Affiliate Summit West 2011

Affiliate Summit West finished last week…wew…what an event!

First, the choice of venue was an excellent pick for Las Vegas. The Wynn Hotel is one of the few true 5 Star hotels. It’s modern, clean and offers plenty of amenities. I treated myself and Joe to a Wynn Salon Suite. You can find a tour here (click on the image to the left). These rooms were exquisite and came with their own dedicated entry, check-in, elevator and pool area.

The keynote speakers were excellent, with my favorite being Drew Eric Whitman. Drew appeared to be very knowledgeable; I have already ordered his book. The other keynote speaker, Brian Solis, was also very interesting (I’m also purchasing his book "Engage"). Most of the sessions were good, however some were only so-so in that they were not very practical for real world usage. There is room for improvement with some of the sessions.

With over 4,000 attendees, Affiliate Summit West offered plenty of networking opportunities. It was easy to meet fellow Internet Marketers at the sessions and the after-parties.
As with most affiliate marketing summits, there was no shortage of events or parties!  Many offered open bars and some form of entertainment. One of the more memorable affairs was the ShareASale 10 Year Anniversary gala at the Wynn Tryst nightclub. The most interesting blowout might have been the live performance of Academy award winner rap group Three 6 Mafia (Triva: Three 6 Mafia is the first black music group to win an Academy Award for Best Song). I have some of their live performance on video as well as the rap band Black Rock City Allstars .

There were probably close to 100 exhibitors at Affiliate Summit West. Most of them were networks. Some felt there were perhaps too many networks participating. In any case, it is always good to see what is going on in that arena.

The Affiliate Summit Platinum Pass was definitely a good value.  On top of all the items listed above, the breakfasts and lunches were outstanding. Many, like me, were surprised they served food of such good quality and diversity.

Will I attend Affiliate Summit West next year? Most probably, yes.
Affiliate Summit East (New York) is in August, and CJ has its event (CJ University) in September – so of those, I might have to pick one or the other.

I came back to a chilly Denver (17F) and soon developed a vicious cold.
Having slept about 3 hours a night probably contributed to weakening my immune system.

Thanks to Shawn Collins and Miss Ward for putting together Affiliate Summit West 2011. Rock on!