Affiliate Leaders’ editor, Jyoti Rambhai, and reporter Ellen Jennings-Trace are on the ground in Lisbon at this year’s Affiliate Leaders Summit to bring you the latest over the next three days.
Day 3
3.00pm: SBC Lisbon – over and out!
Finally, we’re heading to the SBC press conference to wrap up the week. Stuart Duff, head of events at SBC, Andy McCarron, managing director, and Miles Lewis, chief sales officer all talk us through the event highlights and the key takeaways.
This year’s event brought together a range of different groups, with educational panels, many of which were CPD accredited.
The Affiliate Leaders Summit brought “a lot of chatter about how we can continue to grow and how the affiliates can continue to grow operators’ audiences,” adds Lewis.
“It’s a challenge, and we’re there to answer it.”
1.30pm: BETBY SlotBets
We’re sat for BETBY’s launch, where they’re introducing their new SlotBets product.
The new product is looking to serve the most dynamic demographics, with the highest engagement, and who are used to having their attention pulled in every direction. It features 15-second rounds, triggered by live sporting event outcomes.
1.00pm: That’s a wrap for the Affiliate Leaders stage
We’re all done for the Affiliate stage, but don’t worry – we’re still around for meetings, press conferences, and networking.
Thanks to everyone who visited, helped out, and spoke at out fantastic Affiliate stage this year, see you all again soon!
12.00pm: Can affiliates survive without paying to play?
Next, we’re sat down for a panel between affiliate experts, who are discussing the diversification of acquisitions as SEO evolves. Jonathon Olsson, Match2One’s chief marketing officer tells us that diversification is crucial for all operators and all affiliates. No one wants to be put in a dependency position, he says, but there’s no universal answer for everyone.
Affiliates know their own business model better than anyone, adds Julia Logan, head of digital at AICT Media. Ai traffic won’t convert well for everyone, but “maybe it shouldn’t.”
“If you’re sh*** at SEO, you’re probably going to be sh*** at AI traffic, and probably even sh*** at paid media too,” Logan concludes.
11.15am: Dealing with DCMA attacks
Ivana Flynn, SEO expert and consultant kicks things off on the Affiliate Leaders stage with a presentation on how DCMA attacks stacking creates an endless loop.
She tells the hard truth about the impact these attacks can have on businesses, which can “sometimes feel personal”.
Ivana takes the audience through how to serve counter notices to these attacks reminds people to remain “patient”.
10.30am: On the home stretch
It’s the final day of the Affiliate Leaders conference and we’ve refuelled and ready to hit the ground running.
Day 2
5.00pm: Day two wrapped up!
And thats all we have for you on day two folks! For all those who spoke to us and kept up to date with the blog… thanks, and see you again tomorrow!
We have the Affiliate Leaders Awards tonight. Good luck to all those shortlisted, and see you there.
Follow along for day three, same time, same place.
3.30pm: Audience engagement
Here’s a quick look at the latest panel, which is all about engaging audiences. A wide range of panelists are coming together to talk about UGC and how its used to increase reach and generate trust.
2.45pm: Understanding the different platforms
We’ve taken a peak inside one of the academies now where Google, TikTok, Meta and Snapchat are on stage talking to users about understanding the different platforms.
There’s a key theme that’s emerging: investing in creative pays off.
“Creative is the new targeting mechanism,” says Alex Savage, client solutions manager, EMEA gaming at Meta. “The ad is the strongest signal the system can use to see who your target audience is.”
He goes on to add that the detailed and narrow targeting that advertisers focused on was “designed for intent at a time when we had less signals”. But intent can now be predicted, which has gives marketers more “freedom to focus on the creative”.
Sadie Hollis, client partner at Snapchat, points out that users are using each platform for different reasons… so advertisers have to “get into the mindset” of the users on those platforms.
On Snapchat it’s using the AR in the camera for example and highlights that there is often a misconception about the platform as simply a social media platform. Snapchat givers consumers a “real opportunity to experience something within the platform” which can be really valuable.
