From Barcelona to Rome: key insights after a dozen top events

Valeria is Head of Affiliates & Sales Department at Traffic Squad with many years of experience in affiliate marketing. She works on developing partnerships, scaling traffic, and building sales systems in international teams. She regularly attends and participates in industry conferences, where she focuses on practical case studies, networking, and real business results.

This year has been intense: numerous international conferences, hundreds of meetings, and new connections. For me, events are a way to quickly test ideas, meet the right people, and truly understand what’s happening in the market.

I’m convinced that results always depend on the approach, not just the conference itself. Below are the key insights I gathered this year.

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Networking format that works

It’’s not the format that matters, but the ability to use it 🙂

A booth, a party, or small talk — anything can work if you clearly understand why you are there. Without a goal, even the most luxurious event with top people turns into a meaningless rush.

Every trip is a strategic story for us. We know who we want to meet, what issues to discuss, and what opportunities to test. All key meetings are booked before arrival. But we always leave room for “random” encounters, because they sometimes bring the best results.

Booths are all about focus. You come with a ready-made track and a clear request. It’s the perfect place to synchronize your vision with your current partners.
Closed parties are the best space for exchanging experiences with other teams. There, topics are raised that will not be written about on Telegram channels. That’s where insights are born.
Small talk is an underrated super tool. Because you never know who you’re dealing with. What if it’s the very partner with whom you’ll make millions?

Preparation before each conference

Conferences aren’t about “hanging out”.

It all starts long before we board the plane. Even before the conference:

We book meetings with partners
We draw up a clear checklist for each area: who to see, what to discuss, what issues are most important
We think through what exactly we want to test or pitch.

After each conversation, we immediately record the agreements so that we don’t lose sight of the main thing in the flow of business cards and small talk.

Affiliate marketing is a long game. It’s not just about being there, but about the quality of the interaction. Transparency, clarity, and respect for your partner’s time are what build trust. And when you prepare systematically, even one day at an event can resolve more issues than a week of online correspondence.

The main mistakes teams make at events

Events are not a magic pill for partnerships. But that’s how they are often perceived. People come, hang out somewhere between the booth and the hookah, and return with a bunch of contacts… that they will never open.

Here are the mistakes we’ve seen over the years (and made ourselves) — until we came up with our formula for an effective event:

Going without clear goals. “We’ll get there and figure it out” never works.
Not knowing who will be at the event. Not studying the list of participants, not forming a pool of target contacts.
Not booking meetings in advance. And then catching the right people at the last minute with the phrase “do you have a minute?”
Relying only on the stand. And sitting, waiting for “someone to come up to you.”
Not preparing for a conversation. Not having a clear presentation, figures, case studies, or at least an understanding of what you are offering.
Collect contacts for the sake of quantity. And then have +100 unread messages in chats without any follow-up.
Don’t record agreements. Discuss — and forget. Or then not remember what was discussed.
Don’t plan the next steps. Leave everything at the level of “let’s think about something after the event.”
Wasting energy on showmanship. Photos, stories, hoodies — everything is there. But there are no meetings that move the business forward.
Not leaving room for spontaneity. And it is often spontaneity that leads to unexpected but valuable contacts.
Sending the wrong people to the event. People without experience or understanding of the product will not be able to keep up the conversation.
And the final boss of fails — getting drunk in the first half hour. And losing all your potential network before it even starts!

The analysis of the outcomes

The conference does not begin or end on the plane. The first day after returning is the most important: sort through chats, respond to new requests, record contacts. A pile of tasks is a good sign after a good conference.

After that, analysis mode kicks in. We don’t keep everything in our heads or “for later.” Each meeting is recorded in a file with details: who, in what direction, what agreements. Next — a general review of the event:

How relevant was the audience to our goals?
How many partners actually took the test or agreed to new terms?
Are there any insights that are worth implementing in the team’s work?

Because not every event gives the same return. There are conferences where you close a lot of deals. And there are those where the main value is not commerce, but understanding new trends and access to internal market analytics.

It is important not just to attend a conference, but to return with decisions that can be implemented. Therefore, the result for us is not highlights on Instagram, but an impact on work processes and real figures.

The most important aspects of conferences

For me, conferences are a combination of everything. Of course, we go for results: partners, tests, agreements — that’s the basis. But the real value is not only in the numbers.

It’s a few days that remind you why you’re in this field. When you talk to people from other countries, discuss strategies, and learn how someone solved the same problem in a completely different way, it energizes you more than any motivational post.

And most importantly, conferences don’t work on their own. What works is preparation, listening skills, clear communication, and follow-up action. We don’t just attend events — we integrate them into a system that delivers results. And at the same time, we don’t lose sight of what we’re all here for — connections, growth, and the drive that comes from building something real.