Is it worth attending a network event (Prague, Adsimilis) (18)
Hi there,
I am a newbie, and thinking about attending Adsimilis event in Prague in two weeks. I live in Vienna, so it would not be a big investment to travel there (by bus probably 35 euros, 5 hours).
I have not worked yet with Adsimilis only got approved this week, hopefully can work with them from next week on. But they invite everyone if I get it correctly. I don't want to share my revenues on too many networks, as I give only a little value now, but one more would be great to test offers. So I am working with Mundo now (great AM so far) and could start with Adsimilis from tomorrow and see how it turns out. But I've heard some great stuff about Adsimilis and this event could be great to establish relationships there.
My concerns: time and money (even if it would be relatively cheap, I have a tight budget for testing (2200$), so it would take away from that. I could stay in a hostel, so with some nightlife networking it could be probably done from 150 euros)
Not sure, whether these events are rather for bigger players on the market. So do you think it is worth the time and money at this stage of my AM business? Also, what is to be expected on such a meetup? The website does not tell much: http://adsimilismeetup2015.com/
Thanks!
Balint
I am a big fan of in-person networking. If you live so close, I would recommend it.
Prague is also not the worst place in the world to spend a few days in September 
Networking is always a good thing to do, you never know what comes up after such a meetup. At the early stage you're in and given you'd have to deduct it from your testing budget, if at all, I'd really swallow the bitter pill and just travel back on same day to save a bit of cash. Pretty much PITA to do so, but you gotta hustle hard sometimes when being on a budget.
Despite that, while it's definitely good to network, at such an early stage, it's no deal breaker if you don't attend the meetup. If I had to make a choice for you, it would all come down to how flexible your budget is. If the budget is really cut down to $2200, you'll probably end up spending about 10%+ of your budget (as personally from experience I doubt you can do it for 150 euros total - gotta eat and drink too) might be not a clever choice.
If you can combine it and afford it, I'd go. Will it set you back if you don't? Certainly not, as you're just starting out and there's not much downside.
Listen to fjk87.
What he says makes a lot of sense.
Networking is very Important in any line of business and also in online marketing.
thus being said i know many Super affiliates that simply dont go to these events, one time i even offered to buy an affiliate a plane ticket and cover his full expenses and he politely refuse.
if i were you, i would sit down and start building a list of meetings before booking the ticket, if you will see you have meetings scheduled and that you can see the potential in going to the conference i would do it, if not wait till another conference will occur and go there.
there are many MANY different conferences all the time from Affiliate Summit to Casual connect, Demexco and others that if you miss one you still have 20 other to go to by the end of the year.
at the end "fjk87" is right talking about budget as this is your fuel, consider everything - Risk and gain and make a smart decision.
Fairs are definitely worth it, both in terms of meeting existing partners and meeting new ones. The best fairs in my opinion are the following
USA:
- Affiliate Summit (Vegas is better than NYC but both are amazing shows)
- GDC San Fran
- Adtech
Europe:
- DMEXCO
- Mobile World Congress
- Adtech London
- Amsterdam/Berlin Affiliate Conference (if you're into gambling, binary/forex, bingo)
- Gamescom
Asia:
- First timer for me but for sure STM Bangkok in December will be great!
You will meet there tons of inspiring people that can bring your game to a new level. Prague is also super nice and cheap. Take a hostel. After this event is the next exhibition there. The European summit. Its more or less only adult and free for affiliates. Food and drinks are here most of the time covered and if you tell guys that you are an affiliate they are super super uber friendly and wanna invite you for drinks, food and into the sexy Sauna 
Originally Posted by balint
I am one of the affiliate coordinators over at Adsimilis. Our meet-ups are welcome to ALL affiliates, whether you are new to the industry or have been around for years. Due to the historical location, the audience will be highly concentrated with top tier performance marketers: compromised of our amazing line-up of speakers. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet some of the best in the biz and help network your business. We also have a ton of fun activities planned for our affiliates that you don't want to miss! Message me on Skype and I can give you much more info on our Prague Meet-up and what to expect!
Skype: rachelverville.dqna
Just to follow up on this... the welcome happy hour, the main event, the post event dinner and even a city tour and lunch at the brewery the following day is all included for the price of free ninety nine. We just like to ensure everyone is taken care of and given the right environment to network and learn. If you can show up, we can promise it will be an incredible weekend, and you'll come home with the ROI you are looking for. Just one new connection or one new technique learned and applied right could make all the difference for you...and we see it happen each and every year and are honored to get to help facilitate this. We hope to see you there!
Thank you guys for the many great responses. I still have not decided yet, mainly because it is:
Originally Posted by ewoww
I see a big potential in it so I hope that I can make it. Also, very nice advice about setting up meetings. I guess as a newbie, I should invite some ppl out, right? Rather other affiliates or representatives of networks?