Alongside the creative, understand and having the right measurement and tracking tools is also essential.
Google’s industry manager, James Fox (pictured: centre) says: “Creative is a driver of ROI and businesses in that in ecosystem need to understand measurement… what is really going to move the needle for advertisers.”
He gives the example of YouTube, which gives advertisers the opportunity to “blend brand building and drive performance” on a single platform.
“You can tell your story to 95% of your audience on TV screen, then carry that story on with short-form content. You can essentially build out a full-funnel strategy within YouTube.”
Jake Adams, client partner – real-money gaming and financial services at TikTok, goes on to say that when investing in creative, its important to make it “native to the platform”.
“We’ve only just allowed real-money gaming ads on TikTok, so it is a bit of a unique opportunity. But there are some big learnings to take from travel and luxury sectors,” he explains adding that they don’t just “copy and paste creator content” from one platform to another.
2pm: Trust in AI
Pannellists in the Future shock: the predictions affiliates don’t want to hear, question whether AI can truly be trusted.
12.50pm: Spribe’s founder story
Next up, we’re sat down for Spribe’s founder, David Natroshivili. He’s explaining Spribe’s journey, and how it has built itself in the iGaming industry.
“The first thing we realised is that this is an entertainment business. People don’t play to win money, this is a big misconception.”
They come for the experience, he explains, so giving users the premium and unique experience with social elements, chats, and double bets is how Spribe has thrived in the industry.
12.30pm: Affiliates have a responsibility to protect players
Andreas Ditsche (left), chief executive of igaming.com, Floris Assies (centre left), founder at Better World Casinos, Nemanja Lazarevic (centre right), founder and chief exec of Teamwork have sat down with Aminata Diallo, chief executive of Afiliapub to discuss greymarket tightrope for affiliates.
There is a general consensus among the panellists that it is a real balancing act between protecting players and profitability.
But the real challenges lie in how markets are regulated.
Ditsche says: “If you don’t make the regulated market attractive for players, then you’ll lose them to the dark side.”
Lazarevic, agrees adding that the problem with many markets is “it’s too regulated”.
“The players are not just going to stop… they’re just going to move to the grey or black market. They are going to find a way to play.”
It is why the pannellists believe affiliates also have a responsibility to protect players as much as the operators.
“We have an obligation to educate and show up with opportunities to protect players”, explains Ditshe. He cites some research his firm has done around the factors that are key in gaming.
“In Germany, we hide ourselves in the basement and don’t tell anyone. In other countries, people go out, if they lose the money, it’s like going out for dinner and that’s it. But when you look into who plays the most, it’s low-income, uneducated men,” he highlights.
This is why affiliates have an obligation to protect players just as much as operators.
12.00pm: UFC Champion Charles Oliveira takes the stage!
Charles ‘Du Bronx’ Oliveira is on our Super Stage giving us the low down on everything from his daily routine, the evolution of sports, his upbringing, and more!
The session is hosted by hosted by sports presenter and broadcaster Alison Bender, who starts by asking Oliveira about how his upbringing shaped him and his journey into sports.
Oliveira speaks about his losses and how they propelled him forward to new heights, and how he used those early losses to build his resilience.
10.15am: Setting the stage
This is the Conference Conversion stage in our Affiliate Leaders Summit – and it’s one of the stages we’ll be flitting between today.
We’re getting set up now, so swing by later to see what’s going on!
10.00am: Breakfast
We’re kicking off the day today with a classic (if slightly depressing looking) conference breakfast before we hit the stages.
Drop us a line if you fancy a grabbing us for a chat, a coffee, or a catch up!
Day 1
18.30pm: Thats a wrap on day one!
That’s it from us today for the Affillate Leaders Summit!
Thank you to everyone who followed along, spoke to us, and got on stage for us today. See you all again tomorrow, same time, same place, for another fabulous day for affiliates!
17.30pm: The cookie decline.
