I Went to Affiliate World Budapest on September 4, and That’s What I Think

“Maggie! We’ve got a booth!”

These are the words that roused me in a second, and—

Wait. I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? Let me do this properly, with the refined grace of a woman, belonging to an ancient and highly aristocratic lineage. Picture this: I am clearing my throat, smoothing my imaginary shirtfront with a hand, and straightening my posture. And then I boom in my stentorian low voice, like a born speaker,

“Dear esteemed readers, welcome to the article. My name’s Margarita, and I was lucky to present Traffic Cardinal at the Affiliate World Budapest conference. For those who don’t know, let me specify, using the popular quotation by Lady Gaga: Traffic Cardinal is talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before affiliate digital journal that releases articles, podcasts, reviews, and whatever else we put our hands on.”

Will that do? I do hope so. Now let me continue in my standard jocular fashion.

How It Was

“Maggie! We’ve got a booth!”

Don’t tell me this isn’t the sentence you dream of hearing two weeks prior to the conference you’re attending, especially if this conference is Affiliate World. I won’t believe you anyway.

Affiliate World Conferences — regardless of the location — come across as the acme of events everybody wants to attend: it’s the rush, it’s the energy, it’s the ever-creative flow, and a lovely sidebar to your versatile affiliate experiences.

At least that’s what I thought, lying prostrate in my bed, wondering whether I was up to the challenge. I’d been to conferences before, Affiliate World and SiGMA no less, but not with a booth. What does it look like the other way around, when you are greeting other guests, not accosting them in the aisle? It couldn’t be the same thing, could it?

My naturally developed anxiety, which normally has nothing to do with public appearances, vanished into thin air the moment I stepped into the venue. MTK Sportpark, the freshly built event center, impressed me even more than the previous one. While the last time's expo became a pinnacle of impeccable organization, this new one emphasized the idea of modernity and screamed innovation. Gawking around like the proverbial Englishman in New York, I stuttered over to the administrator's desk. As usual, one barcode in the app was enough to pass, and there I was, in the heart of the real business, and the mental cartwheels I’d been performing for the last two weeks in my head gave way to a far more pleasant feeling: that of humble merriment, anticipation of something big, itching underneath the nails. The familiar atmosphere of the conference was quickly permeating my body, and I wondered why the hell I was so inexorably dramatic about the whole thing. The incessant bubbling of the place, growing voices, and friendly exchanges between experts, who were situated in different spots on the totem pole, quickly invigorated me.

“Ah, guys, I am chagrined to admit that, this time, these beautiful goods aren’t of my own devising,” I remember myself saying to a couple of affiliates with planners in their hands, “But you may take them. Just to keep us in mind and reach out to me the next day with a collaboration request.”

“Oh, you want an interview? We can do that.”

“Yes, yes, the Traffic Cardinal that arranged podcasts with i-Con and Affiliate Expo organizers!”

“Oh, hi! Out with it, out with it. Tell me about yourself, too! I’m curious. I’m so curious, I can put Richard Feynman to shame.”

“Conference reviews? That’s on us.”

In retrospect, I hardly recollect the faces that talked to me in the booth. I chatted with everyone, laughed at their larks, making mental notes: this person seemed a little out of his depth, perhaps, it was his first; that girl in the upbeat pink costume sauntered around like she owned the place, clearly knowing what she was seeking; a flirtatious affiliate with a generous pile of business cards — was he from the dating niche? — came here for networking only; and a couple of friends attacked one particularly enticing booth with a mascot—was there a game? At some point, I surrendered and delegated the geisha tasks of regaling strangers to my colleague and ran over to the booth to see what it was about, but got entangled in another conversation and was eventually hauled to the stage (I retold the report to my colleague, in the most thorough fashion possible! Promises!). I didn’t make it to the mascot, but I got something just as enticing instead.

Standing almost by the stage, surrounded by specialists of all niches, I stared at the familiar visage: Nadim Kuttab from Xevio, the native ads veteran. Even though I wasn’t in the native ads department, I felt like it would be a bombshell for everyone related — perhaps, this little speech could inspire me to write a piece on the modern trends in native advertising.

By the end of his report, I felt more than a little interested: Kuttab unveiled the most peculiar aspects of native advertising, and I wondered whether his insights could be implemented immediately and change the trajectory of a campaign. But before I pondered it over, I saw a familiar face in the crowd—after several conferences in a row, I learned to treat such events like happy school reunions. Not necessarily close partners, people you’d met before took a different stance towards you. One conference, and you’re complete strangers; two conferences, and you get accustomed to the atmosphere; three, four, five and more — and those attendees communicate with you in an almost avuncular way, asking about the state of things, giving advice, introducing you to those who you haven’t met yet, and ensuring a collaboration. We listened to another report, jotted down a few salient points, and dropped by the booths on the way to the one I occupied with my colleague. He must’ve been elated to see me emerge from the affiliate throng, so he could enjoy the show himself, and I was able to wave a hand to other specialists.

“Hey!” I shouted, putting a heap of merchandise I had looted in other booths on the floor to examine later, “There’s a sweepstake just around the corner!”

The poor fellow seemed to ignore me: he must have been relieved to escape me, so he could have a well-deserved coffee break with his newly acquired friends. Nothing doing; now I could relish the more modulated flow of affiliates. Working in a booth seemed to be a less hectic tactic at a conference, especially if you’re naturally shy or if this is your first time at such a big event. You don’t start the conversation, you steer it, deftly outlining your fortes and creating the right impression. The only flaw is that you can’t gambol and scamper around the venue, and that’s a torment for spry people, but it’s also an unparalleled opportunity to initiate a networking session with anyone interested. Besides, at Affiliate World, everyone is interested: people come here for connections, and they find them in unexpected places like the buffet or stage. Even more so, affiliates tend to be so enthusiastic about potential projects, generating in their heads, they attend adjacent parties, for example, the long-awaited i-Con party, which had me thunderstruck. This is coming from a person who prefers museums to loud parties, so trust me on that one: i-Con managed to create an atmosphere that catered to everybody's needs, making the meeker participants feel more at ease, and delivering the best networking sessions available. If you wanted me to describe the soiree in three words, I'd choose these: un-freaking-missable and absolutely legendary. I’m not disclosing anything else not to spoil the surprise: you must attend. Mark your calendar for the next one.

Now, as I lie prostrate in my bed, I am still trying to digest the events of these busy days. Was it really me there, joking and texting everyone I met? I was so nervous before this grand challenge, and I feel so empowered right after. Perhaps it was a certain stage of my personal growth, and I hadn’t realized it until I had time to actually revisit my Affiliate World Budapest experiences. Will I be nervous next time? Most likely. Will I accept the honor of spending my time at such a great event that educates specialists and shapes the industry? Without doubt.