My mom can give me a ticket (i guess for free
) for Brian Tracy's talk in Budapest on Sunday, so if I won't make it to Prague, I could still tick off one of my old bucket list items The European Summit would also be nice I guess, but have an important exam that day.
Anyways, already started working with Adsimilis, great experience so far. Hope I find some good campaigns, so I can make bigger
an austrian mate in here... servus!!! just go there. don't even think about it twice. for the few bucks you spend, you will get massive rewards! traffic vouchers and discounts alone will bring you a direct profit. and the most important -> real business contacts and a good time! hit me up when you are in prague. i will be there from 18-25. otherwise, in october i will spend 2 weeks in vienna.
Which European summit is this for ADULT ?
Thanks
Best,
Tom
Originally Posted by blueflag
www.theeuropeansummit.com education events dont bring you a benefit but tons of networks and good biz contacts. Also the parties are epic! We do a Kalaschnikov and Pumpgun shooting if you are there let me know! Also for beer!
Originally Posted by balint
hahaha I guess I a great czech beer was missing, that is why i did not get it
just booked accomodation and bus. See you all there. So excited to meet you guys. It is time to step up my business!
I just wrote a review to my FA, so I thought I could post here as well, for others to see what to expect on a meetup like this. Thank you Adsimilis.
So as some of you know I was thinking about whether I should attempt the meetup in Prague or not. Well, I think I had my solicitudes fade away already after 10 minutes getting into conversations. Briefly, what were the main benefits?
Friends
Practical and valuable information
Inner belief
Friends:
I found it very easy to talk to people, we are on the same track, everyone was open to talk and did not back off when they heard I am just starting out.
I followed on iamattila’s advice and did not force to talk about business, which came naturally easy to me as I am interested in other people’s stories and know that the loud nightclubs are also not planned to discuss work in details.
Also, Andrew mentioned this in his speech. Was nice to hear a lot of stories, different backgrounds. I could really resonate with most of the people.
Also, I am not a stalker type and minimize time on social media or general hunting for information online (as I know testing is more valuable), but still managed to recognize two persons of the web I did not meet before (fbqueen and Rohail (suitcasemarketer, not sure what his nick here is)). Both of them were nice and could have a great talk with them.
Practical and valuable information
As stated above, I usually was not the first one who brought up the topic of business, campaigns, etc. but in most conversations it was a significant part of it (as expected on such a meetup). The opening night was also great for me with some information, but was nothing compared to the second day, where we had the speeches. I took detailed notes on all speeches, and also still waiting for the slides as well. I am not going to write concrete things here, but will share some things with my contacts/masterminds. The private talks are more valuable as people are more willing to share, and they are more flexible/not as general as some of the presentations. Eg. facebook cloacking was interesting for me, but was less useful than Rohail’s speech.
Inner belief
I think it is a vital part of building a business. Throughout playing poker and trying other businesses I figured out that having a great inner mindset is of crucial importance. This trip was a reinforcement for me that affiliate marketing is real. I met people who were already travelling for several months and building their business. This is what I want and this is what I will do pretty soon. Some people were making thousands of dollars daily, which helps me being more optimistic when I bump into another - 80% Roi Campaign. I set a goal of achieving constantly 100 dollars a day by the end of November, and it seems way more realistic having the comparison. And all that matters that my mind truly believes that it is possible and will find a way to get me there.
Fortunately, I managed to pass my important exam two days later, so I am very happy that I was there. But I think even if I did not pass, it would have been worth it, I probably would have had a bigger chance of earning more than my prof when I finish uni haha.
My next goal is AWA Bangkok I hope I meet many of you guys there. As I'll need a couple of green campaigns for that, it is a great opportunity to give Adsimilis back on the way.
Nice post Balint, I've know I've been pestering you for an update on this in our mastermind ever since you went! Sounds like it was a great experience for you, and was just the thing you needed to reinforce the fact that the money is there if you really work for it.
Big congratulations for passing your exam too, I've made a career from sales but really wish I had done more studying and stayed on to do uni! It's a subject that comes up a lot when meeting new friends, and always feel a bit of a loser for not having any major qualifications.. despite often having a nicer lifestyle! So make time for your education too and you will have the best of all worlds!
The Poker mindset is really helpful in this industry, you have to get used to losing money and this is a massive barrier of entry for some people. I've spent a fair amount of money over the last three months, but have learned so much and was worth every penny in my opinion! (I could have gone on an expensive holiday for the same price, but what would I have learned? 
)
So, onwards and upwards Balint and put all that knowledge to good use!
Originally Posted by balint
I think meeting people face to face is irreplaceable. Even if you interact with a lot of people on STM, knowing the people behind the posts (LOL I think all of the panelists at these events are STM members anyways) provides a deeper context to their comments, posts and suggestions. It also makes following up with them a lot easier.
Well done on passing your exams as well!
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