Are going to conferences worth it?

So now that I am digging my heels into affiliate marketing I see that there are lots of conferences and conventions you can go to. I'd like to try to attend at least 1 this year but they all seem about the same. Are there any that would be more beneficial for a new affiliate versus the other?

I am thinking about Affiliate Summit in Boston this August.

For the majority of them - yes. The networking and contacts you make can be invaluable, and there's also a lot of education out there obviously. What I enjoy most about conferences is how you come home so inspired.

I have to agree with DealerDan 150%, I attended my first conference this year in London and it was excellent experience. Not only did I have a great time, but I met a lot of the key contacts within the industry and learned so much information from fellow affiliates. The other huge positive was the motivation of seeing the possiblity of great success through meeting everyone, which as DealerDan said very inspiring upon my return.

[GregK]

Not to mention the socializing during the night. There are usually some pretty cool sponsored partied by different Affiliate Programs.

[NewEdgeMedia]

Affiliate summit is a great conference to attend, as well as any search marketing conferences if you're into PPC and the like.

[Yep!Jamie]

Ad Tech is also a great one to go to especially if your on the advertising side of affiliate marketing

[apcmLW]

Yep!Jamie gave a good tip. Ad Tech is one of the biggest and probably the best to go to to make contacts and connections. The conventions are so much fun! you make friends and go out drinking and can do business at the same time

[affgem]

Hi,

Yes, affiliate summit is a great place to know how the affiliate industry is doing and where it is heading. It is also the place where you get to meet many prominent personalities in affiliate marketing world.

[maranda]

From an affiliate manager's perspective, I would say YES!

The last two Affiliate Summit conferences my colleagues and I attended gave us an opportunity to meet affiliates face to face and get an idea of what their needs were. Keep in mind that for any conference you attend you should be setting up appointments in advance with an account/affiliate manager and address all the concerns or questions you may have about a particular merchant(s) or offer(s). You'd be surprised at how much this creates clear communication and how fast issues can be resolved that may have taken months via email.

My recommendation is to set a goal of one or two forthcoming conferences that interest you and would be most beneficial. See what buzz is going around about the events. Scope out what companies are attending.

It's a great way to see make certain you're getting the most bang for your buck.