Some Questions about Affiliate Summit East

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SoundnFury

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Jan 7, 2011
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I'm a total newb who is considering registering for ASE. Prices go up significantly after May 20 (tomorrow), and so I would like some advices before I make a decision.

What value is there in paying for the more expensive passes rather than merely paying for the silver pass? I read the page on the differences in pass types, but I guess I don't fully understand.

What I gather from reading about the summits on here is that you guys go for networking/jving and the lulz. In paying for the diamond or platinum pass rather than the gold or silver, am I paying for access to networking opportunities and/or information, or am I rewarding the ASE organizers for their marketing skillz?

I don't have much money, so I am still somewhat torn about going at all, and I can't justify buying more than a silver pass unless I know that I will get a return on my investment.

Would any of you more experienced, intelligent marketers like to sell me on the ASE?
 


I went to my first conference in January, ASW and I didn't have a ton of cash. I was given a free silver pass and found this to be sufficient. While what Rexibit is saying makes a lot of sense, I will tell you that going to the conference was a huge benefit to me. I met a lot of people face to face for the first time and learned some tips and tricks that I simply would not have got by trolling forums. One of which has paid for the whole trip many times over.

As far as which pass to get, if I go again I will probably get an upgraded pass, which = more cool lectures and what not. But if you're on a limited budget, I recommend saving what you can, just make sure you have a nice agenda of meetings, parties, etc set up in advance so that you don't get there and find yourself with nothing to do.

Of course, if going means stopping campaigns, then obviously this doesn't make much sense.
 
This will be my first Summit as well, anyone ever heard of a network sponsoring (free pass) you if you've earned a significant amount with them?
 
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DreFromThaBay said:
This will be my first Summit as well, anyone ever heard of a network sponsoring (free pass) you if you've earned a significant amount with them?
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Yes, it is quite common. However most networks, and affiliates, prefer to take you out for dinner and drinks instead.

You end up getting a lot more out of the deal.....
 
SoundnFury said:
I don't have much money, so I am still somewhat torn about going at all, and I can't justify buying more than a silver pass unless I know that I will get a return on my investment.
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It's really a matter of whether you want to go to the sessions. And more importantly, whether you'll take action on things you learn.

If you get a silver pass, you'll be able to attend the 4 keynotes, as well as the Meet Market on Sunday and the exhibit hall on Monday/Tuesday.

That's probably your best bet when cash is tight.
 
Shawn Collins said:
It's really a matter of whether you want to go to the sessions. And more importantly, whether you'll take action on things you learn.

If you get a silver pass, you'll be able to attend the 4 keynotes, as well as the Meet Market on Sunday and the exhibit hall on Monday/Tuesday.

That's probably your best bet when cash is tight.
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Thanks for the response. I'm concerned that the educational sessions will be sales pitches/promotions/repackaging/style-over-substance. Do you oversee the content of the educational sessions such that they meet a certain threshold for educational value?
 
Er, I've been to ebook pitch fests, and Affiliate Summit is certainly not in that category. the speaker quality was a little variable a couple of years ago, but certainly procedurs that Shawn and Missy have put into place have helped up the quality.

I remember that the sessions by Sugarrae and Wil Reynolds were particularly useful, as has been the sessions chaired by affiliates on specific strategies - like PPC, media buys, PPV, FB ads.
If a session "sucks", you're welcome to walk out and try another. There're up to 4 parallel tracks ongoing at the same time, and I'm usually torn between 2-3 sessions, so you ought not to have a problem. Else you can always head into the tradeshow area and talk to traffic sources or cpa networks.

For the pass, if you've an affiliate blog, you can try applying for a media pass (again, the quality/screening seems to have gone up over the years, so you can't make 5-10 random posts about aff mktg and get a freebie pass).

