5 Affiliate Summit East 2011 Sessions for Merchants to Attend

Six and a half weeks from now (yes, that soon!) the new Affiliate Summit is going to take place in New York City, NY. Since my blog is primarily focused on the needs, wants, concerns and demands of merchants and those appointed to oversee and grow affiliate programs (in-house or externally-based affiliate program managers), I’ve looked at the conference’s agenda from the merchant’s/manager’s angle, and picked 5 non-conflicting as far as time goes sessions that jumped at me as most relevant and interesting for this particular crowd.

Here is my list (the order is merely chronological):

— 1 —
What: Are Your Affiliates Adding Value?
Who: Adam Riemer (aka @Rollerblader)
When: 11:00am-12:00pm, 08/21/2011
Why: Judging by Adam’s blog posts, he knows what he’s talking about; and his session promises to cut right down to the essence of the things that can make or break an affiliate program.

— 2 —
What: Using Testimonial Claims in Social Media Platforms
Who: Peter Marinello, Tom Chernaik, Thomas A. Cohn, and Jeffrey Greenbaum
When: 11:30am-12:30pm, 08/22/2011
Why: Ignoring the importance of this topic is just too expensive for any business. Much is still let unclear, and I really hope this session will help with at least some of the many questions that merchants and managers have.

— 3 —
What: Live Merchant Site Reviews
Who: Mike Allen (aka @mta1), Jeannine Crooks (@Jeannine_Crooks) and Cresta Pillsbury
When: 2:00pm-3:00pm, 08/22/2011
Why: An affiliate, a network rep, and an OPM “will identify strengths & weaknesses separating top performing merchant sites” pinpointing affiliate-friendly elements and focusing on how to evaluate merchants.

— 4 —
What: Key Affiliate Program Components You’re Probably Missing
Who: Yours Truly (aka @ePrussakov)
When: 3:30pm-4:30pm, 08/22/2011
Why: There won’t be one merchant/manager in the room who will leave it without something important to implement in their affiliate program. Come. You won’t regret.

— 5 —
What: Do-Not-Track? Not-So-Fast
Who: Sarah de Diego, Peter Hamilton (@PeterHamilton), and Kimberlee White (aka @Kymbrla)
When: 2:00pm-3:00pm, 08/23/2011
Why: Hugely important topic. And while the session organizers are promising to talk about “how to rally, educate and fight this misguided effort” I’m also hope to hear about alternatives that we have.

There were a few others that caught my eye as well, but due to the time conflict, I had to choose.

If you’re attending the conference, enjoy the show; and I hope to see you in my session! Remember to also check out my earlier-compiled 10 tips on how to make the most of every Affiliate Summit.