EP.8 - How Side Events Turn Affiliate Conferences Into Money-Making Opportunities

Affiliate Summit East 2026 is not just about the main stage. The real deals, the best introductions, and the most useful conversations happen at the side events - and Nigel Williams takes you inside the rooms where affiliate marketing actually moves.

From New York rooftop meetups to invite-only dinners, this episode spotlights the networking strategy veteran affiliates use to find partners, spot opportunities, and build relationships that lead to revenue. If you work in affiliate marketing, pay per call, nutraceuticals, e-commerce, SaaS, or performance media, this is the episode that shows you where the action really is.

Nigel Williams breaks down why he skipped the main ticket this year and invested his time in the events that matter most for his niches. Along the way, he talks with the people building the ecosystem around the summit, including:

• Juliana - host of the TT Meetup, who shares how the first New York edition brought together three floors of networking, rooftop conversations, and a packed crowd

• Danesh from Tipalti - who explains how Tipalti's solution provides payouts across 200+ countries in local currencies and saves hours of manual work - all to help affiliate businesses scale past the pain of wires, bank transfers, and endless admin

• Matt Frary from Alfie.io - creator of an AI affiliate recruitment engine that finds prospects, suggests keywords, drafts outreach, and turns a 20-hour grind into minutes

• Shaun Hall from ClickGo - co-founder of a fast-growing affiliate tracking and attribution platform built by operators who were frustrated with legacy tools

• Lee-Ann Johnstone - an affiliate agency leader from the UK who shares what 25 years in the industry teaches you about best practices, attribution shifts, and the coming impact of AI

• Mike Carney from Performance Marketing Jobs - who reveals what employers are hiring for right now, why experienced talent is winning, and why networking events still drive the best opportunities

• Don Silvestri from Debt.com - who explains why the Retriever Boozy Brunch keeps getting better and how niche events create concentrated, high-value connections

• Gerard Della Porta from iSellForYou.com - who talks about meeting advertisers and vendors at the final Lamborghini showroom gathering and why these events are where relationships turn into business

You’ll discover why side events often matter more than the conference itself, how to identify the right rooms for your niche, and what separates a casual appearance from a truly valuable summit strategy.

Nigel also shows why the atmosphere, sponsors, and attendee mix can tell you everything you need to know about the kind of deals waiting inside.

This is essential listening if you want more than conference content - if you want access, relationships, and the real-world playbook for making affiliate marketing events pay off.

Guest contact info:

Iuliana - TT Meetup - / iulianagavrila

Danesh - Tipalti - / danesh-anbumani-996a27126

Matt - Alfie.io - / chiefofchaos

Shaun - ClickGo - / shaunhall

Lee-Ann - Konverj - / leeann-affiliatemarketing

Mike - Performance Marketing Jobs - / mikecarney

Don - Debt.com - / donsilvestri

Gerard - iSellForYou - / gerarddellaporta

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You can reach Nigel on LinkedIn / diginige

and Instagram / diginige