iGB L!VE London wrapped up today at ExCeL, and I’m writing this with sore feet and a voice that’s mostly gone. Two days on the Affnook stand will do that to you. It was also one of the most useful weeks we’ve had this year.
Here’s what it was like, and what I heard from the affiliates and operators who came by.
The summer meeting point for iGaming affiliates
iGB L!VE has become the industry’s big mid-year checkpoint. It ran on 1 and 2 July at ExCeL London, its second year in the city after moving from Amsterdam, and it sits at the centre of London iGaming Week. Last year’s first London edition set an attendance record, and this year the halls felt just as busy. Casino and sports betting operators, affiliates, tech vendors and game providers were all under one roof, and the affiliate side of the industry, which has its roots in the old London Affiliate Conference, was out in force.
For an affiliate network like Affnook, that mix is exactly what you want. On a good day, the people who send traffic and the people who buy it are standing a few metres apart, and your stand becomes the place where they meet.
What running a stand actually teaches you
Exhibiting is a very different experience from walking the floor. When you’re attending, you choose your conversations. When you’re on a stand, the conversations choose you. You meet the affiliate you’ve been trying to reach for months, a brand you’d never heard of that turns out to be a perfect fit, and plenty of people who just want a coffee and a seat for five minutes.
A few things I’ve learned from doing this many times. Book your most important meetings before the event, because the stand gets chaotic. Have someone on the team whose only job is to talk to walk-ins, so the planned meetings don’t get interrupted. And write down every conversation the same evening, because by day two the faces start to blur.
What affiliates kept telling us
Over two days, the same themes came up again and again in conversations at the stand.
They want to be paid fairly and on time. This came up more than anything else. Affiliates are tired of deals that change without warning, delayed payments and unclear reasons for rejected traffic. The networks that win their trust are the ones that are simply reliable.
They want transparency, not just a dashboard. Good affiliates understand their numbers better than ever. They want to see exactly how conversions are counted and to have an honest conversation when something looks off.
Regulation is reshaping who works with whom. With more markets tightening their rules, operators are becoming more careful about the affiliates they partner with, and affiliates are choosing brands that will still be around in a few years. Compliance has gone from a box to tick to a reason to choose a partner.
Quality is beating volume. Operators kept asking about player quality and retention rather than raw sign-ups. That’s a healthy shift, and it rewards affiliates who build real audiences.
London iGaming Week
As always, a lot happened outside the halls. London iGaming Week fills the city with dinners, meetups and parties, and the week closed with the iGB Affiliate Awards, held at The Shard this year in a new standing format. Some of the best conversations of the trip happened over dinner, once the badges came off and people stopped selling and started talking.
What I’m taking home
The biggest takeaway from London is that trust is now the main currency in affiliate marketing. Traffic can be bought, and technology can be copied. A reputation for paying on time, being transparent and treating partners fairly takes years to build, and it’s what affiliates kept saying they were looking for.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Affnook stand. Now comes the part that matters most: the follow-ups. If we spoke in London, you’ll hear from me soon.
If you’re an affiliate or operator looking for a network that takes partnerships seriously, have a look at Affnook, or send me a message on LinkedIn.
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