Clemence Dujardin, group chief executive of MyAffiliates, Robert Kraft, founder of Atlas World Sport, Clint Griscti, co-founder of apidae digital, Will Barfield, head of FanReach at Better Collective, and Jyoti Rhambai are sat to talk about the first-party data crisis.
Attribution is a key theme, and there’s a “big mistake”, says Dujardin. “Cookies are not attribution.” “We need to step back and understand that cookies were never the attribution themselves. We need to better understand attribution, but that’s not cookies, it can come for other technologies.”
Griscti continues: “The problem is that last-click attribution is dead in the world we live in today, and needs to be revolutionised in the industry.”
“The challenge in the industry is that the last-click model doesn’t work for most models. If you’re looking for a more future proof method, CPC, intent based – the last click doesn’t work.” says Barfield. You need something more transparent, and with full visibility and tracking.
Going as an affiloate and trying to pull data to say ‘hey, we brought you this many clicks’ is like going to your parents with a report card, says Kraft. “It’s a little bit of a show game” and the question is, how do we make this better together? “You have to give up all your data, but its not a two-way street. Maybe that’s the way the industry is going, but there has to be a better solution to it.”
17.00pm: Meta’s Lucky Parrot
Niv Herzberg, creative strategist at Meta is here to explain how AI can be used to create engaging content.
Creative is the new targeting, says Herzberg. The originality is still the star of the show, he says, but ads can be optimised with AI to engage a whole new set of fans.
“We want to use AI created hooks that will be integrated into your existing ads.” He shows us some example of AI creative that can connect people with more specific content based on their interests.
Meta is a global giant in the ad space, so audiences will be interested in the ways Meta recommends to reach new audiences and in optimising their content to reach their targets.
16.30pm: Search disruptions
Nikita Koshelyuk, chief executive of Trident Media and Noah Traisman, chief executive of Winable.
The ground beneath marketers is shifting. Disruptions to traditional search is pushing affiliates into AI black boxes, but how do marketers adapt?
“Two years ago we couldn’t predict the AI shift,” says Koshelyuk. “Our main problem was a lack of planning.”
“Traffic sources want to automate all their work with ads, I guess they think we’re not clever enough to target it ourselves,” he jokes. “The only thing they leave us to do is creative.”
Traisman continues: “Two years ago, a creator strategy was a supplement to a paid strategy, but today the creator strategy is the focal point.
“Its about how difficult its become to rely on Meta, Google. The reality is, as the paid media providers become more erratic, it’s become much more reliable for creator strategy.
“Stop sending your traffic places you can’t control it.”
16.00pm: Content and AI
Long form content and short form are both needed for quality content, explains Zaruba. AI is challenging the norms within content, in delivery, creation, and more. Try, see what works, and kill anything that doesn’t work, advises Zaruba.
Costa continues that AI is a process of learning as you go. Processes are changing quickly, and development is not a smooth process. Sardani says that her use of AI is focused on outcome, rather than process. The process can be finished in seconds, even if you don’t have a developer team behind you.
Bielinski concludes:: “Nowadays because we have the tools, we can bring an idea to life within two weeks, and that’s a fantastic thing. You’re focused more on the outcome and what you want to get in the end.”
15.45pm: Is content the most undervalued asset in iGaming?
Industry experts Rui Costa, head of content for Gentoo, Alan Zaruba, chief digital content officer for Flashscore, Adam Bielinski, co-founder of iGamingnuts, Kieth Geary, director of marketing for Mr Gamble, and our moderator Rohini Sardani, founder of WiseWager discuss the content and product weightings.
“The industry exists because of the player, and we need to remember that players are people…” explains Rui Costa. “If you want to build trust, a good place to start is to treat your platers like adults and be transparent with them, even if that means criticising the companies that are paying you the most.”
“We switched from a content company to a product focused company,” counters Bielinski. “There are different factors that matter. Content is still important, but not as much as it was before.”
Content-led to product-led is a big industry shift, and not everyone is in agreement on where it is headed.