If you want a discount code and some advice regarding the summit, I just published a post about it: http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/affil...e-summit-east-2011-discount-code-and-preview/

SoundnFury said:
Thanks for the response. I'm concerned that the educational sessions will be sales pitches/promotions/repackaging/style-over-substance. Do you oversee the content of the educational sessions such that they meet a certain threshold for educational value?
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SoundnFury said:
Thanks for the response. I'm concerned that the educational sessions will be sales pitches/promotions/repackaging/style-over-substance. Do you oversee the content of the educational sessions such that they meet a certain threshold for educational value?
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Yes, and selling is not permitted. Speakers are reminded of this a number of times, and anybody that violates it is never invited back.

You can see some older videos for free on YouTube - Free Access to Videos from Affiliate Summit West 2009
 
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Well the higher level passes are pretty crappy deal for affiliates. Either you don't have a lot of money or experience and should spend that money on campaigns to learn. Or you do have both money and success and the sessions are more basic than would typically help you. A silver pass will suffice for you if you go at all I'd wager.
 
kingfish said:
Well the higher level passes are pretty crappy deal for affiliates. Either you don't have a lot of money or experience and should spend that money on campaigns to learn. Or you do have both money and success and the sessions are more basic than would typically help you. A silver pass will suffice for you if you go at all I'd wager.
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Is this based on personal experience in attending Affiliate Summit sessions?
 
Its a personal decision which pass you get.

If your someone who learns from seminars then it might be worth spending the money on a better pass. I've seen a mix of great sessions and really crappy sessions. In my opinion the quality of the sessions each summit gets better and better due to their selection methods of speakers nowadays. I can tell you that Shoemoney always does great sessions, Jason from A4D did a great session in Vegas, Ive seen good sessions with Nickycakes, I thought myself and Amanda did awesome on the local one & the Ca$hvertising keynote in vegas was off the hook. So as much as people bash sessions there are some really awesome ones.

If its going to put you in financial hardship to buy a sessions pass then don't, there's a lot to learn outside of sessions as well.
 
AdHustler said:
Its a personal decision which pass you get.

If your someone who learns from seminars then it might be worth spending the money on a better pass. I've seen a mix of great sessions and really crappy sessions. In my opinion the quality of the sessions each summit gets better and better due to their selection methods of speakers nowadays. I can tell you that Shoemoney always does great sessions, Jason from A4D did a great session in Vegas, Ive seen good sessions with Nickycakes, I thought myself and Amanda did awesome on the local one & the Ca$hvertising keynote in vegas was off the hook. So as much as people bash sessions there are some really awesome ones.

If its going to put you in financial hardship to buy a sessions pass then don't, there's a lot to learn outside of sessions as well.
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I will say that AdHustler and Bofu2U are speakers. I don't know about AdHulstler, but Rob (Bofu2U) has a super sexy voice and has some interesting information.

I still think you should save your money instead of spending it on something until your IM ventures can easily pay for whatever you want to buy + a month's living & operating expenses + a cushion within a month.
 
I'll be there. Anyone know about hosting parties or sponsoring parties that are being hosted? I'm interested in sponsoring something while I'm there....or taking a bunch of you fuckers to dinner. From what I've seen, hosting a party may be a more intimate setting for developing client relationships (see: fellatio) than having a booth. Thoughts? Shawn you care to weigh in on this?
 
aaronklaw said:
I'll be there. Anyone know about hosting parties or sponsoring parties that are being hosted? I'm interested in sponsoring something while I'm there....or taking a bunch of you fuckers to dinner. From what I've seen, hosting a party may be a more intimate setting for developing client relationships (see: fellatio) than having a booth. Thoughts? Shawn you care to weigh in on this?
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It depends on what is happening at your party - personally, I don't get the dark rooms and blasting music as a place for networking. I'd rather go to a dinner with a select group.

The booth gives you a chance to meet some new folks, and connect with others who might not quality for a more select event, so it really comes down to your goals.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to take Rexibit's advice for now. If I can afford to pay full price in August, then I'll go.
 
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