They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  So if I didn’t learn from my experience at this last affiliate summit, I’d be crazy.  I’ve had some time to think long and hard about my experience in Las Vegas and I’m resolved to learn from these experiences.  I wouldn’t say they’re mistakes, per se, but definitely opportunities for learning.  Here’s some things I’ve figured out for myself that might just help you too (see, this isn’t my being selfish!)

• Make sure to secure internet for the trip!  I had SO many problems this time around, I’m going to make sure the hotel I’m staying at has either wired or wifi connections, and bring my own Ethernet cable that I know for SURE works just in case.  Being without internet for 5 days is killer!
• Don’t get sick!  I’m going to finally try out Airborne and hopefully avoid catching germs from people.  Maybe I’ll even go semi-germaphobe and carry around some PocketBac to help reduce the chance of germs jumping on board after shaking so many hands.  I have some awesome peppermint sceneted stuff from Bath & Body Works in a tiny and manageable 1 fl. oz. size.  I can’t afford to come back sick from a conference AGAIN!
• Lighten my load.  My big backpack was too big – I didn’t need to cart around that much space.  Luckily the Buy.at backpack I won is just right to carry my laptop & the essentials (business cards, beverage, wallet, antibacterial hand gel, that kind of thing).
• Get more information from my mentee!  I don’t want to be a sourpuss and not do the mentor program again because I have even MORE stuff to tell a AS newbie, but this time I’ll be sure to find out when they’re coming to the summit, if they’ll be there all three days, and try to find out what they look like so I can spot them in a crowd to say hi!
• Attend “Ask the Experts”!  I jokingly said that I’d never attend this unless I was one of the experts, but since I don’t see that happening I need to not be lazy that second day and get up and attend.  Somehow sleep always seems to take precedent that second morning…
• EAT!  I managed to go all day Sunday having eaten just a few snacks and no real meals until a 2am bowl of cereal (thank you Las Vegas for being a 24/7 town).  This was not good.  Since the provided Continental Breakfast and Luncheons don’t kick in until Monday & Tuesday, I need to remember that Sunday isn’t just the Meet Market anymore – it’s a full fledged day of sessions, so get up and get energy!
• Get a smaller camera.  Or bring the smaller one I gave my husband, because I don’t take nearly enough photos and end up relying on the power of Flickr and Facebook tags to find photos of me at the show.  My camera that I take most my pics with is kinda bulky and not really friendly “on the fly”.  Next time I’ll have my Flip Mino (thank you MarketLeverage!) and will be sure to get video of some of the general events (not the sessions, that’s a no-no) and random people I encounter.  I’ll be video happy!
• Pimp myself out.  It’s nice to look professional, yes, but being branded like a cow gets noticed.  I had my own business cards of course, but no cards for any other departments, no nifty swag to hand people, no visible affiliation with them other than the name on my badge, not even a postcard with the equivalent of a 30 second elevator pitch.  Next time, you’ll know who I rep when you see me coming!

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I believe I mentioned before, I’m participating once again in the Affiliate Summit Mentor program.  I sent these same tips and tricks to the person I’m mentoring, and since people are starting to filter into town today for the show, I’ve decided to share these last minute tips with everyone!

Now, some are just general conference/trade show things that a first timer might not really be aware of.  Some are probably common sense, but hey, they’re there for good measure.  So take my advice here, don’t take my advice, it’s up to you.  But some of this might help!

If all goes well and my flight is on time I should be in the air soon, so I hope to see you in Las Vegas!  If you want to meet up with me at any point, send me a Direct Message on Twitter – I’ll have the SMS updates turned on so it’ll be as good as texting me