15.15pm: The modern audience
Next up, we’re watching a fantastic panel from Armin Aganovic, Shane Roberts, Tamar Hovhannisyan, Abraham Charles, and Olha Sydorenko. This panel is focused on the younger audience – which, the panel agrees, is not quite as easily distracted and totally disloyal as it first seems.
“As a streamer you can’t be greedy… as you still have your loyal followers to consider,” says streamer Shane Roberts. Within the industry, short term content isn’t as attractive as long-form for casino content. “Give money away. That’s all you have to do.”
Roberts recommends keeping customers incentivised with giveaways on long streams, as engaged audiences can be much more beneficial to your brand.
14.30pm: Defining the next decade for affiliates
Now, we’re at the Affiliate Leaders stage for a fireside chat between Elaine Gardiner, managing director at TAG Media, and Pierre Cadena, chief operating officer of Catena Media.
The first question is: Do you still consider yourself an affiliate?
“Absolutely,” says Cadena. But Affiliate doesn’t mean the same thing anymore. Affiliates must evolve in many ways, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still there.
AI, Cadena says, is being leveraged in a number of different ways across Catina’s ecosystem. SEO content is faster to get onto sites, and AI helps them with engineering workflows which streamlines the process.
12.45pm The next big thing
Jordan is talking about sports marketing and how he chooses his partnerships.
“When I look at how the landscape is changing today, it’s a lot different from my era. Women’s sport is very strong right now, content is huge, when you look at TV, content sells. I look at these things and I think: “what is authentic to me?” and that’s what I focus on.”
There was an opportunity, he says, with his partnership with NASCAR to expand it outside of the norm. He points to F1, which managed to skyrocket its US popularity after a Netflix series, ‘Drive to Survive”, and NFL, which plays matches outside of the US to boost its popularity. That’s his goal with NASCAR.
The future fan experience, Carsten Koerl says, is developing to more closely follow the individual.
“We are living in a society where players are getting more important, and the teams less.” Data on players will soon be more important than team data as star players become the big interest.
The next big thing, he says, is connecting sport and gaming. The bridge is a customised product, built with AI, to offer targeted products developed on the fly.
12.00pm: MJ takes the stage
We’re seated now for the opening keynote, where we’re hearing from the basketball legend himself, Micheal Jordan, as well as Carsten Koerl and Jason Robins. Jordan starts by telling us that fans are now much more engaged, and more involved than they used to be.
“The fans today are more focused on the outcome, and they’re willing to get involved with the outcome… That’s a big change, and I think its a good change,” Jordan says. Enhanced technology, live updates, streaming platforms, and betting information enables fans to get a much deeper picture.
“Before, fans would live vicariously through the atheletes. Now the fans are the athletes with how they’re involved in the game.”
11.50am: Opening remarks
First though, we’re hearing from SBC’s very own chief executive Rasmus Sojmark, managing director Andrew McCarron, and Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon.
Moedas tells us the story of how Lisbon became the innovation capital of Europe, and how the gaming industry;s deep understanding of emotions, innovation, and people. “Create purpose, change the lives of people, and we’ll always be here to have you in this amazing city.”
11.00am: Coming soon….
Coming soon …… basketball icon, investor, and philanthropist Michael Jordan is set to take to the stage alongside Carsten Koerl, Sportradar’s founder and chief executive and Jason Robins, the founder and chief executive of DraftKings. Stay tuned!
10.15am: Breakfast briefings
To start, we’re getting a bit of breakfast in to fuel the day before we head to Micheal Jordan as our first stop of the day. We’ll do a lap of the (huge!) conference halls to start, so if you see us, feel free to say hi!
9.00am: Here we go
The time has come!
The sun may not be shining in Lisbon, but we’ve had our morning coffee and are excited to bring you the latest from 2026 Affiliate Leaders Summit.
We’ll be bringing you live updates from panel discussions alongside the some of the biggest talking points in the corridors. Stay tuned.
