The second and the final day of the London Affiliate Conference 2016 continued to be eventful at the Olympia National. Like the first day, the exhibition hall was bursting with non-stop business meetings, energizing booth activities and some attention-grabbing gimmicks.
Ian Rush was a fixture at Banc de Binary’s booth in the morning, prompting excited fans–arms full of Liverpool memorabilia–to line up for a chance to get an autograph and a photo with Liverpool’s legendary football player.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, LAC invited a special panel of experts to discuss how the affiliate industry has grown in the past decade. Panelists shared the challenges the affiliates have encountered and how those were overcome, and how the industry will continue to grow, and how it must adapt to trends and to what customers want in the future. One of the session’s key takeaways: You don’t have to be the best in the industry in order to survive. But you need to be creative enough for innovation to happen.
Panelist Gary Myers, a seasoned affiliate and Ladbrokes Partners UK sports affiliate head, shared some tips for affiliates on staying ahead of the game. He believes the key for affiliates these days is content and making sure your site is worthy for people to come to and keep coming back to.
The rise of the artificial intelligence era was the main discussion in one of the SEO-centric sessions. Speaker Paul Reilly, an SEO expert and the founder of Media Skunk Works, presented some SEO strategies on how to work effectively in this new age.
The LAC’s exposure to new and emerging brands has not stopped and it paved the way for Viks to raise awareness about their new brand, which caters to the Scandinavian market. For Sylvia Hopped, Viks’ chief brand officer, exhibiting in avenues such as the LAC helps a new brand like theirs to get the same opportunity as established brands with big booths in building relationships with operators and affiliates.
Malta-based Amsterdams Casino believes the LAC is the perfect setting for brands like them to communicate with affiliates and operators. Affiliate manager Allistair Sparrow explained how social events play an integral role in their communication strategy and strengthening relationships with their partners. In fact, Amsterdams Casino flew in a chef from a two-starred Michelin restaurant in Holland to prepare delectable food for a mini-social event with attendees in their booth.
The number of attendees this year is biggest in the history of the LAC. More celebrity guests have also participated in the event this year. Certainly, there was no dull moment.
The event culminated with a celebration of LAC’s 10 solid years with a big cake and a glass of champagne for everyone.