General Conference Tips

• Business Cards – Bring plenty!  I can’t stress this enough.  It’s the best way for people to remember to contact you when they get back to “the real world” of work after the conference.  Also, if you’re the type of person that likes to enter booth drawings for prizes, most want you to drop off a business card to enter.
• Added Personalization of Business Cards – For an important contact that you definitely want to get back to you, write something distinctive on the back of the card when you give it to them.  It could be your cell phone number or some other bit of contact information that’s not already on the card, or just a note about who you are, like “Met at lunch on Tuesday”.  That will give the person a reminder when they get back that they actually wanted to later connect with you.
• Comfort – wear comfortable clothes and shoes that won’t slow you down or make sitting around in sessions unbearable.  As well, it’ll help to fully assess the conference bag and its contents to know if they’re suitably comfortable for you.  For example, despite being provided a notepad in the bag, I don’t usually use it.  I prefer to use a Composition Book to take notes – not only because the cover is thick and it’s easier to write in when there’s no surface to write on, but also I keep my notes when I get back, so it’s easier to keep them in the same notebook than loose all over.  Be aware of these kinds of personal preferences.
• Literature – don’t be afraid to grab literature from booths & meet market tables.  What I do is take it up to my room and unload at the end of each day.  Then I can fully read more into stuff and decide what I’ll be taking back with me.  I also find that taking stuff back with me does help me remember who I wanted to do more research into working with, more than a business card necessarily.
• Leave Luggage Space – it’s Vegas, and there will be booth people wanting to give you knick-knacks and t-shirts and you may just want to bring home souvenirs, so remember to leave space in your bags for any literature, paperwork, goodies, souvenirs, etc. that you may be bringing home with you.  Buying another bag for that stuff to bring home isn’t fun (trust me, I’ve been there).

Affiliate Summit Specific Tips

• Conference Bag – you’ll be provided with a bag when you register.  Mostly it’ll have literature inserts that businesses have paid to have included.  I recommend going through the literature immediately and removing anything you know you have absolutely no interest in.  Added papers will just bog you down when you’re walking around.  The bag usually also contains a pad of paper someone has sponsored and a pen, amongst other random goodies.
• Registration – Register earlier, that way you have time before anything important starts to get rid of the excess in your bag & get comfortable to embark on more important stuff.  If you go to the conference area just to register before any intentions of going to the Meet Market or sessions, that will give you time to examine the bag itself, pen, notebook, goodies, etc. to see if you’ll need to grab your own supplies to be comfortable and effectively meet your conference goals.
• Meet Market – GO!  I admit, my first Affiliate Summit I didn’t go because the description made it sound like it was a row of merchants sitting around waiting for affiliates to approach them in a creepy way.  But it’s a huge networking opportunity.  There’s drinks, wandering, and yes, you can have some good conversations with industry colleagues.   There are often companies that just get a Meet Market table (they’re less expensive) and won’t have a booth during the exhibit hall, so take the opportunity to talk with anyone you’re interested in doing business with – that may be your only opportunity.
• Water – I don’t know if hotels and conference centers do this for everyone or if the organizers have to request it, but there’s almost always pitchers of cold water and glasses in all the session rooms or just outside.  Carrying around a bottle never hurts either if that’s more your style.
• Timeliness – being on time to sessions will greatly help your comfort level and learning.  I usually try to get there at least a couple minutes early.  That gives me time to find a good seat, get a drink of water, and get settled before the panel actually starts.  That way I’m not interrupting anything by trying to get comfortable or by walking in late.
• Meals – if you have a full conference pass, they provide a continental breakfast & light lunch (usually sandwiches, soup, burgers, that kind of thing).  It’s nothing gourmet but it’s a good chance to talk to some people casually, approach speakers you want to follow up with, things like that.  And you’ve already paid for it with your conference registration, so you might as well take advantage of it, that’s my theory.
• Business Meetings – you may have already scheduled some.  Don’t schedule too many though – you want ample time to explore the exhibit hall and attend panels and sessions.  Also – I made this mistake at the last Summit held at the Rio – make arrangements to meet your appointments near to the conference area.  The conference center of the Rio is at the back of the hotel, so if you’ve made arrangements to meet in the lobby or closer to the casino area, it might be incredibly out of your way to go all the way out there to meet the person.  Besides, you’ll have a more professional meeting anywhere in the back near the conference center than you would out by the casino floor anyway.
• Agenda – take a few minutes now to check out the agenda for the show online.   It’ll save you time now to decide on some of the sessions/events you definitely want to attend than to have to make those decisions on the fly.  However, being flexible isn’t a bad thing – sometimes you hear things from other attendees that you can’t know by reading the description on paper.
• Session/Event Recommendations – these are a couple of sessions that are geared more towards affiliates than merchants. You might want to check out:
  • The Black Ink Session, Sunday 1:30p – 2:30p Classroom C (Miranda 5-6). Jeremy Palmer is a great guy and successful affiliate and really takes a basic “this is how you do it” approach.
  • Ethical Issues in Affiliate Marketing, Sunday 3-4pm Classroom D (Miranda 7-8). There was a session just like this with almost the same lineup of panelists in Boston, and it didn’t turn out that great, to put it politely.  I’m really hoping that they took the feedback given then and will put out a more productive and well run panel this time.
  • Mentor Program Meet Up, Sunday 6:30-7:30pm Brasilia 1-3. You’re probably already planning on attending this, but it’ll be a great mixer and balance amongst new attendees and old hat attendees, so the networking will be great.
  • Opening Remarks & Keynote, Monday 9:45am-10:45am, General Session Room Brasilia 1-7. For one, the keynote will set the tone and you’ll be sorry if you miss it. For two, Gary Vaynerchuk is the keynote and he’s a fantastic speaker!
  • Advanced Optimization for Landing Pages, Monday 2-3pm Classroom C. I’ve heard Olivier Chaine & Lisa Crossley Hunter speak before and they definitely know what they’re talking about, so with just them the session should be good. I’ve never heard Trevor Claiborne speak and I’ve spoken to Beth Kirsch before but never seen her on a panel so I can’t vouch for them.

