Reconnaissance Report: Inside Fiera di Roma

“Gawk” and “rubbernecker” aren’t words we regularly use in conversation, but they were the first that came to mind when our team stepped into the spacious hall of Fiera di Roma. Almost instantly, we found ourselves in another dimension where mundane problems and daily routines no longer made much sense. The air crackled with electricity; someone had already sparked a lively discussion about AI, creatives, and metrics; a distant static hiss signaled that soundcheck was underway, and before we could adapt, the din of the event absorbed us, filling us with exalted energy.

Affiliate Grand Slam, a conference sharing the venue with SiGMA, had officially begun.

Mission: Fiera di Roma

Although gawking and rubbernecking were very much expected, we couldn’t indulge for more than five minutes: the halls were teeming with people, expertly scanning the signs, stages, and booths, each on a mission of their own. Some came here with a clear goal; others only drafted a rough outline of what they hoped to attain, but everyone was here for a reason—all affiliates were bent on observing, investigating, and connecting.

Frankly, our goals weren’t that much different—naturally, we were looking for opportunities as much as the next man—but we decided to split the team as they do in spy movies: one “agent” was to be dispatched into the field to reconnoiter, and the other “operative” remained at the booth. Unsurprisingly, the spy-movie metaphor soon spilled over into our conversations, which began to resemble terse field reports:

Character 1: “Agent, do you copy? Report your status.”

Character 2: “Status green. Proceeding as planned.”

Character 1: “Got it. Over and out.”

It was ridiculous, of course, but it gives a touch of cinematic flair to the division of labor. Armed with a stack of business cards and an aggressively optimistic attitude, we set off into the crowd.

The first few minutes were spent simply trying to understand the geography of the place. Every aisle seemed to lead somewhere, but never quite where we expected. Booths competed for attention with enormous banners, flashing screens, promotional giveaways, and the occasional person loudly demonstrating a product to an audience that had gathered for reasons we didn’t have time to determine: eight exhibition halls left no space for dawdling, so we scanned the surroundings and gauged—approximately—where we could potentially strike a deal, snatch an opportunity, or discuss conditions which would make a partnership possible. The difficulty, however, was that almost everyone seemed to be doing exactly the same thing, and those who didn’t were either gathering by the workshop room or swarming by the stage—so it was the right moment to approach the most amiable face in the crowd and introduce ourselves.

Intel Gathered

As a rule, first encounters tend to be deliberately cautious, but at Affiliate Grand Slam, people were enthusiastic and looked genuinely curious to know what you do, what you expect to get, and who you want to meet. Yes, it was a little too direct—no one was beating around the bush, immediately teasing out your motives—but the approach proved exceptionally useful: there was too much ground to cover, and if we lingered for too long, we wouldn’t have been able to do justice to even a fraction of what the event had to offer.

Naturally, we couldn’t limit ourselves to mere talks: after all, we were attending a conference that put much effort into the lineup and made sure to provide a multifaceted experience by inviting experts from multiple verticals—Maor Benaim was about to hold forth and dissect performance marketing; Nick Shackelford was to explain how brands scale in modern markets, with or without VC/PE backing; Niv Shaked planned to unveil the mysteries of TikTok; Iveta Makedonska was set to share her expertise on ads that resonated with the public… the list goes on and on. We stopped to listen for a while—and were mesmerized by the professional factuality of the speakers holding forth from the stage. As much as we wanted to jot down a few notes for personal use, we needed to move on—and our next destination was the workshop room, the sanctum sanctorum of the conference.

If we hadn’t had so many other things to do and report on, we would have gladly stayed longer, prying into its enigmas and trying to uncover whatever secrets were being exchanged behind those doors. But with several halls still awaiting our reconnaissance, lingering in the workshop was a luxury we couldn’t afford. We took a quick peek, absorbed what we could, and continued with the mission—leaving the deeper mysteries for those fortunate enough to have the time to investigate them properly.

Mission Assessment

Affiliate Grand Slam turned out to be a rare experience that was difficult to take in all at once. There was always something else to see, someone else to talk to, or somewhere else to be. Even when you thought you had covered enough ground, another stage, booth, workshop, or conversation would catch your attention—and you felt lured to continue your endeavors and pursue new goals that had formed in your mind during a particularly intense speech. Perhaps that was the real value of the event: you arrived with a mission to complete, but it multiplied during the conference and gave you a new objective— an objective to come back, return with more questions, explore more possibilities, seize more opportunities, and schedule more meetings with the most influential figures of affiliate marketing.