attending these shows can be costly, but in my opinion the benefits of attending one per year far outweigh the costs.* There is no question that after you come home from shows you will have a new energy and focus, as well as new ideas to grow your business.

The smart affiliates know the importance of investing in their business, and the unfortunate reality is*that you have to spend money to make money.* The cost of attending an affiliate convention is actually quite minimal in comparison to that of media buys or paid advertising.* As mentioned in the beginning of this chapter though, you will get out of these*conventions what you put into them.

Another critical aspect of keeping up with this constantly evolving industry is reading the industry forums.* If you choose not to attend industry conventions, reading the forums becomes even more important.* Even if you do not post in the forums, it is always beneficial to read them.* Forums such as PAL and PAP are the voice of the industry.* In these forums you can follow current events as well as learn from other poker affiliates.* These forums are also a tremendous networking resource for meeting other poker affiliates or affiliate managers.

Although there are a few different poker affiliate forums out there, we are obviously biased to the forums at PokerAffiliateListings.com.* Unlike any other forum in the industry however, the PAL forums are private and by invite only.* This is for good reason though, as the members of the PAL forums are amongst the industry's top and most well respected affiliates.* But don't fear, anyone who is serious about the poker affiliate industry is welcome to be invited to the PAL forums.

Regardless what forums you are a member of; there is a great benefit to networking with other affiliates in the industry.* At the end of this book in the resources section, you can find a complete list of these industry forums.* The bottom line is that if you attend at least one industry show per year, as well as follow the industry forums, you are increasing your chances of success as a poker affiliate.