Las Vegas Tips

• If you’re staying at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, take a cab from the airport.  The shuttles, while less expensive, take at least an hour to get from the airport to the Rio since it’s off the strip, so usually it’s the last stop before they return to the airport.   If you’ve been traveling all day, you’ll thank yourself for saving the hassle.
• Chapstick is your friend!  If you’re not used to a relatively dry climate like Las Vegas, be sure to carry around some good chapstick or lip balm.  Even if you don’t leave the hotel at all to expose yourself to the elements, the recycled air & smoke in the casino area can be a lot to take with repeteitive exposure.
• There’s a café down the hall on the way to the conference area of the Rio called the Sao Paulo Café – avoid it!   Terrible service, mediocre food.
• There’s also a Starbucks next to that cafe, so if you need your morning latte fix, it’ll be there, but the lines may be long so plan ahead.
• The conference center is in the very back of the hotel, so from the guest elevators and gaming area, it’s a 15 minute walk if you’re taking your time, 5-10 if you’re booking it.  Remember that when planning out your arrival times and any other events during the day.
• The Carnival World Buffet is really good; I highly recommend trying it at least once while you’re there.  Don’t let the $27 price tag scare you – it’s worth it.
• The All-American Bar & Grill is a good option for a decent burger or fries at any hour.

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For those of you who don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, at the last Affiliate Summit in Boston a great new tradition was started.  The Affiliate Summit Mentor Program.  This program, headed by the gracious Teresa Caldwell for Affiliate Summit East and now headed by awesome Jen Goode for Affiliate Summit West, is a way for first time conference attendees to learn the ropes.

I remember my first summit, not that long ago, in Miami in July 07.  SO overwhelmed with information, especially considering that was my first trade show at ALL and I was relatively new to affiliate marketing and hadn’t been exposed to the industry at large.  I’m not the only first time attendee to feel consumed by it all, hence why the mentor program was created.  The program matches up volunteer mentors who have experience attending the shows and know generally what to expect and how to get the most out of your attendance, with newbie first timers who’ve asked for a bit of guidance.

At the last summit I agreed to be a mentor, having that be my 3rd show attending, and I felt the experience didn’t go all that well.  I exchanged a few emails with my assigned newbie/”mentee” and after they didn’t respond to the last email, that was it – unfortunately I didn’t know if they even ended up attending the show or not.

Hence my reluctance to sign up this time around.  I didn’t feel like I was that helpful, and I guess the person was less-than-impressed with who I was the first time, which made me think that perhaps I’m not the best person to be a mentor.  But the ever wise Jen Goode convinced me to give it another shot, so I’m happy to say that once again I’m participating in the mentor program for Affiliate Summit West 09 in Las Vegas next month.

I just received the email with my newbie’s information, and I’m off to shot them a welcome – if you’re a veteran attendee of the Affiliate Summit, and haven’t signed up yet, DO IT!  Go to http://blog.affiliatesummit.com/affiliate-summit-mentor-program and sign up today – the deadline is December 28th!

Also, watch this video that former mentee turned mentor Michael Buechele of 11|15 Media did if you need more convincing!

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